5/5 Poetic and profound; a superb example of artistic achievement...
  by Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
Few films are able to capture the thin line that runs between a child's innocence and an adult's corruption quite like `Ivanovo Detstvo'. With rich visual detail and carefully established characters, `Ivanovo Detstvo' is a marvelously crafted film that attacks a very mature subject with the delicacy needed to carry the air of a child's perspective.

I just recently (as in a few minutes ago) reviewed `El Espiritu de la Colmena' (The Spirit of the Beehive) and made the comment that both this film and that one are similar in structure and meaning. After I published that review I realized that I didn't expound upon that as much as I needed to, and thus wanted to write this one in order to do just that. Some who have seen both films may imidiatly find my statement false, claiming that `Ivanovo Detstvo' is clearly about revenge while `El Espiritu de la Colmena' is far from a revenge tale, and in that respect you are correct; but my statement was not made to insinuate that at all. What I meant by the comparison was that both films are about a child's perception of an adult's world. In `El Espiritu de la Colmena' you have a young girl trying to understand her surroundings and resorting to a fairy tale like masking in order to find solace. Here you have a young man who is so ravaged by his violent past that he is forced to thrust himself into a world he doesn't understand in order to find some sort of closure. Like `El Espiritu de la Colmena', the contrast between reality and fantasy is prevalent and poignant within `Ivanovo Detstvo'.

I just wanted to get that off my chest.

This film tells the tragic story of young Ivan, a twelve-year-old orphan who has vowed to avenge his murdered family by working as a spy against the German's during World War II. Because of his small size and his controlled demeanor he has been able to cross enemy lines undetected and thus been allowed to remain in the front lines, but his age and his background have caused some to suggest he needs to be taken out of the danger zone and placed in military school. This does not mesh well with Ivan's idea or vengeance.

Famed director Andrei Tarkovsky made his directorial debut (of a full length feature) with this masterpiece and set the tone for his future work. The film is littered with startling and profound imagery that make a lasting impact and speak volumes to the viewer. From the haunting (barren homes and the well) to the shocking (empty nooses and guillotines) to the monumental (planes protruding from sandy shores and apples shared over a joyride) to the beautiful and heartwarming (the suspended kiss over the ravine and the carefree run down the beach), `Ivanovo Detstvo' is as impressive visually as it is emotionally. Tarkovsky knew how to mold a devastatingly real film without overdoing it.

The acting is superb all the way around, with a few standouts. Nikolay Burlyaev is outstanding as young Ivan, capturing this young boys every clouded motive. Yevgeni Zharikov is also very effective as the young lieutenant unsure of his feelings regarding Ivan's military service. To me though, the films major standout is Valentin Zubkov. He manages to make Captain Kholin a beautiful patchwork of human emotions. His paternal feelings towards Ivan, his loyalty to country that often clouds that paternal affection and his personal desire to leave it all behind for greener pastures are all prevent and brought to the forefront thanks to Zubkov's rich and powerful performance.

Clearly one of the best films of the 60's and, quite frankly, one of the best films of all time; `Ivanovo Detstvo' is as timeless as they come and remains a must see for anyone remotely interested in cinema.

5/5 sheer poetry
  by peter andronas (canada)
Ivan's Childhood is sheer poetry. A young boy spends his childhood in the wasteland and dark days of War, meanwhile haunted by his memories of a time of peace and love with his mother. Tarkovsky's inventive editing and imaginative camerawork makes the film feel like a dream and the photography captures images that fill the frame with art! This is a rare cinematic experience!

5/5 Ivan's Childhood
  by Markus Gossas (Stockholm, Sweden)
Ivan's Childhood is Tarkovsky's first main film, and his most conventional. It takes place during WW2 in Russia. We follow 12 year old Ivan who is a scout for the military. His dark everyday reality is contrasted with his dreams which are light and joyful. The film contains images and themes that are typical of Tarkovsky, like the sometimes diffuse border between dream and reality. Also, the landscape is not a typical war scene but rather more dreamlike.
The transfer of the DVD is excellent and the details of some images are incredible. Also, the introduction by Vida Johnson is really worth listening to.

4/5 Remarkable First Feature
  by R. J MOSS (Alice Springs, Australia)
Is it possible to seperate this from the master's mature work, in some way? Certainly the context of its making is important; it is student work. But what student work! And to think that Andrei follows it. Whew! The story is fairly standard fare, a somewhat romaticising of the boy soldier, his heroism, his salutory patriotism. I believe it's the same lad who claims to have the secret of the bell-making in the majestic final stanza of,'Andrei Rubelov'. The murky claustrophia of the river and swamp, the echoing of white-truncked forests; birch, spruce?(all alien experience for this desert dweller!), these become familiar bits of the Tarkovsky lexion. Konchlovsky uses them too, in his epic, 'Siberiade'. But then they were co-students at the Moscow film school. Finally, I have this as part of the complete set of Tarkovsky's films; a gift from my eldest daughter. . The quality is great. The subtitling is as good as I've seen. And they're unexpurgated versions eg. the archival war footage of Nazi material was news to me. There's next to no information of who made this box set or where it came from, other than it's from China. You'll also find in the pack, 'The Steamroller and the Violin', a colour work also from student days, 1960. It has academic interest for me, but shouldn't be reviewed with the expectations he set in his great, mature work.

5/5 A stunning first feature
  by Barefoot Boy
This is probably Andrei Tarkovsky's most accessible film. It's a solid feature debut that ranks with Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows." Like Truffaut's masterpiece, "Ivan's Childhood" (a.k.a. "My Name Is Ivan") is a devastating view of troubled childhood and one of those movies you never forget. I'm delighted that Criterion has rescued this classic from home video oblivion and given it the first class treatment it richly deserves.