The first straight war film
inducted into my Hall of Fame is, paradoxically, quite the opposite of what’s expected
from a war movie. Even for a ‘horrors of war’ picture, Elem Klimov’s staggering
depiction of the Nazi occupation of Byelorussia in World War II, seen through
the eyes of a young boy, is in a league of it’s own. Gone are the honour, the
glory and the courage; what we are left with is an ugly, brutal and savage
portrait. Despite being resplendent with imagery akin to an unfolding
nightmare, our following of young Florya trials, played by Alexei Kravchenko
(who ages what seems decades over the course of the film), is frighteningly
familiar. Cast and crew attest to accurate recreations of the atmosphere, and
an eldery German Wermacht soldier, at an after-film discussion, stood up and
said “I will testify: everything that is told in this film is the truth. And
the most frightening and shameful thing for me is that this film will be seen
by my children and grandchildren.” With its definitive statement on the cycle
of violence and hatred, Klimov’s agonizing film is as strong an anti-war
statement as cinema has ever come.
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