Ballad of a Soldier

I really enjoyed Ballad of a Soldier. It wasn't packed with propaganda like many of the other films we have watched, and I think this was mostly because it was made during the Khrushchev Thaw. Because of the Khrushchev Thaw, Chukhrai had a bit more freedom to focus on the story of the film and the message he wanted to get across, instead of having to incorporate a lot of propaganda.

A major difference I noticed between Ballad of a Soldier and other war films is that this movie focused more on the personal relationships of the characters and less on actual fighting scenes. When I found out we were watching a movie set during World War II, I figured it would be very action-packed and full of fighting scenes (and yes, there was plenty of action in this movie, just not the kind I expected). The only war scene we really see is right at the beginning when Alyosha is fighting the tanks.

Instead of many brutal war scenes we see development of the relationships between the characters. I think that Chukhrai decided to make a film like this to help people realize that soldiers are not machines, that they are human beings with thoughts and emotions whose lives (and families) are very much affected by war.

Alyosha seems to be a very caring person. Because he goes out of his way to help other people, the time he spends with his own mother (the whole reason he was on leave) is cut short. He helps Vasya, the man with one leg, get to the train by carrying his suitcase for him. Alyosha almost misses his train because he is too busy trying to comfort Vasya over the problem he is having with his wife. Alyosha also agrees to make an extra stop to see Sergei's fiancee, just to let her know that he is alive. When he discovers that Sergei's fiancee is cheating on him, he is outraged even though he doesn't know Sergei personally. Finally, Alyosha helps Shura. When the guard finds Shura on the train and is going to kick her off, Alyosha says that it's his fault and she shouldn't be kicked off because of him. He also sneaks Shura onto the war train by making her wear his coat and hat so she will not be recognized. Finally, when Alyosha is on the train with the Ukrainian family, we see him help them out of the train after it is bombed before he gets out himself. All of these things show what a caring and selfless person Alyosha is.

Even though Alyosha went out of his way to help other people, he got a lot of cold responses from people on the street. The morning after the train was bombed, people who pass Alyosha shove him, tell him to move, and call him good-for-nothing. He is able to get a ride to his house, but the man who drives him complains the entire time about how if he gets caught he will be in trouble. Even as Alyosha stands in the road hugging his mother, we can hear the impatient man honking the horn in the background.

I think another reason Ballad of a Soldier was made in a manner different from other war movies was to show how the lives of many young men were cut short by the war. Who knows what would have become of Alyosha if he hadn't been killed in battle.