Review of Ballad of a Soldier (1959) by Gordon B — 14 Jan 2012

Pretty great. The kid who played the soldier (Alexei) was perfectly cast. We trust every single thing he does. The story is about a 19 year old soldier who blows up two tanks and gets to go home for a couple of days to be with his mother.

But on his way back, Alexei runs into people with problems and feels obligated to help them. One of the most aggravating parts of the movie was his inability to ignore the radio news about the war when he knows his train his going to leave quickly.

First off, why would he get out? I know they are both thirsty, but if he realizes the water is that far away, I think he would get it the next trip. Also, why would he stop? It just seemed convenient for the plot.

And then the earlier scene when Alexei helps the one-legged soldier is great, especially the reveal. We see him with crutches, but just assume he was shot in the leg or something. We don't really know why he wants to abandon his wife.

But then when we pull out and see his leg, it was just devastating. Brilliantly done, except for the aggravating face rub they do when they meet up. I think my favorite scene is when Alexei is looking out the window of the train and thinking of the girl.

The trees are in the background, but we still see her. She walks away from the train, and instead of what actually happened, we see her depressed. She asks why he didn't reciprocate with the love.

It captured perfectly what happens when you leave someone behind like that.