grigori chukhrai soviet film ballad of a soldier begin with a downbeat and downcast voice over inform u of a situation in which a young boy mother will never have the chance to have recite to her the rather epic story her fateful son have to tell . she gaze and ruefully and down a broad road lead off into the distance a she stand on the brink of where her town and general dwell area meet wilderness while a longing look on her face and an uneasy establishment of power over a rather forlorn figure establish within u . just a you dread a soviet era period piece set during the second world war in which war heroism from the country young and fine be at the very forefront while a the rest of those those poor and equally brave in some sense civilian stay at home and weep for the very soul of the nation while the situation and those on the front and ballad of a soldier actually open up into one of the more interesting come of age tale i have see . the young man at the forefront of the piece be a certain private by the name of alyosha skvortsov ( ivashov ) and a boy whose war exploit would indeed make a fine story to tell any mother while friend or friend of a mother in the sense that in the heat of conflict and two nazi tank be wipe out by the say young man who have both the reality and responsibility of fight on the easatern front thrust onto him at this early age . follow these heroic act and alyosha be grant a six day leave and take it upon himself to return home in hope to complete an errand that be embed at his family house in the roof require mend . thus begin alyosha travel and a sort of circular journey a he leave the front with the intent of come back again blend with that of a straight and singular line journey or road movie a he venture from a to b while discover and find new experience and emotion in the process . the film be decidedly anti war and render it a soulless and empty experience if a young man come of age adventure be explore on the travel he make inbetween exploit of a combative ilk and and thus gradually inform u that any prior wouldread we may have have in what to expect from this period soviet piece and be unnecessary . the film will focus on alyosha travel in a minute and careful manner and observe one such instance in which the failure to identify the moment when it be apparently necessary to bribe someone and almost get catch out and rectify the situation before apply the say learning later on under different condition . this trial and error process nestle in with the overall study and while alyosha naivety will see him and in a gleeful and euphoric mood at the time follow the granting of the six day leave and happily take on the extra burden of deliver a gift from one soldier to their partner along the way while something that we will eventually come to realise merely delay the lead as well a put his life at needless risk . the extra burden of a chore be significant in the sense it be an odd job alyosha be return home for and and in preoccupy himself with one of someone else and risk the threat be unable to fulfil a duty set by himself but it all part of a learning process . if anything and chukhrai film victimise the little guy and or the poor and more grounded character such a alyosha and those he encounter it pity them and present their situation a less than desirable while whereas stately figure such a soldier and others of various degree of authority be hard nosed and seemingly uncompromising and find it rather difficult to understand the true nature of human emotion . without give too much away and if a particular truck impatiently loiter nearer the end know anything about what certain people have be through up to that point and they would surely have more remorse than they actually exhibit . chukhrai representation of two class of people and world apart and but bound within the same nation be both sly and inspire . rather and the film focus on alyosha relationship with a young girl he meet whilst stow away on a cargo train return home represent she be shura ( prokhorenko ) . the tie bind the two of them see an immediate connection and item they have in common from the offset while capture that sense of be able to bond with someone from the offset a you come to realise the two of you be share the same boat and so to speak . both be board the good train without warrant while both of them will suffer the same repercussion if catch and both of them be merely try to get to a homely place . the initial thrill and at least for the audience and in these two come together be part cruelly and part wonderfully interrupt by the train large and wooden door be tear open by a guard on the outside who then engage in talk with alyosha and before he himself be able to renew acquaintance with shura . the two bond a the train steam on ahead and before stop at a number of station and before slowly turn over and head on out of them again . the cut away shot of the moving and travel train representative of both character forward move journey and furtherance of their development while the stop start nature of the mode of transport in question a it pause at regular interval for whatever reason be representative of their initial on off truce with one another and two stowaway in equal measure and two people force into share a space throughout the development process together . the fact of the matter be that it crack along at a tremendous rate and with and a cite by chukhrai himself and the nervous energy from the amateur act talent propel what be a very beautiful and very natural progressive act catch magnificently .