1961 ‘Каток и скрипка’ Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
Seven year old Sasha practices violin every day to satisfy the ambition of his parents. Already withdrawn as a result of his routines, Sasha quickly regains confidence when he accidentally meets and befriends worker Sergei, who works on a steamroller in their upscale Moscow neighborhood.
All great artists must start some where, and the final student film from legendary Russian Director Andrei Tarkovsky is a solid early effort.
The roughly 45 minute film follows the story of Sasha who is a young violinist in Moscow. He gets picked on by kids in his neighborhood until one day he meets a steamroller driver named Sergei, who becomes a father figure in his life.
From my brief research on the film Tarkovsky was inspired to create this story based on the father son dynamic in the 1948 film 'Bicycle Thieves'. The Steamroller and the Violin captures the theme of being an artist compared to being apart of the labor force or proletariat. I can see how this…
Everything Tarkovsky touches is gold. He can do no complete wrong. This is a great example of that. Yes, The Steamroller and the Violin is not by any means as complex/artsy as Andrei's feature length films, but it is nonetheless an entertaining and well made film. The first few minutes shocked me at just how different it was from anything Tarkovsky has done, but as it progressed I got used to it and eventually loved it.
One of my biggest fears going into this was that the main character would be super annoying. Thank Tarkovsky I was wrong, because that kid was great. He looked really young too, so is he the best youngest performance? Maybe I am being too…
A poignant short film from Andrei Tarkovsky that displays flashes of brilliance in the early days of his career. It features a cute as a button young lad with a latent gift for striking up a moving tune on his violin. His talent emerges when he befriends an unlikely man who is working with a steamroller just below his apartment, and the friendship blossoms amongst the bullying and torment of neighbourhood children. So many wonderful moments are vividly realised between the characters and some inspired camera technique is displayed in an early scene involving a mirror, where we spend a short moment gazing at small wonders through Sasha's eyes. 45 minutes that are well worth your time.
A precocious music student befriends a worker, and the connection (and disconnection) between artists and workers is neatly depicted in Tarkovsky's student film. It is a film of yearning, of misunderstanding, and of a certain symbiosis that, at the same time, suggests a commonality between artist and worker. It's also a sweet tale of friendship, which I always like.
Short and sweet, The Steamroller and the Violin is a touching little film about friendship by the masterful Andrei Tarkovsky. Despite being a student film, Tarkovsky's vision is clear, even if the film is little like his later works. Within The Steamroller and the Violin, Tarkovsky find beauty in music, in puddles, in conversation. He even manages to find beauty in dilapidated buildings being demolished. During the final act, the two leads cannot meet up and this simple trivial inaction feels like a tragedy. For all its slight nature and simple storytelling, The Steamroller and the Violin is ultimately very moving and hence worth commending. It seems that from the earliest days, Andrei Tarkovsky possessed cinematic skills so few ever…
A simple Tarkovsky film about a kid and a grown-up making friends. Parallels between artistry and physical labour as expected from Soviet film. Shot wonderfully as always.
nice short showing life in soviet union. but even I find it disturbing that adult man is disappointed to have a date with woman instead of a seven year old boy.
Watched with the family. Great post-credits conversation about the beauty of filmmaking that allows audiences room to think and make connections for themselves, rather than force-feeding us every desired thought.
Curiosity; learning from pain/struggle; friendship with adults; life wisdom; free-range parenting/society.
Shares a lot in common with the Red Balloon.
24 Films in 24 Hours #23
There is always clear evidence of a master's hand in all craft if he truly is a master. Tarkovsky is a master, and it is even clear by his earliest work. Even in this, a diploma film for the film school he was going to shows complete directorial control. I don't believe there's another student film that could match this, and if there is, I haven't seen it.
The Steamroller and the Violin is an accomplished short film by the great Tarkovsky. About a child musician who befriends an adult worker in a Soviet city, the film explores their day and how they become associated and disassociated through society's designs for them. It's to Tarkovsky's immense gifts as a filmmaker that he is able to show this conflict with great clarity and attention to detail, showing he was brilliant right from the get go. The film takes its time to build organically and avoids easy cliches. A must see, especially for those attempting to make their own short films.
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