The Steamroller and the Violin 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 Already withdrawn as a result of his routines, Sasha quickly regains confidence when he accidentally meets and befriends worker Sergei, who works on a steamroller in their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.
Katok i Skripka, De Stoomwals en de Viool
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…
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.
It is hard not to fall in love with a bond between a blue-collar worker and a spirited, yet lonely boy who comes from a wealthy family.
While it may be the most unfamiliar work of his (due to it being before his first feature debut), Tarkovsky finds elements of visual language that he would later go on to master and own.
This film gives us a glimpse of what life was like in Russia; particularly from the bottom and the so called ‘top’. The story is told quite poignantly, with joy and love for life.
The final shot remains in my heart.
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 had.
Side…
Imagine Tarkovsky's film teacher/s seeing this for the first time. They must have known someone truly special had just made their debut.
Though only a short featurette, you can easily spot the auteur's fingerprints all over The Steamroller and the Violin, from the dreamlike world created and striking cinematography to the recurring motif of water as it drips, flows and refracts light onto the faces of the actors.
Having seen all of his feature films, I really wasn't expecting a lot from this student short but the scene where Sasha plays his violin to Sergey inexplicably nearly moved me to tears. I guess there's a reason he stands untouched as my all time favourite filmmaker.
The graduation film by legendary Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky was a good start for the director. The film features the two main characters, Sasha and Sergey, Sasha is a 7 year old boy who is learning to play the violin and Sergey is a worker who is doing a job on the street of Sasha's house.
This film didn't touch me but it makes you feel bad about how the kids treat Sasha but that would be the reason why he meets Sergey; the film's cinematography is terrific and Tarkovsky shows us some beautiful shots.
If you are curious about who this director was, this film is the right one to start watching his filmography.
A sweet little film about friendship that was crafted by one of the greatest.
Decided to dive into Tarkovsky chronologically starting with his final student film and wow, already genius. Simple yet dreamy short of a blossoming bond between a blue collar steamroller and a wealthy child violinist. Didn’t expect this to be so psychedelic, with the kaleidoscopic imagery and brilliant manipulation of light reflection. Tarkovskys knack for movement and framing this early has me so eager for what’s to come.
As you would expect from a student film (though perhaps not from Tarkovsky) the plot is pretty straightforward. It's about a young violinist who makes friends with a steamroller operator who saves him from a group of bullies. The film basically goes through the events of that day in fairly linear fashion, as the two interact with one another and change each others perspectives. It's simple, but it's actually a very touching and, for lack of a better word, sweet film.
However, it is still a Tarkovsky one and it is the visual components that makes it really worth watching and raises it to a higher standard. As such the themes/ideas are suggested through images rather than made totally explicit,…
#The_Steamroller_and_the_Violin
الطفل الطموح في تعليم آلة الكمان يصادف رجل و يسبب له اول تغيرات في حياتة
فيلم تربوي عظيم في احداثة الفطرية كالعدل
التصوير قربنا وايد وايد للواقع الي نشوفة في الفيلم من تفاصيل في المكان طبع الناس و الطفولة
تكوين الصور السينمائية شي يجنن 💓
ولا ننسى ان هذا الفيلم اول بداية المخرج العظيم اندريه تاركوفسكي
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