The cinematography is what is hailed the most about this movie, and it is undeniable, especially for its time. The close-ups are reminiscent of silent film techniques, reminding me even of the very famous shot in Jeanne d'Arc when Veronika is witness to the disdain of the men in the hospital, talking about the woman who left her war-fighting fiancé for another man.
Some of the shots are spectacularly haunting, and the lighting is something to behold. When emotions and situations are frenetic, it is deeply felt. Some scenes are parallell to each other, like Veronika running up the stairs after the bombing, and Boris fading away in the forest.
It is notable that the conversation about consent blooming in recent years has certainly changed the narrative of movies such as this. A New York Times review from 1960 calls the heroine "a sensitive Moscow girl who weakens and is unfaithful to her sweetheart when he is at the front in World War II." For me, there is no way around it - she was raped and forced into a marriage by an obsessive man. Before he succumbs to his horrible urges, he does lead a very powerful scene where he aggressively tries to drown out the sounds of fighter jets on a grand piano. But quickly, he falls from grace, and that feeble yet passionate protest falls apart, just like their city.
This movie is beautiful and important, and definitely unmissable in the long string of WWII movies.
Some of the shots are spectacularly haunting, and the lighting is something to behold. When emotions and situations are frenetic, it is deeply felt. Some scenes are parallell to each other, like Veronika running up the stairs after the bombing, and Boris fading away in the forest.
It is notable that the conversation about consent blooming in recent years has certainly changed the narrative of movies such as this. A New York Times review from 1960 calls the heroine "a sensitive Moscow girl who weakens and is unfaithful to her sweetheart when he is at the front in World War II." For me, there is no way around it - she was raped and forced into a marriage by an obsessive man. Before he succumbs to his horrible urges, he does lead a very powerful scene where he aggressively tries to drown out the sounds of fighter jets on a grand piano. But quickly, he falls from grace, and that feeble yet passionate protest falls apart, just like their city.
This movie is beautiful and important, and definitely unmissable in the long string of WWII movies.