While studying at the VGIK Andrei Tarkovsky did three short films and this 1959 short is one of the three that was also directed by another student, Aleksandr Gordon. It is a black/white recount about an unnamed city where city workers discover several missiles underneath a street near a children school. The Germans left the remains there during WWII and the current time is peacetime. What follows is quite an intense and nerve-wracking story achieved just with good actors performances, good music, traditional camera takes and excellent filmmakers. This is another Tarkovsky short that many film students have to see and hopefully, try to emulate as an example of excellent filmmaking by a film student .This film does not feel nor looks like Tarkovsky, but is a very good short that perhaps because it has a happy ending, some say that is Soviet propaganda even when to my eyes it does not look as such. Then perhaps is true as it had a big budget due to VGIK co production with Russian Television, the military provided support with equipment and extras, and the film was to be aired on the anniversary day of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in WWII.
Still, is a very interesting and thrilling short that you cannot miss if you’re looking forward to understand Tarkovsky as a filmmaker and see all of his very small film production. As this does not look as regular Tarkovsky, the short becomes very accessible to all audiences, but obviously if you enjoy serious cinema this is one short that you cannot miss.
Enjoy!!!
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