Plot synopsis of "Battlefield Romance" | Appreciation | Afterviewing

1984 color film 93 minutes

Filmed by Odessa Film Studio, Soviet Union

Director: Peter Todorovsky Photography: Valery Burlynov Main actors: Nikolay Burlyayev (played by Sasha Netuzhlin) Natalia ·Andrei Itsenko (played as Vera) Victor Proskulin (played as Chairman of the District Executive Committee)

This film won the Best Film Award at the All-Soviet Film Festival in 1984; in 1985 In the same year, he was nominated for the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Foreign Language Film Award

Plot Summary

During the Soviet Patriotic War, the young soldier Sasha... Netuzhlin was marching when suddenly a string of laughter like silver bells came into his ears. He followed the sound and heard the health company commander Lyuba Anchipova, who was known as the "Queen of the Battlefield" at the time, and the battalion commander. They were riding past the team side by side. In the harsh environment of a desperate battle, this laughter was like a beam of light, illuminating Sasha's heart and making him feel indescribable warmth. Sasha was deeply intoxicated by Liuba's beautiful appearance and melodious laughter, and he couldn't help but fall in love with her. Although he knew that Liuba was passionately in love with the battalion commander and his love would not be reciprocated, he still loved her silently and without extravagant demands...

Before launching an attack on the enemy position On the eve of , Sasha came to Lyuba's residence to say goodbye to her. He presented a bouquet of wild flowers and sincerely wished her eternal happiness. Liuba looked at Sasha's demented look and couldn't help but laugh again. This laughter has been lingering in Sasha's ears...

More than 10 years have passed. After Sasha was demobilized, he became a film projectionist. One cold winter day, Sasha was walking on the bustling street. Suddenly, a string of familiar, melodious, slightly hoarse laughter came into his ears. His heart was shocked and he couldn't help but froze. He discovered that the laughter came from a woman selling fried buns on the street corner. He looked at her carefully and saw that she was wearing an old cotton-padded jacket, an old shawl on her head, and old gloves on her hands, and she was selling buns while shouting. She joked with the ice cream vendor next to her from time to time, and took a puff of cigarette from time to time. Her behavior was rough and her expression was cold. Sasha finally recognized her as the "Queen of War" back then, but how much her appearance and behavior had changed! Now, she was slovenly and showed a cynical look, which was completely different from the past. people. However, her laughter is still as beautiful and charming as before.

In order to get close to Liuba, Sasha went to buy fried buns again and again. He tried to awaken her memories of the past with his affectionate gaze, but to no avail. Liuba only regarded him as an ordinary suitor and constantly laughed at him. Until one day, Sasha presented Liuba with a bouquet of wild flowers, which touched Liuba's heart, awakened her memories, and awakened her long-buried love memory. She took Sasha to her residence and confided to him the unfortunate experiences of more than 10 years.

The war took away the life of the battalion commander, leaving her with only a little daughter. After the war, mother and daughter depended on each other and lived a difficult life. Liuba was married once, but they broke up again because they didn't agree with her. From then on, she no longer had any illusions about life. Now she lives in a simple house and is insulted and bullied by the renters from time to time. Liuba was already discouraged and even gave up on herself. Sasha was extremely sympathetic to Liuba's situation, and the love buried in her heart began to sprout again. He is determined to help Lyuba cheer up with his sincere emotions. He believed that it was his responsibility to heal Lyuba's spiritual wounds, change her lifestyle, and restore her former glory.

Yet life is complicated. Sasha is married. His wife, Vera, is a history teacher. She is reasonable and kind-hearted, and has discovered the secrets of her husband's heart from his abnormal behavior. On New Year's Eve, Vera waited lonely for her husband to return, but he was nowhere to be seen. As soon as she walked out of the house, she met her husband and an unknown woman. This was Liuba. Liuba prepared to face Vera's scolding with a provocative expression, and she boldly told Vera: She had won and had won Sasha's love. Vera did not take this seriously and only expressed regret for Lyuba's rough behavior and unrestrained words. Liuba was touched by Vera's understanding and respect, and she began to feel guilty. Vera invites Lyuba to welcome the New Year together. In her own home, Vera entertained Liuba warmly. In order to make her husband and Liuba happy, she also forced a smile to perform tricks and performances for them. But as soon as she entered another room, she leaned behind the door and shed sad tears. She suppressed her heart with great strength. of pain. The bell rang, and the three people raised their glasses to celebrate the coming of the New Year. Liuba was greatly moved by the harmonious and warm atmosphere of this family, which prompted her to think about her next move.

Liuba's kind nature made her determined to withdraw from this competition and prepare to marry the chairman of the district executive committee who had already favored her. One day, Lyuba visits Vera while Sasha is not at home. Vera received her with mixed emotions. Because Vera loves her husband deeply and sympathizes with Liuba's experience, she is determined to make things happen for them. She suppressed the pain in her heart and was mentally prepared to give in. After Vera and Liuba drank a few glasses of wine, they both opened their hearts to women. They both lamented the tricks of fate and the unfairness of life. They both forgot that they were competitors and expressed joy to each other.

After the two of them sang a song about the old days, Liuba whispered to Vera: "I'm getting married!" Vera's heart beat violently, and she was ready to leave her husband and accept her fate. Unexpectedly, Liuba then told her that the person she was going to marry was actually the chairman of the district executive committee. The expression on Vera's face changed instantly, and she couldn't help but feel sad and happy at the same time. She fully understood Liuba's good intentions: she would rather sacrifice her love for the happiness of others. Vera was deeply moved. The two held their heads and sobbed.

Sasha is distressed because he has not seen Lyuba for a long time. He looked around, but Liuba was nowhere to be seen. He felt flustered. Finally, I found out that Liuba was going to get married. Sasha hurried to Lyuba's new residence, just in time to meet the guests coming to congratulate the newlyweds. Sasha was hiding behind the door blankly with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. At this time, Liuba's familiar and sweet laughter came to his ears again, which made him heartbroken and heartbroken. Liuba suddenly spotted Sasha and was speechless for a moment. She silently took the flowers from Sasha and watched Sasha run downstairs. Liuba stood dumbly until she heard Sasha's painful screams before she suddenly came to her senses. She chased downstairs to explain, but what could she say?

Sasha wandered the early morning streets in a resentful mood. He was walking on the icy road with his heart full of thoughts and accidentally fell. He got up and walked forward again. Suddenly, a few pieces of ice fell from the iron pipe on the wall of a house, making a sound. The sound seemed to wake Sasha up. He subconsciously kicked the iron pipe with his foot, and more ice fell. The sound was also louder. This seemed to remind Sasha, so he ran back and forth on both sides of the street and kicked the iron pipes on the walls on both sides. The ice kept falling down, making a huge noise, which seemed to vent his inner depression... …

Vera was restless at home and had a premonition that something would happen to Sasha. She walked onto the street and had already discovered Sasha's abnormal behavior. She followed Sasha silently. The windows facing the street were opened one after another, and the sleepy people cursed. The police patrolling the streets on horseback took Sasha away on horseback for disturbing the peace.

Vera followed the horse in hot pursuit and shouted: "Comrade police, three-quarters of my husband's stomach is left on the battlefield... Lock him in and give him food." Don't cook oatmeal with milk, cook it with water..." The policeman was moved by his wife's earnest warning and concern. He lowered Sasha from the horse.

Sasha and Vera both leaned against the river railing. The two stood blankly, a distance apart from each other, silent. How will life continue in the future?

Appreciation

Since the 1970s and 1980s, Soviet films have made new breakthroughs in the field of war themes: the perspective has changed, and the content has changed. also deepened further. A considerable number of works do not directly show the heroic and heroic deeds of Soviet soldiers and civilians fighting the enemy in a bloody battle in the Great Patriotic War, but use this war as the background to reflect a broader perspective. This type of film focuses on the consequences of war on ordinary people's lives. The creator profoundly expressed the impact of war on people's spirits. Although this war has been going on for 40 years, the psychological trauma it left on people is difficult to heal. Although this kind of war-themed film does not show the smoke-filled battlefield and there is no sound of gunfire, it has a strong artistic appeal and prompts people to reflect on the war.

"Battlefield Romance" belongs to this category of works. It shows war in a new light. The war has ended when the film begins (only a corner of the war environment is depicted in the prologue), but the impact of the war on the characters runs through the entire film. It can be said that the theme of the film is thinking about war. The film does not show the process of the mental change of "War Queen", but the audience can understand that this is the imprint left by the war. On the other hand, while showing the consequences of war, the film also brings out the theme that people should think about how to choose their own life path. The film contains strong moral elements. Treat others with kind intentions, and cannot be indifferent to the misfortunes of others. You should care about the fate of others, and even sacrifice yourself to save others. The film praises this lofty spiritual realm. It explores war from the perspective of moral exploration. The impact on social life and the complex and detailed psychological changes between the characters are demonstrated through events related to the war.

This film has distinctive features in its artistic treatment. First of all, the prologue of the film has a very strong subjective romantic color. The scene when Sasha goes to say goodbye to Lyuba on the eve of the war is handled in a unique way. Sasha stood infatuatedly in the trench outside the battalion commander's tent, listening to Lyuba's laughter. Sometimes he stood still, and sometimes he imagined dancing with Lyuba along with the waltz sound of the gramophone coming from the tent. At this time, the sound of gunfire in the distance seemed so unreal. The sound of horses neighing was more than the sound of gunfire. After Sasha bid farewell to Lyuba with a bouquet of wild flowers, the sound of the general attack appeared in Sasha's imagination. The whole prologue seems to be Sasha's review. It is completely different from the real life environment in the story unfolding below. This prologue has special meaning in the film.

The entire film uses a sepia tone that is consistent with the severe environment and heavy atmosphere of the year. This tone continues from the prologue to the post-war period, even when Lyuba welcomes the New Year at Sasha's house. There are never bright colors on the screen.

For example, the costumes Vera wears when she performs and the red, blue, and green handkerchiefs she uses when performing tricks all seem to be cast in a grayish tone. This lackluster palette speaks to the film's theme: life seen from the interior perspective of someone who has lived through war. The film unifies the war period and the post-war period in one tone, thereby making people feel the consequences of the war more deeply.

The director successfully created a perfect voice image for Liuba. Let Liuba's unique laughter run through the entire film from the drama, adding endless artistic charm. The three occurrences of laughter determine three changes in Sasha's fate. Laughter is emitted at three different times, places, and occasions, all with characteristics of specific environments and profound connotations.

When Sasha heard Lyuba's moving laughter for the first time on the battlefield, he fell in love with her. This is the pure and sacred first love of young people. In the harsh environment of desperate battles, this kind of love is like a beam of light, enabling soldiers to withstand cruel tests, persevere, and look forward to the future.

Sasha was still very emotional when he heard Lyuba's laughter for the second time after the war. Although Lyuba has experienced ups and downs in life, her appearance is unrecognizable, and her will appears depressed, it is not difficult to see from her laughter that she still maintains her good nature, so Sasha is determined to cheer Lyuba up at all costs.

The third time Sasha heard Lyuba laugh was after she made a life decision for herself. Her laugh was still charming, but it sounded painful to Sasha. This laughter meant the end of the relationship between the two. From now on, it can only be kept in the mind as a beautiful memory, but Sasha could not but be moved by the noble and moral decision Liuba took.

The director also used a unique contrasting technique in the processing of visual images. The first is the sharp contrast between the image of Lyuba herself during the war and the post-war period. In Sasha's memory, the "Queen of War" was such a stunning beauty! How radiant she was when she rode past the battalion commander with her long hair! When Sasha stood beside the battalion commander When preparing to meet Lyuba outside the tent, the faint light from a match struck in the tent revealed the image of Lyuba as if she were a holy and perfect goddess. It was deeply engraved in Sasha's heart. in mind. But after the war, Sasha saw Liuba with a completely different look. She huddled up in a big old shawl and shouted in a hoarse voice. She has a haggard appearance, vulgar manners, shabby clothes, and a cold expression. She is simply a down-and-out woman living a miserable life. This strong visual contrast has very rich connotations. Later, when Sasha once again aroused Lyuba's hope and confidence in life with her sincere emotions, Lyuba's appearance changed again. She became self-loving again, paid attention to grooming, and appeared energetic, which showed that Lyuba's spirit began to recover. .

The other is the contrast between the images of Lyuba and Vera. Liuba is a woman with beautiful appearance, passionate and cheerful personality, who dares to hate and love. She is the embodiment of the romantic ideal. Her name itself means "love". Her body is filled with happiness, and she makes people long for beautiful things. Vera is a rational woman. She is not judged by appearance, but she is considerate, practical, and good at analysis. She can control her emotions and deal with problems more rationally. She knew very well that there was a "fighting friendship" between her husband and Lyuba that was difficult to break. She also liked Lyuba's cheerful and cheerful personality. Out of her kind nature, Vera is willing to make both her husband and Liuba happy. She can suppress the pain in her heart and listen to her husband's unscrupulous confession of his feelings in front of her. The meaning of Vera's name is "trust", which means you can trust this person. Moreover, the creator also deliberately gave Vera's costumes and movements a certain comedic touch. For example, she had her perform both solemn and comical on New Year's Eve, and her actions of following the police and giving them frequent warnings all gave this character a tragicomic touch. , is an extremely wonderful treatment by the director.

What the creator of the film presents to the audience is indeed an unforgettable "battlefield romance".

Pyotr Todorovsky, the director of this film, is one of the most eye-catching directors in the current Soviet film industry. He is known for his ability to capture sharp themes, create various typical characters, provide delicate psychological portrayals, and put forward profound social connotations. His works have won many international awards. His recent work "International Girl" has attracted the attention of people at home and abroad.