| Come and See | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Russian theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Elem Klimov |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Khatyn [ru] & I Am from the Fiery Village [ru] by Ales Adamovich[a] |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Aleksei Rodionov |
| Edited by | Valeriya Belova |
| Music by | Oleg Yanchenko |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sovexportfilm |
Release date |
|
Running time | 142 minutes[1] |
| Country | Soviet Union[2] |
| Languages |
|
| Box office | $21 million[3] |
Come and See[b] is a 1985 Sovietepichistoricalanti-wardrama film directed byElem Klimov and starringAleksei Kravchenko and Olga Mironova.[4] Its screenplay, written by Klimov andAles Adamovich, is based on the 1971 novelKhatyn[5] (Russian:Хаты́нь) and the 1977 collection of survivor testimoniesI Am from the Fiery Village[6] (Я из огненной деревни,Ya iz ognennoy derevni),[7] of which Adamovich was a co-author.[8] Klimov had to fight eight years of censorship from the Soviet authorities before he was allowed to produce the film in its entirety.[9][10]
The film's plot focuses on theGerman occupation of Byelorussia during World War II, and the events as witnessed by a young Belarusian teenager named Flyora, who joins apartisan unit, and thereafter depicts the Nazi atrocities and human suffering inflicted upon the populace. The film mixes hyper-realism with an underlyingsurrealism, and philosophicalexistentialism with poetical, psychological, political and apocalyptic themes. The film received positive reviews during its initial release and received theFIPRESCI prize at the14th Moscow International Film Festival. It is the last film that Klimov directed before his death.
Come and See has received widespread acclaim in more recent years. The portrayal of the horror, bloody brutality, and psychological damage of theKhatyn massacre and the broader Nazi terror ofGerman occupation of Byelorussia during World War II has been widely praised by critics, and Kravchenko's performance has been lauded as one of the best instances of child acting in a motion picture. It has since come to be considered one of thegreatest films of all time, particularly in the anti-war film genre. In 2022, it was ranked the 41st greatest film of all time in theSight & Sounddirectors' poll and 104th in theircritics' poll.[11]
In 1943, Flyora and anotherBelarusian boy dig up a rifle from a trench to join theSoviet partisans. They do so in defiance of their village elder, who warns them that this would arouse the suspicions of theoccupying Germans. The boys' activities are noticed by aFw 189 reconnaissance aircraft.
The next day, partisans arrive at Flyora's house toconscript him against his mother's wishes. Flyora is taken to a partisan camp in the forest, where he becomes a low-rankmilitiaman who performs menial tasks. When those partisans trained to fight leave, their commander Kosach orders Flyora and several other men to remain behind at the camp. Bitterly disappointed, Flyora walks into the forest weeping. He comes across Glasha, an emotionally unstable adolescent girl working as a partisan nurse. The forest is suddenly attacked bydive bombers andGerman paratroopers, forcing the duo to flee. They hide from German officers passing through the forest and sleep under a tree for the night.
Flyora and Glasha travel to his village, only to find it deserted. Denying that his family is dead, Flyora believes they are hiding on a nearby island across abog and runs off. Glasha follows, by chance seeing a pile of executed villagers behind his house, before yelling at Flyora to leave quickly. They become hysterical after wading through the bog, where Glasha screams at Flyora that his family is dead. Rubezh, a partisan fighter, rescues them and takes them to meet the surviving villagers. The village elder, severely burned by gasoline, tells Flyora of his family's deaths and repeats his warning about digging up the rifle. Flyora attempts suicide out of guilt by submerging his head in the bog, but Glasha and the villagers stop him.
Rubezh takes Flyora and two other men to raid a warehouse for food. The group find the warehouse unexpectedly guarded by German troops and are forced to retreat. Flyora's two comrades are killed by aland mine. Rubezh and Flyora coerce a Nazi-collaborating farmer to hand over his cow, but a Germanmachine gun kills Rubezh and the cow. Flyora attempts to steal a horse and cart from another man to transport the cow, but he convinces Flyora to hide his gun andRed Army jacket asSS troops appear. He takes Flyora to his house in Perekhody village.
German troops andcollaborators surround and occupy the village. Flyora runs outside and sees women, children, and the elderly being forcibly marched down the street. Flyora warns them that they are being herded to their deaths, but he is forced into abarn church with them. The Germans barricade the doors, leaving the people inside screaming while the soldiers laugh. Flyora and a young woman with a child exit the church; the woman's child is thrown back in while she is dragged off to begang raped. The soldiers throw explosives into the church and barricade the windows. The church is set on fire, killing everyone inside as the soldiers celebrate. A German officer holds a pistol to Flyora's head to pose for a picture, then abandons him as the soldiers leave.
Flyora wanders away from the scorched village, finding the aftermath of a partisan ambush on the escaping Germans. Flyora recovers his jacket and rifle, only to spot the gang-raped woman bleeding and stumbling in afugue state. He finds Kosach and the partisans nearby, having captured some of the Germans and their collaborators responsible for the church fire. They plead for their lives, blaming a fanatical and unapologeticObersturmführer. Kosach suggests that one collaborator douse the others with petrol; he willingly does so, but the partisans shoot them all before they can be set on fire.
As the partisans leave, Flyora notices a boy looking at a painting of Hitler in a puddle. When the boy leaves, Flyora repeatedly shoots the portrait; amontage of clips from Hitler's life plays in reverse, but when Hitler is shown as a baby onhis mother's lap, Flyora stops shooting and cries. A title card states, "628 Belorussian villages were destroyed, along with all their inhabitants".[10] Flyora rushes to rejoin his comrades.
Klimov co-wrote the screenplay withAles Adamovich, who fought with the Belarusian partisans as a teenager. According to the director's recollections, work on the film began in 1977:
The 40thanniversary of the Great Victory was approaching.[6][12][13] The management had to be given something topical. I had been reading and rereading the bookI Am from the Fiery Village, which consisted of the first-hand accounts of people who miraculously survived the horrors of the fascist genocide in Belorussia. Many of them were still alive then, and Belorussians managed to record some of their memories onto film. I will never forget the face and eyes of one peasant, and his quiet recollection about how his whole village had been herded into a church, and how just before they were about to be burned, an officer gave them the offer: "Whoever has no children can leave". And he couldn't take it, he left, and left behind his wife and little kids ... or about how another village was burned: the adults were all herded into a barn, but the children were left behind. And later, the drunk men surrounded them with sheepdogs and let the dogs tear the children to pieces.
And then I thought: the world doesn't know aboutKhatyn! They know aboutKatyn, about the massacre of the Polish officers there. But they don't know about Belorussia. Even though more than 600 villages were burned there!
And I decided to make a film about this tragedy. I perfectly understood that the film would end up a harsh one. I decided that the central role of the village lad Flyora would not be played by a professional actor, who upon immersion into a difficult role could have protected himself psychologically with his accumulated acting experience, technique and skill. I wanted to find a simple boy fourteen years of age. We had to prepare him for the most difficult experiences, then capture them on film. And at the same time, we had to protect him from the stresses so that he wasn't left in the loony bin after filming was over, but was returned to his mother alive and healthy. Fortunately, with Aleksei Kravchenko, who played Flyora and who later became a good actor, everything went smoothly.
The events with the people, the peasants, actually happened as shown in the film. [It] doesn't have any professional actors. Even the language spoken in the film is Belarusian. What was important was that all the events depicted in the film really did happen in Belarus.
I understood that this would be a very brutal film and that it was unlikely that people would be able to watch it. I told this to my screenplay co-author, the writer Ales Adamovich. But he replied: "Let them not watch it, then. This is something we must leave after us. As evidence of war, and as a plea for peace."[9]
— Elem Klimov[14]
The original Belarusian and Russian title of the film derives from Chapter 6 of theBook of Revelation, where in the first, third, fifth, and seventh verse is written "Ідзі і глядзі" in Belarusian[15] (English:"Come and see",Greek:Ἔρχου καὶ ἴδε,Erchou kai ide[16] and "Иди и смотри" in Russian) as an invitation to look upon the destruction caused by theFour Horsemen of the Apocalypse.[17][18]Chapter 6, verses 7–8 have been cited as being particularly relevant to the film:
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, "Come and see!" And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
To prepare the 14-year-old Kravchenko for the role, Klimov called ahypnotist withautogenic training.[19] "[Kravchenko's acting] could have had a very sad ending. He could have landed in an insane asylum," Klimov said.[19] "I realized I had to inject him with content which he did not possess," "This is an age when a boy does not know what true hatred is, what true love is." "In the end, Mr. Kravchenko was able to concentrate so intensely that it seemed as if he had hypnotized himself for the role."[20][21]
For eight years,[12] filming could not begin because theState Committee for Cinematography (Goskino) would not accept the screenplay, considering it too realistic, calling it propaganda for the "aesthetics of dirtiness" and "naturalism".[9] Alongside this, the death of Klimov's wifeLarisa Shepitko, also a filmmaker, in 1979 forced him to first complete the work she began on what was to be her next film,Farewell; it would finally be released in 1983.[22] Eventually in 1984, Klimov was able to start filming without having compromised to any censorship at all. The only change became the name of the film itself, toCome and See from the original,Kill Hitler[20][19] (Klimov also says this in the 2006 UK DVD release).[23]
The film was shot in chronological order over a period of nine months.[20] Kravchenko said that he underwent "the most debilitating fatigue and hunger. I kept a most severe diet, and after the filming was over I returned to school not only thin, but grey-haired."[20][24] Contrary to what some rumors suggest, though, Kravchenko's hair did not turn permanently grey. In fact, a special silver Interferenzgreasepaint, alongside a thin layer of actual silver, was used to dye his hair. This made it difficult to get it back to normal, so Kravchenko had to live with his hair like this for some time after shooting the film.[19]
To create the maximum sense of immediacy,realism,hyperrealism, andsurrealism operating in equal measure,[25] Klimov and his cameramanAleksei Rodionov employed naturalistic colors and lots ofSteadicam shots; the film is full of extremeclose-ups of faces, does not flinch from the unpleasant details of burnt flesh and bloodied corpses, and the guns were often loaded with live ammunition as opposed toblanks.[6][20][19][26][27] Kravchenko mentioned in interviews that bullets sometimes passed just 4 inches (10 centimeters) above his head[20] (such as in the cow scene). Very little protection was provided on the set. When the dive bombs were detonated the camera crew only had a concrete slab 1.5 meters tall and 5 meters wide (4 ft 11 in × 16 ft 5 in) to protect them.[6] At the same time themise-en-scène is fragmentary and disjointed: there are discontinuities between shots as characters appear in close up and then disappear off camera. Elsewhere, the moment of revelation is marked by a disorientingzoom-in/dolly-out shot.[6]
The original soundtrack is rhythmically amorphous music composed by Oleg Yanchenko.[12][28] At a few key points in the film, classical music from mainly German or Austrian composers are used, such asThe Blue Danube byJohann Strauss II.[29] The Soviet marching song "The Sacred War"[30] and Russian folk song "Korobeiniki" (Vadim Kozin) (lit. '"Pedlars"')[28] are played in the movie once. During the scene where Glasha dances, the background music is some fragments of Mary Dixon's song fromGrigori Aleksandrov's 1936 filmCircus.[28][31]Richard Wagner's overture toTannhäuser and, notably,Ride of the Valkyries fromDie Walküre are both used during the climactic reverse montage of historical footage.[28]
At the end of the film, the partisans pass through a forest, while in the meantime a season passes and snow blankets the ground, to the sound ofMozart'sLacrimosa before the camera tilts towards the sky and the ending credits appear.[28] Film criticRoger Ebert commented on this scene as follows:[32]
There's a curious scene here in a wood, the sun falling down through the leaves, when the soundtrack, which has been grim and mournful, suddenly breaks free into Mozart. And what does this signify? A fantasy, I believe, and not Florya's [sic], who has probably never heard such music. The Mozart descends into the film like adeus ex machina, to lift us from its despair. We can accept it if we want, but it changes nothing. It is like an ironic taunt.
Come and See had its world premiere in the competition program at the14th Moscow International Film Festival on 9 July 1985.[33] It was theatrically released on 17 October 1985,[34] drawing 28.9 million viewers[10][20] and ranking sixth at the box office of 1986.[10] It grossed $71,909 in the United States and Canada,[34] and $20.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of nearly $21 million,[3] plus $1.3 million with home video sales.[34]
In 2017, the film received an official restoration overseen byKaren Shakhnazarov. It won the Venice Classics Award forBest Restored Film, and was also shown in several European independent cinemas again.[35][36][37]
In 2001 the film was released onDVD in the United States byKino Lorber. This release is currentlyout-of-print. The film became available onFilmStruck,[13] the streaming service forthe Criterion Collection from its opening on 1 November 2016 to its closing on 29 November 2018, and from November 2019 on the new Criterion Channel service.[38] On 18 December 2019,Janus Films released a trailer[39][40] for a 2k-restoration that premiered at theFilm Forum in New York City on 21 February 2020[41][42] with a theatrical run[43][42] and then a home media release through Criterion was released on 30 June 2020.[44][34]
Initial reception was positive.Walter Goodman wrote forThe New York Times that "The history is harrowing and the presentation is graphic ... Powerful material, powerfully rendered ...", and dismissed the ending as "a dose of instant inspirationalism," but conceded to Klimov's "unquestionable talent."[45] Rita Kempley, ofThe Washington Post, wrote that "directing with an angry eloquence, [Klimov] taps into that hallucinatory nether world of blood and mud and escalating madness thatFrancis Ford Coppola found inApocalypse Now. And though he draws a surprisingly vivid performance from his inexperienced teen lead, Klimov's prowess is his visual poetry, muscular and animistic, like compatriotAndrei Konchalovsky's in his epicSiberiade."[46] Mark Le Fanu wrote inSight & Sound thatCome and See is a "powerful war film ... The director has elicited an excellent performance from his central actor Kravchenko".[47]
According to Klimov, the film was so shocking for audiences that ambulances were sometimes called in to take away particularly impressionable viewers, both in the Soviet Union and abroad.[12][23]
Come and See was selected as the Soviet entry for theBest Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[48]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14th Moscow International Film Festival[49] | 12 July 1985 | Golden Prize | Elem Klimov | Won | [49][6][13][10][20] |
| FIPRESCI prize | Elem Klimov | Won | [50][20][49] | ||
| 74th Venice International Film Festival[35] | 9 September 2017 | Venice Classics Award for Best Restored Film | Won | [35] | |
The film has since been widely praised in later decades. Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90%, based on 59 reviews, with anaverage rating of 9.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "As effectively anti-war as movies can be,Come and See is a harrowing odyssey through the worst that humanity is capable of, directed with bravura intensity by Elem Klimov."[4]
In 2001, Daneet Steffens ofEntertainment Weekly wrote that "Klimov alternates the horrors of war with occasional fairy tale-like images; together they imbue the film with an unapologetically disturbing quality that persists long after the credits roll."[51]
In 2001,J. Hoberman ofThe Village Voice reviewedCome and See, writing the following: "Directed for baroque intensity,Come and See is a robust art film with aspirations to the visionary – not so much graphic as leisurely literal-minded in its representation of mass murder. (The movie has been compared both toSchindler's List andSaving Private Ryan, and it would not be surprising to learn thatSteven Spielberg had screened it before making either of these.) The film's central atrocity is a barbaric circus of blaring music and barking dogs in which a squadron of drunken German soldiers round up and parade the peasants to their fiery doom ... The bit of actual death-camp corpse footage that Klimov uses is doubly disturbing in that it retrospectively diminishes the care with which he orchestrates the town's destruction. For the most part, he prefers to show theGorgon as reflected inPerseus's shield. There are few images more indelible than the sight of young Aleksei Kravchenko's fear-petrified expression."[52] In the same publication in 2009,Elliott Stein describedCome and See as "a startling mixture of lyrical poeticism and expressionist nightmare."[53]
In 2002, Scott Tobias ofThe A.V. Club wrote that Klimov's "impressions are unforgettable: the screaming cacophony of a bombing run broken up by the faint sound of a Mozart fugue, a dark, arid field suddenly lit up by eerily beautiful orange flares, German troops appearing like ghosts out of the heavy morning fog. A product of theglasnost era,Come and See is far from a patriotic memorial of Russia's hard-won victory. Instead, it's a chilling reminder of that victory's terrible costs."[54] British magazineThe Word wrote that "Come and See is widely regarded as the finest war film ever made, though possibly not byGreat Escape fans."[55]Tim Lott wrote in 2009 that the film "makesApocalypse Now look lightweight".[56]
In 2006, Geoffrey Macnab ofSight & Sound wrote: "Klimov's astonishing war movie combines intense lyricism with the kind of violent bloodletting that would make evenSam Peckinpah pause".[57]
On 16 June 2010, Roger Ebert posted a review ofCome and See as part of his "Great Movies" series, describing it as "one of the most devastating films ever about anything, and in it, the survivors must envy the dead ... The film depicts brutality and is occasionally very realistic, but there's an overlay of muted nightmarish exaggeration ... I must not describe the famous sequence at the end. It must unfold as a surprise for you. It pretends to roll back history. You will see how. It is unutterably depressing, because history can never undo itself, and is with us forever."[32]
Come and See appears on manylists of films considered the best. In 2008,Come and See was placed at number 60 onEmpire magazine's "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".[58] It also madeChannel 4's list of50 Films to See Before You Die[59] and was ranked number 24 inEmpire magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.[60] Phil de Semlyen ofEmpire has described the work as "Elim [sic] Klimov’s seriously influential, deeply unsettling Belarusian opus. No film – notApocalypse Now, notFull Metal Jacket – spells out the dehumanizing impact of conflict more vividly, or ferociously ... An impressionist masterpiece and possibly the worst date movie ever."[61] It ranked 154 among critics, and 30 among directors, in the2012Sight & Sound polls of the greatest films ever made,[62] while it ranked 104 among critics, and 41 among directors, in the2022Sight & Sound polls.[11] The film is generally considered one of the greatest anti-war movies ever made, and one with the most historically accurate depictions of the crimes on the Eastern Front.[20][14][63][64][65][66]
Klimov did not make any more films afterCome and See,[67] leading some critics to speculate as to why. In 2001, Klimov said, "I lost interest in making films ... Everything that was possible I felt I had already done."[21]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The stories of survivors from the burned villages were collected in the 1970s by three Byelorussian writers, Ales' Adamovich,Janka Bryl', and Vladimir Kolesnik and published as a book in Russian and Byelorussian under the titleYa iz ognennoj derevni ... [I am from the fiery village]. See Adamovich et al.,Ya iz ognennoj derevni ... (Minsk, 1977).
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