In this picturesque film, a man reflects back on his childhood, which places him as an orphan of about eight years of age living in Russia shortly after World War II. For the most part, the story follows the boy (Aliosha Cherstvov) as he struggles to survive on the streets and during his stay at a boys' boarding school; themes here include the tyke's love for poetry, tendency to get in trouble, and his crush on a female teacher. Intertwined throughout, we see the grown orphan trying to learn more of his family, which was separated and rather destroyed by the war. Beautifully done. Features music by Vivaldi, Marcello and Corelli. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Recommended! Note: you must be a preferred member to rent this video.

Warning (rated NR): violence; adult themes; brief nudity.

1983; in Russian with English subtitles (Note: there is a slight background static sound throughout the print); 97 minutes; Note: though this print is in decent condition, it does have some speckles and a brief blackout; Aliosha Cherstvov, Yuosas Budraitas, Georgyi Burkov, Alexander Kaliagin, G. Bolotova, R. Bykov, N. Gubenko, N. Gundareva, E. Evstigneyev, Z. Evseyeva, B. Zakaridze, P. Krymov, V. Philipov, V. Berezutskaya, D. Netrebine, G. Kavtaradze, L. Shagalova, M. Kherkheulidze, N. Volkov, D. Bessonov, O. Strogova, A. Poliakov, A. Boldine, V. Yastryebov.