Goodbye,
Boys (1964) (AKA "Do Svidanya, Malchiki")
Boldly
powerful in its quiet evocation of the end of innocence,
"Goodbye, Boys" is a masterpiece. Filmed in the 60's
in black and white, the film harkens to the pre-WWII
era in Russia. It is set in a seaside resort community
where three local boys have been chosen to receive prestigious
military training. Knowing some history of Soviet politics
will help to understand many particulars about the film
but such knowledge is not necessary to grasp the meaning
of it all.
What is most striking about the film for an American
viewer is just how similar the film is to the American
experience. Although certainly not anti-war, the film
does question the concept of it. The teenaged boys'
parents do not want them to go to the military schools
but this idea is subjugated by the real focus of the
film, the feelings of the boys themselves. While outwardly
proud and wanting to appear important, the film never
questions their motives nor suggests that they have
any fear. Young man are rarely fearful, anyway, the
film knowingly imparts. Instead, the film uses a wonderful
technique to spotlight the young men's naivety. Made
in the 60's yet set in the late 30's, the film uses
newsreel footage of the (what would be) forthcoming
WWII and Nazi era Germany to jarringly remind us of
these boys' future. It is powerful. We watch the boys
act and speak like typical teenagers, oblivious, of
course, to their fate, while we are continuously remind
of that fate visually. This is not done with anger,
forcefulness or even a sense of irony, really. It is
more an evocation of reality, a subtle nudging reminder.
Often these newsreel images are silent or feature only
musical accompaniment. They simply flash-forward to
the reality that awaits and, in doing so, fill us with
awe and sorrow. When the film cuts quickly back to the
boys in their wide-eyed, fresh-face incognizance, the
sorrow is doubly compounded.
This is a beautiful film. I don't have a cinematic knowledge
quite experienced enough to gage its importance in film
history. Surely it is one of the most important films
of the 60's. Evoking technique of the new wave era it
was made in, the film also uses several devices in fresh
and interesting ways. I do not know if this film pioneered
such devices. I know I've seen some of them used in
later films. Regardless, whether innovative or simply
a reflection of the then current trends in film techniques,
"Goodbye, Boys" never ceases to amaze by using interesting
cinematic mechanisms to convey its sense of innocence
and naivety.
Beginning as almost a silent film, the piece evolves
for nearly 15 minutes before anyone even speaks. We
are quietly introduced into the story, the trio of boyhood
friends on the brink of manhood, their lives, their
community, current political trends, and such. Of utmost
importance of course, undercutting the political discussions,
is the boys' interest in girls and having fun. So often
the film focuses on a picturesque image of the three
young men that it becomes tableau, a reflection of universal
youth.
The images of the seaside resort evokes Jacques Tati's
"Mr. Hulot's Holiday" as easily as it does an American
film like "The Last Picture Show," even though it has
little else in common with those films whose release
came before and after it. Like many films, the images
here reflect a crystalized moment in time. The visuals
reflect more than just era though; emotion, thought,
feeling and unknowingness are also captured as well.
Filmmaker Makhail Kalik, who helps author Boris Balter
adapt his book to script here, tells a novelesque story
in images and sounds as much as he does in plot and
dialogue. A wonderful scene early in the film, after
one of the boys has told his mother of his plans, is
a perfect example of image as story. The boys rests
smiling, the mother looks concerned, a clock ticks slowly.
Suddenly images of Hitler and the Nazis erupt (it's
the first time we see them in the film). After an extended
reminiscence of wartime images acting as flash forward,
we return to the clock, the boy, still smiling, the
mother, still concerned. It is a scene packed with meaning
and emotion and feeling and heartbreaking poignancy.
And not a word is uttered. This could be a chapter in
the novel, even two. In Kalik's hands, it is monumental
and says everything we need to know without a word being
uttered. Amazing.
But Kalik is not always silent. Title cards often whisper
onto the screen telling us an important bit of thought
or information. While this technique can be typical,
lazy or even tiresome in some directors hands; it becomes
poetry here. Kalik presents the sentences without any
sound. These tender interruptions become so unobtrusive
that after the film is viewed, it is nearly impossible
to remember whether they were title cards or narration.
But they are in fact title cards. And coupled with silence,
they are exclamation points in the film. Again, Kalik
works against normal film thinking to make loud screams
out of whispers, pointed remarks out of silence. It
cuts like a sickle.
One must see "Goodbye, Boys" to really understand its
immediacy and poignancy. It is hard to think of any
other film from the sound age that says so much, so
importantly, while remaining so subtle and so quiet.
The film's themes of loss of innocence, horrors of adulthood
(i.e. horrors of war) and reminiscence are universal.
The fact that this is a Russian film, viewed from an
American perspective, is even more important. Seeing
it, it amazes the viewer at how much in common Russia
had with America and Europe in the past. And how little
we realized it. And that remains an important point
for the here... and the now.
"Goodbye,
Boys" is one of the most beautiful, poignant and lyrical
films I've ever seen. My heart is somehow not the same
after seeing it. It is better, wiser, more sorrowful,
and more in love with life than ever.
Note:
Kalik made an autobiographical film called "And the
Wind Returns" some 30 years after helming "Goodbye,
Boys" in which he used footage from the earlier film.
Screened as part of the Austin Film Society's "Soviet
New Wave" series.
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