Ballad of a Soldier

(aka "Ballad of a Soldier" or "Ballada o soldate")

directed by Grigori Chukhraj
Soviet Union 1959

Russian soldier Alyosha Skvortsov is granted a visit with his mother after he singlehandedly fends off two enemy tanks. As he journeys home, Alyosha encounters the devastation of his war-torn country, witnesses glimmers of hope among the people, and falls in love. With its poetic visual imagery, Grigori Chukhrai's Ballad of a Soldier is an unconventional meditation on the effects of war, and a milestone in Russian cinema.

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Theatrical Release: 1959, Soviet Union

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DVD Comparison:

Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC vs. RusCiCo (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL vs. RusCiCo (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman and Ole kofoed for the Screen Caps!

(Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. RusCiCo (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. RusCiCo (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Criterion Region 1 - NTSC	RusCiCo Region 0 - PAL	RusCiCo Region 0 - NTSC
(click titles for DVDBeaver reviews) Criterion (without the extras) also available in The Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films - a 50-disc celebration of international films collected under the auspices of the groundbreaking theatrical distributor. It contains Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes And Diamonds (1958), L'avventura (1960), Ballad Of A Soldier (1959), Beauty And The Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires On The Plain (1959), Fists In The Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan The Terrible, Part II (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules And Jim (1962), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), Knife In The Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves Of A Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules Of The Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages Of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957), Three Documentaries By Saul J. Turell plus the hardcover, full color 240-page book.
Runtime	1:28:09	1:24:09 (4% PAL speedup)	1:24:09 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.15 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.70 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.22 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Criterion
Bitrate: RusCiCo (PAL)
Bitrate: RusCiCo (NTSC)
Audio	Russian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	Russian Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1	Russian Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles	English or none.	English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Hebrew, Swedish, Chinese or none.	English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Hebrew, Swedish, Chinese or none.
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • 15 minute radio interview with Director Grigori Chukhrai and stars Ivashov and Prokhorenko, conducted after a preview screening in New York. • Liner essay. DVD Release Date: April 30, 2002 Keep Case Chapters 21	Release Information: Studio: RusCiCo Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • 35 min. interview With Director Grigori Chukhrai. • Wartime newsreel of 1941 parade in Red Square- • Stills gallery. • Filmographies. • Trailers. DVD Release Date: Summer 2001 Keep case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: RusCiCo Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • 35 min. interview With Director Grigori Chukhrai. • Wartime newsreel of 1941 parade in Red Square- • Stills gallery. • Filmographies. • Trailers. DVD Release Date: Summer 2001 Keep Case Chapters 20

Comments

ADDITION: The PAL RusCiCo (Aug -04) - It is sharper than its NTSC counterpart (as per usual for RusCiCo discs) but still no where near the sharpness of the Criterion. It also show cropping as does the NTSC Russian one. Stick with the Criterion, unless you crave the extras- then get both.

NOTE: If you require the expansive subtitle selection, then get the PAL over the NTSC.

******

Unless you are just about anything but English or Russian, then this is an easy one. The Criterion quality far exceeds the RusCiCo in every capture. The Ruscico disc has, of course, more subtitles as they always do...they have also upgraded the original soundtrack to 5.1 from monaural... purists would not approve, so its a personal choice. Regardless, Criterion wins this one quite easily.

In the RusCiCo we get a 35-minute interview with the late director. He tells some amazing stories about shooting, troubles he had with the government, how he cast the leads and after shooting started, and then changed them. This interview is a fantastic extra. The Criterion interview is stills and a radio segment from the 60's.

- Gary Tooze

DVD Menus

(Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. RusCiCo (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. RusCiCo (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Screen Captures

(Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. RusCiCo (PAL) - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. RusCiCo (NTSC) - Region 0 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Criterion Region 1 - NTSC	RusCiCo Region 0 - PAL	RusCiCo Region 0 - NTSC
(click titles for DVDBeaver reviews) Criterion (without the extras) also available in The Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films - a 50-disc celebration of international films collected under the auspices of the groundbreaking theatrical distributor. It contains Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes And Diamonds (1958), L'avventura (1960), Ballad Of A Soldier (1959), Beauty And The Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires On The Plain (1959), Fists In The Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan The Terrible, Part II (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules And Jim (1962), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), Knife In The Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves Of A Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules Of The Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages Of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957), Three Documentaries By Saul J. Turell plus the hardcover, full color 240-page book.
Runtime	1:28:09	1:24:09 (4% PAL speedup)	1:24:09 (4% PAL speedup)

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Report Card:

Image:	Criterion
Sound:	Criterion
Extras:	RusCiCo
Menu:	Criterion