The Killers (1956) + There Will Be No Leave Today + The Steamroller and the Violin

The Killers (Ubiytsy)
Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky, Marika Beiku, Aleksandr Gordon
1956, 19mins

In collaboration with his fellow classmates at the VGIK film school, Tarkovsky translated Hemingway’s short story into a weary existential drama for his first film. The faithful adaptation creates an enigmatic mood for the noir-like story about two hitmen entering an eatery to kill a diner. Deft mise-en-scene, fluid camerawork and editing prove the mastery of Tarkovsky’s craft, and offer a glimpse of fatalism underlying his future work.

There Will Be No Leave Today (Segodnya uvolneniya ne budet)
Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky, Aleksandr Gordon
1959, 46mins

Tarkovsky’s second film is a stylish thriller based on a real postwar incident that centres on the heroes of the Soviet Army, who adopt a dangerous mission to demine and transport an old WWII cache of bombs out of town. Though in the vein of the typical propaganda film, it manages to sustain tension throughout, elegantly capturing the mixed emotions of the soldiers in a human drama. Its rough edges are tempered by the lyrical long takes, while an undeniable cinematic vision began to take shape.

The Steamroller and the Violin (Katok i skripka)
Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky
1961, 46mins

Made as a thesis film, Tarkovsky’s solo directorial debut is a testimonial to the keen perception and visual imagination of a burgeoning genius. A conventional story of a friendship between a violin protégé and a steamroller worker is elevated with poetic evocation, replete with the director’s nostalgia for his bittersweet childhood and his sceptical view towards urban reconstruction. In the spirit of neorealism, it captures a sense of humanity and nuanced emotions through mirror and rain-slicked reflections.