The poetic gaze of Andrei Tarkovsky's camera has tugged at the heart's of film connoisseurs for generations. It's unfortunate, however, that his debut film Ivan's Childhood has been unavailable on DVD until this Tuesday. The film is certainly the most accessible out of Tarkovsky's canon and even viewers who found Solaris and Stalker oppressive should still easily enjoy this cinematic masterpiece.

The story centers around the titular character who acts as a spy on the Russian front during the German invasion. We learn that his family has been killed and that Ivan feels an obligation to exact vengeance. The film moves along over the course of two days where Ivan has returned from a reconnaissance mission and is in an argument with the commanding officers over whether or not he is to be sent back to the country for military school. Before a decision can be reached Ivan is needed to go through the German lines, a mission which he eagerly accepts.

The film is full of lush dream sequences that are presentiment of Tarkovsky's later work. Scenes of birch trees, horses, water, rain, and dimly lit barracks propel the viewer into Ivan's world and it's hard not to feel right next to him. The ingenious cinematography is also one of the films major attributes. Shot in glorious monochrome the film is chocked full of one unforgettable composition after the next.

This is a film that's aged well and kudos to Criterion for giving it the treatment it deserves. The digital transfer is absolutely flawless and I'm not exaggerating in the least, this is one of the best transfers Criterion has ever done. There's not one scratch or grainy image to be found and the film has a startling clarity as if it were a fresh print out of the tin. I saw this on a regular television so I can't even imagine how good it must look on HD.

The extras are spare but there's plenty of Tarkovsky goodies on other DVD's anyway (Andrei Rublev, Solaris). The disc includes a video interview with Tarkovsky scholar Vida T. Johnson and new interviews with Nikolai Burlyaev (Ivan) and cinematographer Vadim Yusov. The liner notes also contain two interesting essays, one by scholar Dina Iordanova and one by Tarkovsky himself.

The price listing is 29.95 which isn't bad for a light Criterion disc and it's definitely a film collectors will want on their shelves.