The front cover of ‘Deleted Scenes’ is interesting because it shows a part of an archival image of Yury’s father. The back cover of the book shows the other section of the image, which is of a much bigger proportion. By showing a small glimpse of Yury’s father in the image the reader is given a brief indication that the story is perhaps about this half-revealed figure, there is no indication that his photograph on either the front or back cover is in fact Yury’s late father. From Yury’s perspective choosing a small glimpse of his father works well because firstly it symbolises that Yury knows little about his father. The juxtaposition with the back-cover completing the image works well because it presents how over the course of making the book, Yury has learned more about his father and therefore can more informatively relate to and recognise his portrait.

 

Shots of the barren landscape of Eastern-Siberia like this appear consistently throughout ‘Deleted Scenes’. The incorporation of images such a this enable Yury to highlight the remote way of life for the community of his village, full of hardships caused by the extreme cold weather. At the same time Yury is trying to romanticise this way of life to the viewer by framing shots such as this which make the landscape appear beautiful and idyllic. It is a build up of images such as this that enable Yury to reflect his pride for his small village.

 

This image of a child’s toy, perhaps a toy from his own child-hood, draws the theme of his own into his book. By reflecting on his past through an image of a lonesome toy, it is suggested that Yury has somewhat throughout his life felt to  degree lonely and lost in the absence of his father. Yuri uses chiaroscuro lighting in order to reflect a dark, sombre mood. This idea hints at Yury’s likely sadness growing up without a father-figure. The toy horse looking out of a window is perhaps a metaphor for Yury’s lifelong quest to get to know his father. Personally I find this image to be very moving because it explores the tragedy and anguish of Yury’s situation.

 

This image is of a caged tiger. Through this image Yury explores the storyline of Japanese film-director Akira Kurosawa when he visited Yury’s village, and cross paths by chance with Yury’s parents. In the film, Kurosawa shot a film of a tiger, the same scene which Yury’s parents briefly appeared in. This image serves as a reminder both for Yury and subsequently in the storyline of his father. In contrast to the previous image I responded to, this is a more positive reflection, showing an actual event which helps to bring his father’s memory to life. As well as re-counting the story of his parents in this image, Yury is additionally portraying Eastern-Siberia in a powerful and mysterious light, as the tiger a symbolic of the strength and power of the region, as well as serving as a reminder of the dangers and difficulties related to living in that region, as if the tiger is both metaphor of this threat but it’s beauty at the same time.