More Films, of another sort

All the films of Andrei Tarkovsky are favorites of mine. (Perhaps because I am part Russian?) They are not everyone's cup of tea, as they are a different sort of filmmaking, as Tarkovsky explains in Sculpting in Time. For this reason, I cannot broadly recommend them, though for the right viewer with patience and time, they will pay dividends and reward one increasingly upon re-viewings. In some ways they are like some of Robert Bresson's film, which I also regard highly such as An Hasard Balthasar, and the very dark but unforgettable (for me) Mouchette. Tarkovsky also created cinema under the nose of the Soviet censors until Nostalghia (filmed in Italy) and The Sacrifice (filmed in Sweden, after he left Russia). That being the case, the context of a repressive materialistic and anti-religious state had to influence his film making--I don't mean that it harmed it but that the films became focused as replies to ambient official atheism and repression and control of the creative instinct. They also arise out of a very personal, autobiographical soil, hence are very personal films, especially his later films (the last two mentioned along with Zerkalo (The Mirror). He often uses lines of his father's poetry in the films.

What attracts me to the films after several viewings, aside from the stunning visual shots, is the deep, yes, typically Russian (I assume) brooding  contemplation of the spiritual side of man and the cosmos. If I string together all his films from beginning to end, there emerge, in varying decrees, themes on son/father relations, mother/son relations, Word/creativity, memory/identity, alienation and longing. The Word as expression of inner life and beauty emerges in Andrei Rublev, perhaps his best film. I rank the remaining 6 films in order of preference: The Mirror, Nostalghia, The Stalker, My Name is Ivan (Ivan's Childhood), Solaris, and the Sacrifice.

Do not expect conventional film making, plot, action and development. While Andrei Rublev has some amazing action footage of the cruel sack of Novgorod by the Tatars, the tensions in the story as it unfolds often emerge from what is withheld by characters or hidden in their own minds as secrets. The casting of a giant church bell by a mere youth and the revelation of his secret are masterful. His shots are often like paintings. But not everyone's cup of tea! I am curious to know what others think.

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Comments

[Beth from TN]

I haven't seen any of his films, yet, but _Sculpting in Time_ is a magnificent book. Anyone interested in the creative arts should read it.

[Christian]

My wife & I read good things about Solaris, but couldn't stay awake to the end. Zzzz....

We own a copy of Rublev. It was interesting, but required an investment of time and energy that I don't think was recouped.

The bell-casting was terrific though.

[Rob G]

I'll have to check out some other Tarkovsky films as I've seen only 'Andrei Rublev' (which I own) and 'Solaris.' I like the former a great deal, but the latter didn't do much for me. I found it very long and slow, and I'm a guy who generally doesn't mind long and/or slow at all. I'm probably in the minority but I like Soderbergh's 'Solaris' much better than Tarkovsky's.

[David_notacynic]

Love Tarkovsky. Rublev, The Sacrifice, Solaris, and The Mirror. Also his book, "Sculpting in Time" is well worth the effort.

Cinematic literacy is imperative in an age of drivel peddled as profundity.

[Rob G]

"Cinematic literacy is imperative in an age of drivel peddled as profundity."

Amen. "Avatar," anyone?

[Bill Clifton]

Stalker is a brilliant exploration of faith in an age of rationalism. At least, that's my reading of it (it's been a couple years). The film certainly recalls Kafka, but it rings an unmistakable note of hope and redemption.