The Andrei Tarkovsky Thread

His legacy has been to influence a bunch of slow cinema posers that think long takes of nothing is "art." Tarkovsky himself wasn't immune to this, but his best films are married to rich screenplays that consider spirituality and the nature of humanity in direct ways - Ivan's Childhood explored the effects of war on a young man's mind decades before Klimov made the (far lesser) Come and See, while one can look at his majestic Solaris and contrast it with Soderbergh's childish remake that doesn't understand ambiguity - and his films are far richer than the likes of the far more didactic Ingmar Bergman when exploring similar topics.

I think the first I saw from him was Andrei Rublev when I was in college. I sought it out because it was still difficult to get a hold of at the time the way the "lost" European Welles movies were and had somewhat of a mystique around it with the film school crowd. I was blown away, puts most of the big Hollywood historical epics to shame. The Mirror is his other masterpiece, way ahead of the kind of stuff Malick and other people have done in that vein in modern times. All his movies are pretty much good although I'd say Stalker is his worst unlike a lot of people.



Probably true. I've called a lot of the "ethereal" faux arthouse Oscar bait movies of the 21st century "wannabe Tarkovsky bullshit".

Have you seen Andrei Rublev Javi ?

My first encounter was Ivan's Childhood. Don't remember anything about it aside from the the visuals and the fact that I couldn't tell actors apart (too young), and it's ending shot/feeling especially... years later Andrei Rublev, which I have not much to add. It's a great piece of filmmaking, the kind that doesn't care if you "like" it or not just the coldest, most serious "biopic" ever put to screen, probably... Cut again to, several years later (last year) when I finally watched Mirror and, it was the start of this current affair.

I don't quiet get the Dostoevsky comparison (cause he indeed was a character master and Tark just isn't aiming for that) other than a few themes and the same country of origin. If anything, Mirror reminded me of a magical reaslism piece - a Pedro Paramo; stylistically speaking (voices of a community come and go, dead or alive doesn't matter).

To make it clear what I legit believe makes it great, put it in front of another watchable film that just happened to come out the same year that I watched this - Oppenheimer (Nolan cites Zerkalo as an influence). Yes, in his film some scenes are B&W and we go between past and present, but what awaits us when we complete his picture? Strauss posed as X but he was Y, we thought of the wife as this but she did that at the end... all the characters in this screenplay are familiar, by-the-numbers archetypes of a Hollywood biopic. It could've been told linearally, but Nolan took his time and gave us something more attractive. Zerkalo on the other hand, probably couldn't exist any other way... it definitely wouldn't have the impact that it currently has. Cause you see, there really isn't one protagonist in it; half of it is us (we're actively figuring it all) and half of it is, if you get on board with his language (and what a trememndeous value he gives to each shot and edit of his), is a whole bleeding nation... seemingly-pretentious in it's decisions yet vulnerable about what it's sharing with you at the same time. God-tier work tbh.



(This was the best use of Bach I've ever seen in a film btw. Who would've thought something like "You want it to be a boy or a girl?" could be the best line you could hear in a whole year?)

 Nostalghia I like more with every passing day and The Sacrifice I enjoyed the least (first 1/3, which is so Bergmanian is heavenly), the "wavelength" got disrupted a couple of times... but I have to give them time (I've realized your mind gets a little, um, pregnanted after a film of his; they're so rich you don't really have the need to watch something else for a couple of days), still my initial impression is that him being sent away from his motherland (which sucks, just like his early death) affected those two last films; their scenery seems more "decorative" than the ones before...but are still completely impressive especially the '83.
And all of these shouldn't work mind you, not after the number of lesser art-house (inspired by him yes) that I've seen prior to this discovery... it's that "touch" that can't be expressed with words, and can't be imitated.