… this chronologically discontinuous epic and (largely invented) biography of Russia’s greatest icon painter was a Soviet superproduction gone ideologically berserk” …
Awesome in-depth article about Andrei Tarkovsky at Book Forum. Two books just came out about Tarkovsky (and I was just flipping through one of them yesterday at the Drama Bookshop) and the article is a review of both books. A controversial figure to this day, Tarkovsky was a man of and outside his time. I find him totally fascinating, as a figure – a symbol – a man who straddles the 20th century of Soviet art – all of that stuff about him is very interesting, and there is obviously MUCH to discuss in his films, although I have to say, having just seen Andrei Rublev, I thought I would scream if I saw another shot where the camera moved slowly from a scene of violence and horror to a scene of some small flower petal or some such thing. It got monotonous. Although, I suppose, that could have been part of his point as well. And I think seeing it on a big screen would most definitely make a difference in how those shots come across to an audience member. They could, possibly, appear majestic and tragic, as opposed to trivial.
Regardless: his work should continue to be considered.
