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1.Solaris [1972] starring: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet, Vladislav Dvorzhetsky, Nikolai Grinko
directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
April 10, 2003
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

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VHS : Solaris [1972]
We find a creature who seems far more advanced than we are. Who we might like to destroy but hardly know if we can. Who can seemingly turn our minds against us. For whom we don't seem to be a priority at all. Of whom our best minds manage only feeble speculations.

I saw this movie first and only recently read Lem's story. Tarkovsky got a great start from Lem. It's difficult to compare text and movie. Tarkovsky seemed to have been reasonably faithful to the contents of the book, but added a long introduction as well as his own ending. Both works are impressive. Tarkovsky seems to linger often so a good deal of patience is a prerequisite for enjoying this film.

Now that I've read Lem's "Solaris", I'm less satisfied with ... Read More:

2.Andrei Rublev [1973] starring: Anatoli Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolai Grinko, Nikolai Sergeyev, Irma Raush
directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
October 11, 1991
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

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VHS : Andrei Rublev [1973]
If picture quality is your main concern, then this is the edition for you, as the image is splendid, a restored version the sharpness of which adds considerably to the majesty and impact of Tarkovsky's masterpiece. Purchasers ought to be aware however that the director's Soviet masters took exception to the sex and violence in the director's original and this, a cut down version, is the result. For this edition originally the BBFC have also very kindly lopped out a few more seconds - because of a horse falling down some stairs (though I have heard it may have been accidently reinserted for the DVD release). It's still a great film, of course, but I'd argue it ultimately lacks a dimension originally intended, in the process making the film much more ... Read More:

3.Stalker [1979] starring: Aleksandr Kaidanovsky, Alisa Frejndlikh, Anatoli Solonitsyn, Nikolai Grinko, Natasha Abramova
directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
January 24, 2000
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

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VHS : Stalker [1979]
Watching Tarkovsky's Stalker was not an enjoyable experience, but it did make something about his achievement much clearer to me. In this film, and in most of his work that I have seen, Tarkovsky tells the viewer nothing: no plot, no characters, no resolution. He sets up an ambience through beautifully textured photography and lighting, stunning command of soundscapes, and a carefully undefined nexus of meaning. Then he allows the viewer to create a meaning. For some it is an overwhelming experience, for others a bore. This is not cinema as we normally know it but much closer to the effect of great poetry. It is sound and setting used as metaphor by means of which we can create what we can. Or not.

Forget the Strugatsky's Roadside Picnic (just ... Read More:

4.Mirror [1974] starring: Margarita Terekhova, Filipp Yankovsky, Ignat Daniltsev, Larisa Tarkovskaya, Alla Demidova
directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
February 06, 1992
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

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VHS : Mirror [1974]
For some reason this film has a special and unique meaning for me, personally. It is not something that one could 'put one's finger on' and perhaps that is part of the wonder of this great and moving testimonial to the mystery of human existence.

I have mixed feelings about this new DVD from Artificial Eye. The picture quality is certainly better than any you will have ever seen on a TV screen. It brings out a whole new level that the VHS format never could. However, I would like to agree with another reviewer who had what he called a 'minor quibble' with the film, namely, the translation of the Russian. In this era of savage corporate buyouts, those who end up owning the rights to such films often only understand money and very little about art. There is an ... Read More:

5.Ivan's Childhood [1962] starring: Nikolai Burlyayev, Valentin Zubkov, Yevgeni Zharikov, Stepan Krylov, Nikolai Grinko
directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky, Eduard Abalov
June 08, 1992
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

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VHS : Ivan's Childhood [1962]
Ivan's Childhood often amazes with the fluidity of its camerawork, its wonderful use of sound and its matter of fact depiction of war - not the moments of combat that make up only a tiny part of the experience, but the moments between, where people try to catch whatever they can, be it love, hope, memories or just sleep. It's a simple tale extraordinarily well told, and if the sudden leap in chronology at the end is jarring, the result is nonetheless very moving. Even the fantasy/memory scenes of a nature more vivid that the burnt out husk or swamps of war are beautifully handled, and it's easy to see this being a major influence on Spielberg's most underrated film, Empire of the Sun.

Very impressive indeed, it's a surprise to learn from the DVD that the film was ... Read More:

6.The Sacrifice [1986] starring: Erland Josephson, Susan Fleetwood, Tommy Kjellqvist, Allan Edwall, Guðrún Gísladóttir
directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
April 13, 1992
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

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VHS : The Sacrifice [1986]
Don't get me wrong, I love Tarkovsky's films. He is master of imagery and lets your eye wander over the screen without cutting too soon, but I found this film boring. The basic plot involves a man's bargain with God to put the world back together after a nuclear explosion. Do we see the nuclear explosion? Don't be silly this is Tarkovsky...but I would have expected more than a few camera shakes to denote when the explosion occurs. Does the world change? Not particularly, which makes it harder to see why the protagonist would make such a bargain in the first place. The characters are unlikeable, intentionally I think, which leaves you wondering why they need to be saved in the first place. The fire at the end doesn't really equate with a life sacrifice because the main protagonist ... Read More:

7.Nostalgia [1983] starring: Oleg Yankovsky, Erland Josephson, Domiziana Giordano, Patrizia Terreno, Laura De Marchi
directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
July 13, 1992
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

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VHS : Nostalgia [1983]
A glorious and utterly profound experience. Revel in the depth and multi-layered brilliance of the story and sentiment, and exploration of themes such as being human, religious and personal faith, home, and how we face our need for meaning and control in an unknowable universe. As in the earlier 'Mirror', understanding Tarkovsky stirs feelings and intellectual yearning at the deepest levels. I make no apology for making such bold statements - this is truly great art.
But forget that. Whether you follow the the detail and nuances or grapple with Tarkovsky's own intentions(and you will discover more every time you come back to this), ultimately it doesn't matter: there are scenes and images throughout this experience that just simply astonish. Not in a grand, big-screen way, ... Read More:

8.Offret starring: Erland Josephson, Susan Fleetwood, Tommy Kjellqvist, Allan Edwall, Guðrún Gísladóttir
directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

>>More Details
VHS : Offret
Don't get me wrong, I love Tarkovsky's films. He is master of imagery and lets your eye wander over the screen without cutting too soon, but I found this film boring. The basic plot involves a man's bargain with God to put the world back together after a nuclear explosion. Do we see the nuclear explosion? Don't be silly this is Tarkovsky...but I would have expected more than a few camera shakes to denote when the explosion occurs. Does the world change? Not particularly, which makes it harder to see why the protagonist would make such a bargain in the first place. The characters are unlikeable, intentionally I think, which leaves you wondering why they need to be saved in the first place. The fire at the end doesn't really equate with a life sacrifice because the main protagonist doesn't really lose ... Read More:

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