Well, what do you know: I saw another Andrei Tarkovsky picture after all. Admittedly, I missed his name when I selected it, but there's no missing the bleak imagery on the poster for what has also been marketed as My Name Is Ivan. You can tell right away that Ivan does not have an enviable childhood.
Ivan is 12 but rarely acts that young, being eager to serve the USSR against invading Germans. His motive: revenge for his family, as we see in flashbacks. His advantage: small stature for spy stealth. His disadvantage: age-based lack of respect as an equal by adult allies, who'd rather send him to a military academy than to the front. He spends a lot of time waiting impatiently for a task, seemingly forgetful that there are much worse things in war than boredom or a sense of futility.
Showing posts with label andrei tarkovsky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label andrei tarkovsky. Show all posts
Friday, September 29, 2017
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Solaris (1972)
After Andrei Rublev and Stalker, I thought I might never take another chance on director Andrei Tarkovsky, especially with one of his long works (167 minutes). But since this piece was remade in the U.S. in 2002, it seemed to have more potential to appeal to my tastes. Besides, I was running low on Halloween-type options, and a sci-fi with someone appearing to come back from the dead, however unscarily, could fill the void.
Based on a Polish book, the film takes place mostly on a space station orbiting the titular planet. When some scientists go missing and another reports seeing a person whom their instruments do not detect, psychologist Kris Kelvin accepts an invitation to investigate. He finds the remaining researchers negligent, unhelpful, and bleak if not self-destructive. More importantly, he too sees people who shouldn't be there -- including his departed wife, Hari, who doesn't just appear but behaves lovingly toward him. Clearly, something external is causing the insanity, if that's the right word.
Based on a Polish book, the film takes place mostly on a space station orbiting the titular planet. When some scientists go missing and another reports seeing a person whom their instruments do not detect, psychologist Kris Kelvin accepts an invitation to investigate. He finds the remaining researchers negligent, unhelpful, and bleak if not self-destructive. More importantly, he too sees people who shouldn't be there -- including his departed wife, Hari, who doesn't just appear but behaves lovingly toward him. Clearly, something external is causing the insanity, if that's the right word.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Andrei Rublev (1966)
This may be the longest movie I've seen since I started this blog. Running nearly 3.5 hours with no overture or intermission, it feels like it could easily have been edited down to less than half as much. Even for a Russian classic, that's a lot.
It had also been one of the British Film Institute's favorite films that I hadn't seen yet, at #27 on their list of 50 greatest. But that did nothing to get me psyched for it. I have to say, the BFI's taste doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as the AFI's. Perhaps I'm something of an ugly American after all.
It had also been one of the British Film Institute's favorite films that I hadn't seen yet, at #27 on their list of 50 greatest. But that did nothing to get me psyched for it. I have to say, the BFI's taste doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as the AFI's. Perhaps I'm something of an ugly American after all.
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