Andrei Rublev
1966
Director Andrei Tarkovsky's second film, ANDREI RUBLEV, is a massive and sweeping retelling of the life of the 15th-century Russian icon painter and perhaps the first great Russian artist. Unfolding in a free-flowing series of eight episodes, ANDREI RUBLEV follows the painter (Anatoli Solonitsyn) as he faces unbearable violence,.. Read more
| Starring | Anatoly Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolai Grinko |
|---|---|
| Director | Andrei Tarkovsky |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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Andrei Rublev
Director Andrei Tarkovsky's second film, ANDREI RUBLEV, is a massive and sweeping retelling of the life of the 15th-century Russian icon painter and perhaps the first great Russian artist. Unfolding in a free-flowing series of eight episodes, ANDREI RUBLEV follows the painter (Anatoli Solonitsyn) as he faces unbearable violence, endless attacks by the crude and malicious Tartars, and, eventually, a crippling crisis of faith. A moving mosaic of time, spirituality, dreams, history, culture, and politics, Tarkovsky's masterpiece was immediately condemned by the Russian authorities, who waited years before giving it an official release. Despite this, the film endures as a wrenching testament to Tarkovsky's unique vision of the power of art and the duty of the artist. The film follows Rublev as he traverses the wretched earth of Russia in the Middle Ages, encountering jesters, fools, other artists, and the masses who eventually restore his faith in life and art. Tarkovsky's signature elliptical style, matched with stunning cinematography and breathtaking (and often nonnarrative) editing, creates a film unlike any other. Neither strict biography nor historical epic, ANDREI RUBLEV is the visual depiction of the mystical capacity for art to transform the struggles and joys of the human into the divine.
| Starring | Anatoly Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolai Grinko |
|---|---|
| Director | Andrei Tarkovsky |
| Studio | ARTIFICIAL EYE |
| Run time | DVD: 3 hrs 5 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Russian |
| Subtitles | DVD: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 21 Jan 2002 Production year: 1966 |
| Format | DVD |
Andrei Rublev (2 discs) (1966)
Or you can rent each disc individually:
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Divided into eight episodes and majestically photographed by Vadim Yusov, this is a remarkable study of the artist Andrei Rublev's struggle to create works of inspirational power and outstanding beauty, overcoming both his own doubts, and the poverty and cruelty of his time. Anatoly Solonitsin plays the 15th-century icon painter as a sort of wandering mystic who takes a vow of silence in protest at conditions in Russia under the Tartars. Director Andrei Tarkovsky includes too much impenetrable symbolism, but the battle, the balloon flight, the snow crucifixion, the casting of the bell and the colour montage from Rublev's work are stunning.
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The complete version (39 minutes longer than the print originally released) 'explains' no more than the cut version,... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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22 out of 22 people found this review helpful
Tarkovsky masterpiece
A friend confessed to us that she saw this in the cinema and was so bored she walked out. It's hard to believe she was watching the same film. OK, the film is slow and episodic but it totally immerses you in 15th Century Russia, almost every stunning shot is like a painting (probably by Bruegel) and the ending may well move you to tears. If you have even a passing interest in European art cinema then you should see it.
Warning: the film is split between two disks, with extras on both DVDs, so you will need to rent them in sequence to see whole thing. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
One of the world's great masterpieces
A man clings to a church tower and, while below him the Tartar hordes attack the remaining handful of peasants, he soars skywards on his primitive hot air balloon, and then, soon afterwards, plunges back to earth. As an opening for a film, this is just about unbeatable, its epic quality and symbolism providing the perfect introduction to Tarkovsky's largely fictionalised series of episodes in the life of Russia's greatest icon painter. Learning acceptance of others and of the nature of his talent and, climactically, of the desperate need for faith in a vicious world, he transcends his time as surely as Tarkovsky will. Each part is complete in itself, but, put together, they form the most fantastic portrait of an artist we are ever likely to see.
One word of warning, though. My discs had a French dubbed version as the default setting. You need to go into the 'Dubbing' menu and then the 'Subtitles' menu to get a version without voiceover and with English subtitles. -
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