Andrei Tarkovsky needs no introduction. A singular cinematic voice, the Russian director is one of cinema’s most fascinating filmmakers. Tarkovsky is credited with an oeuvre that spans about a dozen remarkable feature films and is often interpreted as a profound spiritual statement about what it means to be human. Known for complex themes, expressive, sweeping takes, poetic metaphors and primordial imagery, Tarkovsky’s movies are often described as “difficult,” and “slow”—adjectives that inaccurately simplify the rich complexity of his themes.
His revolutionary filmmaking has forever influenced film as an art form and transformed cinematic expression.
A retrospective, running now through August 28th at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, celebrates the work of the director by screening all seven of his feature films and a behind-the-scenes documentary, all on 35 mm film.
These include Tarkovsky’s debut feature, Ivan’s Childhood (1962), that garnered the Golden Lion at the 1962 Venice Film Festival; Stalker, (1976); a rare, uncut 205-minute version of Andrei Rublev (1966), his latest film, the visionary masterpiece The Sacrifice (1988), and the documentary, Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (1988), which chronicles Tarkovsky before his untimely death.
Solaris (1972)
Ivan’s Childhood (1976)
The Sacrifice (1988)
Andrei Tarkovsky, Sculpting in Time is on view through August 28, 2015 at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.