Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–1986)[1] was a Soviet filmmaker who is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time.[2][3] His films are considered Romanticist and are often described as "slow cinema", with the average shot-length in his final three films being over a minute (compared to seconds for most modern films).[4] In his thirty-year career, Tarkovsky directed several student films and seven feature films,[3] co-directed a documentary, and wrote numerous screenplays. He also directed a stage play and wrote a book.
Born in the Soviet Union, Tarkovsky began his career at the State Institute of Cinematography, where he directed several student films.[5] In 1956, he made his directorial debut with the student film The Killers, an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's eponymous short story.[6] His first feature film was 1962's Ivan's Childhood, considered by some to be his most conventional film.[7] It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.[8] In 1966, he directed the biopic Andrei Rublev, which garnered him the International Critics' Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.[9]
In 1972, he directed the science fiction film Solaris, which was a response to what Tarkovsky saw as the "phoniness" of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).[10] Solaris was loosely based on the novel of the same title by Stanislaw Lem and won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.[11][12] His next film was Mirror (1975). In 1976, Tarkovsky directed his only play—a stage production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Lenkom Theatre. Viewing Tarkovsky as a dissident, Soviet authorities shut down the production after only a few performances.[13] His final film produced in the Soviet Union, Stalker (1979), garnered him the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at Cannes.[14]
Tarkovsky left the Soviet Union in 1979 and directed the film Nostalghia and the accompanying documentary Voyage in Time.[15] At the Cannes Film Festival, Nostalghia was awarded the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury but was blocked from receiving the Palme d'Or by Soviet authorities.[16] In 1985, he published a book, Sculpting in Time, in which he explored art and cinema.[17] His final film, The Sacrifice (1986), was produced in Sweden, shortly before his death from cancer. The film garnered Tarkovsky his second Grand Prix at Cannes, as well as a second International Critics' Prize, a Best Artistic Contribution, and another Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.[18] He was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize in 1990, the most prestigious award in the Soviet Union.[19]
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Writer | ||||
1956 | The Killers | Yes | Yes | Student film, also actor | [6][21] |
1959 | There Will Be No Leave Today | Yes | Yes | Student film, co-directed with Aleksandr Gordon, co-written with Gordon and Irina Makhovaya | [22] |
1960 | The Steamroller and the Violin | Yes | Yes | Student film | [23] |
1962 | Ivan's Childhood | Yes | No | [24] | |
1966 | Andrei Rublev | Yes | Yes | [25] | |
1972 | Solaris | Yes | Yes | [10] | |
1975 | Mirror | Yes | Yes | [26] | |
1979 | Stalker | Yes | No | [27][28] | |
1983 | Nostalghia | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Tonino Guerra | [29][30] |
1983 | Voyage in Time | Yes | Yes | Documentary, co-directed with Tonino Guerra | [31] |
1986 | The Sacrifice | Yes | Yes | [32] |
Year | Film | Co-writer(s) | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | Sergey Lazo | — | Also an uncredited acting role | [33][34] |
1969 | One Chance in One Thousand | Artur Makarov | [34] | |
1970 | The End of Ataman | Andrei Konchalovsky & Eduard Tropinin | [35] | |
1973 | The Ferocious One | Andrei Konchalovsky & Eduard Tropinin | [36] | |
1974 | Sour Grape | Ruben Ovsepyan | [37] | |
1979 | Look Out, Snake! | — | [38] |
Year written | Film | Ref. |
---|---|---|
1975 | Hoffmanniana | [9] |
1978 | Sardor | [39] |
1981 | The Witch | [39] |
Year | Play | Location | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Hamlet | Lenkom Theatre, Moscow | [9][13] |