Sculpting in Time: Tarkovsky The Great Russian Filmaker Discusses His Art
by Andrey Tarkovsky

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Book Reviews of Sculpting in Time: Tarkovsky The Great Russian Filmaker Discusses His Art

Book Review: THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF ART -- IN CINEMA AND ELSEWHERE...
Summary: 5 Stars

Over the course of this book's nearly-250 pages, Tarkovsky addresses these questions and many others - and at the same time, gives the reader invaluable insights into the thoughts that inspired his amazing films. The work progresses roughly in a straightforward time-line - unlike some of his films - and lays out the director's beliefs as well as his methods, but not in a cold step-by-step way. Instead, I came away from this book feeling that I understood Tarkovsky as a human being much more than I did before - and, as a result, I now feel like I know him better as an artist as well.

Without employing standard plotlines, characterizations, overdone (and overused) special effects, or any other low-ball devices so prevalent in film, Tarkovsky's works reach into the very soul of the viewers and touch them on the very deepest level. Far from being cold and emotionless and surreal, his works are some of the most moving I've ever experienced - and, true to his vision, they do so by actually being ULTRA-real, evoking the feelings that we carry around at our core. Words cannot really convey the power of his works - they have to be experienced. I recently came across a reference to Tarkovsky's work in the booklet of a cd of contemporary classical music - the note-writer likened his films to a `cold landscape, devoid of human life'...! I couldn't believe it - and I had to wonder what 5 minutes of which of Tarkovsky's films the writer had actually seen!! This was one of the most ludicrous references I've ever read.

There is a spiritual quality and undercurrent to Tarkovsky's films that runs very, very deep - and is extremely moving. This spirituality never comes across as `preaching' or `sermonizing' - it's simply there, as a foundation for his outlook and philosophy of life. He draws from numerous schools of thought, combining his influences into one of the most gently - and truthfully - humanist outlooks I've ever seen expressed.

The book is a revelation - and I know it will bear repeated readings. I've seen all of his films - but after reading his thoughts so eloquently expressed here, I know that they'll affect me even more deeply now.

Summary of Sculpting in Time: Tarkovsky The Great Russian Filmaker Discusses His Art

Andrey Tarkovsky, the genius of modern Russian cinema?hailed by Ingmar Bergman as "the most important director of our time"?died an exile in Paris in December 1986. In Sculpting in Time, he has left his artistic testament, a remarkable revelation of both his life and work. Since Ivan's Childhood won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1962, the visionary quality and totally original and haunting imagery of Tarkovsky's films have captivated serious movie audiences all over the world, who see in his work a continuation of the great literary traditions of nineteenth-century Russia. Many critics have tried to interpret his intensely personal vision, but he himself always remained inaccessible.

In Sculpting in Time, Tarkovsky sets down his thoughts and his memories, revealing for the first time the original inspirations for his extraordinary films?Ivan's Childhood, Andrey Rublyov, Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker, Nostalgia, and The Sacrifice. He discusses their history and his methods of work, he explores the many problems of visual creativity, and he sets forth the deeply autobiographical content of part of his oeuvre?most fascinatingly in The Mirror and Nostalgia. The closing chapter on The Sacrifice, dictated in the last weeks of Tarkovsky's life, makes the book essential reading for those who already know or who are just discovering his magnificent work.

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