Andrei Tarkovsky: Elements of Cinema - Softcover

Bird, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1861893426 ISBN 13: 9781861893420

Publisher: Reaktion Books, 2007

Synopsis

The films of Andrei Tarkovsky have been revered as ranking on a par with the masterpieces of Russia's novelists and composers. His work, from films such as Ivan's "Childhood", "Andrei Rublev", "Solaris", "Mirror", "Nostalgia and Sacrifice", has had an enormous influence on the style of contemporary European film, with its open narrative structures and slow, pensive mood; yet Tarkovsky has remained an elusive subject for reflection and analysis. This book is a comprehensive, well-illustrated and much-needed account of Tarkovsky's entire film output. Robert Bird's analysis is centred around a detailed account of Tarkovsky's technique, which provides the best interpretive guide to both the director's films and his theoretical speculations. Integrating his idiosyncratic ideas with his films' irresistible sensuality, Bird highlights Tarkovsky's fascination with the elusive correlation between cinematic representation and the more primeval perception of the world. The book examines Tarkovsky's films elementally, grouping them into four sections: Water, Fire, Earth, and Air.It also discusses Tarkovsky's works for the radio, theatre and opera, and how he was in addition an accomplished actor, screenwriter, film theorist and diarist. The author's claim, however, is that Tarkovsky was a filmmaker before all else, and this book examines what Tarkovsky's cinema reveals about the medium in which he worked. A thorough yet accessible study, with a wealth of images including stills from films as well as the director and crew on set, this book will be of interest to all fans of Tarkovsky, students of film studies, and readers interested in European and Russian cinema.

About this title

Review:

"Impeccably erudite. . . . engrossing." -- Kevin Maher "The Times" (04/12/2008)

"A dense, devoted appreciation." -- J. Hoberman "Bookforum" (12/01/2008)

"Impeccably erudite. . . . engrossing."--"The Times" --Kevin Maher"The Times" (04/12/2008)

"Bird''s study can be daunting . . .but he has Tarkovsky right."--Louis Menashe "Cineaste "

"A dense, devoted appreciation."--"Bookforum"--J. Hoberman"Bookforum" (12/01/2008)

"Bird's study can be daunting . . .but he has Tarkovsky right."--Louis Menashe "Cineaste "

"Impeccably erudite. . . . engrossing."--Kevin Maher"The Times" (04/12/2008)

"A dense, devoted appreciation."--J. Hoberman"Bookforum" (12/01/2008)

"A major contribution to the literature on the filmmaker. Bird is thoroughly familiar with Russian sources unavailable to English readers and he has a remarkable sensitivity to the nuances of cinematic construction. His writing is lucid and consistently illuminates Tarkovsky's central preoccupation: 'the tragic failure of spirituality . . . in conflict with its natural conditions.'"--P. Adams Sitney, professor of visual arts, Princeton University, and author of Visionary Film: The American Avant-Garde 1943-2000 (06/08/2007)

About the Author:

Robert Bird is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Chicago, and the author of Andrei Rublev (2005).

About this edition

• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1861893426
• ISBN 13: 9781861893420
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256