Andrei Tarkovsky: Elements of Cinema (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781861893420)

The masters of Russian arts and letters are a prestigious fraternity that includes such renowned artists as Tolstoy, Rachmaninoff, and Shostakovich. But alongside these luminaries stands a lesser-known but equally revered figure, filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. Robert Bird offers in Andrei Tarkovsky an unprecedented investigation of Tarkovsky's oeuvre and its far-reaching influence on world cinema.
Bird brings a novel approach to his dissection of Tarkovsky's wholly original techniques and sensibilities, arranging the films into elemental categories of Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. Solaris, Ivan's Childhood, Mirror, Nostalgia, Andrei Rublev, and Sacrifice all get their due here; through them, Bird explores how the filmmaker probed the elusive correlation between cinematic representation and a more primeval perception of the world. Though the book also considers Tarkovsky's work in radio, theatre, and opera--as well as his work as an actor, screenwriter, and film theorist--Bird throughout keeps his focus firmly on Tarkovsky as a consummate filmmaker. Anchored by a wealth of film stills and photographs, Andrei Tarkovsky is a must-read for all film buffs and admirers of European cinema.

Author: Robert Bird
ISBN-10: 1861893426
ISBN-13: 9781861893420
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Language: English
Published: 04/15/2008
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.11lbs
Size: 7.82h x 6.04w x 0.69d

Review Citation(s):
London Review of Books 02/26/2009 pg. 27