Guide Note

Andrei Tarkovsky was a Russian filmmaker and theorist who worked starting from the late 1950s until his death in 1986. He made most of his films under the Soviet regime, eventually moving to Italy and Sweden, where he could work without the restrictions of censorship. Andrei Tarkovsky is recognized by many critics as one of the most important film directors ever to record on celluloid.

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky
2. Born: April 4, 1932
3. Died: December 29, 1986 from lung cancer
4. Place of birth: Zavrazhye, Kostroma Province, Russia
5. Place of death: Paris, France
6. Studied at the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography
7. Directed seven feature films
8. The son of Arseny Tarkovsky, a Russian poet
9. His film Ivan's Childhood received the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1962
10. Won several Cannes Film Festival awards

Andrei Tarkovsky regarded film as an art form and his movies as art. He recognized the entertainment value of mass cinema, and acknowledged that his work is less approachable than most films.

Film critics and fans admire his movies for the deliberate camerawork, long contemplative shots and striking imagery. Tarkovsky touched such broad philosophical themes as the meaning of life, the existence of God and the possibility of salvation.

In the Soviet Union, Tarkovsky's work was subjected to censorship and prevented from nation-wide screenings. The director often said that he was being followed by the KGB, although some historians and friends considered that an exaggeration.

Soviet authorities deemed his films as elitist and out of touch with the everyday life of ordinary Soviet citizens. He was discouraged from shooting in his native country and in 1982 moved to western Europe in order to continue working.

Citing Robert Bresson and Ingmar Bergman as influences, Tarkovsky himself influenced several directors, the Russian Andrei Zvyaginzev among them. Zvyaginzev's Vozvrashcheniye, The Return in English, won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 2003.