Andrei Rublev

Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky

1966

*****

Andrei Tarkovsky's masterpiece is an eight chapter epic that depicts the life and times of one of Russia's most famous 15th-Century religious icon painters. While much of Rublev's life is relatively unknown, director Tarkovsky researched all that he could find about him, the areas he is known to have traveled and medieval Russia in general. Tarkovsky's intention was to show Rublev as a global historic figure and Christianity as an axiom of Russia's historical identity. It is fascinating that the film was forced to have a very limited release during the strictly atheist and authoritarian Communist Soviet Union, as it deals with artistic freedom, political ambiguity and free thinking in a time during a regime that ultimately lead to the Tsardom of Russia, something that Communism overthrew. Whether or not the film was intended to highlight current political issues remains ambiguous. The eight chapters are in chronological order and each is an example of what Rublev could have experienced and each is an example of the attitude and mindset of society during a very turbulent period in time. The film opens with a striking prologue, full of symbolism that continues throughout the film. A man hangs on to and launches himself off a Church roof onto a hot air balloon he has devised. He takes off but is chased by an ignorant mob who presumably see his plight as ungodly. His helpers are attacked and although he takes flight, he crashes soon afterwards, his escape thwarted and his pioneering creativity, and body, crushed. Throughout the rest of the film we see Rublev's frustrations and conflicted attitude unveil until the eighth and arguably, most exciting chapter of the film. Rublev's revelation and the film's big conclusion is a rewarding finale to the films three hour crescendo. The film ends with examples of Rublev's work, in colour, separating life from art and giving the audience a rewarding and contemplative rest in many many respects. Andrei Tarkovsky's direction is flawless, every shot and every decision meticulously thought through and researched. Anatoly Solonitsyn was outstanding in his performance in the lead role, Tarkovsky describing the actor as his great discovery. Indeed Tarkovsky would go on to cast Solonitsyn in many of the films he made after and also included reference to Andrei Rublev in his classics; Solaris and The Mirror. It's easy to see why the film is regarded as one of the greatest ever made, it's near perfect and pretty much everyone agrees. A much better debate would be to ask if it was Tarkovsky's greatest film? A tough question to answer as I struggle to think of many other films that fit the description 'masterpiece' as well as Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev.