The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue

by Vida T. Johnson, Graham Petrie

"Johnson and Petrie have produced an admirable book. Anyone who wants to make sense of Tarkovsky's films―a very difficult task in any case―must read it." ―The Russian Review

"This book is a model of contextual and textual analysis. . . . the Tarkovsky myth is stripped of many of its shibboleths and the thematic structure and coherence of his work is revealed in a fresh and stimulating manner." ―Europe-Asia Studies

"[This book,] with its wealth of new research and critical insight, has set the standard and should certainly inspire other writers to keep on trying to collectively explore the possible meanings of Tarkovsky's film world." ―Canadian Journal of Film Studies

"For Tarkovsky lovers as well as haters, this is an essential book. It might make even the haters reconsider." ―Cineaste

This definitive study, set in the context of Russian cultural history, throws new light on one of the greatest―and most misunderstood―filmmakers of the past three decades. The text is enhanced by more than 60 frame enlargements from the films.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Russia

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This dense but informative volume on the late Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) – maker of 7 feature films between 1962 and his death – published in 1994, has much to recommend it, particularly in its first two parts. Authors Vida Johnson and Graham Petrie compile an impressive amount of primary and secondary sources to explore both the production history and meaning of Tarkovsky's work. Elliptical and beautiful, though often challenging, the movies mesmerize through compelling visuals and hypnotically minimalist plots. In every film, there is some kind of quest, ostensibly external, yet primarily internal. In a past career, I not only studied Tarkovsky's work, but traveled to post-Soviet Russia to meet his family and erstwhile collaborators, after which I wrote my Master's Thesis on the final three films – Stalker, Nostalghia and The Sacrifice – and what I termed the "aesthetics of the journey" within them, by which I meant that Tarkovsky's long camera takes effectively place the viewer in the same existential crisis as his protagonists.

Johnson and Petrie discuss all this, and more, capably and with greater skill than did I, and though I disagree with their dismissal of some aspects of the last two films, I admire their otherwise insightful analysis. Unfortunately, the third section of the book, in which they revisit the themes of the films once again, proves redundant, almost as if they felt the need to push past 200 pages. Despite this, I would still call this a solid and important contribution to the canon of Tarkovsky scholarship.

[Mila · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a dense work that covers not only Tarkovsky's films themselves, but also the circumstances of their creation within and outside the soviet union, the contribution of his coworkers and family as well as the reception of the films in different countries.
First if all I regret to say that the layout of the book is (like so many non-fiction works) a true pain. The pages are crammed with lines of writing that have little gaps between them, making the informative and already dense text tiring to the eye and even more difficult to comprehend.
Content wise, the book covers many topics and goes in quite great detail into every film. The factual information is very well researched, oftentimes comparing several sources and evaluating their usefulness to get an idea of how things were. It will definitely prove to be an invaluable source for anyone studying his work.
Unfortunately, many of the points made in the book (especially about themes, narrative and symbolism within the films) were stated again and again, making an actual read from beginning to end incredibly tedious. There is also a lot of flat description of what happens in specific scenes (especially for mirror) but while I appreciate the notion that many other sources refer wrongly to scenes in ways im which they did not happen, the retelling of the scenes only rarely served to support a valid point, but oftentimes seemed to be there for the sake of itself.
For referencing and research on specific elements this book is incredibly useful, but as a read for someone interested in Tarkovsky and his work it is a rather tedious experience.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

bit dry but mostly interesting.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not think Ms Johnson really has a handle on AT. I learnt more from him movies than from this.

[D. J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers extensive background analyses of all of Tarkovsky's films. A wonderful source of knowledge for all Tarkvosky fans, or anyone wishing to know more about a true cinematic artist.

There's also a great biographical section to this book that serves to illuminate the mind of Tarkovsky.

[Marcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy to read breakdown of Tarkovsky's strikingly beautiful oeuvre.