Andrei Tarkovsky [Paperback]

This is a short book, and of course it cannot cover all aspects of Tarkovsky's genius, but it is an excellent survey of the work, and prepares the way for further research and thinking on this great film-maker. A well-written, clear guide; Sean Martin is to be congratulated.

Sean Martin clearly sets out his intention in the introduction to this small but fact-packed, informative, and plainly-written guide to the works of the great Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky: "This book is intended to serve as a short overview of Tarkovsky's work for those unfamiliar with it, or as a stimulus to go back and rewatch the films for those already acquainted with them. ... My approach has been ... only partially concerned with analysis ... the inherent mystery of Tarkovsky's films speaks for itself, and the films are, ultimately, not solvable." Martin's view is that Tarkovsky saw himself, above all else, as a poet, and the best poetry relies on literary allusion and ambiguity. Hence, it is not so surprising to find that the discussion of the meaning of Tarkovsky's films consists usually in a long line of questions. Martin's text therefore is often suggestive rather than proscriptive, and rightly so, but his suggestions are in themselves often of real value.

Chapter one gives a brief review of Soviet cinema. In chapter two, Martin looks at Tarkovsky's working methods and at his influences from the worlds of nature and the arts. This chapter of 23 pages has a wealth of information and insight that unfortunately only skims the surface. But we learn, for instance, that Tarkovsky's extended takes might induce boredom for the viewer, "but if that take is extended further, something else arises: curiosity." And what about all that precipitation in his movies? "When asked why there was so much rain in his films, Tarkovsky would reply that it was always raining in Russia. Be that as it may, it must also be noted that rain ... might have another possible function in the films such as cleansing or blessing. The Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski explained that if a cigarette lighter doesn't work, it means it doesn't work and nothing else. But on the rare occasion that a filmmaker can get it to mean something else, then they have achieved a miracle. `Only one director in the world has managed to achieve that miracle in the last few years,' he notes, `and that's Tarkovsky'."

The book then devotes a chapter to each to all of Tarkovsky's films. These chapters are once more full of facts and insightful interpretations, but some contradictions too. For example, in the chapter on `Ivan's Childhood' Martin says that back-projection was not used in Tarkovsky's later films, but then in a later chapter notes it was used in `Solaris'. In the chapter of `Andrei Rublev', Martin expresses interesting links to the artistic worlds of Bruegel, Carpaccio and Russian artists of the nineteenth century, but there is no explicit exploration of why the Soviet authorities took exception to the movie - although we can guess why.

For the "soft sci-fi" film `Solaris', Martin relates how autobiographical is the story to an amazing degree. Martin suggests that Tarkovsky's final three films form a triptych, his late period, "in which Tarkovsky's main theme is the catastrophic state of the world and a desire to avert the looming apocalypse". Martin argues that they are "more philosophical in tone ... more minimal in terms of plot and art direction ... also marked by an ever-lengthening take". Martin analyses the problems encountered in the production of `Stalker', including the real deaths of cast and crew and the Chernobyl spooks.

There is much that I learned from this book. For example, with regard to `Sacrifice', I had not spotted that Maria is wearing Adelaide's clothes, but back in colour it is the stepdaughter Marta that is naked, not Adelaide. This gives rise to further speculation about an ambiguous symbolism arising here involving incest, the Virgin Mary and Eve. The author poses many intriguing questions, some of which I have answered in my own reviews of the Tarkovsky DVD releases.

The final chapter looks at Tarkovsky's work in other media, including documentary, opera, the stage, radio and books. Appendices provide a complete filmography as well as unrealised scripts and projects. Suggestions for further reading and an index bring this small but wonderfully informative guide to a close. Shame it has no pictures and that the paper quality is towards the lower end of the market - but this is a cheap and informative pocket essential, not an expensive but beautiful addition to your coffee table.

Andrei Tarkovsky's films are notoriously difficult to understand and interpret , so purchasing a written guide to his films is a good idea . This "Pocket Essential" is useful for that purpose; it provides a thorough description of the on-screen events and the characters, extensive detail about behind the scenes at Tarkovsky's shoots and the writer's own commentary about each film. However it doesn't really give any profound insights into the deep spiritual ,philosophical symbolism that Tarkovsky's films possess and this was a little disappointing. I would recommend this book for newcomers to Tarkovsky's works; it will help make sense of his films if you are completely baffled by them. However it is limited in it's scope and I would have preferred a book with a greater discussion about the metaphysical nature of Tarkovsky's enigmatic and original works.