Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) is generally considered to be the greatest director of post-war Soviet cinema and the last of the European art-film generation. Full of deep spiritual and ecological concern and possessing an intensely poetic style, Tarkovsky's infused his vision into his films with uncompromising commitment. Over his short career he produced only seven feature films, six of which we are pleased to be able to present here, many with newly struck prints. Missing from the program is NOSTALGHIA (1983), which is unfortunately not in distribution.
APR 11 12
FRI 7 P.M., SAT 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
SOLARIS
USSR 1972
DIRECTOR: ANDREI TARKOVSKY A psychologist, Kirk Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) is dispatched to investigate the inexplicable claims of the crew of a space station orbiting a remote planet. Upon his arrival he discovers that much of the crew is dead, and it appears that the molten surface of the planet has a form of intelligence which probes the secret desires of those who are near it; when Kelvin dreams of his dead wife, the planet produces a version of her in the ship. Almost twice as long as the remake directed by Steven Soderbergh (also based on Stanislaw Lem's novel), Tarkovsky's surreal existential meditation is a demanding, but more rewarding vision of the human condition, often compared to Kubrick's 2001. Though Tarkovsky disliked that film, he made Kelvin's love of his wife as the focus of SOLARIS partly as a response to 2001's sterility. Grand Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival.
(167 mins.)

APR 17 18
THU 7 P.M., FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
THE MIRROR
USSR 1975
DIRECTOR: ANDREI TARKOVSKY The most visually poetic and personal of Tarkovsky's films, THE MIRROR has no conventional plot. Rather, the film takes the viewer on a chronological journey through the memories -real and imagined-of an unnamed narrator as he lies dying of cancer. The seemingly random images create a melancholic montage of the mundane events of our lives through which we search for spirituality and truth. Employing the same actors in several different roles throughout the film and leaving many questions unanswered, Tarkovsky deflected attempts to over explain the film, urging viewers to accept it as a simple autobiographical reflection. "I should like to ask you all not to be so demanding. . . it is no more than a straightforward, simple story. It doesn't have to be made any more understandable." (106 mins.)

APR 19 20
SAT 7 P.M ., SUN 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
IVAN'S CHILDHOOD
USSR 1962
DIRECTOR: ANDREI TARKOVSKY Tarkovsky's feature-length debut has all the hallmarks of his later body of work, from iconic visual signatures to the overarching sense of hushed anguish, and immediately staked his unique place in world cinema. A wrenching tale of a 12-year-old spy behind enemy lines, the story contrasts the boy's idealized dreams of childhood with the reality of a youth spent in wartime. Through the use of light and dark, and haunting images Tarkovsky beautifully conveys the violent nature of humanity. Slipped by Russian censors, this is a tale unique among Russian World War II films-manifestly spiritual, not to say Christian-expressing outrage, less about the war, than at the general horror of violence. Winner of the Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival. (96 mins.)

APR 24 25
THU 7 P.M. & FRI 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
STALKER
USSR 1979
DIRECTOR: ANDREI TARKOVSKY A return to science fiction, STALKER is a profoundly disturbing meditation on the possibility of human happiness and the search for truth. Since the fall of perhaps a meteorite, inexplicable mutation on both the landscape and nearby inhabitants have caused the devastated area to become a no-man's land, its borders sealed and zealously patrolled by the government. Three men-a scientist, a thrill-seeking writer and a "stalker" or guide-travel into this forbidden, post-apocalyptic wasteland. The mysterious zone conceals "the room," an entirely secret place where "the strongest and sincerest wish can come true." The three undergo terrible ordeals before attaining the goal of their journey, but once their wishes come true will they really know happiness? "A cultural event… No one interested in the world of cinema should miss it."-J. Hoberman, THE VILLAGE VOICE. (160 mins.)

APR 26 27
SAT 7 P.M ., SUN 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
ANDREI RUBLEV
USSR 1966
DIRECTOR: ANDREI TARKOVSKY Tarkvosky gained a fiercely enthusiastic cult following for his science fiction films, but in ANDREI RUBLEV, his most accessible film, he found a broad new audience. A vast, free-form historical epic about Russia's 15th-century master icon painter, the film captures the sweeping cultural and political forces at war around him. Despite the title, the film is not a biographical representation of Rublev, but a series of eight imaginary episodes depicting the struggle with temptation and loss of faith inherent in creating art within a turbulent society, ending with a survey of the painters' surviving works. Visually stunning, with intricate characterizations and a unique feel for the medieval era and aesthetic, the film was originally banned and then cut by the censors, but is now restored to its full glory, regarded by many as his masterpiece. (205 mins.)

APR 30, MAY 1
WED 7 P.M., THU 7 P.M.
GUILD THEATRE
THE SACRIFICE
SWEDEN/FRANCE 1986
DIRECTOR: ANDREI TARKOVSKY Tarkovsky's final film, shot in Sweden with the help of Ingmar Bergman and made with the knowledge that he was dying of cancer, poses one last set of questions about morality, spirituality and life's meaning. The film follows 24 hours of the lives of seven friends who have gathered on an island for their hosts' (Erland Josephson) birthday party. During dinner the ground shakes and the news is announced that World War Three has begun. In elegantly composed long shots, we follow the man as he makes the difficult decision to sacrifice himself to God to prevent violence from touching the lives of his family. Both testament and epitaph, THE SACRIFICE's mix of magic, madness, memory and dream provides a fitting summary. Grand Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival. (150 mins.)