Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by jweiss (A) on May 22, 2003 at 21:35:48

In Reply to: What Russian movies have you seen and liked/disliked? posted by Dmitry on April 17, 2003 at 10:21:13:

Bergman referred to him as, The Master.

Beyond a doubt, the greatest filmaker ever.

Now, that depends on the speed of your digestive system. Which, most people seem to not understand, includes your brain. Tarkovsky only made seven films (feature length.) All are great, and even for myself, the top 3 or 4 shift around depending on where I am at in my life. But here is the point, these are films not for entertainment, but for understanding what it means to be alive, to be a human being. This is the rarest thing in the most debased form of culture (film) and yet the most powerful cultural product (again, film) the 20th Century created.

If you want entertainment, try my friend's film, Brat (Brother.) Nice piece of mafia junk, very popular in Russia. If you want to confront the fact that spirituality has "left the house," along with Elvis and god knows what else, watch Tarkovsky's movies.

Jonathan