In 1966 Andrei Tarkovsky directed Andrei Rublev, also known as The Passion according to Andrei. The film loosely depicts the life of Andrei Rublev, an early 15th century monk who is renowned as Russia's greatest creator of religious icons and frescoes. Tarkovsky used this historical figure to anchor the film in one of Russia's most tragic period, making Andrei Rublev not only a witness of his Time but also depicting the artist's creation process, the importance of his faith, the Loss of it and more importantly how the two (Art and Faith) can help go through event you can't really grasp or even understand. The complexity of the film as well as the political implications explain why Andreï Rublev was not released in an atheist USSR until 1971 and in a censored version mind you.
The film starts with a prologue where we see a man call Yefim taking off from the roof of a church in a hot air balloon and escaping a mob trying to prevent the Take-off. Yefim seems highly exited and delighted by the sight he experiences from the air; but as the air balloon crashes, we understand that elevation in this obscurantist time is not going to be easy. We fall before we reach enlightenment. This is our Human Condition, this is what Life is about and the shot of a Horse lolling in the grass by a river bank epitomizes Life, its struggle and its beauty. This prologue summarizes metaphorically the seven chapters that follow narrating the trepidations of Andrei Rublev looking for elevation and falling back into his Human condition.
For Andrei Rublev, Faith and Art are intimately linked, he paints religious icons and frescoes because he believes this is his priesthood the only way he can transmit his Faith to the people. Losing his Faith in Humanity might imply losing his Faith in God and so in Art. It's only when Andrei witnesses the casting of a bell that his life turns around. He meets the character of Boriska,the bell caster, another creative character a reminiscence of young Andrei and when Andrei sees the young Boriska collapsing on the ground of fatigue and breaking into tears, he takes him in his arms to comfort him and break his vow of silence. He understands he is not alone struggling with the concept of artistic creation and Faith as both (the young Boriska and the older Andrei) brought people so much joy. An artist with a vision can create and eventually echoes god's power of creation by using his or her technical skills but more importantly his or her heart and Faith.
The "tour de force" of Andrei Tarkovsky is to use the same creative process than the one of his film's protagonist. By putting his heart and soul in the core of his cinematographic technique he transcends the genre and the medium. We understand that "in cinema it is necessary not to explain, but to act upon the viewer's feelings, and the emotion which is awoken is what provokes thought". To this respect Andrei Rublev is a film to experience and I humbly suggest we experience it with our heart and soul.
The film starts with a prologue where we see a man call Yefim taking off from the roof of a church in a hot air balloon and escaping a mob trying to prevent the Take-off. Yefim seems highly exited and delighted by the sight he experiences from the air; but as the air balloon crashes, we understand that elevation in this obscurantist time is not going to be easy. We fall before we reach enlightenment. This is our Human Condition, this is what Life is about and the shot of a Horse lolling in the grass by a river bank epitomizes Life, its struggle and its beauty. This prologue summarizes metaphorically the seven chapters that follow narrating the trepidations of Andrei Rublev looking for elevation and falling back into his Human condition.
For Andrei Rublev, Faith and Art are intimately linked, he paints religious icons and frescoes because he believes this is his priesthood the only way he can transmit his Faith to the people. Losing his Faith in Humanity might imply losing his Faith in God and so in Art. It's only when Andrei witnesses the casting of a bell that his life turns around. He meets the character of Boriska,the bell caster, another creative character a reminiscence of young Andrei and when Andrei sees the young Boriska collapsing on the ground of fatigue and breaking into tears, he takes him in his arms to comfort him and break his vow of silence. He understands he is not alone struggling with the concept of artistic creation and Faith as both (the young Boriska and the older Andrei) brought people so much joy. An artist with a vision can create and eventually echoes god's power of creation by using his or her technical skills but more importantly his or her heart and Faith.
The "tour de force" of Andrei Tarkovsky is to use the same creative process than the one of his film's protagonist. By putting his heart and soul in the core of his cinematographic technique he transcends the genre and the medium. We understand that "in cinema it is necessary not to explain, but to act upon the viewer's feelings, and the emotion which is awoken is what provokes thought". To this respect Andrei Rublev is a film to experience and I humbly suggest we experience it with our heart and soul.