Andrei Rublev (1971)

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Starring Anatoly Solonitsyn, Nikolai Grinko, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolai Burlyayev, Mikhail Kononov, Nikolai Sergeyev, Irma Raush, Rolan Bykov, Yuriy Nazarov, Yuri Nikulin, Nikolai Grabbe, Nikolay Glazkov. [R]

Biography of the 15th century Russian icon painter as an analytical epic more concerned with meditative allegories and themes of artistic expression and political/religious oppression than sketching a deep portrait of its subject (of which little is factually known, anyhow). Although it contains the expected deliberately-paced and ponderous stretches, this remains arguably Tarkovsky’s most accessible film; it’s even divided into two halves (and ten total episodes, including prologue and epilogue) so it can be broken up into more digestible portions. However, doing so may diminish the sweep of its masterfully-composed long takes, the exploration of faith and morality and the role of an artist, and the shattering toil of tyranny, revolution, and famine. Final sequence is in color, depicting some of Rublev’s surviving artwork. Initially screened in Moscow in 1966, but it was withheld from release by the Soviet government for five years; during that interim, the film was shortened by about twenty minutes to its current length of just over three hours (Tarkovsky’s preferred cut).

83/100