April 6, 2008...1:54 am
Afternoon with Andrei
I had the unique privilege of seeing the USA’s only existing 35 mm. print of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris today at Nashville’s Belcourt Theater. I had found out it was going to be there earlier this week and was going to pass it up because next week we’re supposed to be going down to Georgia to see a 70mm print of Lawrence of Arabia. Anywho, my roommate piped up last night and said, “When is Solaris playing?” I told him it was today and he said we should go. I didn’t pass up the offer since I don’t have a car down here and he offered to drive. After all, how often does a non-citydweller get the chance to see the work of Andrei Tarkovksy on the big screen?
I had watched Solaris way back when I first got interested in film. At the pithy age of 16, I didn’t have the mental capacity or the patience to watch it all the way through … especially on DVD. Since then, I’ve learned to watch film lucidly and to experience images with my heart and soul. This is especially helpful when watching Tarkovsky, whose films function as moving paintings with meticulously blocked scenes and carefully composed images. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten lost in a film so much and I think this was mostly due to the informal atmosphere of the Belcourt. It was a small theater that used to be a silent filmhouse. We probably could have walked in without tickets. There were only about 8 other people in the theater and they were all there because they wanted to be there. The languid pacing didn’t come as a surprise for anyone.
This weekend marked the 40th anniversary of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of my favorite films. It is rumored that Tarkovsky saw 2001 and was so angered by it that he made Solaris as a reaction. Looking at them side-by-side, 2001 seems so cold and unfeeling while Solaris is so human and transcendent. 2001 is something the eyes take in with wonder; Solaris is felt deep in the soul even if the mind fails to comprehend it.
Which film is better? I don’t rightly know.
We got back to school and were immediately lambasted by a few people who didn’t understand why we would drive to Nashville to see a film we could watch anytime anywhere on DVD. I guess if you don’t value images or see film as visual art, this is a valid concern. I don’t think I’d drive a great distance to see the work of anyone other than someone like Tarkovsky. It was a spectacular experience and one I won’t soon forget.
5 Comments
April 7, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I found this blog by coincidence, because of Andrei
I was searching for some materials about him, because I need to write an essay about “Stalker”, and I want to know who stays behind it.
So greetings from inside of Zona
April 7, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I’ve never seen a Tarkovsky film, although I now have every single one queued up and ready to go (you have to love the library). As soon as we get through the Coens month and I have some more time, I’m going to start going through them chronologically.
And as for people who can’t contemplate driving a little ways to see a masterpiece on the big screen….*pulls out large bat with rusty nails in end*….I gotz somethin for ‘em.
April 7, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Aśika: thanks for your comment. Stalker was the first Tarkovsky film I ever watched. I thought it was interesting the first time, but the second time I thought it was just brilliant. His movies require patience and take a while to grow on you if you’re not used to his pacing. Thanks for the comment!
Evan: I wouldn’t go about watching his whole canon night after night. You have to be in the right mood for Tarkovsky (quiet, contemplative, etc) of else you will most definitely fall asleep. Also, before you go through his films, I would recommend reading the first two or three chapters of his awesomely amazing book Sculpting in Time. It really helps to know his approach before watching his movies.
I’ve often described his films to people as the very definition of slow. For some people this is a bad thing. Personally, I love it.
April 16, 2008 at 4:32 am
Phillip — I am insanely jealous of your getting to see “Solaris” on the big screen. I have seen all of Tarkovsky’s features, plus one of his student films (The Killers).
For what it’s worth, I like “Solaris” much better than “2001″
April 16, 2008 at 4:56 am
Tarkovsky is a god.
2001 is one of my top-ten favorite films but if I watched Solaris again I might come to the same opinion.
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