Andrei Tarkovsky: The Elements of Cinema

The author proposes a new approach to the analysis of the artistic solutions of Andrei Tarkovsky.
Tarkovsky had a significant influence on the style of contemporary European cinema, especially regarding "slow cinema." His films are often interpreted, quoted, and searched for... mystical prophecies about Chernobyl, the collapse of the USSR, or the impending apocalypse. Researcher Robert Bird offers a fresh perspective on the director's work: in his opinion, Tarkovsky never set out to impose his views on reality.

On the contrary, his creative stance was aimed at capturing reality along with all its unpredictability and limitless possibilities. In his works, Tarkovsky did not preach – he observed and listened to the world, to its elements – and to the elements of cinema as a special way of cognition and expression.

The book "Andrei Tarkovsky: The Elements of Cinema" was first published in 2007 in English. For the Russian edition, it was re-edited and supplemented. The translation was done by the author.