''Moscow Elegy'' (russian: Московская элегия) is a 1988 documentary film directed by
Alexander Sokurov, about the later life and death of Soviet Russian filmmaker
Andrei Tarkovsky. The film was originally intended to mark the 50th birthday of Tarkovsky in 1982, which would have been before his death. Controversy with Soviet authorities about the film's style and content led to significant delays in the production.
[Sokurov, Alexander]
''Moscow Elegy''
, Alexander Sokurov's official website, accessed June 20, 2007
Production
The film consists mostly of Sokurov's narration over
stock footage from Tarkovsky's films ''
Mirror
A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the im ...
'', ''
Nostalghia
''Nostalghia'' (UK: ''Nostalgia'') is a 1983 Soviet- Italian drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and starring Oleg Yankovsky, Domiziana Giordano, and Erland Josephson. Tarkovsky co-wrote the screenplay with Tonino Guerra.
The film depicts a ...
'', ''
Voyage in Time'', and ''
The Sacrifice'', as well as footage of Tarkovsky shot during production for ''The Sacrifice''. Some footage was supplied by
Chris Marker.
[Sokurov, Alexander, ''Editor's Notes'' in DVD release of ''Moscow Elegy'', Ideale Entertainment, 2006] Sokurov also shot footage of various houses and apartments where Tarkovsky had lived. With the exception of some of the archival footage, the film is entirely in
black and white. Sokurov and the crew had scheduled a total of 12 days for the entire production.
Reception
The film was first screened at
Dom Kino Dom or DOM may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Dom (given name), including fictional characters
* Dom (surname)
* Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto
* Dom people, an et ...
in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
in 1987 on Tarkovsky's birthday, and many Russian filmmakers and actors (for example
Alexander Kaidonovsky) strongly disliked it.
Similar documentaries
Several dozen other documentaries about Andrei Tarkovsky have been produced. Most notable are ''
Voyage in Time'' by
Tonino Guerra
Antonio "Tonino" Guerra (16 March 1920 – 21 March 2012) was an Italian poet, writer and screenwriter who collaborated with some of the most prominent film directors in the world.
Life and work
Guerra was born in Santarcangelo di Romagna.
Acco ...
and
Andrei Tarkovsky himself, ''
One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich
''One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich'' (french: Une journée d'Andrei Arsenevitch) is a 2000 French documentary film directed by Chris Marker, about and an homage to the Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. The film was an episode of the Frenc ...
'' by
Chris Marker, ''The Recall'' by Tarkovsky's son Andrei Jr., and ''Regi Andrej Tarkovskij'' by Michal Leszczylowski, the editor of Tarkovsky's ''The Sacrifice''. Tarkovsky has also been featured in numerous documentaries about the history of cinema or the craft and art of filmmaking.
References
External links
*
1988 films
1988 in the Soviet Union
Andrei Tarkovsky
Documentary films about film directors and producers
Films directed by Alexander Sokurov
1980s Russian-language films
Soviet documentary films
1988 documentary films
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