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There’s a lot that I liked and a lot that I wasn’t so crazy about in this film. I loved the 9+ minute opening shot and the way it gave you the feel for the environment and I was thrilled at the depth of the dialogue taking place and the spiritual tones of it all and I was right there all the way through to where the jets first roar overhead and then we hear the announcement that WWIII (in nuclear form) has begun.Then I was back into to it towards the end when Alexander encounters Maria and then (mostly) through to the finish and was very taken by what occurs and by the final words in the movie (bringing it back around to the depth and spiritual tones of the beginning) but in between something was lacking for me.
The only Tarkovsky I’ve seen is Solaris and the only Bergman I’ve seen is Wild Strawberries (The Sacrifice was shot by Bergman’s long time cinematographer and it seemed that Tarkovsky was honoring Bergman a bit in the film) but this movie didn’t have the strength’s of either of those films. The Bergmaness-ness of it seemed to create some distance between me and the characters (and the film) and it just never got to the place of having that kind of intimacy and humanity I felt in watching Solaris (or WS).
I was both impressed with and turned off by most of the actors at different times in the film and felt it just didn’t have a strong enough core to stand alongside things like Solaris and WS.
That said, I still think it’s very, very good and at times beautifully poetic and fulfilling film and I’m very glad I saw it but the pieces never came all the way together… for me.
Warning spoilers**
Obviously there’s no way to know if “The Sacrifice” actually changed the reality of the war starting or if the whole thing was an old man’s delusion but I didn’t care. Either way it’s interesting to me and either way I loved the scene of the house burning and the reactions to it and then the little boy. Though I think I'd prefer if the war part never really happened. I mean Alexander did start the film in a existential crisis of sorts and it could be that he needed to burn his house down to attain a certain level of spiritual freedom.
Don't piss on my shoe and tell me it's raining.
Follow Ups:
This was the film that introduced me to Tarkovsky, about 10 years ago. I was already a Bergman fan, so appreciated it because (as I understand) it was also filmed on Faro Island where many of my favorite Bergmans were made in the 60s....Persona, Through a Glass Darkly, and The Passion of Anna. Since you liked the setting and cinematography, maybe check out these films.The last time I saw The Sacrifice something about the house burning at the end struck me as uneven with the rest of the film. Not sure why. I agree, you don't seem to get as close to the characters as in Solaris or Wild Strawberries. I still like it a lot though.
You might check out Tarkovsky's The Mirror too. I just saw it for the first time last week, and it's beautiful.
Rod
I felt the house burning scene had a similar feel to the beginning of the film and that it was the middle which seemed uneven (in relation to the beginning and the end).It could be that the end felt strange because it's almost like it went from slow motion to real time in the sense that they were suddenly in a different reality from the impending nuclear doom that preceded it.
I have some Bergman films on my Netflix list (Seventh Seal should arrive tomorrow) and Andrei Rublev and The Mirror are on the list as well.
Don't piss on my shoe and tell me it's raining.
I just saw Rublev a couple weeks ago. It was fascinating, but very long. You need to be dedicated to staying with it...but it's worth it. Mirror was more immediately enjoyable to me aesthetically, but I woudn't dare say I got it all first viewing!Rod
is Stalker coming to Netflix?!
If my life depended on it, I would not be able to finish the Stalker.Mirror is different, and there a bit of familiarity with the Russian history is a must, some sense of the culture too. You can't just dump it on an average American viewer and expect good response. The film generated extremely heated debates when released in Russia.
s
Perhaps it is dated, much like the Eyes Wide Shut was?
sadf
Our local video store got in Stalker a while back. It was my least favorite.Ironically, my wife who can't stay awake through Solaris liked it!
Rod
The homage to Bergman was perhaps too apparent, sometimes dominating the perception, but Erland Josephson was superb, and I think one reviewer on imdb put it best:"The question of liking or disliking this film is unimportant. Undoubtedly there will be people who will dislike it. But the one thing that is indeed impossible, is to remain indifferent to it."
Of course the cinematography is breathtaking, and of course it is thought provoking. How often you get that much for your Netflix buck-fifty?
Didn't get it through Netflix but it was still well worth the $3. There's no question that I'm glad I saw it and the feel and imagery from the parts that really struck me are still with me.And yes I thought Erland Josephson was great... along with the postman. But everyone else had moments that felt a bit melodramatic to me... perhaps I was harsh in attributing to the actors what bothered me (for just moments here and there) about the character's.
Don't piss on my shoe and tell me it's raining.
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