Collected Screenplays (Faber and Faber Screenplays) [Paperback]

Andrei Arsenevich Tarkovsky (Author), William Powell (Translator), Natasha Synessios (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Faber and Faber Screenplays | Publication Date: September 1999

The most important Soviet filmmaker after Sergei Eisenstein, Andrei Tarkovsky produced only seven films in his lifetime. Catapulted into international recognition in 1962 with his first feature, Ivan's Childhood, Tarkovsky brought us most of his legendary films from behind the iron curtain, including Andrei Rublev, Solaris, and The Stalker.

Tarkovsky defected to the West after Nostalgia was shot in Italy in 1983; his last feature, The Sacrifice, was filmed in Sweden with many of Igmar Bergman's collaborators.

Perhaps more relevant to contemporary audiences than any other Russian filmmaker, and one of the greatest practitioners of his art, Tarkovsky's oeuvre spans many genres and many decades. This complete collection of his screenplays includes unproduced screenplays and production notes from his completed films.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tarkovsky is for me the greatest, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream -- Ingmar Bergman

Product Details

• Paperback: 564 pages
• Publisher: Faber and Faber (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571142664
• ISBN-13: 978-0571142668
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #713,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The notes, not the music, March 18, 2001

By 

Scott Spires (Prague, Czech Republic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Collected Screenplays (Faber and Faber Screenplays) (Paperback)

In "Sculpting in Time" Tarkovsky says: "The literary element in a film is *smelted*; it ceases to be literature once the film has been made." Reading his screenplays, one has the sense of looking at a blueprint or a musical score. The two strongest elements of Tarkovsky's artistry--the extraordinary visuals, and the highly original conception of time--are necessarily missing.

So what is the value of this collection? For one thing, it includes the scripts of several unrealized projects, which allow you to imagine what these films might have looked like, or just to regret that they were never made. Similarly, you'll also find ideas and scenes that didn't make it into the finished films, or were altered from their original conception. The book also, in an indirect way, points out the relentlessly visual and indiosyncratic nature of AT's work. For example, reading the script of "Stalker", perhaps AT's most mesmerizing film, I thought that it could easily have been made into an episode of "Twilight Zone" by a lesser director. In other words, the plot is not the point; what makes the film a masterpiece lies beyond words and storylines. I suppose the same could be said for any great director, but with Tarkovsky I feel this even more strongly. Finally, the book also includes a fair amount of analysis and commentary. One serious omission: "Andrei Rublev" is not included, due to its length.

For these reasons, I recommend this book not to Tarkovsky neophytes, but to those who already know his films. The genius is up there on the screen; this book contains the sketches, jottings and blueprints that helped to put it there.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take time for Tarkovsky, June 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Collected Screenplays (Faber and Faber Screenplays) (Paperback)

Unanimously hailed by the intellectual crowd as the greatest poet of modern cinema Tarkovsky's Collected Screenplays provides a blueprint into the mind of this genius. The density of his films typically filled with a cannon of symbolism and metaphors are revealed to us in a new light through his screenplays by lucid and coherent writing providing yet a distinctly new approach in understanding and appreciating his deeply felt themes on life. Without the element of time so inherent in film, the ability to rest on a thought or a remark by this incredible film-maker is what makes reading this book such a pleasure. In addition to this book I would recommend Sculpting in Time.

5 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars magic, September 28, 2000

By 

shubho sengupta (new delhi, india) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Collected Screenplays (Faber and Faber Screenplays) (Paperback)

Just saw The Stalker last night. Possibly the best movie I've seen in my life. Tarkovsky is a master of magic/symbolism/the human condition. No wonder he was Bergman's favourite. I really look forward to reading this book.