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Robert Bird

Andrei Tarkovsky: Elements of Cinema Paperback – Illustrated, April 15, 2008

by Robert Bird (Author)

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The masters of Russian arts and letters are a prestigious fraternity that includes such renowned artists as Tolstoy, Rachmaninoff, and Shostakovich. But alongside these luminaries stands a lesser-known but equally revered figure, filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. Robert Bird offers in Andrei Tarkovsky an unprecedented investigation of Tarkovsky’s oeuvre and its far-reaching influence on world cinema.

Bird brings a novel approach to his dissection of Tarkovsky’s wholly original techniques and sensibilities, arranging the films into elemental categories of Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. Solaris, Ivan’s Childhood, Mirror, Nostalgia, Andrei Rublev, and Sacrifice all get their due here; through them, Bird explores how the filmmaker probed the elusive correlation between cinematic representation and a more primeval perception of the world. Though the book also considers Tarkovsky’s work in radio, theatre, and opera—as well as his work as an actor, screenwriter, and film theorist—Bird throughout keeps his focus firmly on Tarkovsky as a consummate filmmaker.

Anchored by a wealth of film stills and photographs, Andrei Tarkovsky is a must-read for all film buffs and admirers of European cinema.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Reaktion Books
Publication date

April 15, 2008
Dimensions

6.25 x 0.6 x 9.4 inches
ISBN-10

1861893426
ISBN-13

978-1861893420
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Editorial Reviews

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"A major contribution to the literature on the filmmaker. Bird is thoroughly familiar with Russian sources unavailable to English readers and he has a remarkable sensitivity to the nuances of cinematic construction. His writing is lucid and consistently illuminates Tarkovsky's central preoccupation: 'the tragic failure of spirituality . . . in conflict with its natural conditions.'" -- P. Adams Sitney, professor of visual arts, Princeton University, and author of Visionary Film: The American Avant-Garde 1943-2000 Published On: 2007-06-08

"Impeccably erudite. . . . engrossing." -- Kevin Maher ― The Times Published On: 2008-04-12

"A dense, devoted appreciation." -- J. Hoberman ― Bookforum Published On: 2008-12-01

"Bird's study can be daunting . . .but he has Tarkovsky right." -- Louis Menashe ― Cineaste

"In his inspired and rigorous book, Robert Bird addresses the uniqueness of Tarkovksy's cinema through a detailed exploration of the medium's constituent parts, revealing in the process the intricate ways in which film can radically shift our vision . . . This profound and eloquent book is a feat of regard, intuition and clarity."–Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema

― Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema

About the Author

Robert Bird (1969-2020) was professor of Russian literature and film at the University of Chicago. He was the author of books on Fyodor Dostoevsky, Viacheslav Ivanov, and Andrei Tarkovsky, and published widely on the aesthetics of Russian modernism.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Reaktion Books; Illustrated edition (April 15, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1861893426
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1861893420
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.6 x 9.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,622 in Movie History & Criticism
- #10,186 in Performing Arts (Books)

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J. Merritt

Fascinating Perspective

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 11, 2010

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As the 'Product Description' above indicates, this is a unique approach to a discussion of Tarkovsky's seven feature films and his student film "The Steamroller and the Violin." Dr. Bird has linked the elements of Tarkovsky's filmmaking technique to the literal elements around us. In so doing, he has crafted a revealing and often poetic examination of Tarkovsky's work, and the logic of his approach reveals itself nicely as you proceed through the reading. The text is enhanced by a generous selection of images of the filmmaker and stills from his movies. I would only caution that the book is highly theoretical. For the casual fan (and I honestly don't know if there is such a thing as a 'casual' Tarkovsky fan), this may seem a bit abstract. For devout fans both of Tarkovsky and Russian cinema in general, however, it is a highly enjoyable elaboration of the themes and meanings in a great artist's body of work. Recommended.

11 people found this helpful

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Patrick Faith

Kindle Edition is Wrong Book - bought the book though physically

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 24, 2012

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For the Kindle edition ... the book downloaded is "Turkish Cinema: identity, distance and belonging". Trying to figure out how to get my money back on a kindle download. Author please upload correct book?

I did just recently buy the book physically and got the right one (no idea if the kindle version is working yet). I really enjoyed sections of this book, is a perty tough read ... even for Tarkovsky books. Some of the comments are just great though, so is a for sure read for people interested in Tarkovsky.

3 people found this helpful

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jw

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 26, 2017

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outstanding book on one of our great artistic visionaries

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The Completist

Great Book by an INSUFFERABLE Author

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 10, 2012

It's always irritating when narcissism does not equal stupidity and this book is an excellent example. Tarkovsky is a filmmaker that often requires a learned scholar to explain because while his dialogue is very didactic, the thematic qualities are extremely subtle. In addition, Tarkovsky's personal subjective life experience in a non-Western culture can be inscrutable for lots of film students who are used to the Western habit of psychoanalytic, formalist, feminist, New Critical, and Marxist interpretations of films. Or what David Bordwell calls "SLAB" theory (Saussure, Lacan, Althusser & Barthes).

Robert Bird fits the bill of learned scholar and it shows well, but unfortunately, no one is more aware of this than him. Bird loves the sound of his own voice and is earnest to the point of pretension in structuring the chapters. Reading this book reminded me of dozens of film studies books so thoroughly riddled with 50-cent words of academic foundation that you can read a sentence three times over and not understand what it means. And because Bird feels so strongly about his opinions, he can't help but include his own voice along for the entire breadth of the tome in a way that is so invasive and distracting that I had a mind to give up before I even finished the introduction! It's like reading a book with the author over your shoulder, interrupting you to explain what he was thinking when he wrote the sentence you're on.

Annoying as he is, Bird is no idiot. What astonished me is how a writer this self-important could be so admirably thorough and selfless on the subject. The book is EXTREMELY well-researched, heavily cited, and the bibliography is far more extensive than a book this size usually is. He even manages to find reference and research material that probably couldn't be found without going to Russia and examining Tarkovsky's personal effects. Bird's arguments are consistent, and they have a strong enough familiarity with Russian culture and aesthetics to be insightful in a way that most other writers on Tarkovsky overlook or fail to grasp at all.

I definitely learned a great deal about Tarkovsky that I would certainly have never divined on my own. The only drawback was having to listen to Bird's dramatic, obfuscating presence the entire way. Thankfully though, the introduction is really the worst part of that tone and he does put himself aside to make room for Tarkovsky as the book goes on.

It's definitely worth reading and studying, but be prepared for Bird's academic pomposity to flavor the tone.

18 people found this helpful

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David Wicks

Profound and Authoritive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 14, 2020

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An insightful, sensitive, and fair, addition to the numerous books on Tarkovsky's art -

Nora Gluckmann

An artistic revelation: Andrei Tarkovsky.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 21, 2009

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An Artistic Revelation.
ANDREI TARKOVSKY- ELEMENTS OF CINEMA -Robert Bird
This excellent book is better not intended to be read before having enjoyed the seven Andrei Tarkovsky films -real art masterpieces as seven perfect symphonies- but afterwards ,because being a deep and extremely interesting investigation about cinematic interpretation and technique, I consider it very important to fully appreciate it, to be able to follow the structure, theme and development of each of his seven films: "Ivan'schildhood", "AndreiRublev", "Solaris", "Mirror","Stalker", "Nostalghia", and "Sacrifice".
Being a Cinema lover or intending to enjoy and understand actual European Cinema , the Russian production from Andrei Tarkovsky followed by Alexandr Sokurov his closest disciple in Russia,("Mother and son""Father and son ") becomes a necessary precious revelation. "Revelation through art is not a peep-show into another world, but the actual experience of that world.....Once this experience has been gained through communion with the higher reaches of visible nature though art, then the emotional basis of all human experience is permanently changed. Reality becomes hallowed, radiant.......such a revelation is the highest possible rol of art."(Art as revelation"-Frank Array Wilson, Centaur Press 1981)-
Robert Bird's book is a necessary guide to Tarkovsky's art revelation, covering from the prevalence of atmosphere over space -photographing not tales but the atmosphere of them- , story and image defining Poetic Cinema -the essence of cinematic medium-, and Time as the basic element of his cinema. Instead of imposing a conclusive storyline, he identifies and celebrate dissonances (like Mozart ) and discontinuity, as markers of meaningful moments. He uses visual and aural communication of inner states of being , which resists being reduced to tidy messages. Three kinds of space dominate all of his films: nature, the home and the shrine or cathedral, each of them is distinguished by a characteristic visual tension. Some pessimism is in line with Tarkovsky's films: the tragic failure generally important in various films, is the one of spirituality into conflict with its natural conditions, the film being not a liberation from difficult spaces but rather its formation into a locus of vision. Wind, rain, water and fire are his preferred earthy forms. The final understanding and joy derived from his films, is given in richness in this beautiful book.
You cannot miss nor Andrei Tarkovsky films neither Robert Bird's book about this special and different kind of artist, and his seven masterpieces. I very much recommend all of them.

6 people found this helpful

Nicholas Casley

"It's impossible to return there ..."

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 1, 2009

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The title of this review comes from the opening line of Tarkovsky's father's poem that influenced the film `Mirror': "It's impossible to return there / And impossible to narrate, / How overfilled with bliss / Was this heavenly garden." Tarkovsky's films, so often set in heavenly gardens to which is it impossible to return, are often also impossible to narrate. This poem is just one of the pieces of information in this book that go towards filling the picture of Tarkovsky and his films.

The book consists of a sixteen-page introduction followed by ten chapters, whose titles - "The System", "Space", "Screen", "Word & Image", "Story", "Imaginary", "Sensorium", "Time", "Shot", and "Atmosphere" - are grouped within the four cardinal elements of earth, fire, water, and air. This book requires some prior knowledge of Tarkovsky's films - preferably all seven major works.

In his introduction, Bird declares that, "It is Tarkovsky's sense of cinematic pitch, rather than any discursive `meaning' of his films that is my main focus in this book ... The cumulative result of these analyses, I hope, is a thorough account of Tarkovsky's approach to film-making that will illumine individual films while uncovering the basic elements of his creative project." Bird says that, "Tarkovsky's `mysticism' can only be assessed through his technique; his cinema of the elements requires consideration of the elements of his cinema": hence the potentially obscure titles of each chapter!

One criticism that one can make of this volume is the lack of biography. Can the creation of art be so distinct from the circumstances of its creator? There is just one paragraph on Tarkovsky's childhood. His film `The Steamroller & the Violin' was presented in 1960 when he was 28. What had he been up to prior to this?

But the main criticism of this work - and the reason why I have given it only three stars - is its language. If you have read this far in the review, then you will have started to sense a gist of the language adopted by Bird in his contemplation of Tarkovsky's art. Be warned! The book is full of sentences such as this: "In sum, the elements of cinema are inseparable from the unifying sense of pregnant time, of potentiality within time, which cinema intensifies in human experience." Or try this: "Within the turning of the narrative they cease to be merely commemorative and are imbued with a poignant but fragile curve of possibility..." An easy read, this book is not. `Diegetic' is a favourite word of this author. I still do not know what it means.

The longer I read a chapter, the more tense I became, largely because of the use of language. I read this book not long after Sean Martin's `Andrei Tarkovsky'. Despite being less of a book in terms of quality, at least Martin is ore satisfyingly accessible - and at half the price. Bird is clearly a learned man, but he fails to communicate clearly. This is a shame, for the blurb on the cover states that Bird "is thoroughly familiar with Russian sources unavailable to English readers". (Bird is Associate Professor in the Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures at the University of Chicago.) That is not to say that the book is devoid of insights: it is probably full of them, but that the language employed to convey these insights can be abstruse.

But I enjoyed the conceit that Soderbergh's remake of `Solaris' is a remake of a film about failed remakes; and that in `Stalker' "the Zone is the quintessence of Tarkovsky's spaces ... where one goes to see one's innermost desires. It is, in short, the cinema." I also enjoyed Bird's metaphor for the use of language in Tarkovsky's films: "If this language is a medium of exchange, it is one that can never be cashed in, either by the characters or by the viewer." There is more that I learned from Bird that I was not consciously (but was subconsciously?) aware of from the films, such as the element of Gorchakov's sexual desire in `Nostalghia'.

Also on the plus side, there is wonderful choice of illustrations scattered throughout the text. For example, on page 67 Bird contrasts the ruin of the abbey at Galgano that appears in `Nostalghia' with Caspar David Friedrich's 1824 painting of `The Ruin at Eldena' and with a still from Rossellini's `Germany: Year Zero'.

The book ends with a brief chronology, references, filmography/credits, bibliography of index.

22 people found this helpful

Vivvi

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 28, 2016

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This book was in wonderful condition - a bargain.

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