IslandGuru Who payed the critics

Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

RyothChatty ridiculous rating

Jayden-Lee Thomson One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Poshlust It's not a biography by any means, it's largely fiction - it's only loosely based off Rublev's life. The film focuses more on his dedication to Eastern Orthodoxy, as well as its role in his evolution as an artist. There are certain characters that each represent different philosophical outlooks under a single unanimous religious belief. In particular, Theophanes is an interesting take on someone being God-loving yet simultaneously overly cynical in his repulsion by His man's vile nature. Outside of characters, the story is alright. The second half is mostly boring in my opinion. Being shot in black and white to emphasize the colorful ending - no doubt to add "life" to the conclusion - is kind of gimmicky, but otherwise a decent film.

valadas Some beautiful, some terrible, some peaceful, some violent. The great Russian icon painter Andrei Rublev lives among the great turmoil in Russia's 15th century with princes' fights and rivalries, Tatar invasions and heathens' ceremonies. There are also religious discussions and faith affirmations among the characters suitable to an epoch of intense spiritual religious life like it were Middle Ages. There are extraordinary sequences like for instance the sack of Vladimir and the casting of the huge bell for the prince. Andrei Rublev goes through all this somehow anguished and without feeling to decide to go painting the icons on the Trinity Monastery like he had been asked to. At last and after the bell was built and put to work he finally decides to go to the Monastery and paint those admirable icons we can see at the end of the movie.

coolcarcasting The solace journeying of a young monk who's skills as a religious icon painter correlates as he travels from one monastery to another, this documents giant historic swaths of Russian history. From the terrors of marauding legions of Mongul hellions to celebrating pagan spring rites on a lovely riverside evening. Andrei Rubliev in his clean slate of uncluttered preconceptions walks a kaleidoscopic pallet for every being encountered, large and small, through this cinematic sojourn as a medium is redefined in the eyes of director Tarkovsky. It is a beckon of film creativity unmatched at the time of production. Suppressed for many years and shown sparingly in shortened forms in European art houses it remained largely unseen. Legend/myth/facts collide as Martin Scorsese finds the original unedited 208 minutes version under a mattress in countryside Russia in latter 1988, or so the story goes. This is a must see film for anyone who ever considered they thought themselves a critic or chronicler of cinematic poetry. The behemoth tale requires some serious attention and perhaps a token smidgen of bloodletting. After my initial viewing I wanted to toss half my DVD collection as this is what a movie should be. This could appear on most of not all 100 best films ever list if one cares. Watch it and have your inner life saturated with an abundance of celluloid wonder.

TheLittleSongbird Russia have been responsible for some truly fine films, fantasy, animated or otherwise, but Andrei Rublev is truly something special. If there is a Soviet film more visually stunning, powerful, thought-provoking or emotionally profound than Andrei Rublev I've yet to see it. Sure, it may not appeal to all, there have been complaints about the animal torture/killings, the slow pacing and being perplexed by the symbolism but neither were problems for me(but if they are for anybody else that's understandable).Andrei Rublev looks absolutely stunning for starters, not just of any Soviet film but one of the most beautiful-looking films ever, every angle and frame is perfectly composed and with a hypnotic dream-like quality. The film also contains some of the most jaw-dropping and powerful symbolism of all of film, the casting of the bell was the standout with Rublev's colour montage close behind, but the snow crucifixion, the battle and the balloon flight were also memorable images. Tarkovsky's direction is just impeccable, so much so Andrei Rublev for me has to be one of the best-directed films there is. It's very thoughtfully scripted, the hauntingly exquisite music score is not one to forget, the pacing while deliberately slow beguiles rather than bores or frustrates and the story is powerful, inspirational(in how Rublev struggled to overcome the hardships he faces) and poignant. Not only that, but Russian medieval life has never been captured more authentically on film to the extent that the viewer is drawn right into this world, nothing idealistic or overly stylised here, this is compellingly hard-hitting stuff and not in a sadistic way(to me). Anatoli Solonitsyn commands the screen in the title role with vigour and emotional intensity while Irina Tarkovskaya is like a Russian Giulietta Masina(a regular Federico Fellini leading lady if you're not sure), and that's meant in a good way.Overall, majestic cinema(a phrase I very rarely use) and a film that film buffs must see if they haven't already. A very easy 10/10. Bethany Cox