Andrei Tarkovskys 10 Favorite Films

If you, as a filmgoer, have anything in common with me and if you happen to live in Los Angeles as
well youve spent the past few weeks excited about the Andrei Tarkovsky doublebill coming up at the
!uentin Tarantinoowned "ew #everly $inema% &eve previously featured the famously 'and extremely(
cinephilic Tarantinos lists of favorite films, but what about Tarkovsky) &hat movies did the man who
made The *irror and Nostalghia to name only two of his most strikingly personal films, not to
mention the same ones coming up at the "ew #everly look to for inspiration) "ostalghia%com has one
set of answers in the form of a list Tarkovsky once gave film critic Leonid +o,lov% -I remember that wet,
grey day in April ./01 very well,2 writes +o,lov in a 3ight and 3ound article reposted there% -&e were
sitting by an open window and talking about various things when the conversation turned to 4tar
Ioselianis film 4nce 5pon a Time There Lived a 3inging #lackbird%2
Tarkovsky struggled toward an assessment of that picture, eventually deeming it -a very good film%2
+o,lov then asked the filmmaker to draw up a list of his favorites% -6e took my proposition very
seriously and for a few minutes sat deep in thought with his head bent over a piece of paper,2 the critic
recalls% -Then he began to write down a list of directors names #u7uel, *i,oguchi, #ergman,
#resson, +urosawa, Antonioni, 8igo% 4ne more, 9reyer, followed after a pause% "ext he made a list of
films and put them carefully in a numbered order% The list, it seemed, was ready, but suddenly and
unexpectedly Tarkovsky added another title $ity Lights%2 The fruit of his internal deliberations reads
as follows:
Le ;ournal dun cur< de campagne '=obert #resson, ./>.(
&inter Light 'Ingmar #ergman, ./?@(
"a,arin 'Luis #u7uel, ./>/(
&ild 3trawberries 'Ingmar #ergman, ./>0(
$ity Lights '$harlie $haplin, ./@.(
5getsu *onogatari '+enAi *i,oguchi, ./>@(
3even 3amurai 'Akira +urosawa, ./>B(
Cersona 'Ingmar #ergman, ./??(
*ouchette '=obert #resson, ./?0(
&oman of the 9unes '6iroshi Teshigahara, ./?B(
Among respected directors greatestfilms lists, Tarkovskys must rank as, while certainly one of the most
considered, also one of the least diverse% -&ith the exception of $ity Lights,2 +o,lov notes, -it does not
contain a single silent film or any from the @Ds or BDs% The reason for this is simply that Tarkovsky saw
the cinemas first >D years as a prelude to what he considered to be real filmmaking%2 And the lack of
3oviet films -is perhaps indicative of the fact that he saw real filmmaking as something that went on
elsewhere%2 4verall, we have here -not only a list of Tarkovskys favorite films, but eEually one of his
favorite directors,2 especially Ingmar #ergman, who places no fewer than three times% The esteem went
both waysF you may remember how #ergman once described Tarkovsky as -the greatest of them all%2
3till, as cinematic mutual appreciation societies go, I suppose you couldnt ask for two more Eualified
members%
If you cant make it to the "ew #everly $inema, you can watch many of Tarkovskys maAor films 'and
early student films( online here%