Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Andrey Tarkovsky, the genius of modern Russian cinema--hailed by Ingmar Bergman as "the most important director of our time"--died an exile in Paris in December 1986. In Sculpting in Time, he has left his artistic testament, a remarkable revelation of both his life and work. Since Ivan's Childhood won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1962, the visionary quality and totally original and haunting imagery of Tarkovsky's films have captivated serious movie audiences all over the world, who see in his work a continuation of the great literary traditions of nineteenth-century Russia. Many critics have tried to interpret his intensely personal vision, but he himself always remained inaccessible.

In Sculpting in Time, Tarkovsky sets down his thoughts and his memories, revealing for the first time the original inspirations for his extraordinary films-- Ivan's Childhood, Andrey Rublyov, Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker, Nostalgia, and The Sacrifice. He discusses their history and his methods of work, he explores the many problems of visual creativity, and he sets forth the deeply autobiographical content of part of his oeuvre--most fascinatingly in The Mirror and Nostalgia. The closing chapter on The Sacrifice, dictated in the last weeks of Tarkovsky's life, makes the book essential reading for those who already know or who are just discovering his magnificent work.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction
• Chapter I The beginning
• Chapter II Art--a yeaming for the ideal
• Chapter III Imprinted time
• Chapter IV Cinema's destined role
• Chapter V The film image Time, rhythm and editing Scenario and shooting script The film's graphic realisation The film actor Music and noises
• Chapter VI The author in search of an audience
• Chapter VII The artist's responsibility
• Chapter VIII After Nostalgia
• Chapter IX The Sacrifice
• Conclusion
• Notes

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Tarkovsky, who died in exile in 1986, was considered by some Western film critics to be one of Russia's foremost latter-day filmmakers. His image-rich nonlinear style was apparently little understood or appreciated in his own country and his films received poor distribution. Tarkovsky elaborates in much detail on his theory of filmmaking, including editing, music, film acting, and what he calls ``rhythm,'' which he considers the dominant factor. The translation appears to be excellent, but the book would have benefited greatly from an introductory essay setting the director's aesthetics and career in perspective. An important addition for large cinema collections. Roy Liebman, California State Univ. Lib., Los Angeles (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

The late Russian director's reflections on the art and craft of filmmaking are-not surprisingly-less illuminating about cinema in general than about his own work as a director. In prose often as portentous as the images in his films, Tarkovsky develops what is essentially an elaborate theory of auteur cinema. Chapters are devoted to such topics as the film image, rhythm and editing, and the use of music and noises, but his discussions are often marred by unexamined assumptions and the use of a curious blend of religious, symbolist, and socialist realist aesthetic categories. Still, Tarkovsky's eccentric personal idiom does cast considerable light on the mind and sensibility that produced some of the most significant Soviet cinematic achievements of the last 20 years. Many colorful personal anecdotes about the making of Ivan's Childhood, Stalker, and Nostalgia are included, and the book is copiously illustrated with stills from these films. The translation is exceptionally graceful. Highly recommended for libraries serving advanced undergraduate and graduate cinema students.-S. Liebman, Queens College, CUNY