Andrey Rublyov (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966)Adam & Sam's take (starts around 15:00)a.k.a. Tarkovsky's 8½ ?
I'm floored. I'll admit, when it became clear that the last episode was going to be about this guy trying to fake his way through building a church bell, I was a bit skeptical, but man, it really ties the film together (not unlike a certain rug).
But I'm skipping ahead already. This is ostensibly a biopic, but Tarkovsky clearly isn't as interested in Rublyov's life story as he is in bigger ideas (and using Rublyov, among others, as a surrogate for himself). Broadly speaking, you could say the film is about art, religion (or at least spirituality) and human nature... but that kind of amounts to say it's about life, the universe and everything. Which, sure, but it's a bit clearer and more specific than that.
The idea I find most interesting here is that ignorance is not only bliss, but also the path to a more fullfilling life both creatively and spiritually. The idea of ignorance being a blessing is briefly discussed early on (well, probably one hour in) between Rublyov and his mentor, but it really comes through later on, twice. The first time is when we see the deaf/simple girl being mocked by the Tatars. When Rublyov is confronted with humanity's propensity for evil, he falls from grace himself and commits a murder, but what does she do when those horrible men mock her ? She smiles and marvels at their clothes and plays with them, because she doesn't realize what they're doing. In a sense, she forgives them, which... what's more christian that that ? All of it because she's, well, simple. The second time obviously comes with the kid who pretends to know the secret to making church bells, and then proceeds to fake it 'till he makes it, and boy does he make it : he single-handedly restores our main character's faith in humanity and frees him of his decade long vow of silence, which results in that amazing final sequence.
I'm not actually sure what to make of the final sequence, for what it's worth. The switch to color and music makes me think we should be impressed, which I was at first because of the sheer momentum created by those two things but... let's just say I'm not a huge fan of Rublyov's work, and the more it goes on the more it seems like Tarkovsky is undercutting his own apparent optimism by showing the degradation of it all. I don't know, and I definitely have no idea what is up with that final shot of horses (probably connected to that horse falling down the stairs earlier on but I'm not sure what that was about either).
I really can't get over how great the last third is. Not that the first two weren't very good already, but watching a previously unknown character labor his way through crafting a church bell shouldn't be this captivating (and even thrilling by the end), yet Tarkovsky somehow makes it work.
Oh, and the cinematography is unsurprisingly remarkable, did I not mention that ? Well, now I did. That opening sequence where the man flees humanity and briefly gets to see earth as God, before it all literally comes crashing down alone... Oh, and a little bit of staging that I thought was pretty clever : at one point Rublyev talks straight into the camera without actually breaking the fourth wall, simply because the camera and the characters place themselves in a way that Rublyev just happens to find himself facing it while speaking to another character. Breaking the rule without actually breaking it, love it.
10/10Up next : the first rewatch in this marathon (Solyaris). Loved it the first time around, and now I've got something to compare it to, so that'll be interesting, possibly.