One of Andrei Tarkovsky’s most experimental films is now out on DVD and Blu-Ray.
A good dose of open-mindedness (and perhaps a glass of vodka or wine) won’t go amiss before you embark on watching Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1975 art-house mix of poetic imagery and reflection of Russian history, Mirror. Having recently seen (and reviewed) Ivan’s Childhood, I looked forward to tracing another of the great director’s work in a different context and one can suspect that when this was first released four decades ago, it probably had more impact for aficionados keen to explore international cinema in a decade that was in turmoil.
I must say now that the film is equal parts dreamy and frustrating, dreamy for some near-perfect cinematography in a mix of monochrome and color, and frustrating in that you will (or at least I did) come out of it with bemusement at what the film is supposed to represent thematically. Subsequent research reveals it at the top end of Tarkovsky’s work in both fans and native Russians’ psyche. The unconventional structure and mix of montage and poetic reflection may divide fans used to a conventional narrative, but it is a movie well worth a visit. Film students will find much to appreciate in the use of film language and style, whilst purists will probably be enticed by what Tarkovsky was trying to convey to the audience.
The plot, such as it is, moves back and forth within three time frames, pre-war (1935), post-war and contemporary 1960s / 1970s, hence the mix of cinematic style. The lead character, Alexei, reflects, through nostalgia and poetry, the memories and experiences that have defined his life, from the countryside estate of his grandfather where a barn is seen to be burning down (some of the characters are played by Tarkovsky’s real-life relatives). Mirror is certainly a movie of Mother Russia, made by a native, for the natives. Western audiences and viewers might find it as bewilderingly compelling as much as art-house fans might have back in the day.
If you raise an eyebrow or lose a bit of sleep after experiencing Mirror, it probably is the most apt reaction that most people will have. I didn’t really find it as involving as Ivan’s Childhood, but did admire a lot of the visual intent that the film has in its favor. If you accept it more as a visual poem and a collage of montage and don’t read too much into the narrative and context of characterization that is fleetingly on show in the film, then you will share the same feeling that the purists and true fans of Tarkovsky’s work. A honorable try, but not the best of Tarkovsky’s work.
Mirror is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray as part of Curzon Artificial Eye’s series on Tarkovsky. The disc includes a 40-page booklet on the film and the Blu-Ray also includes Andrei Tarkovsky’s metaphysical dream zone, interviews with screenwriter A.Misharin, composer Eduard Artemev, and Oleg Yankovskiy, and a music box featurette.
