Introduced by Gavin Millar
Starring Margarita Terekhova
Mirroring his childhood Andrei Tarkovsky reflects the Stalinist era in a many-layered film in which memories, dreams and nightmares intertwine. Each memory is placed in context by newsreels but as Tarkovsky says, 'There are no episodes to decipher like symbols... if one finds double meanings in it, that will be because we are not used to seeing the truth on the screen. We have a debt to those who have given us life and love: we must tell them of our love.'
Alexei's mother as an old woman is played by Andrei Tarkovsky's mother. Poems written and read by his father, Arseny Tarkovsky.
(A Russian film with English subtitles)
(Colour/black and white)
FILMS: page 16