Dmitry Trakovsky - Meeting Andrei Tarkovsky (2008)

"This film was conceived in honor of the 20th anniversary of the death of one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema - Andrei Tarkovsky. The young filmmaker Dmitry Trakovsky sets out in search of his favorite director's legacy. His journey leads him to fifteen moving interviews in California, Italy, Sweden, and finally, Russia, as he attempts to come closer to the meaning of one of Tarkovsky's most enigmatic beliefs... that death doesn't exist. The result is the acclaimed documentary MEETING ANDREI TARKOVSKY, which takes an in-depth and poetic look at the late Russian filmmaker who created under the oppressive censorship of the Soviet government. It explores the life and films of Tarkovsky through diverse interviews and stories told by friends, colleagues and others who have been influenced by his art, providing a rare glimpse into Tarkovsky's working methods and personal philosophy of humanity."

Mark Donskoy - Detstvo Gorkogo AKA Childhood of Maxim Gorky (1938)

From IMDB User Comments
Pure cinematic poetry, 10 January 2004 10/10
Author: ollie501 from Dorset, England

The Childhood of Maxim Gorky, tells the story of Aleksei Peshkov a 12 year old boy, living in 19th Century Russia, who would later be known as Maxim Gorky, possibly Russia's most famous and celebrated novelist and dramatist. Made in 1938, the film is based on Gorky's autobiography `My Childhood', and is rich and powerful film which will capture your attention from the beginning.

Naturally, being made in 1938, the film is in black and white, although the story is so colourful and vibrant, with characters so alive, you would be forgiven for thinking the film was made much later. It definitely does not feel almost 65 years old.

Aleksei Lyarsky, who plays Gorky, is instantly likeable as the young protagonist. Capable of portraying emotions far beyond his years, he works superbly alongside a cast of commanding and believable proportion.

Andrei Tarkovsky & Tonino Guerra - Tempo di viaggio aka Voyage in Time aka Travelling Time (1983)

Plot Summary :
Tarkovsky’s documentary explores the creation of the screenplay for his penultimate film ‘Nostalgia’. It shows his wide-ranging discussions with his Italian co-writer Tonino Guerra (Antonioni’s regular collaborator) and the hunt for suitable locations that might embody his vision of the film.

Robert Bird - Andrei Tarkovsky: Elements of Cinema (2008)

A revered filmmaker, Andrei Tarkovsky is secure in the long and illustrious line of Russian masters in arts and letters. Linking cinematic technique to broader questions of meaning and intrepretation, Robert Bird offers a wholly original investigation into the aesthetic principles of Tarvkovsky's filmmaking. While providing a comprehensive analysis of his work in all media, including radio, theatre and opera, Bird argues that Tarkovsky was most at home in the cinema. Accordingly, the author dwells chiefly on Tarkovsky's major films: Ivan's Childhood, Andrei Rublev, Solaris, Mirror, Stalker, Nostalghia and Sacrifice. With its wealth of film stills and photographs, this book is a key text for all admirers of Tarkovsky and European cinema.

Boris Stepantsev - Vovka v Tridevyatom tsarstve AKA Vovka in Far Far Away Kingdom (1965)

19 min. 48 sec.
SOYUZMULTFILM, 1965

directed by Boris Stepantsev
written by Vadim Korostylev
art directors Anatoly Savchenko, Petr Repkin
artists O. Ghemmerling, Lev Arkadyev
animators Anatoly Abarenov, Galina Barinova, Antonina Alyoshina, V. Dolgikh, Youry Butyrin, Leonid Kayukov, Tatiana Taranovich, Victor Arsentiev, Olga Orlova, Anatoly Petrov, S. Zhutovskaya
cameraman Michael Druyan
music I. Yakushenko
sound Boris Filchikov
script editor Raisa Frichinskaya
voice artists Emma Treivas, Michael Yanshin (Tsar) , Clara Rumyanova (Vassilissa) , Elena Ponsova (The Old lady and the Librarian) , Rina Zelenaya (Vovka)

Yakov Protazanov - Pikovaya dama AKA The Queen of Spades (1916)

Already in the early years of Russian cinema Protazanov’s name was a hallmark of artistic excellence. "The Queen of Spades" is a brilliant example of his extraordinary talent. The film has not only a first-rate story and ingenious Mozzhukhin’s performance, but also all the tricks that were available to filmmakers in 1916. The use of crosscutting in the film is quite sophisticated for the time; superimposition is yet another important device; and the use of flashbacks here is very effective. Unlike most pictures of that time "The Queen of Spades" made a genuine contribution to the evolution of Russian film art. I think it would be great if more people see one of the best pre-revolutionary Russian films.

--GostaBerling

Mikhail Kalatozov - Neotpravlennoye pismo aka The Letter Never Sent (1960) (HD)

Quote:
After months of searching, four devoted geologists unearth diamonds in Bolshaya Zemlya. Subsequently cut off from the outside world - and their food supply - by a raging forest fire, the team fights for their lives while attempting to pass along the location of the priceless cache.

Vera Stroyeva - Boris Godunov (1954)

quote from Amazon user: A complement I say, as this not being complete (well, I'd better say severely truncated) it cannot be your sole Boris in a collection; necessary I add, because it preserved a sizable portion of the title part, as portrayed by one of its foremost exponents ever, the great russian bass Alexander Pirogov. This incompleteness is only implied but not clearly stated in the disc's box, which should advise would-be purchasers. So what you get is some kind of "extended highlights" of this, arguably the greatest of russian operas and certainly the most popular. It is a film by Vera Stroieva, made in 1954 as part of a project dear to soviet authorities of putting into film both the lives of Russia's greatest artists and adaptations of their works, to "educate the masses" and of course not being entirely without some ideological hints (or rather more than mere hints). Stroieva made effective use of exterior shots, as well as mixes of "theatrical stage" sequences with other ones filmed inside the Kremlin, which gave the film an intriguing aura and allowed us to look at Boris Godunov from an unusual perspective; the soundtrack was dubbed and lip sinchronised of course, but remarkably well, with results far better than those in contemporary efforts by RAI to film standard italian operas. From the film perspective, it followed the traditions of soviet film making, with stunning images, stark closeups and vast shots of hundreds of extras in the opera scenes involving the people; the soudtrack had to be made on purpose for the project, as the myriad cuts in the score ruled out cutting and splicing existing recordings.