The Andrei Tarkovsky Companion

A series of three documentaries on Andrei Tarkovsky - generally regarded as the most important and influential filmmaker of the post-war Soviet era in Russia and one of the greatest in the history of cinema. Tarkovsky's life and career is documented in clips of his work, in interview clips with the man himself and in comments from his peers and friends. The first feature 'Moscow Elegy' is a highly emotional and impassioned paean to his mentor and friend by fellow filmmaker Alexander Sokurov ('Russian Ark', 'Mother and Son'). 'One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevitch' is by Chris Marker - another disciple of Tarkovsky, and includes some of the last footage of the man, shot on the set of one of his last films and in the editing process when Tarkovsky was gravely ill. The final feature in this suite is 'Tempo di Viaggio' a documentary made by Tarkovsky himself in the process of researching his second to last film, 'Nostalgia'. Together with his Italian screenplay co-writer Tonino Guerra, the Russian master researches locations and hammers out the screenplay in a uniquely candid look behind the scenes at the artists' process.