Film: Andrei Tarkovsky's "The Mirror"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in his film "The Mirror", Andrei Tarkovsky provides his audience with a collection of his childhood memories. The author points out that Tarkovsky tries to remember his childhood home exactly as it was in his past but some of his memories are not as pleasant as he hoped; therefore, he relies on his imagination to create a new vision that will always be pleasant and desirable. The paper relates that the film is unconventional because of his use of a "creative relationship" to form the timeline. The author relates that critic Peter Green believes that Tarkovsky's intention when planning his film was to reflect his mother; therefore, his obsession with his mother is important to the film. The paper states that critic Ian Christie stresses the importance of the actual place where the filmmaker spent his childhood.

From the Paper:

"When remembering his father the images reflect his emotions, "expressing hope and despair". In the establishing shot, a man is walking towards what Tarkovsky describes as his childhood home. Metaphorically, this could be the filmmaker seeing the father he was so desperate to see returning home. The very first shot is a young boy at the doctor's office. At first, he is unable to talk, but once he is cured, he is portrayed as perfect. This sequence could once again be translated as Tarkovsky sending a message to his father, that he wants his dad to be proud of him and see him as intelligent."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Christie, Ian. Tarkovsky: Cinema as Poetry. Faber and Faber, 1989.
• Green, Peter. Andrei Tarkovsky: The Winding Quest. Macmillan, 1993.

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