Nostalghia (1983)

The Russian poet Gortchakov, accompanied by guide and translator Eugenia, is traveling through Italy researching the life of an 18th century Russian composer. In a ancient spa town, he ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrei Tarkovsky

Writers:

Andrei Tarkovsky (screenplay), Tonino Guerra (screenplay)

Stars:

Oleg Yankovskiy, Erland Josephson, Domiziana Giordano

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Oleg Yankovskiy	...	Andrei Gorchakov
Erland Josephson	...	Domenico
Domiziana Giordano	...	Eugenia
Patrizia Terreno	...	Andrei's Wife
Laura De Marchi	...	Chambermaid
Delia Boccardo	...	Domenico's Wife
Milena Vukotic	...	Civil Servant
Raffaele Di Mario
Rate Furlan
Livio Galassi
Elena Magoia
Piero Vida

Storyline

The Russian poet Gortchakov, accompanied by guide and translator Eugenia, is traveling through Italy researching the life of an 18th century Russian composer. In a ancient spa town, he meets the lunatic Domenico, who years earlier had imprisoned his own family in a barn to save them from the evils of the world. As Eugenia seeks to tempt Gortchakov into infidelity, he, seeing some deep truth in Domenico's act, becomes drawn to the lunatic. In a series of dreams, the poet's nostalgia for his homeland and his longing for his wife, his ambivalent feelings for Eugenia and her Italy, and his sense of kinship with Domenico become intertwined.

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Plot Keywords:

dream | madness | faith | philosophy | black and white segues into color | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy Soviet Union

Language:

Italian Russian

Release Date:

March 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nostalghiya

Filming Locations:

Chiesa sommersa di San Vittorino, Cittaducale, Rieti, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Opera Film Produzione, Rai Due, Sovinfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The final shot, where Gorchakov's house - complete with hills and a pond - is translated into the central aisle of the abbazia of San Galgano, was achieved using forced perspective and miniature models of the Russian landscape.

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Quotes

Andrei Gorchakov: Poetry is untranslatable, like the whole art.

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Connections

References Red Desert (1964)

User Reviews

Really, as beautiful as a film can be. As beautiful as art gets.

Words cannot describe Nostalghia, or, indeed, any Tarkovsky film. He is an artist who is completely unique - I can't think of any other auteur like him. I can't even think of any film that I've seen which tries to copy his style. It is inimitable. No one else is as patient. Tarkovsky's pans and zooms can take minutes. The penultimate sequence, where a man has to carry a candle for a certain distance without it going out, should be horribly boring. Any other director would have used a lot of cutting to produce suspense. Yet, with Tarkovsky's brilliant direction, without a single cut for nearly an entire reel, it becomes one of the most suspenseful and, yes, one of the very best scenes ever captured on film.

In fact, the direction's almost too good. This isn't minimalist like some of his previous films such as Solaris and Stalker. It is more like Andrei Rublev: not a second goes by that is not stuffed to the brim, almost flowing over, with brilliant and poetic images. In a way, although in a good way, this distracts the viewer. I was so bowled over by the images of Nostalghia that I had to watch it twice to understand it (it was nearly as difficult the second time around not to be bowled over!). And I totally appreciate that. I was more than happy to explore this film more deeply on a second journey. Thank you Mr. Tarkovsky for making the films that you did. When you sought to fulfill your audiences' lives with your art, you came closer to succeeding than any artist could have. Of course, you couldn't have made life perfect, nor would you have wanted to. For, as you said, if life were perfect, art would be pointless. May my life always be imperfect.