Nostalgia (1983)

A Russian poet and his interpreter travel to Italy to research the life of an 18th-century composer.

Director:

Andrei Tarkovsky (as Andrey Tarkovsky)

Writers:

Andrei Tarkovsky (screenplay) (as Andrey Tarkovsky), Tonino Guerra (screenplay)

Stars:

Oleg Yankovskiy, Erland Josephson, Domiziana Giordano

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Oleg Yankovskiy	...	Andrei Gorchakov (as Oleg Jankovsky)
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 Andrei Gorchakov, accompanied by guide and translator Eugenia, is traveling through Italy researching the life of an 18th-century Russian composer. In an ancient spa town, he meets the lunatic Domenico, who years earlier had imprisoned his own family in his house for seven years to save them from the evils of the world. Seeing some deep truth in Domenico's act, Andrei becomes drawn to him. In a series of dreams, the poet's nostalgia for his homeland and his longing for his wife, his ambivalent feelings for Eugenia and Italy, and his sense of kinship with Domenico become intertwined.

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Plot Keywords:

one word title | raining | little girl | lighter | cigarette lighter | 

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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:

Nostalghia

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,233, 2 June 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,233, 2 June 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rai 2, Sovinfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point, Domenico questions mathematics, displaying that "1+1 not equals 2" with two drops of olive oil. This is a reference to one of Guerra's collaborations with Michelangelo Antonioni, Red Desert.

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Quotes

Domenico: One drop plus one drop makes a bigger drop, not two.

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Crazy Credits

Before the end credits: To the memory of my mother. - Andrei Tarkovsky

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Connections

Featured in Moskovskaya elegiya (1987)

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Soundtracks

Symphony No. 9
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
[Heard when Domenico self-immolates on the statue]

User Reviews

Disappointing

The great about Tarkovskij films is the poetry in the pictures, the melancholic beauty which is almost too hard to bear. A lot of it is in this one: the water, the garbage, strange, haunting sounds in the background, the dogs, the empty rooms with metal beds and rotten walls, the rain, the warmth of pure, shy love, the static, photography-like pictures (sometimes even filmed pictures), the poems, the philosophical discussions.

The failure of "Nostalghia" shows the fragility by which these ingredients are held together in films like "Solaris" or "Stalker". The thin plot line is torn apart, there is no connection between the plots of exile (what a great plot for Tarkovskij this could have been!) and the plot of saving the world by sacrifying yourself. Domenico the lunatic is just not fascinating. You feel that Andrej cannot understand Eugenia, just as Andrej the director can't. The dialogues are awfully pseudo-intellectual, the fixation on Christian faith just penetrant (compare "Stalker" which is all about faith, but without the churches) - even God himself speaks. The story of carrying a burning candle through a pool and thereby saving the world can hardly be told without exposing it to ridiculousness. Andrej's death is hardly prepared, as young and healthy as he looks this just feels like a deus ex machina. In a word, "Nostalghia" is boring and self-indulgent. Maybe it is not a good idea to name your protagonist like yourself (although there was no problem in "Andrej Rubljow") and letting him read your brother's poems. What could have been great scenes in great films look here like mere self-plagiarisms. And there are scenes where Tarkovskij's genius rises: drinking wodka in the bath arches and talking to a child (one of the few scenes where Andrej comes to life); the final scene with the candle; the scene in Domenico's house. If you have never seen a film by Tarkovskij before, don't watch this - it might keep you from seeing his masterpieces. Three stars for a blundered film in respect of the artist.