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

The title of the film is the Russian rendition of the Italian pronunciation for the word 'nostalgia'. This was a deliberate choice on the part of Tarkovsky.

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Quotes

Domenico: Where am I when I'm not in reality or in my imagination? Here's my new pact to the world: it must be sunny at night and snowy at August. Great things end, small things endure. Society must become united again instead of so disjointed. Just look at nature and you'll see that life is simple. We must go back to where we were to the point where you took the wrong turn. We must go back to the main foundations of life without dirtying the water. What kind of world is this if a madman tells you must ...

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Referenced in Long-Distance Runners: A Cross-Cultural Love Story (2014)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A Near Masterpiece

There is a strange feeling that comes over me when I watch a Tarkovsky flick, like I'm seeing a puzzle come together to for a full picture, yet it is of something I cannot fully comprehend. I'm sure this has happened to numerous others while they watch a David Lynch film, or even one of the various mind-bogglers released this past year. But Tarkovsky comes to us with a different approach-an approach that I have not seen from any other director. It is an approach that reminds me of reading a poem. You read it once-you don't comprehend it. You read it again-it seems clearer. It may not be until that third reading that it finally clicks. Tarkovsky's images are not there to keep you puzzled, they all have a meaning and a purpose-you just need to find what that meaning is. It may seem like there is much work involved, and sometimes I would rather work for a film than be bowled over by its tepid scripting and mediocre direction. The one thing you would need, above all, would be patience, because it is not the kind of film to watch half-asleep.

The story, at times, is hard to grasp, number one because it is in subtitles. It follows a Russian poet who is on a research mission in Italy with an Italian interpreter. There, he is haunted by his past: memories of his wife and children. One of the most amazing things I picked up was the subtle use of symbolism. You have to pick the film apart if you wanted to fully understand it, and that is something that I enjoy doing. Tarkovsky leaves much to the mind. Such as the dialogue which is subtle as well, and attention must be paid or you'll miss small but important details. It merely is there to move the story along softly scraping the surface. Otherwise, the images must be analyzed.

The camera shots consist of many slow zooms, slow pans, numerous still shots, and semi-slow motion. Many instances, the camera reveals some amazing imagery that is so perfect, so beautiful that not only the most devout romanticist could appreciate. Actually, the entire film is a series of gorgeous cinematography, I couldn't tell you one shot I didn't like.

The final shot of the film is incredible. Constructed both metaphorically and physically, it shows the poet lying sideways on the ground with the top half of his body propped up with an arm. His dog lies next to him with his head on the ground. The camera pulls back steadily slowly. A house is revealed in the background. The shot pulls out further and the house seems smaller than the poet. When the zoom stops is shows everyone surrounded by tall pillars, like the ruins of a temple. Then it begins to snow, just a little; that image holds for an entire minute, before `To the memory of my mother,' appears on the screen. Puzzling, exhausting, yet beautiful and exhilarating. The film, at many points touches religion and life, mostly without answers. Attempting to find those answers is a task well worth the trouble.

****1/2 out of *****