The Sacrifice (1986)

At the dawn of World War III, a man searches for a way to restore peace to the world and finds he must give something in return.

Director:

Andrei Tarkovsky (as Andrei Tarkovskij)

Writer:

Andrei Tarkovsky (scenario)

Stars:

Erland Josephson, Susan Fleetwood, Allan Edwall

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Erland Josephson	...	Alexander
Susan Fleetwood	...	Adelaide
Allan Edwall	...	Otto
Guðrún Gísladóttir	...	Maria (as Guðrún S. Gísladóttir)
Sven Wollter	...	Victor
Valérie Mairesse	...	Julia
Filippa Franzén	...	Marta
Tommy Kjellqvist	...	Gossen
Per Källman	...	Ambulansförare
Tommy Nordahl	...	Ambulansförare
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tintin Anderzon	...	(voice)
Helena Brodin	...	(voice)
Birgit Carlstén	...	(voice)
Jane Friedmann	...	(voice)
Miles Jonn-Dalton	...	Lasse Hauer

Storyline

Alexander, a journalist and former actor and philosopher, tells his little son how worried he is about the lack of spirituality of modern mankind. In the night of his birthday, the third world war breaks out. In his despair Alexander turns himself in a prayer to God, offering him everything to have the war not happen at all.

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Plot Keywords:

self immolation | witchcraft | insanity | father son relationship | mute child | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Sweden France UK

Language:

Swedish French English

Release Date:

November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sacrifice

Filming Locations:

Tunnelgatan, Norrmalm, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,696, 22 October 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$300,653

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI), Argos Films, Film Four International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

149 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The part where Alexanders tells Little Man about when they found their house, is actually the story of how Andrei Tarkovsky and his wife, Larisa Tarkovskaya, found their house in the U.S.S.R.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[sub-titled]
Alexander: Come here and give me a hand, my boy.

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Crazy Credits

Before end credits: "This film is dedicated to my son Andriosha - with hope and confidence. Andrei Tarkovskij"

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Town/I'm Still Here/Easy A (2010)

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Soundtracks

Locklåtar från Dalarna och Härjedalen
Performed by Elin Lisslass, Karin Edvards Johansson, Tjugmyr Maria Larsson, o.a.
SR Records RELP 5017

User Reviews

Andrei Tarkovsky Does Ingmar Bergman, Philip K. Dick Style?

Andrie Tarkaovsky's final film takes elements from Ingmar Bergman, "I Am Cuba" with a story that if not influenced by, is a kind of psychic cousin to the later works of Philip K. Dick.

A family on a small Swedish island, find out the world is about to end(there's nowhere to hid and nothing that can be done)...planes heard overhead, and television warnings are all anyone knows. So far this doesn't sound too different from Bergamn's "Shame" where a couple try to escape from the world and war, on a similar small Swedish Island. The difference is where Bergman, dissects his characters down to nothingness, Tarkovsky includes mysterious post-men obsessed with miracles, a maid who may be a powerful witch, a man with the chance to re-create the universe, and a love making scene in mid-air?

That Tarkovsky moves with such subtly between psychological study, religious allegory, and science fiction tropes, should'nt be too much of a surprise considering his early philosophical SF films like "Solaris", and "Stalker"(which I may re-watch, cus of this film, though I hated it before). Like Philip K. Dick, end of the world paranoia, reality manipulation, and the religious (specifically Christian) ecstatic vision all merge together in 'The Sacrifice", with a lot more force and clarity(at least for me) than in any of his earlier films.

The lead character seems like a stand in for Tarkovsky himself, his views on nature, art, God, progress, and humanity, seem to match pretty closely with some he gives in the interview section of the DVD.

It's still slow as all hell, but the intensity of the story helps balance out the visual pace. It's not as instantly impressive as some of Tarkovsky's other films, but I think this maybe his strongest movie, all around.

It's the story of a man who saved the world, without anyone ever knowing it, and the trade off, man must make with God, in order to survive. A prayer on film.