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 & 2 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)
Martin Lindström	...	(voice)

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 film uses long takes more often than in Tarkovsky's previous films.

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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 Moskovskaya elegiya (1987)

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Soundtracks

Matthäus-Passion: Erbarme Dich
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Conducted by Wolfgang Gönnenwein
Sung by Julia Hamari
EMI-Electrola GmbH LC 0233

User Reviews

A perfect example of the difference between true cinema and the Big Macs that Hollywood feeds us.

Tarkovsky's death bed film certainly lacks some of the fire and energy of his earlier work, but the story of Alexander's search for faith amidst the worst kind of madness is by no means dull. The cinematography and editing are obviously Bergman influenced, but anyone who says that it bothers them to see Tarkovsky borrow the style of another needs to learn more about Eisenstein, Kuleshov, and perhaps Wajda.

This film serves as a stark example of the real difference between the work of the European authors and Hollywood. While viewing, keep an eye on the editing. Th film opens on a five minute long shot in which it is extremely difficult to even discern which character is speaking. The scenes are made up of as few shots as possible and the shortest shot of the entire film is about 10 seconds. There are less than a dozen close ups in the entire piece, which may be why American audiences with their limited attention spans, would reject the film. The Sacrifice might not sit well with Tarkovsky purists, but it's themes and philosophy, I feel, surpass in depth, any of the master's other works.