I don’t care for this one (or Tarkovsky’s other scifi, Stalker) either, although I really dug his period piece Andrei Rublev. I guess I expect something different from scifi. It’s not inaccessible like The Mirror where you’re apt to be confused what’s going on. You just don’t understand why Tarkovsky chose to make the film this way and what value he saw in that. I had heard somewhere that the 1968 version is closer to the book, but when I watched it I didn’t notice the content being much different (other than excluding some Tarkovskian flourishes like the bit with gravity & the scenes outside the space station). Of course, there was a long gap between when I watched the two versions so my memory could have forgotten some differences.
You asked for those who love the movie to tell you why, and I’m not one, but wouldn’t Doug McCambridge qualify? I know you normally don’t revisit guests after watching the films, but it might be a good idea when you feel you just don’t grok what the movie is going for.
I don’t care for this one (or Tarkovsky’s other scifi, Stalker) either, although I really dug his period piece Andrei Rublev. I guess I expect something different from scifi. It’s not inaccessible like The Mirror where you’re apt to be confused what’s going on. You just don’t understand why Tarkovsky chose to make the film this way and what value he saw in that. I had heard somewhere that the 1968 version is closer to the book, but when I watched it I didn’t notice the content being much different (other than excluding some Tarkovskian flourishes like the bit with gravity & the scenes outside the space station). Of course, there was a long gap between when I watched the two versions so my memory could have forgotten some differences.
You asked for those who love the movie to tell you why, and I’m not one, but wouldn’t Doug McCambridge qualify? I know you normally don’t revisit guests after watching the films, but it might be a good idea when you feel you just don’t grok what the movie is going for.
He and I have certainly discussed revisiting Tarkovsky like I did with a few past guests last summer. I’ve put that idea in my back pocket.