Review of The Sacrifice (1986) by Art S — 08 Sep 2012
Tarkovsky's final film is also the last of his features for me to see, although I'd seen some "making of" footage of The Sacrifice in Chris Marker's Tarkovsky doc. As usual, there is a sense of true mystery here, of the unknowable (or occasionally the unfathomable), of a spiritual yearning.
But a number of factors heighten the pitch: 1) Tarkovsky was dying in exile; 2) he made this film under the auspices of Ingmar Bergman -- in Sweden, using Bergman's cast and crew; and 3) the movie is about the end of the world, due to a nuclear war.
Erland Josephson is given a chance, after offering an incredible sacrifice, to save the world. It takes a long time to reach that conclusion and the first half of the film drags (unless the philosophical postman is present) but the elemental imagery (earth, wind, fire, and water, sometimes in a single shot) and echoes of his earlier films in the second half do captivate.
Anguish is palpable, but don't let that scare you way from this profound meditation by one of cinema's greatest.
This review of The Sacrifice (1986) was written by Art S on 08 Sep 2012.
The Sacrifice has generally received very positive reviews.
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