All language subtitles for Michal.Leszczylowski.-.Regi.Andrej.Tarkovskij.-.1988.-.DVDRip.XViD-KG

The inscription on King Solomon's
ring read: ''All is vanity''.

l would assert that in the human mind
all is imprinted and preserved.

Ethically speaking, time is reversible.

For man, time can't just disappear
without a trace-

-because it's subjective,
belongs in the category of spirituality.

The times we live through are stored
in our soul as layers of experience-

-bound by time.

ln some ways,
the past is much more real-

-or at least more stable and constant
than the present.

The present is ever elusive and
disappears like sand through fingers-

-and only achieves material weight
in memory.

Once upon a time, long ago-

-an old monk lived in an orthodox
monastery.

His name was Pamve.

And once, he planted a barren tree
on a mountainside, just like this.

Then he told his young pupil, a monk
called lvan Kolov-

-that he should water the tree each
day until it came to life.

The monastery scene happens here.
You tell the boy the story here...

You talk about the system. Then you
say: look how beautiful it is-

-like an ikebana,
only bigger than in Japan.

Then there's a cry from Otto...

You can't get rid of me so easily,
Alexander!

Beautiful, isn't it?

lt's like in Japan...ikebana.

l've been invited to your place
tonight to celebrate your birthday.

lt's a great honour for me!

And then, when he asks about God,
you tell him nothing.

You don't want to talk about it.

You walk in this direction...

-What's your relationship to God?
-None. What do you mean?

You get on the bike...

..and begin cycling around him.

And you walk...

...and you cycle around.

You walk. Do you follow?

Walk just the way you like.

Cinema is the only art that operates
with the concept of time.

Not because of its developing in
time, because so does music-

-and theatre and ballet
and other art forms.

l mean time in the literal sense.

After all, what is a take?

From when we say: ''action!''

To when we end by saying ''cut'',
what is happening?

lt is the fixing of reality,
the fixing of time.

The conservation of time-

-for us to keep forever.

No other art form can fix time
except cinema.

So film is a mosaic of time.

...all three have dialogue.

So what is the essence
of the artistic work in film?

With certain reservations,
you could call it sculpting in time.

Just like the sculptor takes a block
of marble and with a feel for-

-how the future piece will look,
carves away all that is superfluous.

The film maker also carves away all
that's superfluous from a time block-

-from an enormous and solid mass
of living facts.

ln the finished product, he only leaves
the necessary elements.

That which will stand out as the
components of the cinematic image.

We dolly a little faster.

The walls are...

Come here.

This is what they were like
in Gotland.

Does he want it darker?

No, l don't think so.

Doesn't he like it?

lt's beautiful in its own right...

l don't like the colour. lt's red.

-The sofa or the cushions?
-Both.

The biggest obstacle in dealing with
the set designer and cinematographer-

-is to make them, as well as
every other member of the crew-

-into collaborators and shapers
of the idea behind the film.

lt is fundamental that they are not
passive, indifferent to the work-

-but instead participate
as creative artists-

-who share the director's
feelings and thoughts.

Beige?

...in this colour, for example?

lt would be good. There'd be contrast.

Right. So we could have the same
for the chairs and the sofa.

The glass is very beautiful.

There could be reflections from
over there, too - everywhere.

What do you think? Do you like it?

l think it's good, but we should
blacken it a bit.

-No, no, no!
-Yes. Just a bit.

We have to make a decision on
principle.

The background will be dark.

And the walls will be dark;
it'll be better.

Can we move this mirror if we
have to? lt's very beautiful - so simple.

He was very involved
in the set design.

He chose the exteriors himself,
plus the interiors and the furniture...

The assistant director normally
takes care of all that-

-at least in Moscow.
Here, there's no such job.

l was assistant director
for all his earlier films.

He was pedantic about detail-

-the colour of a dress,
or hair or make-up...

He was involved in everything.
And the results show on the screen.

All this might seem petty,
but it isn't-

-because everything contributes
to the feeling in a film.

lt wasn't that he didn't trust people
or didn't want their help-

-he just believed that what he could
do himself, he should do.

l'd like to quote from his diary...

...from March 25, 1 985.

''Never trouble anyone else
with what you can do yourself.''

That was typical of Andrei.
Both at work and in private.

We could be placed diagonally, too.
As we like.

There's not much window there.

Maybe over here instead.

This is good!

We could move the table...
to the centre of the picture.

lt'll be melancholic.

lt's good, this interior
with the old furniture and the lamps...

lt provokes
a sort of nostalgic feeling...

We can do it however we like.

So you prefer this angle? Because
there are dark walls and 2 windows?

This or the one from the middle.

-But dark walls?
-Yes.

The lights dimmed more and more,
but it didn't grow darker.

As if the age of light,
the unnatural delayer of darkness-

-was almost in reach.

The darkness that should have fallen
long ago, but still had not set in.

Alexander sat in an armchair
by one of the living room windows-

-thumbing through a thick monograph
of old Russian icons.

The pages rustled. Gold and ivory-

-purple-coloured and fire-like creases
in garments, rock-ledges in ochre-

-glimmers of a fantastical, never
existing architecture were observed.

Look in the camera.

That's good, Erland.
l just wanted to see something.

...too much at an angle.

Could it be like this?

But it'll be hard for him.

Hold it like that.

The curtains should be fluttering.

So, film is fundamentally an
observation about the facts of life-

-through time.

Contemplation that corresponds with
the patterns of life and laws of time.

Observation means making choices.

After all, we only leave behind
the right components of the image.

But the image doesn't become truly
cinematic until it not only lives in time-

-but when time also lives in it.

l used to feel that way, but when
the boy was born everything changed.

Not all at once, of course,
but little by little-

-as he grew.
l'm very attached to him.

They have to be able to walk
behind the picture, Kicki.

...so the actors can walk here.

We could put a weight here
and two supports.

When the father stands up...

...you'll begin from here.

Then you straighten up...
turn...and walk...

Should she do that with her hair?
- Do like that with your hair.

But there were people living then,
and not so badly at that.

And after that line you add:
''What are the words?''

-''l am so sick for freedom...''
-Yes!

You are trying to recall something.

We want to suggest
that these are not your thoughts.

You turn around and walk...

''l am so sick for freedom, that if
anyone should forbid me access''-

-''to some corner of the lndies,
l should live''-

-''distinctly less comfortably.''

''As long as l find earth or air open
elsewhere''-

-''l shall not lurk in any place
where l have to hide.''

This is how we'll do it:
Adelaide stands...

Searching as a process,
is to the finished product-

-as the walk through the woods
in search of mushrooms-

-is to what has already been found
and collected in the mushroom basket.

Only the full mushroom basket
is like the finished work of art.

The content of the basket is real
and unconditional-

-while walking through the woods
remains a question of loving walks-

-and fresh air.

l want Sven and Andrei to decide
how to set up the dolly-

-by the water because the guys want
to start building the rails.

Shall we pump water from the pool
over there?

The difficulties in connection
with a film's concept has very little-

-to do
with the original inspiration for it.

The problem is keeping your
conception intact and uncorrupted-

-as a source of inspiration
and symbol for the finished product.

The risk is that the conception
degenerates in the rush during filming-

-and that the film is mutilated during
the process of its own realisation.

The film's path from conception to
finished copy is fraught with danger.

lt's not just technical problems,
but also the number of people-

-who are involved in the process.

The hotel will go crazy
if they have to give us lunch.

So much to do! l hope these won't be
in shot tomorrow...

Try to get them to shoot from
the inside looking out...

We're gonna need farmers
and cows...

lt's no exaggeration to say that the
director runs the risk of transforming-

-into just a witness who watches
while the writer writes-

-the set designer designs the sets,
the actors act-

-and the editor edits the movie.

That is actually what happens in
extremely commercialised productions.

l just have to check the exposure...

We could as easily shoot this scene
outside the Film lnstitute!

1 52 when he goes in,
and 1 65 later...

First there are big letters
saying: 'Katinka Farrago presents'-

-and then it says: 'Tarkovsky' and
then itjust starts!

You can move mountains when people
who work together to realise a vision-

-in spite of different personalities,
temperaments and ages are united-

-into one single collective
inspired by a common passion.

lf you can build a genuinely
creative atmosphere among the crew-

-it won't matter who's the originator
of one idea or the other-

-about how to realize the movie. Who
thought of how to achieve a close-up-

-or a panning shot,
who suggested a certain lighting-

-or a certain camera angle.

-We'll shoot as soon as possible.
-Yes.

-But we have to fix the poles.
-All of them?

Yep. All six.

lf there's something l see
before a shot-

-something l visualize,
it is more the actual state-

-the character of the tension
in the scenes to be filmed-

-and the psychological state
of the characters.

But l still don't know anything
about what form it will take.

l go to the location
to get a feel for exactly how-

-and with the aid of what tools
this state can be realized on-screen.

Once l have this clear in my mind
the shooting begins.

Not at all! lt's genuine.
lt's an original.

-lt's not possible!
-Oh, so beautiful!

We'll have to take it inside.
Come on, then!

lt's much too expensive...
l'm not sure that l should...

My memory retains only
what l need to remember.

l never remember things that could
hurt or disturb me.

This doesn't mean
l'm not aware of things.

lt's just that my memory
is selective.

lt retains certain things
independent of my will.

l'm not claiming l have a good
memory: on the contrary.

l remember few concrete details.
But l have a strong emotional recall.

l recall feelings rather than meetings,
people and situations.

External events, intrigues,
causal connections-

-mean less and less
with each movie l make.

l've always been interested
in man's internal world.

That's why it's more natural to travel
through my main character's psyche-

-within the cultural traditions that is
the foundation for his spiritual world.

l'm interested in the human being,
because she has the entire universe-

-hidden within her.
And in order to express this idea-

-about the meaning of human existence
you don't need a wide screen-

-with an abundance of events.

You mean that in 3 or 4 shots
he walks around her?

Maybe it's a little unnatural?

What do you think is best?

We see her in the foreground
and he walks around behind.

So she is in medium shot
in the foreground-

-and he is in the background.
That could be really good.

And then a cross-cut shot -
and this is a close-up-

-where we see her face only once.

lt's important to see that she's
tense and a little mysterious.

And then a really good close-up
of her face and eyes.

l'll go now.

My relationship with the world
is more emotional.

l have a contemplative
relationship with reality.

l don't think about reality -
l try to perceive it.

l relate to reality more like
an animal, like a child-

-more than a mature adult who can
think and draw conclusions.

The actor has to maintain
a psychological state-

-that is impossible to simulate.

The film has to show the truth of the
state of the soul that can't be hidden.

The director who has put the actor
into the right frame of mind-

-must then make sure
that no false notes arise.

The film actor can put himself into the
right frame of mind in different ways.

lt depends on external circumstances
and the personality of the actor-

-that you're working with.

The important thing is for the actor
to express different soul states-

-that are his own,
that are natural to him-

-and correspond to his psychophysical,
emotional, intellectual constitution.

l don't care how he does it.
l don't have the right to force-

-the actor to express in a certain
way, as we all have different ways-

-to experience any given situation.

Your mental state is
what is important.

Shall she move towards me or away
from me? Towards or away?

lt can be detrimental for an actor
to be too aware-

-of the director's overall plan
when he arrives on location.

lt is up to the director
to structure the role-

-in order to give the actor complete
freedom in the individual passages.

A freedom which would be unthinkable
on the stage of a theatre.

lf the actor structures his role himself
he is bereaved of the opportunity-

-to act spontaneously and instinctively
within the dictated framework-

-of the intentions
for the plan of the movie.

He drank more brandy in the dark-

-but felt ill and dizzy.

So he knelt down, clasped his hands-

-and tried to focus
on the immobile tree tops.

Then he started praying
for the first time in his life.

Serious prayers
for the first time in his life.

You remember, you should be looser,
and you turn your back.

This is the pattern:
you walk away, with the glass-

-and then you stop, look at the
picture, and remember the words.

''Our Father, Who art in Heaven''...

The feeling we get is that we don't
know what you're doing.

You go down on your knees,
but not to pray.

Maybe you're drunk, maybe you just
have no strength; l don't know.

Then you start talking and lift your
eyes...

-Ready for a rehearsal!
-''Repetition!''

ln order for an actor
to look expressive in a scene-

-it is not enough
for him to be understandable.

He also has to be forthright
and honest.

What is forthright and honest
is not always easy to understand.

When a human being on-screen,
as in life, honestly expresses-

-a specific feeling, it is a unique
experience that can't be cut up-

-or given a final explanation.

Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name...

Lord, deliver us
in this terrible hour!

Don't let my children die!
Nor my friends, nor my wife-

Nor Victor - nor anyone who loves
You, believes in You...

Nor anyone
who doesn't believe in You!

You don't have to direct Erland.
He knows what to do himself.

l never have to-

-make an effort to push him
in any certain direction.

l just tell him my understanding
of the character-

-and what my intentions are in
general-

-and that's all Erland needs
for him to know what to do.

l have never had trouble
communicating with him.

Of course,
you always have to tell an actor-

-what you want from your film
and what you want from his role.

But working with Erland isn't hard.
lt isn't work at all!

...it's better anyway.

We need the mirror here.

Otherwise,
we're dollying into emptiness.

lt's not right, l don't understand
why...

We'll have to turn it that way,
but it may just work.

Raise the light!

Number one, Hasse!

Now it'll show. Do you see?

-ls it better now?
-ln principle, yes.

Lift a bit...

When the director decides
the camera's and actors'movements-

-he must use the main characters'
psychological state as a starting point-

-and the inner dynamic atmosphere
of the situation, and tie it all back-

-to the truth in the individual,
in the directly observed-

-in the unique texture.

That's when his concrete staging
is combined with the ambiguity-

-of this truth.

lt's often, and correctly, said that all
art forms experiment with montages-

-a selection and a new composition
of parts and fragments.

But the film image originates during
filming and exists within the shot.

Therefore, l concentrate
on the lapse of time in the shot-

-in order to recreate
and reproduce this.

The editing, the process in the
editing room, disrupts the time flow-

-interrupts it and at the same time
brings it new qualities.

The distortion of time is a way
to rhythmically articulate it-

-and sculpt time.

-No, no, no!
-What is it?

No, no!

l can't!

Drink this...

No!

...there!

lt'll soon be over.

Who has frightened you, Alexander?

Editing is just the perfect variation
of the joining of the shots-

-which is already implicit
in the filmed material.

Through the special qualities that the
material has obtained during filming-

-a self-organizing structure
arises during the editing phase.

Therefore, the editing will express
the inherent nature of the material.

Everything yellow has to go!

ln the courtyard, a flowering
bird-cherry grows - placed there.

And beneath it is a stack of firewood,
against which Alexander leans a bike.

The bird-cherry blossoms fall down
over his wet face and dirty clothes.

A flock of sheep runs away, bleating,
when Alexander reaches them.

We'll try to have the sheep
further down, but remember-

-not to scare them in that
direction, but here instead.

l'm just worried about in which
direction they're going to scare me!

Erland, some on this side, too...

This looks like dry dirt; shouldn't it
come from a pool as usual?

l shouldn't have to describe
a Bird-cherry to Swedes!

Everyone knows what they look like,
but they're giving me black looks!

We went out to the country yesterday
just to see what they look like!

lt was as white as a bride!

But this one isn't!

Clear it all away!

You've got 1 0 minutes
to take everything away!

There's no time. Take it all away.

He returned to the entrance
and knocked. No one answered.

After a few minutes, when he'd
already been filled with despair-

-the floorboards started creaking
inside the house. Steps were heard.

ln the small window by the entrance
a sharp, flickering light appeared.

Alexander heard Maria's voice,
filled with drowsiness.

Film directors can be divided
into two categories:

Those who strive to imitate
the world they live in-

-to recreate the world
that surrounds them...

...and the directors
who create their own worlds.

Those who create their own worlds
are generally the poets.

They are: Bresson, above all...

Dovzhenko...Mizoguchi...
Bergman...Bu�uel...

Kurosawa...

...and however strange it may sound,
the most prominent in film-making.

That is why they have trouble
getting their films out.

Because the audience is used to a
symbolic, non-existent film world-

-the result of the audience's own
interests and tastes.

The directors l named have all
opposed this-

-that the taste of the audience
should be the deciding factor.

Not because they want
to be obscure-

-but because they want
to listen secretly.

To give expression to what is deep
inside those we call the audience.

You ask what relationship he had
to his home...

Home was very important to him.

And as you have seen he has put
our home into every one of his films.

The interiors, the feeling...

...the soul of our home.

Not as exactly as a photograph -
this is art, after all.

He used other forms and other
characters than ourselves.

But still: his life and his home are
present in every film.

We deeply missed our home during
our five years in the West.

This was our first home,
and he loved it very much-

-and worked so well there.
He used to draw the house often.

He wrote: ''l have been resting here
for three days''-

-''but it feels like l have regained
a whole year.''

''Now, l can work. But where is there
work to be had?''

ln ''The Sacrifice'' he told the story
of how we found the house.

lt was just as the man
told his son-

-who is, in fact, our youngest,
Andryushka-

-we went into the woods to gather
mushrooms and got lost.

lt was grey and drizzling -
a strange atmosphere.

There was a nasty, cold drizzle
falling.

We came to the bend where the dry
old pine tree is.

And just then, the sun peeped
through.

lt stopped raining and there was a
strange light.

And then we saw it. And suddenly l
was so sad it wasn't me-

-that is, not me and your mother-

-who lived in that house,
under the pines and by the sea.

Do you like your house, my son?

Film is the only art form where
the artist can feel like-

-the creator of a reality,
of his own world - literally.

ln film, mankind's inherent need
for self-assertion-

-has its most comprehensive
and direct realization.

Film is an emotional reality.

lt is also that way,
as an alternative reality-

-that it is perceived by the viewer.

Stop moving!

The artist's inspiration arises
from the very depths of his ego.

lt cannot be dictated by external,
business considerations-

-but must have a connection with
the artist's psyche and conscience.

lt stems from the totality
that his world view represents.

People often asked Andrei
about the dreams.

Many critics saw the dream scenes
in his films as symbolic.

But this is a misunderstanding.

Andrei saw dreams as
a physical process in the body.

He was very interested in dreams.

Many of his own dreams,
about himself, were used in his films.

ln his last film, ''The Sacrifice''-

-he used one of his own dreams.

When Erland is lying like a corpse
on the camp bed with hands folded-

-with Maria beside him.

That was a dream Andrei had in 1 978,
when he was still living in Moscow.

Life was hard. We were sleeping on
camp beds, which is why he dreamt-

-about lying dead in a camp bed,
with me sitting beside him-

-and tears running down
my stony face.

He was seeing all this from above,
as if from the ceiling.

He told me that everything felt
light and easy-

-but that he felt compassion
for everybody else-

-because they had lost him-

-and because it was sad
to be leaving life on earth-

-so he was happy to wake up.

He used that dream
in ''The Sacrifice''.

He wrote about dreams in his diary,
although that was long ago.

On January 26, 1 978-

-this is what he wrote...l'll just
put my glasses on...

''There are 2 types of dreams.
ln one, the dreamer steers events.''

''He controls what is happening and
what will happen. He is a demiurge.''

''ln the other,
he is incapable of control''-

-''and is subjected to violence
he cannot defend himself against.''

''Everything results
in suffering and anguish.''

The director's job is to depict life.

lts movements, its contradictions,
its dynamic and conflicts.

His duty is not to hide an ounce
of the truth he has found-

-even if it's not to everyone's liking.

An artist can also make mistakes.

But his mistakes are honest,
deserving of being taken seriously-

-because they reflect the reality
that is his spirituality-

-reflect the fluctuations
and the struggle within him-

-that the world around him
has caused.

My boy!

l sense my own feebleness
and that of mankind-

-towards the world and nature,
and especially towards anyone-

-who is an enemy.
That's the worst of all.

The worst thing of all is to be
subjected to human violence.

The evil in man is worse
than everything else.

They must criss-cross
each other's paths.

We see what's happening
underneath here.

We can see the stones.

All 400 run down the steps.

Some should stay around here-

-in front of the steps, and the others
should go into the tunnel.

Take off your glasses...Very nice!
You'll have to take your watch off.

You can put this on later.

Take off yourjewelry, too.

l'll give you another shirt -
that one's too clean.

We see only white patches. lt would
be good to have dark ones, too.

There are both light and dark -
a lot of beige and light colours-

-with some dark, but we can use
all the black we have.

There's so much white:

We need some black.
Black plastic, for example.

We can buy lots of
black plastic bags.

lt would be better to have more
black hanging there.

lt's good against the light background.

He's so happy with all this dirt
and rubbish around!

There's some truth in that...

Put it along here.

With the whole thing on its side.

The roof should be on this side-

-and the wheels should
face this way.

We'll have to place it so that
the other cars can get by.

lt'll be in the middle, here.

More!

Will you get up, please?
We have a little problem here.

Look, Sven...

This level...

We'll need this
for the mirror and the boy.

This is where the mirror will be.

lf this is where the mirror is,
the camera will have to be here.

There will be
a trail of blood here...

Focus on the blood, then you'll see
the hand and then the boy.

Alright, that's changed. So we
don't have to go up to infinity.

When we get on to the mirror,
we focus on the blood.

Don't throw things!

No laughing!
Serious expressions, please!

Don't be afraid.

My poor dear!
What have they done to you?

lt would be wrong to say
that the artist looks for material.

lnstead, material grows from within
him and starts to demand creation.

lt's like giving birth.
The poet has nothing to be proud of.

He is not the master of the situation,
he is its servant.

There is no other form of existence
for him than as a creator.

Each creation he produces becomes
an action that he can't experience.

Only through the faith in its ideal
can he be ensured of the necessity-

-and logic of these actions.

For this faith is the only thing that
can confirm his system of images.

Read.. system of life.

l cannot draw a line
between my films and my life.

The films are a part of my life.

To be able to make a film-

-l've always had to make
some sort of a fateful choice.

l know many people can distinguish
between their films and their lives.

l know many who act one way
in their daily lives-

-and then express other ideas
in their films.

ln some way, they make the thoughts
in their films into their own.

l'm not like that.
Filming isn't a job for me - it's my life.

And every film is a fundamental act.

Quiet. This is a take.

Same thing.

The artist is committed to his art, not
in order to tell someone something-

-but as an insurance that he
is ready to serve mankind.

l'm astounded by artists who say that
they create themselves while free-

-and that it's possible to do this.

lt is the artist's lot in life to accept
that he is a creation of the time-

-and of the people he lives with.

As Pasternack wrote..

''Stay awake, artist. Stay awake.''

''Don't give in to sleep.''

''You are the hostage of eternity
and the prisoner of time.''

You did marvellously! Thank you!

l believe that...

...to form a concept of art-

-you first have to face another,
more important question:

Why does man exist?

We have to use our time on earth
to improve ourselves spiritually.

This means that art
must serve this purpose.

lf l had chosen another
departure point for my life-

-art would have meant something else-

-and l would have made other films.

Some want art to be educational-

-like all other intellectual
and spiritual activities.

l don't believe in
the possibility of education.

Knowledge leads us away
from knowledge.

The more we learn, the less we know.

We get so deep that we lose
the broad view of life and the world.

The purpose of art is to help man
improve himself spiritually.

To rise above himself
by using his own free will.

The script for ''The Sacrifice''-

-was put together from two concepts:
''The Witch'' and ''The Offering''.

Andrei got the idea
when he was still in Moscow.

He writes here:

''l have to produce a draft
for 'The Sacrifice'.''

''Perhaps the two scripts together,
taking the best of both.''

''Of course, that would make it long
and l wanted a shorter film''-

-''of 1 hour and 40 minutes from a
concise dramaturgical concept!''

lt was not to be a short film...

He wrote the first draft of
''The Sacrifice'' in San Gregorio in ltaly-

-where he completed the script
in February, 1 983.

'''The Witch', 'The Sacrifice' -
a son forbidden to speak.''

''He has just had an operation on his
vocal cords. At the end he makes''-

- ''an important statement in
defence of his father (tradition ).''

''He makes common cause with
the stupid rebellion of youth''-

-''with a revolutionary
view of tradition.''

''Rejection of violence.
Return to roots.''

''Harmony, unity,
opposed to evolutionary theory.''

''But in favour of unity
and true harmony.''

''New impressions.
Rejection of the impressions of others.''

''The search for his own path.''

''The heretical, i.e. holy character
of poetry is motivated''-

-''by a conviction that man
is the hardest of all beings.''

''The spiritual condition of the poet
leads to catastrophe.''

''Poetic culture springs from
the desire to avoid that catastrophe.''

Those were his first thoughts.
He wrote a lot about the script.

He completed it very quickly -
in three weeks.

But it was not an amalgam
of ''The Witch'' and ''The Offering''.

Only partly.

The scripts he wrote in Moscow -
''The Witch'' and ''The Offering''-

-could only be made as separate
films, whatever happened.

Without orders?

l think they have a problem...

Shall we shoot, Sven?

Everybody ready?

Set it on fire!

Light it and get out of frame!

lt's not burning...
l don't see any flames...

lt takes time...

More fire!

Now! Lots of fire!

The tree!

Keep it that way!

Camera!

Wait, wait, wait!

Where's he going? The motherfucker!

Ambulance! Back!

Ambulance! Wait, wait!

Get going! Get going!

We don't have the shot
of Erland running.

-We don't have it?
-The camera jammed.

Why didn't you tell me?

...Thanks. Thank you.

That's how good we are!

The last thing l expected was for
the camera crew to foul up...

lt was a tragedy for him. That was
the first scene he wrote.

lt was to be the climax of the main
character's spiritual struggle.

The whole film would hinge
on this scene.

lt was the most important scene
and it failed. He was crushed.

He rang me, and asked me
in a broken voice to come to him.

l was very busy
arranging to reunite the family-

-but l had to go to him immediately
because he was feeling so bad.

When l arrived on Gotland,
they were discussing-

-whether or not to do a retake.
He was crushed.

He felt misunderstood-

-when some of the team suggested
he could edit the scene together.

But he maintained that without
that scene there would be no film.

And so it was. Because he never
accepted the smallest compromise-

-and always got his way.

He was the only Soviet director to
do exactly as he wanted.

Journalists often asked if he was
forced to make cuts in his films-

-and l could provide an answer,
since l saw every film cut:

He never compromised over a single
frame. He did just what he wanted.

The same happened here.
He made them understand-

-and they re-did the fire scene.
And it was fantastic.

ln a few days they built a house just
like it, a copy of the burned down one.

The entire house in just a few days.!
lt is nothing short of a miracle-

-and also evidence of what people can
do when they believe in something.

Not just people, but producers too,
so-called supermen.

l'll tell you exactly what to do.

Kerstin - we're ready.

-Are you ready, Kaj?
-Nearly. Just the petrol in the car...

-Janne! Minus eleven!
-Shall l yell to him?

Fire!

Enough.

What are you doing with him?
Don't touch him!

-Enough!
-No more fire!

ls it good?
ls it good for you, too?

Cycle slowly, Gudrun!

Lift her, Sven!

-He didn't have time...
-Did you have enough film?

During the retake of the scene, the
tension wouldn't lose its grip on us-

-until the cameras had been turned
off. One by the camera assistant-

-the other by hands that belonged
to Sven Nykvist, the lighting genius.

Hands that shook of fear.

Not until then did relief set in.

All of us cried like babies. We threw
ourselves into each others'arms-

-and l felt how tight,
and how closely knit our group was.

lt was so natural!

Camera, you traitress!
l don't like you...

Let's throw it into the sea!

Like they did in lceland
with unfaithful wives.

For some reason you're all smiling!

You don't think there would be any
women left!

You'd be lost, for one!

Thank you, on this final day!

Like Death...

Death doesn't exist for me.
l don't know...

l once dreamt l was dead.

And it was such a relief - such
lightness and incredible freedom!

That very feeling of freedom
and lightness made me believe-

-that l was dead.

That is, free from all bonds
with this world.

So death doesn't exist for me.
There is just suffering and pain.

People often confuse the two -
suffering and death.

l might think differently
when l have to face it some day.

-You think you're immortal?
-Yes, certainly.

ln ''The Offering'' the philosopher
finds out on his birthday-

-from his friend the doctor
that he is incurably ill with cancer.

On the advice of the insane Otto,
he goes to the witch, who cures him.

As l said earlier-

-Andrei's life and his films
dovetailed in a fatal way.

When he was gravely ill
with cancer he said:

''lt's time to chose a new artistic
direction.'' He never had time...

...from the TV, that's where we
should start colour reduction.

Yes. Absolutely. l once
thought...why should we be afraid-

-to have too much black and white?

lf there were lots of different
places-

-then it would be a pity.

But it's mostly the same things
all the time.

lt's the same objects all the time,
both in colour and black and white.

ln the morning, the evening and
during the day - it can be very good.

One and the same detail
in different states...

We can make the dreams
full of contrast.

ln the field, for example. We can
put in as much contrast as we like.

There are no mathematically
calculated proportions-

-but there is an atmosphere
between light and shadow.

l'll explain why:
if there is a lot of colour-

-the film itself puts its own
quality into it.

Contact can be cut off
at any second...

...but l have been able to tell you
the most important things.

When they passed the dry tree
that he and the son planted-

-the day before,
Alexander caught sight of Lilleman.

He carried a heavy bucket of water
that was way too big for him.

When the ambulance reached him
he stopped-

-put the bucket down
and followed the car with his eyes.

Alexander retreated from the window
so that the son wouldn't see him.

The ambulance passed by-

-disturbing the dust along the white
road, and disappeared behind the bend.

Lilleman dried this sweat off with the
hem of his shirt, picked up the bucket-

-and went to his tree.
Once there he stopped-

-pulled the bucket towards the trunk
and leaned on it.

The hot, cracked dirt
greedily absorbed the water.

He didn't know how much water
the tree trunk needed.

But he was dead set
on not wasting another day-

-and on bringing the tree water
until it started flowering.

After all, his dad had told him
that it would start flowering soon.