I think color would have been easier to watch, more beautiful, more interesting.
Certain films like The Elephant Man and Persona are perfect in b/w but this isn't one of those because the 99% of this film is shot outdoors.
If b/w format was chosen, I'd be curious as to why.
my movie ratings: http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=34889543
are you kidding?
black and white worked perfectly for this movie
I can't imagine what this would look like without the gorgeous river shots and the smoke drifting along after ther tartar invasion
also, it makes it that much more special when it shows Andrei Rublevs artwork at the end
I Was Here But I Disapear
Black and white was also cheaper to process, but I do think the absence of colour contributes to that last ten minutes where it does come into play.
shareTarkovsky chose B/W on porpose. They felt it interfered less with their portraayaal of the "past". Color would have distracted too much i gues they thoght, B/w simply made us focus on the action. I'm getting this from an interview from Criterion's Solaris DVD, don't know who's interview, maybe Ramadin the set designer, don't know.
shareFor me, I would choose black and white over colour 9 times out of 10 for aesthetic reasons. For this film in particular though, black and white creates the necessary mood.
Fran Kubelik: 'When you're in love with a married man you shouldn't wear mascara'- The Apartment
I'm almost certain that Tarkovsky was a staunch opponent of coloured cinema at the time of making the film.
shareTarkovsky writes in Scultpint in Time that B/W comes closer in cinema to portraying the world, or the experience.
Also, in some interview on a Tarkovsky DVD, again don't know who's interview or from what DVD.. someone says that the choice to shoot color or B/W wasn't up to Tarkovsky sometimes, he seemed to have been talkign about Ivan's Childhood because he said back then war films and new directors were given, by the government/studios, B/W film to shoot on. Maybe, this was written by Tarkovsky in Sculpting in Time, honestly don't remember.
Tarkovsky was a proponent of truth, in each film sculpts OUT what will distract and detract. If it doesn't concern the mood that the story sets up then.
I disagree.
In 1966 I can see why the BW decision was made. People then were used to seeing BW movies routinely, many new movies were BW, and most televisions were BW.
But times change. I think the movie would be beautiful in color and color would enhance it. It is not worth sacrificing 200 minutes for the last 5.
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agreed! BW was the best decision .
shareAccording to theyshootpictures.com this film is in both colour and B/W. Are there some scenes of colour or is it a misprint? I've yet to see the film, but I'm curious.
shareThe entire film is in B/W except for the last ten minutes, which show some of Rublev's artworks on the screen in dazzling color. This is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen (visually and thematically), and I can't recommend it highly enough (the same goes for The Mirror). Tarkovsky's earlier feature Ivan's Childhood also uses B/W cinematography in stunning ways.
shareTarvovsky actualyl prefered B&W and hoped to work with it for as long as possible but eventually had to transfer over. Then again, Stalker and Nostalghia would not have worked as well in B&W (IMHO), even though I prefer B&W.
D.
The decision to film 98% of Andrei in B/W may have been both economic and artistic.
That film - reflecting a story from the 1400s - includes many interiors where inside lighting was primitive to say the least. The Criterion DVD has scenes that are almost impossible to interpret because of darkness, even during daylight hours. Tarkovsky and cinematographer were so expert at "suggesting what was actually going on" from presenting brief glimpses of light and movement, thus forcing the audience to wonder if each viewer's interpretation was the correct one. Color filming in very reduced lighting takes away from the fear-puzzlement-amazement that a genius director can create within an audience.
American director Terrence Malick apparently is a great admirer of Tarkovsky's spectacular and symbolic filming style.
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Budget constraints. There is some colour at the end... but the icons at least should be in colour.
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