Andrei Tarkovsky's Sounding Cinema

Andrei Tarkovsky's Sounding Cinema adds a new dimension to our understanding and appreciation of the work of Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) through an exploration of the presence of music and sound in his films. The first comprehensive study in English concentrating on the soundtrack in Tarkovsky's cinema, this book reveals how Tarkovsky's use of electronic music, electronically manipulated sound, traditional folk songs and fragments of canonized works of Western art music plays into the philosophical, existential and ethical themes recurring throughout his work. Exploring the multilayered relationship between music, sound, film image and narrative space, Pontara provides penetrating and innovative close readings of Solaris (1972), Mirror (1975), Stalker (1979), Nostalghia (1983) and The Sacrifice (1986) and in turn deeply enriches critical understanding of Tarkovsky's films and their relation to the broader traditions of European art cinema. An excellent resource for scholars, researchers and students interested in European art cinema and the role of music in film, as well as for film aficionados interested in Tarkovsky's work.

Tobias Pontara is Professor in Musicology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Chapter 1: Interpreting Tarkovsky's Cinema through its Music Chapter 2: Bach at the Space Station: Diegetic Ambiguities and Multiplying Gaps in Solaris Chapter 3: Memories, Dreams and Mysteries: Music and Dimensions of Human Experience in Mirror Chapter 4: Beethoven Overcome: Transcendence and Utopia in Stalker Chapter 5: Musical Offerings, Soothing Sounds and Sacrificial Acts: Managing the Nostalgia of Nostalghia Chapter 6: The Voice of Truth: Liminal Music, Spiritual Authenticity and Gradual Awakening in The Sacrifice Chapter 7: Music, Meaning and Troubled Utopias in Tarkovsky's Cinema Appendix: The Structure of Mirror