We celebrated every moment
Of our meetings as epiphanies,
Just we two in all the world.
Bolder, lighter than a bird's wing,
You hurtled like vertigo
Down the stairs, leading
Through moist lilac to your realm
Beyond the mirror.
When night fell, grace was given me,
The sanctuary gates were opened,
Shining in the darkness
Nakedness bowed slowly;
Waking up, I said:
'God bless you!', knowing it
To be daring: you slept,
The lilac leaned towards you from the table
To touch your eyelids with its universal blue,
Those eyelids brushed with blue
Were peaceful, and your hand was warm.
And in the crystal I saw pulsing rivers,
Smoke-wreathed hills, and glimmering seas;
Holding in your palm that crystal sphere,
You slumbered on the throne,
And - God be praised! - you belonged to me.
Awaking, you transformed
The humdrum dictionary of humans
Till speech was full and running over
With resounding strength, and the word you
Revealed its new meaning: it meant king.
Everything in the world was different,
Even the simplest things - the jug, the basin -
When stratified and solid water
Stood between us, like a guard.
We were led to who knows where.
Before us opened up, in mirage,
Towns constructed out of wonder,
Mint leaves spread themselves beneath our feet,
Birds came on the journey with us,
Fish leapt in greeting from the river,
And the sky unfurled above…
While behind us all the time went fate,
A madman brandishing a razor.
I'd like to quickly expound upon an earlier comment (that was unfairly down-voted, in my opinion).
My experience upon first viewing this film just moments ago, is very similar to having heard a work of dense and gorgeous music; I know I've missed much of what is present and perhaps more obvious to other audience members, but I'm equally certain that the experience transcended formal meaning...and that is part of the point, if you will. The thing felt packed with meaning, not one note too many (again, if you will).
I think this is a film that will demand more than one viewing, as with any work of art worth savoring (this last line reads as pretentious to me, and when I think about it, I don't really mean that...there are plenty of works...music, film...that speak to me far more immediately, and I certainly don't value those any less).
Sufficient to say, this is heavy, wonderful stuff.
I liked this movie once I realized that it was not linear. Fragments spliced together weaving 2 generations together. Great cinematography, and very mesmerizing. Each scene a new experience.
A poem about immortality. Stock footage of Russian history. Actors playing family members across generations. A boy with déjà vu. Soulful Margarita Terekhova's face in a Renaissance painting. Repeated motifs. To me, Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror seems to be about Russian permanence - the land and culture, more than the Soviet regime - though I can't claim to know enough history to fully make sense of it. But the meditation on FAMILY history - lyrically moving back and forth through time - is more universal. Circumstance, genetics and culture conspire to make us "mirror" our parents and grandparents, even as we rebel against it. Something, a spirit, lives on though we ourselves might die. Tarkovsky is at his dreamiest here, which means the film is beautiful, but also just out of reach, something I appreciate, but don't always connect with.
The old dog shambling in to the mother in the dream, the young puppy crawling on the bookshelf in summer, and the distant barking heard in several places: all are the same dog. Time is an illusion; we are woven into it by consciousness and memory.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 20
Timec
The beauty of some of the scenes simply took my breath away. One of the most beautiful, transcendent films I've ever seen.Kamrado
Tarkovsky never stops to amaze me. Every second of this movie can be printed and placed in the wall.Dieguito
Impressive cinematography, beautiful poetry.mihalisk
We celebrated every momentOf our meetings as epiphanies,
Just we two in all the world.
Bolder, lighter than a bird's wing,
You hurtled like vertigo
Down the stairs, leading
Through moist lilac to your realm
Beyond the mirror.
When night fell, grace was given me,
The sanctuary gates were opened,
Shining in the darkness
Nakedness bowed slowly;
Waking up, I said:
'God bless you!', knowing it
To be daring: you slept,
The lilac leaned towards you from the table
To touch your eyelids with its universal blue,
Those eyelids brushed with blue
Were peaceful, and your hand was warm.
And in the crystal I saw pulsing rivers,
Smoke-wreathed hills, and glimmering seas;
Holding in your palm that crystal sphere,
You slumbered on the throne,
And - God be praised! - you belonged to me.
Awaking, you transformed
The humdrum dictionary of humans
Till speech was full and running over
With resounding strength, and the word you
Revealed its new meaning: it meant king.
Everything in the world was different,
Even the simplest things - the jug, the basin -
When stratified and solid water
Stood between us, like a guard.
We were led to who knows where.
Before us opened up, in mirage,
Towns constructed out of wonder,
Mint leaves spread themselves beneath our feet,
Birds came on the journey with us,
Fish leapt in greeting from the river,
And the sky unfurled above…
While behind us all the time went fate,
A madman brandishing a razor.
Mahler1860
I'd like to quickly expound upon an earlier comment (that was unfairly down-voted, in my opinion).My experience upon first viewing this film just moments ago, is very similar to having heard a work of dense and gorgeous music; I know I've missed much of what is present and perhaps more obvious to other audience members, but I'm equally certain that the experience transcended formal meaning...and that is part of the point, if you will. The thing felt packed with meaning, not one note too many (again, if you will).
I think this is a film that will demand more than one viewing, as with any work of art worth savoring (this last line reads as pretentious to me, and when I think about it, I don't really mean that...there are plenty of works...music, film...that speak to me far more immediately, and I certainly don't value those any less).
Sufficient to say, this is heavy, wonderful stuff.
karuss
We need Tarkovsky now more than ever.julliette
Possibly the most beautiful film ever.TheMajor
Visually stunning. You have got to see this with your own eyes.-1flb2-
I liked this movie once I realized that it was not linear. Fragments spliced together weaving 2 generations together. Great cinematography, and very mesmerizing. Each scene a new experience.Squin
People feel.Words are flaccid.
Siskoid
A poem about immortality. Stock footage of Russian history. Actors playing family members across generations. A boy with déjà vu. Soulful Margarita Terekhova's face in a Renaissance painting. Repeated motifs. To me, Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror seems to be about Russian permanence - the land and culture, more than the Soviet regime - though I can't claim to know enough history to fully make sense of it. But the meditation on FAMILY history - lyrically moving back and forth through time - is more universal. Circumstance, genetics and culture conspire to make us "mirror" our parents and grandparents, even as we rebel against it. Something, a spirit, lives on though we ourselves might die. Tarkovsky is at his dreamiest here, which means the film is beautiful, but also just out of reach, something I appreciate, but don't always connect with.quattuor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYZhXm02kN0armyofshadows
The old dog shambling in to the mother in the dream, the young puppy crawling on the bookshelf in summer, and the distant barking heard in several places: all are the same dog. Time is an illusion; we are woven into it by consciousness and memory.A great and powerful but "difficult" movie.
Adrian B AWESOME
It's like if Tree of Life was made 40 years prior and wasn't complete shit.heat_
It is much better to think, read or talk about the movie than actually watching it.Showing items 1 – 15 of 20