Master Filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky Receives a Moody Two Minute Video Homage

See how the director's auteurist movements using doorways have entranced viewers since the 60s.

by Diana Shi

June 18, 2017, 4:20am

Screencaps by the author

An early rebel of cinematic standards with a particular collection of signature moves, like an emphasis on water and drawn-out takes, Andrei Tarkovsky knew how to draw in the viewer. By moving in and out of frame, sometimes having a protagonist hovering just so in the doorway, or expanding the foreground to begin a full scene, Tarkovsky's signature style is recognizable.

The Russian director's daring narrative decisions broke out from the typical shots. A notable aesthetic choice was the use of doorways to create a contemplative mood while keeping his characters framed by the door. A video from cinema lover and video essayist, Daniel Mcilwraith, collects a group of Tarkovsky's best doorways shots as a tribute to the late director.

The director's best-known works, such as The Mirror (1975) and Stalker (1979), are filled with doorways while Mcilwraith collects the visual patterns through a short video retrospective, wrapped up neatly in less than two minutes.