"Tarkovsky, along with cinematographer Vadim Yusov, exudes confidence in the camera and subsequently the very medium of cinema to make the near three hours running time fly by"

Released on Blu-Ray and DVD on Monday is legendary director Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterpiece Andrei Rublev. Inspired by the life of the 15th century Russian painter, Tarkovsky uses an episodic  structure to examine his homeland amidst a landscape of religion, social history, culture and art.

Opening with a dreamlike floating sequence not dissimilar to the beginning of Tarkovksy’s debut Ivan’s Childhood, the film is a visual poem, rich with stunning camera movements that put many of today’s Hollywood money-shots to shame and containing more than its fair share of breathtaking sequences.

From the aforementioned opening to the horse chase, via the stunning witchcraft/pagan ritual and the raising of the bell that punctuates the finale, Tarkovsky, along with cinematographer Vadim Yusov, exudes confidence in the camera and subsequently the very medium of cinema to make the near three hours running time fly by.

Yet this is more than just the visuals; such heavy subject matter requires an intelligent and thoughtful script and Andrei Rublev, with its many standout speeches and thought-provoking dialogue has just that, clearly influencing more contemporary work such as Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan and Pavel Lungin’s The Island.

For this is a film by a complete artist and the final switch to colour, allowing Rublev’s paintings to be shown in their glory, demonstrates how Tarkovsky has become an influence in equal measure to his very subject matter.