Andrei Tarkovskymay have only had 11 directorial credits throughout his career, but he still has a legacy as one of the best and most influential filmmakers in world cinema history. His films have a look and feel to them that’s distinct from anyone other director’s work to the point where much of the time, it’s easy to see a single clip from anything he directed and recognize it straight away as a film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.
What follows is a ranking of all 10 movies of his that reach the minimum requirement for being a feature-length film (as inrunning for more than 40 minutes) - the 11th was a student film directed in 1956 that only runs for 19 minutes. For fans,all of Tarkovsky’s films are worth checking out, but the ones that have particularly high ratings on IMDb are classicsthat most film fans should explore. It’s those IMDb ratings that have dictated the order below, with a ranking from worst to best.
10’There Will Be No Leave Today' (1959)
IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
There’s not a great deal to say aboutThere Will Be No Leave Today. It was another student film of Tarkovsky’s that has since become well-known thanks to the director’s more legendary, later films. It runs for about three-quarters of an hour, and follows a group of soldiers removing explosives from WW2 that have been discovered by road workers.
In that way, it’s sort of likeThe Hurt Locker, but much less dynamic and also made on a bare-bones budget.It’s certainly interesting to watch and see what a young Tarkovsky was capable of(and it’s better than most student films for sure), but ultimately won’t appeal a great deal to viewers who aren’t big fans of the filmmaker.
There Will Be No Leave Today is currently not available to stream, rent, or purchase.
9’Voyage in Time' (1983)
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
While scouting locations for his 1983 filmNostalghia, Andrei Tarkovsky also directedthis hour-long documentary-Voyage in Time- that serves, on the surface, as a making-of-documentary of sorts. It focuses on traveling to Italy for good places to shoot scenes, so in that way, doesn’t exactly break down numerous elements of the film’s production.
What it does offer is plenty of conversations about cinema in general, and is at its best when it shows Tarkovsky talking enthusiastically about the filmmakers who’ve inspired him.It’s not always exciting, but it provides a good insight into a unique director’s mind, and all the well-captured Italian scenery helps make things visually interesting, too.
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8’The Steamroller and the Violin' (1961)
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Andrei Tarkovsky doesn’t seem like the kind of filmmaker who’d make family movies, butThe Steamroller and the Violindemonstrated that he could. It was his final student film, and he made it one year before directing his first feature. Quality-wise, it’s almost at the level that he’d reach with his theatrically released movies.
It only runs for about 45 minutes, and has a very simple premise involving a young boy who seems to do little but play the violin, until he meets and strikes up an unexpected friendship with a local steamroller driver.It’s visually crisp presents a nice, well-told story, and shows that even at a young age, Tarkovsky could do a great deal with seemingly very little.
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7’The Sacrifice' (1986)
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
The Sacrificeended up being the last film Tarkovsky ever directed, as he sadly passed away the same year it was released after being diagnosed with cancer following the film’s production. Themovie deals with one man struggling with religionand fears of an impending nuclear war, all the while struggling to connect with friends and family who have visited him for his birthday.
Such themes are present in many films directed by Tarkovsky, andit’s not surprising to watchThe Sacrificeand feel like it’s quite bleak and haunting. Still, it arguably wouldn’t be a Tarkovsky feature if it wasn’t, and even though it’s not his greatest work, it ended up being a powerful and effective final cinematic statement from the great director.
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6’Nostalghia' (1983)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Nostalghiais a film that feels quite unusual and hard to describe, even by Andrei Tarkovsky’s standards. On the surface, it follows a man who goes to Italy to study a composer from the 18th century, though finds himself homesick and puzzled by some of the unusual interactions he has with people during his travels.
It’s a film that feels like it was deeply personal to Tarkovsky, which is probably the main thing. Open-minded viewers will be able to approach it on its own terms and hopefully interpret their own meanings from it, butit’s certainly not the best Andrei Tarkovsky film to watch first, for anyone new to his brief - yet deep - body of work.
5’Ivan’s Childhood' (1962)
It’s hard to believe that a film as good asIvan’s Childhoodcan be a director’s first proper feature film, but Tarkovsky was clearly a talented individual, as he made this film when he was only 30 years old. It’s an intense andunflinching anti-war movieset during the Second World War, and chooses to focus on civilian life rather than the experience of soldiers.
It does this by centering on the title character, who’s a young Soviet boy forced to survive on his own after his parents are both killed by invading German forces.It’s beautifully shot and proves effectively tense and unnerving, managing to create a compelling war drama that never runs the risk of making war glamorous or entertaining to watch in any way.
4’Solaris' (1972)
Ascience-fiction movie that still holds uphalf a decade on from its release,Solarisis an impressive feat of filmmaking in every way. It follows a psychologist who’s sent to a space station to assist the people who live there, as it’s been reported that all of them seem to be suffering from some sort of psychological condition, with its origins and precise implications being a mystery.
Those who like plenty of action and excitement in their science-fiction movies may be disappointed, asSolarisis a total slow-burn from beginning to end. However, it is visually spectacular and hypnotic in parts, and for fans of the genre who don’t mind something more cerebral and less explosive,Solarisis likely to be a profound watch.
3’Mirror' (1975)
Mirroris a film that aims to tell one man’s personal life story while also recounting key moments of Soviet history, all at once. It’s told in flashback form, and utilizes this structure well, being about a man in his forties who’s dying and recollecting the past - both his personal experience with life, and that of the Soviet nation.
As such, it’s less about a direct narrative specifically, and more focused on being a film about the concept of memory, and the way the past can distort in one’s mind as the years go on.It’s a challenging watch, but its style and structure make it undeniably unique, and the creative cinematography employed throughout is also a highlight.
2’Andrei Rublev' (1966)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
ThoughAndrei Rublevis technically definable as a biopic, it does far more than most movies that aim to capture a significant person’s life story. Here, the subject isAndrei Rublev, who was a deeply spiritual painter who found and lost inspiration numerous times during his life, and witnessed events both terrible and great.
This was Tarkovsky’s follow-up toIvan’s Childhood, and for asgreat as that feature film debut was, it’s hard to deny thatAndrei Rublevisn’t a step-up technically.At about three hours long, it’s also his lengthiest film, and arguably one of his most ambitious, making it all the more impressive how well it comes together, and how seamless it all feels despite the length.
1’Stalker' (1979)
Stalkeris quite easily Andrei Tarkovsky’s most well-knownand acclaimed film. It’s a very slow watch, but aims to suck the viewer in on its own terms, with its story focusing on three men who travel into a dangerous area known as “the Zone,” as they believe that deep within, there’s a place that’s able to grant the wishes of any person who reaches it.
With its post-apocalyptic imagery and feel, it’s possible to callStalkera science-fiction film, but it’s a good deal more psychologically heavy and thematically dense than most examples within that genre. It’s very bleak and unnerving, but hugely impressive when it comes to things like sound design, cinematography, and set design. It can be a challenging watch, but it’s also certainly an essential one.
