"Andrei Rublev"
1969
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

From Andrei Tarkovsky comes the epic Andrei Rublev - acclaimed as a masterpiece internationally and banned in the director's homeland of Russia. It is the dazzling and harrowing tale of the famed 15th Century icon painter who survives the cruelties of medieval Russia and creates works of art.  Beautifully directed and filmed, this film  follows the life of Andrei Rublev (Anotoli Solonitsyn), a 15th Century monk.  Rublev is the founder of a school of painting in the Christian Orthodox tradition.  His school is dispersed after the rape and pillage of the village  of Vladimir at the hands of those pesky Tatars.  It is a story of artistic rivalry, political intrigue and religious intolerance told with graceful symmetry and composition.  Starring Anatoli Solonitsyn, Ivann Lapikov, Nikolai Grinko.  Winner of the International Critics Prize at Cannes Film Festival.  Russian with English subtitles. Letterbox. Black and white.  185 minutes.