"Johnson and Petrie have produced an admirable book. Anyone who wants to make sense of Tarkovsky's films—a very difficult task in any case—must read it." —The Russian Review

"This book is a model of contextual and textual analysis. . . . the Tarkovsky myth is stripped of many of its shibboleths and the thematic structure and coherence of his work is revealed in a fresh and stimulating manner." —Europe-Asia Studies

"[This book,] with its wealth of new research and critical insight, has set the standard and should certainly inspire other writers to keep on trying to collectively explore the possible meanings of Tarkovsky's film world." —Canadian Journal of Film Studies

"For Tarkovsky lovers as well as haters, this is an essential book. It might make even the haters reconsider." —Cineaste

This definitive study, set in the context of Russian cultural history, throws new light on one of the greatest—and most misunderstood—filmmakers of the past three decades. The text is enhanced by more than 60 frame enlargements from the films.

Vida T. Johnson's profile page

Graham Petrie's profile page

VIDA T. JOHNSON, Associate Professor and Director of the Russian program at Tufts University, has co-authored, with Graham Petrie, a chapter on Andrei Tarkovsky in Five Filmmakers (edited by Daniel Goulding). GRAHAM PETRIE, Professor of Drama at McMaster University, is the author of The Cinema of François Truffaut, History Must Answer to Man: The Contemporary Hungarian Cinema, and Hollywood Destinies: European Directors in America 1921–1931.