Rating: PG
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 11/07/1986(USA)
Release Date: 03/07/2000
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: Rus
Run Time: 246 Minutes
Flags: Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children
Distributor/Studio: Kino
The Sacrifice, director
Andrei Tarkovsky's final film, begins in
Bergmanesque fashion on a small, remote island, where friends and family gather for drama critic Alexander's (
Erland Josephson) birthday celebration. The revelry is interrupted by a radio announcement: World War III has begun, and Mankind is only hours away from utter annihilation. Each of the guests reacts differently to the news: the most dramatic response is Alexander's, who promises
God that he'll give up everything he holds dear--including his beloved 6-year-old son -- if war is averted.
Allan Edwall, a local mailman with purported mystical powers, offers to intervene with the Creator on
Josephson's behalf.
The Sacrifice is so dependent upon its visuals and overall mood that any attempt at a detailed synopsis would be woefully inadequate. The willingness of
Tarkovsky's protagonist to forego all his possessions may well have sprung from the cancer-ridden director's awareness that he, too, would soon be giving up everything to face his Maker.
The Sacrifice won four awards at the
Cannes Film Festival, including the Grand Prix.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
;)
