Redemption: An Interpretation of Religious Thoughts in "Andrei Rublev"

Hortense 2021-12-22 08:01:13

"Andrei Rublev" can be said to be the most difficult movie for the world except for "Stalker". In the final analysis, I think the incomprehensibility is related to religion and culture. Russia’s thousand-year-old Orthodox culture has been subtly submerged into the depths of this land. Through the perspective of Orthodox Church, many metaphors (even "hidden") in the film are actually extremely obvious, and the storytelling of the film is also very smooth. For Chinese people who are culturally separated from them, they are often confused and at a loss. . The influence of Russian culture in the country has gradually diminished, and the research involving the Orthodox Church is even more narrow. The above-mentioned homework is difficult to do. The following article is a paper I wrote during my university period. I hope it can be helpful to those who are interested in tower movies.

Redemption: The religious interpretation of "Andrei Rublev"

I think Tarkovsky is the greatest. It creates a brand-new movie language, capturing life like a mirror, like a dream.
--- Ingmar Bergman
1. Introduction
Andrei Arsenevich Tarkovsky was the most prestigious film director and producer in the Soviet era. During his lifetime, he only shot 7 feature films and two short films, but all of them are classics. He has won many international film festival awards such as Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival.

Tarkovsky was born on April 4, 1932 in a family of intellectuals in the town of Zavrosi on the Volga River in Russia. Both his parents graduated from the Moscow Academy of Letters. Mother Maria Ivanovna Vishnikova is an excellent actor who has appeared in Tarkovsky's films many times. Father Arseny Alexanderovich Tarkovsky is also a well-known poet and translator. His poems are frequently quoted in Tarkovsky's films. Although in the Soviet Union at that time, under the influence of ideology, religious belief was considered out of date and even forbidden, but Tarkovsky's parents believed in the Orthodox Church. Under the influence of his parents, Tarkovsky, who has been immersed in a strong literary, artistic and traditional religious atmosphere since childhood, has also become a firm believer in Orthodox Church. "The Gospel" and "The Biography of Saints" are necessary books for his desk. He often excerpts large sections in his diary. And in his own discussion of religious issues that he understands for a long time. Throughout his life, Tarkovsky has always adhered to the conscience of intellectuals and the humanitarian traditions of the Orthodox Church. Following the footsteps of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and other ancestors, Tarkovsky remained alone in art and life. The road, thinking hard about how to use religion to achieve moral perfection, in order to save self, save the suffering Russia, save the entire mankind. It can be said that it is on the basis of the Russian Orthodox Church that Tarkovsky constructed his own moral and ethical system, and draws a steady stream of inspiration and strength from the fertile soil of the Orthodox moral ideals. He uses his film works to explore religion, torture human nature, and discuss eternal human life issues such as life and death, good and evil, man and God.

"Andrei Rublev", which was filmed in 1967, is Tarkovsky’s second feature feature film. It records the great and talented icon painter Andre of ancient Rus in the Middle Ages with epic magnificent pen and ink. The life course of Lie Rublev. The film has won many international film festival awards including the 69th Cannes Film Festival International Film Critics Awards, and is considered one of Tarkovsky's most outstanding works. In the film, by shaping the image of Andrei Rublev, Tarkovsky not only fully expressed his artistic ideals, but also expounded his religious views to a large extent.

There is no clear record in historical data about the life of the protagonist Andrei Rublev. Only know that he was born around 1360. His real name is unknown. Andrei Rublev was the given name of his baptism as a monk when he was an adult. Andrei Rublev lived in the late period of Mongol Tatar rule over Russia (Период Золотой Орды татаро-монголов). At that time, after hundreds of years of enslavement and captivity by the Tatars, the land of Ross was devastated, and the people did not live; and the interior of Ross was also divided by the princes, and the civil war was endless. Andrei Rublev was trained in the St. Sergius Radonezhsky Monastery (Троица-Сергиевый монастырь) on the outskirts of Moscow. This monastery is still regarded as a holy place by the majority of Russian Orthodox Christians because of the most respected religious leader Saint Sergi Radonezhsky [Saint Sergi Radonezhsky (Се́ргий Ра́донежский): All of Russia Saint, the founder of the Holy Trinity Monastery on the outskirts of Moscow, is one of the most outstanding historical and religious figures in Russia in the 14th century, and is revered as the greatest ascetic on the land of Russia and the patron of the Russian people in heaven] . Under the protection and admonition of St. Sergius Radonezhsky, Andrei Rublev accepted the Christian philanthropy and the idea of ​​national unity, and incorporated it into his future paintings. Thus injecting a new spiritual core into the traditional icon painting (Икона) art. One of the most famous is the icon painting "Trinity (Троицa)" painted in the Holy Trinity Church. Andrei Rublev reflected the desire of the people at that time with his brilliant and extraordinary artistic expression---to end disputes, establish a unified country on the land of Russia, and realize the harmony of the whole world. The Moscow School of Painting led by Andrei Rublev as the representative of the Russian religious painting art gradually got rid of the Byzantine model, formed an iconic painting style with Russian localized characteristics, and achieved remarkable artistic achievements. At the Hundred Religious Conferences held in 1551, Andrey Rublev’s iconography was set as a model. Since the 17th century, Andrei Rublev has been worshipped as a saint locally. In 1988, the Russian Orthodox Church officially declared him a saint.

However, the film is far from being a historical story or a biographical film as its title implies. The creation time span of "Andrei Rublev" is relatively large. It is composed of 9 separate and interrelated parts: "Prologue (Пролог)", "Wandering Artist (Скоморох)", "Feofan Glek (Феофан Грек)", "Andre's Passion ( Страсти по Андрею, "Festivals (Праздник)", "Doomsday Judgment (Страшный суд)", "Invasion (Набег)", "Silence (Молчание)" and "Clock (Колокол)". Andrei Rublev did not appear in every scene. However, Tarkovsky once commented on this issue in his "Sculpture Time": "Even if he does not appear, the play still exudes his spirit, and we can still smell him and the world around him. An interactive atmosphere." These short dramas with different plots and different themes strung together Andrei Rublev's life journey. As mentioned in the previous article, the film not only expresses the director’s artistic ideals, but also “shows people the mental state and social emotions of the artist when creating spiritual treasures of eternal significance”. More importantly, it focuses on presenting peace. Drey Rublev's religious journey of realizing self-salvation and spiritual salvation. From a certain perspective, Andrei Rublev’s life has a strong biography of the saints [圣徒传 (Жития святых): refers to church activists, state activists, and martyrs who are honored as saints by the Christian Church The life of an ascetic. Later it extends to the saint-specific subject literature derived from the saint phenomenon. ]color.

2. Andrei's Journey

The film begins with a prologue rich in symbolic metaphors. A dirty farmer made a huge hot air balloon out of animal skins, rope and rags. He climbed to the top of the church tower, jumped off, and passed the 14th-century town of Ross: passing churches, wooden houses, rivers, fields, and then suddenly fell to his death. In terms of plot, this scene is independent of the whole story of Andrei Rublev. As for the description of this incident, the director's performance techniques are also very obscure, and it does not seem to give any clear clues related to the theme of the film. However, the director used the gloomy picture and repressive music to render the film the strong ignorance and asceticism that was shrouded in the medieval Ross land at that time, laying a heavy and tragic tone for the film. As Tarkovsky himself said: "Only a thorough description of the artist's era can express his true moral ideals." Through the eyes of the farmer, we can get a glimpse of Rublev's " The real world born of the Trinity. What unfolds before us is a vivid picture of life on the land of Ross in the 14th century. And all this makes the viewer feel real. In such an era of asceticism and trans-individualism, in such a restrictive creative environment, Andrei Rublev’s religious piety and universal love Perseverance, keen perception and creativity of art is amazing.

In the film, Andrei Rublev's journey begins in the chapter "The Wandering Artist (Скоморох)". In 1400 Andrei Rublev left the monastery together with his companions Kirill and Danila and began his professional career as a formal icon painter. From the conversation between the three, they have spent nearly ten years in the monastery. It is conceivable that in the past ten years of his career as a monk, Andrei Rublev trained in the Holy Trinity Monastery and St. Serkis Monastery, and was protected and enlightened by St. Sergei Radonezhsky. , Almost lived a life in isolation. In such a turbulent age, Rose suffered a lot: 100 years of ravaged and trampled by the Tatars have devastated Rose, and the struggle for power, brothers clashed on the wall, and the endless civil war made Rose’s suffering cast a more tragic color. . "Through the enlightenment of reality and personal political awakening, Sergei Radonezhsky's motto expresses the desire for unity and solidarity among the people." Under the influence of such an influential Orthodox spiritual leader at the time , The young Andrei Rublev naturally, even subconsciously, accepted Sergei Radonezhsky’s religious view---the universal spirit of universal love in Christianity, and this Convinced. However, as Tarkovsky quoted in his film review collection "The Time of Sculpture (Запечатленное время)": "Truth must be experienced first-hand and cannot be taught. Prepare for war."
Once you leave. In the monastery, Andrei Rublev quickly revealed how inadequate he was to meet the cruel reality challenges. The real world he encountered seemed "unfamiliar, unpredictable, and thrilling." It can be said that the cruelty in real life is far beyond what he can understand in the monastery where there is no cannibalism.

So, one after another, he observed the cruel reality from his life.

In order to avoid the sudden heavy rain, Andrei Rublev came to a farmer's shed to hide from the rain, and met the wandering entertainers who performed for the farmers. In Ancient Rus, the identity of the wandering artist is extremely low. They are folk artists of Ancient Rus, but in the medieval Rus, where religious hierarchy is strict and asceticism prevails, all kinds of folk entertainment activities are strictly forbidden, and they believe that these are behaviors driven by the "devil". From Kirill’s contemptuous and indifferent ridicule of wandering artists, we can also get a glimpse: “God created monks, and devil created wandering artists.” However, facing the wandering artists, Andre’s eyes were peaceful and friendly. of. He smiled and looked at the back of the wandering artist, even with a little curiosity. Andre, who deeply believes in the spirit of Christian fraternity, does not know that he discriminates against anyone. However, Kirill quietly reported to the government that vagrant artists were performing here. As a result, the rain did not stop, and the wandering artist was quickly taken away by officials. After witnessing a chaos, it rained and the weather cleared, and the three of Andrei went on the road again.

In "Feofan Grek [Feofan Grek Феофа́н Грек (c. 1340-c. 1410)"-Byzantine icon painter, in the 14th century, invited by the Russian nobles to paint in Novgorod . His creations in Russia had a certain impact on the development of Russian religious paintings in the 14th to 15th centuries. ]" In the first half of the chapter, Andrei Rublev did not appear head-on. However, we have seen the evaluation of him by two icon painters of the same time. Everyone praised Andrei Rublev’s talent for painting. Even the predecessor of Rose's greatest icon painter at the time, Feofan Glek, knew his name. Knowing that he will become a true master. However, Kirill sneered at this: "He is still far behind... His colors are delicate, gentle, and good at portraying. But there is no fear in all this! No faith! Belief from the heart." For An Kirill is correct in Dre’s “lack of fear” comment. There will be a detailed analysis and elaboration on this point in the following paragraphs. What also needs our special attention at this moment is that from the dialogue between the two, it can be seen that, in fact, the icon paintings drawn by Andrei Rublev did not conform to the traditional mainstream at that time. As a forerunner of the times, with his sensitivity to art and a deep understanding of Christianity, Rublev has incorporated his feelings into icon paintings, created his own artistic language, and at the same time expressed his own religious ideas and worldview. . Just for Andre, who is immersed in his own painting world For Rublev, the sense of alienation that is not understood by people has not yet been perceived. But Andre's later art path was destined to be lonely and difficult. However, Feofan did not invite him to Moscow as his assistant, as he had promised Kirill, to complete the creation of the iconostasis of the Church of the Annunciation. Instead, he invited Andrei Rublev. Andrei Rublev readily agreed. And invited Danila as an assistant to go to Moscow with him. However, what Andre did not expect was that his beloved brother Danila did not agree to his request. This result obviously made him at a loss. The once pure brotherhood has appeared unrecoverable rifts and rifts. And Feofan Glek's decision made Kirill a huge psychological gap. Kirill, who was burning with jealousy, finally chose to leave the monastery and return to vulgarity. Before leaving, he yelled at him, exposing the lies, hypocrisy and depravity in the church. All this obviously made Andre's heart received a huge shock. Kirill is wise and sober, but only lacks the virtues of tameness and humility, so he can let the evil thoughts of jealousy come in, and let evil blind the soul. In the play, Feofan Glek cursed the executioner: "He has committed many crimes, but he wants to judge the crimes of others." In fact, it is precisely the verdict of Kirill.

"Andre's Passion" can be described as the highlight of the whole movie, and it has a pivotal position. Because it was in this chapter that Andrei Rublev gave a complete and comprehensive explanation of the world view and religious view he understood for the first time. In the debate with the predecessor Feofan Glek, we saw that the two thoughts are quite different. And their fundamental contradiction in the worldview is also reflected in the huge difference in their painting styles. It is said that the savior painted by Feofan was full of anger, and people who passed by the church looked at the face of the savior and often got goose bumps on his body. Feofan's savior should make everyone feel afraid and obey him, and should make people think of the irresistible "Last Judgment". Andrei Rublev also painted icons of the same subject
A portrait of Jesus painted by Rublev. It is also my favorite work.

. However, in Rublev's writings, the face of the savior is full of confidence and peace. His eyes are full of human brilliance, showing understanding, help and forgiveness. In Feofan Glek's view, the ignorant, transmuted, and greedy human beings have fallen into the emptiness of the world, full of sin and hopelessly, and they can only wait for God's final judgment. And everything will be destroyed like burning a candle. Therefore Feofan Grek said: "I only serve God, not humans! (Я Господу служу, а не людях!)" Regarding Feofan Grek’s remarks, Andrei Lublio The husband was very shocked, and he couldn't help blurting out: "I really don't understand, how can you paint with this kind of thinking?" Andrei Rublev defended humanity. And believe that people are not stupid because of their stupid nature. At this time, there was a surrealist scene in the movie---this is a reappearance of the scene where Jesus was crucified. However, the surrounding nature also implies that this is not the place where Jesus died as described in the "Gospels"—Golgotha ​​Mountain. Everything around was covered with snow engulfed by the cold wind. We can understand this scene as the director's bold deconstruction of the gospel story. At this time, what appeared before us was the "Russian" Christ, or to be more precise, it was "Ros" who suffered on Calvary. And outside the picture is Andrei Rublev’s heartfelt words: “People should always be reminded that they are humans, they are Russians. Russians are of the same blood and live on the same land. (Напоминать надо почаще, что люди они, что русские, одна кровь, одна земля. )" Andrei Rublev’s confession pointed out that in such an era when people were killing each other and the Tatars invaded, only national unity and unity was the only way to ensure survival and ensure the country and religion. The method of dignity and independence. "Men have to endure more and more disasters: at one time it was three captives per year by the Tatars, at one time it was famine, and then it was plague. But he continued to work, still carrying his cross docilely, without despair, but just praying and enduring. Pray to God in order to get enough strength. Couldn't God forgive them for their stupidity? "Here we see that Andrei Rublev has found the true Christian spirit in ordinary Russian people. They may be ignorant and illiterate, but they have shown deep devotion to God in their hearts. Regardless of whether it was given or taken away, they accepted it without complaint. There was no complaint, no complaint, just praying, patiently, and always holding a heart of gratitude. The most respected ethics of the Russian Orthodox Church---tolerance (терпение) and obedience (смирение). Although Russia's fate is in jeopardy, the faith in God that has always been burning in the hearts of the majority of the Russian people will help them to tide over the difficulties. This bright belief formed a strong centripetal force and cohesion, and it was in this strong force that Andrei Rublev saw the vitality of the Russian nation. "Sometimes I know that things are always fruitless. In the end, or tired, tormented, suddenly... and someone's gaze is opposite, as if you have received sympathy, and everything becomes relaxed immediately. "Undoubtedly, it is this kind of love and care among ordinary Russian people in despair surrounded by many sufferings that has deeply moved Andrei Rublev and has given him a steady stream of motivation and inspiration for his creation. This kind of strong brotherly love of compatriots has become a strong support to help him through the sea of ​​suffering in the future. Undoubtedly, it is this kind of love and care among ordinary Russian people in despair surrounded by many sufferings that has deeply moved Andrei Rublev and has given him a steady stream of motivation and inspiration for his creation. And it is this kind of strong brotherly love of compatriots that has become a powerful support to help him through the sea of ​​hardship in the future. Undoubtedly, it is this kind of love and care among ordinary Russian people in despair surrounded by many sufferings that has deeply moved Andrei Rublev and has given him a steady stream of motivation and inspiration for his creation. And it is this kind of strong brotherly love of compatriots that has become a powerful support to help him through the sea of ​​hardship in the future.

However, it is not difficult to see that, without experiencing the vicissitudes of life, at this moment, Andrei Rublev’s views are obviously idealistic. However, André's idealism soon revealed its vulnerability. In the next chapter "Festivals", Andre witnessed a pagan festival carnival. This is the night of Ivan Kubara of the East Slavic polytheists [The Night of Ivan Kubara (Ночь на Ивана Купалу): The traditional polytheistic festival of the East Slavic peoples is generally celebrated on the most prosperous summer solstice night in nature. Enshrine the god of summer Kubala. On this day, people gather herbs and wildflowers, perform rituals, sing and dance, play games, do divination, and pray for a good harvest, health and happiness. The night of Bala has a stronger polytheistic obscurity and is related to indulgence-the following is taken from the explanation of the entry on Kubala’s Night in Wikipedia: Игры, как правило, были связаны с любовно-брачной тематико горелки», «пятнашки», «коршун», «целовки»[, игры с мячом («мячевуха», «в барыши»и др.)-translation: these games are often related to games and sex: catching people Games, eagle catching chicks, kissing games, ball playing, etc. Ps: 囧, there are many types of play). The so-called polytheism (язычество) was the "indigenous religion" of the local people before Christianity was introduced into Russia, and it was essentially the belief that all things are animists. ]. However, perhaps what Andrei himself did not expect was that he accepted the temptation of infidels so easily. Following the blaze of extinguishing desire, Andrei unknowingly followed the figure of polytheists into the deep forest. The polytheists quickly spotted the uninvited guest and tied him up. The polytheist Marfa found him. This is a role like Mary Magdalene, who performed the temptation and test of Andre. She asked Andre: "Why scold us and then said to burn us with fire?... Is love a sin?... Why should we force us to believe in your beliefs?" These questions clearly asked Andre to stop. NS. He argued weakly, and at the same time it seemed that he also found his own words poor. He has never considered these issues. With ears and eyes, he has naturally accepted the "truth" since his youth, but he never knew why the truth became the truth. In this way, the truth is only a pale preaching, like a tree without roots. "Tempted" is an indispensable plot in the Biography of Saints. Bergaev also expressed this view in his book "Spirit and Reality": If Jesus Christ "did not experience the struggle with temptation at the time, then he would not be human, nor would he be a human." Every road of penance to overcome difficulties has to go through this stage [А.Н. Бердяев «Дух и реальность», Париж: YMCA-Press sd [1937], 175 с.]." So, I experienced the quenching of temptation, quietly The ideal world originally recognized in Andrei's mind has slowly started to tilt and disintegrate. He is no longer just a bystander, but an active participant in life. Like ordinary people, he began to taste the joys and sorrows of the world. In the face of the cruel and complicated reality, Andre, who fell into suspicion, hesitated and helpless. But at the same time, he also started active thinking. Andre is experiencing the first brainstorm in his life. ]. "So, after experiencing the quenching of temptation, quietly the ideal world previously known in Andre's mind has slowly started to tilt and disintegrate. He is no longer just a bystander, but an active participant in life. Compared with ordinary Like people, he began to taste the joys and sorrows of the world. In the face of the cruel and complicated reality, Andre, who fell into suspicion, was hesitant and helpless. But at the same time, he also started to think positively. Andre is experiencing it. The first brainstorm in his life. ]. "So, after experiencing the quenching of temptation, quietly the ideal world previously known in Andre's mind has slowly started to tilt and disintegrate. He is no longer just a bystander, but an active participant in life. Compared with ordinary Like people, he began to taste the joys and sorrows of the world. In the face of the cruel and complicated reality, Andre, who fell into suspicion, was hesitant and helpless. But at the same time, he also started to think positively. Andre is experiencing it. The first brainstorm in his life.

However, the intensifying contradiction soon revealed its clues. In the chapter "The Last Judgment (Страшный суд [The Last Judgment in Russian-Страшный суд, literally translated is a terrible, terrifying trial.])", the time is switched to 1408. Andrei Rublev and Danila Jorny came to Vladimir (Владимир) and were ordered by the Grand Duke to paint the iconostasis for the Cathedral of the Assumption (Успенский Собор). However, several months later, Andrei Rublev never wrote. This caused the bishop to finally get angry and threatened to send a messenger to report to the Grand Duke. Even Foma, the assistant who was always with Rublev, chose to leave. In a field of wheat, the anguished Andrei Rublev confided his troubles to Danila. He said: "I don't know why, I just can't paint it. I can't paint like this, it's against my will, understand...I don't want to scare people." At this moment, Andrei Rublev not only He only felt that he lacked the inspiration to create, and more importantly, he felt that he had not yet possessed the ability to give this icon painting a true soul. However, Danila was noncommittal about what he said. We know that the requirements of traditional icon painting are extremely strict. Not only does each color have a specific meaning, even the appearance of the characters and the layout of the picture must abide by strict regulations. Therefore, there is almost no room left for icon painters to freely create. In the eyes of traditional painters such as Danila, painting is only a mechanical repetition, and only needs to be painted according to the requirements of the icon and the church. Because of this, Danila couldn't understand Andre's distress. However, this kind of thinking of Andrei Rublev is undoubtedly very progressive. However, the advance awakening of geniuses in consciousness is often doomed to their loneliness in walking in the world. They tend to stand out from the crowd, and ordinary people cannot understand their thoughts. In fact, is this not the norm for artists to walk in the world? From ancient times to the present, the fate of geniuses has often been like this. And their language that belongs to the future can only be confided in front of children who are not well-versed in the world. Because innocence is the human quality closest to God. In the play, Andre is holding the little princess, and under the child's angelic innocent gaze, peace and tranquility are restored. In his eyes is the joy of truth. Finally, he got the inspiration he had been searching for. And the source of this inspiration comes from the ode to "love" in the "1 Corinthians" recited by André: "If I could speak the dialects of thousands of people and the words of angels, but there would be no love, I became a ringing gong, like a ringing cymbal. If I have the ability to preach, understand all mysteries, all kinds of knowledge, and have complete faith that enables me to move mountains without love, I am nothing. If I give all the money to the poor and sacrifice myself to be burned, but there is no love, it will still be of no benefit to me. Love is patient and kind, love is not jealous; love is not boasting, not arrogant, not doing shy things, not seeking self-interest, not prone to anger, not counting people’s evil, not liking unrighteousness, only Love the truth, all tolerance, all belief, all hope, all patience, love never ceases. (Если я говорю языками человеческими и ангельскими, а любви не имею, то я -. Медь звенящая или кимвал звучащий Если имею дар пророчества, и знаю все тайны, и имею всякое познание и всю веру, так что могу и горы переставлять, а не имею любви, - то я ничто И если я раздам ​​все имение мое и отдам тело мое на сожжение, а любви не имею, нет мне в том никакой пользы любовь долготерпит, милосердствует, любовь не завидует, любовь не превозносится, не гордится,.. не бесчинствует, не ищет своего, не раздражается, не мыслит зла, не радуется неправде, а сорадуется истине; все покрывает, всему верит, всего надеется, все переносит Любовь никогда не перестает,.

This paragraph came to an abrupt end here. From the film, we never know whether Andrei Rublev finally completed the painting of the iconostasis on the theme of "The Last Judgment" in the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir. However, we need to understand that, in the historical reality, Andrei Rublev did complete this iconic painting. https://yandex.ru/images/search?text= андрей%20рублёв%20страшный%20суд&isize=large">The Last Judgment Picture Collection This theme originally had some bloody scenes. But Andrei Rublev It did not describe the scene of the trial as horrible as some medieval painters, but focused on portraying the sincerity and kindness of angels and saints, the persistence and simplicity of believers and forgivens. In Andrei Rublev In the pen, the traditional concept in Russian Orthodox doctrine. Unlike Catholics, Russian Orthodox believes that God is not only the ruler of man, but also the inner divinity of man. The virtues of obedience and obedience they pursue are not due to God The fear of this absolute master comes from the love of God and the inner experience of emptiness. External compulsory deterrence cannot obtain the true surrender of the people. Only universal love can fill the world. And the holy What Xiangbi's "Last Judgment" conveys to viewers is exactly the concept of "Christ's tolerance among men": mankind will be protected and prayed before the savior, and will be "universally saved." Here, God is not with People are opposed to each other, but are kind, sensible, and accessible. The great significance of the painting "The Last Judgment" lies in the fact that Andrei Rublev used this painting to symbolize the coming truth and justice. The paintings of victory brought a kind of hope and a kind of confidence to the suffering Russian people. In short, the emphasis here is more on believing in God’s mercy and love, rather than God’s punishment of mankind--- The foundation of the existence of the world is the love of Christ.

The chapter of "Offense" can be described as the most dramatic and conflicting chapter in the whole film. Andrei Rublev experienced the cruelest part of his life. In order to obtain the throne of power, the Grand Duke's brother betrayed Rose. He secretly colluded with the Tatars and helped them capture the city of Vladimir. The brutal and savage Mongols burned, killed, looted, and even smashed through the door of the church. The people who gathered in the church to pray for the protection of God were not spared. The church was also completely burned down. The destruction of the church as the spiritual sanctuary of the Orthodox Church marks the disintegration of hearts and the disillusionment of hope. This catastrophe caused the people of Vladimir to lose their backbone. Rose suffered the deepest suffering. In the melee, in order to protect the foolish Mad Girl, Rublev raised his axe and killed the man who tried to murder the Mad Girl, a Russian and a "comrade." Killing is one of the ten commandments of Christianity. This crime is unforgivable for any ordinary Orthodox Christian, not to mention a priest or an icon painter. It is conceivable that all this has caused great pain to Andrei Rublev. However, the crux of the problem is that if Andrei Rublev does not touch these pains, and fails to experience and endure them personally, he will not be able to express the moral ideals of his time. Only experienced many hardships, experienced painful reincarnation, and truly experienced the disillusionment brought about by the inability to compromise between ideals and reality; and all ordinary people in Ross, and the entire land of Ross, suffered the same cruel fate, and Unreservedly accepting all his pains, even accepting the torture of God’s abandonment and death, Andrei Rublev was able to truly return to his starting point---belief in the concept of "faith, hope, and love", and to his A true comprehension of greatness and lofty connotation.
Here, the director’s efforts to portray Andrei Rublev’s journey through the cycle of suffering reflects the unique "view of suffering" and "view of suffering" in the Orthodox tradition. In the view of Russian Orthodox Christians, suffering not only purifies the soul, but even believes that suffering is the only way for everyone to approach God, a gift from heaven, and a test for sinners. And only "through suffering can we get rid of sin, know Jesus Christ, and obtain spiritual salvation, and only in the faith in God can the soul be happy to accept the baptism of suffering". Russians are keen on spiritual asceticism and regard it as a kind of happiness, and in this suffering there is a way to the spiritual immortality they are looking for. Even Tarkovsky himself wrote this sentence in his personal diary: "You must suffer, because only through suffering, in the battle between good and evil, can the soul be cast."
The design at the end of this paragraph is also quite interesting. After the looting by the Tatars, Vladimir's church has been reduced to ruins. At this time, whether it was in André's dream or reality, the figure of the dead Feofan Glek appeared. In addition, Feofan and Andre had a meaningful conversation. At this moment, Andrei Rublev, who has not been able to penetrate the truth, is surrounded by the deep despair brought about by the disillusionment of ideals. He denies himself melancholy and dejectedly, suspecting that he has defended the idea with death, thinking that he has exhausted half of his life to paint to save Rose and redeem the sinful people of Rose, and the persistence of faith is in vain. Because "no one needs it" at all. And the fact that he committed the precept and murder made his desperate soul suffer even more. At this time, Feofan Glek’s answer: “It is completely different from what we imagined” seems to imply that human beings will never understand the meaning of God’s arrangement. It is the ideal of the typical Russian Orthodox Church. As Zaitsev said by the protagonist in the novel "Pasi's House": "God's ultimate secret to justice, evil, and the destiny of the world is secret to us. We can only say: love God, believe God, he won’t make any bad arrangements.” As for Andre’s question about Rose’s future destiny, Feofan Glek’s last sentence seemed to be indistinguishable and ambiguous: “I don’t know either. That's it, maybe...everything is still beautiful" seems to point out the coming light to Andre. It can be said that the director’s arranging for Feofan Glek’s re-appearance at this time just hinted that the dead Feofan Glek was in confusion in response to a certain arrangement of God in the dark. Andre Rublev pointed the maze and brought the light of enlightenment. Of course, at this time Andrei Rublev still did not know what all this meant for him. He vowed to be silent forever and never paint again. However, what we need to deeply realize is that Andrei made this choice not for the sake of being alone and renunciation of the land and people of Ross, whom he had deeply attached to, nor the negativity of obedience to fate by the same and fatalists. Doctrine, on the contrary, is precisely derived from his deeper love for the suffering and sinful Roth people and the Roth land, which is a more selfless self-sacrifice. The choice Andre made was not only his punishment and confession of his own sins, but at the same time, he took the entire Roth's sins on himself and regarded them as his own sins. And this universal sense of responsibility and unswerving fraternity in the face of the sins and sufferings of the world is the fundamental prerequisite for Andrei Rublev's ultimate salvation. Andrei Rublev’s road to salvation is a typical Russian resurrection. As Elder Zosima said in Toshi’s novel "The Brothers Karamazov": "Only when he realizes that he is not only worse than all secular people, but also should treat all the sins of mankind in front of all people in the world---no matter what It is all or individual sins that are responsible for, and then we have achieved the purpose of retreat... This is not only because everyone has participated in the sins of the entire world, but also because individuals should be responsible for all people and everyone in the world. People are responsible."
As time fought and the stars shifted, Andrei Rublev became an old man with a thin and white beard. However, he still abides by the promise of silence to God, and still refuses to paint. Even the multiple invitations of the Patriarch Nikon have not responded. The elderly Kirill confessed to Andre hoarsely, and pleaded for Andre's forgiveness for his crazy jealousy and vicious curse. And Kirill had to persuade painstakingly did not achieve the desired effect. Andre remained silent. We noticed that this scene is strikingly similar to the beginning of the film, which seems to symbolize the reincarnation of life: it is still an open Russian-style field, with heavy rain coming, Kirill and Andre sheltering from the rain under the tree, only Without Danila at the beginning of the journey. The absence of Danila implies the ruthlessness of time and the shortness of life. And wandering artists also appeared here. Kirill's report to the government ten years ago caused him to suffer the pain of cutting his tongue and ten years of imprisonment in the dungeon. But he had always mistakenly thought that the informer back then was Andre, so he rushed to Andre madly, full of abuse and insults, and even wanted to hurt people. Fortunately, everyone stopped him. However, Andre remained silent, did not excuse, did not respond, and seemed to have taken all the slander, humiliation, and slander in the world indifferently, neither sad nor happy, nor angry nor surprised.

The last chapter of the movie, as shown in the chapter title, is based on the main line of the casting of the big bell. The Grand Duke sent people to the village where the bellsmiths were to find the best bellsmith, and he thought the Andronikov monastery cast a new big bell. However, when the emissary of the Grand Duke arrived in the village, he found that the village had been completely empty under the plague not long ago. The bellsmiths are even extinct. At this moment, a boy named Polska appeared, claiming that his late father, who was a clockmaker before his death, told him the secret of clockmaking. But now he is the only one who knows this secret. He begged the emissary of the Grand Duke to take him away in every possible way, and promised that the great bell would be cast successfully. In the end, the envoy agreed to Poliska's request. As a result, the massive construction of bell-making began in the Andronikov Monastery in the suburbs of Moscow. Here, we must first have a good understanding of the special significance of the church bell in the Orthodox Church. Orthodox believers believe that Christianity needs "bells." The bell is part of the prayer ritual, it can drive away all evil spirits and purify the air in the world. After a long search and many complicated procedures, the big bell was finally successfully cast. Grand Duke, foreign envoys, and archbishops all attended the unveiling ceremony of the big bell. Except for those who have lost their lives, everyone is reunited under the big clock: Andrei, Kirill, Grand Duke, Polska, wandering entertainers, ordinary Moscow citizens... even the crazy girl, she is like Kirill said that he was not killed by the Tatars. Wearing a shiny vestment, the archbishop read: "Blessed with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit", full of ceremonial solemnity. Painted on the big clock is the pattern of the battle dragon of Saint George. The vigorous sound of the big bell rang across the sky, creating a strong and solemn religious atmosphere. People's faces are filled with sincere joy and piety. Everyone cheered and rushed towards the big clock. The big bell was successfully cast, but Pollyska, the boy who accomplished this miracle, left the crowd immersed in joy silently, and broke into tears alone. But Andrei has been paying attention to Boriska silently. Although they will never know their lives, but at this moment, Andrei has embraced the crying boy, lifted his vows for many years, and said: "You cast a bell, I paint the icon, let's go to the Three Holy Church, and go together. For people, what a grand festival! You have created such joy, and you cry... (Вот пойдем мы с тобой вместе. Ты колокола лить , я иконы писать...

Accompanied by the chanting of the ethereal female voice, soft colors appeared in the film's screen for the first time. Andrei Rublev’s masterpieces: "The Lord's Transformation", "The Trinity", "The Savior" ...Appeared in turn. Those soft brushstrokes, well-proportioned composition, and rounded lines are full of serene solemnity, making people feel that these paintings are not only true artistic miracles, but also true miracles returning to the world. Just like Frenlensky [Pavel-Florensky П. Флоренский (1882-2-22-1937-12-8) Russian "Silver Age" famous thinker, philosopher, literary theory and critic. : Author of "The Pillars and Establishment of Truth——The Experience of Orthodox Theology (Twelve Letters)", "Beside the Watershed of Thought", etc.] said: "If there is a "by Andrei Rublev" "The Trinity", then it means that God also exists."
The icon painting "Trinity", Rublev's most prestigious work.


At this point, Andrei Rublev finally completed the process of soaring his soul from darkness to light, and found the way to eternal religious salvation. On this thorny road of suffering, the Christian spirit of fraternity always runs through it: Andrei’s hesitation, pain, doubt, temptation, murder, confession, self-punishment, suffering, and finally bear his own cross bravely. , The purification and resurrection of the soul is because he always has love and compassion in his heart. Here, the meaning of love has multiple interpretations. It includes not only the friendship and affection of compatriots, but also the love of God for man, and the love of man for God, which is the so-called universal love and eternal love. Andrei Rublev’s redemption of love, the suffering of love, the resurrection of love.

3. Andrei Rublev’s fellow travelers.

In addition to Andrei Rublev, the director Tarkovsky also focused on portraying several other Russians and religious believers with distinctive personalities in the film. The image is interspersed with the journeys of different characters and different life choices. And these elements set off the theme of the movie from different sides, and enrich the image of the protagonist Andre.

Among the many characters in the film, the setting of the character of Mad Girl is very eye-catching and quite confusing. Her fate is very mysterious and legendary. Mad Girl's debut began in the "Last Judgment" section. At that time Andre was in deep pain due to lack of inspiration for painting. Yu Zhuzhong actually spilled a bucket of paint on the wall of the church. At this time, a mad girl holding a bundle of straw appeared in the church. She didn't know where she came from, barefoot and undressed, with disheveled hair, silly eyes, and a dull expression. However, when she saw the church wall stained with paint, she burst into tears dramatically. It seems to have a stronger perception of something that is difficult for mundane mortals to express and understand. And the mysterious atmosphere created by this makes the viewer feel that the mad girl is not an ordinary "mad girl", but seems to be related to some indescribable divine thing. In the following film, she is even more closely related to the fate of Andrei Rublev. After the Tatar army's iron hoof stepped over Vladimir, she and Andrei Rublev were the only survivors. And Andrei Rublev violated the law of murder for her. In addition, in the chattering conversation in the section of "The Silence", we learned that after the Tatars left, Vladimir suffered from prolonged years of starvation. The crazy girl who didn't know each other took her by her side until a group of Tatars appeared. Out of hunger and curiosity about the helmet, the mad girl disregarded Andrei Rublev’s dissuasion and followed the Tatars on horseback. However, this is not the end of the story. At the end of the film, under the deep and long sound of the bell that was just cast, the figure of the "crazy girl" leading the horse appeared in the crowd. However, she was not destined to be destined to go with the cruel Tatars as people feared. On the contrary, at this moment, she, in white clothes, white skirt, and white headscarf, is obviously no longer crazy. She smiled quietly, looking so peaceful and peaceful, and her whole body seemed to exude warm and holy power, as if the Virgin had come to the world. The divine brilliance shined in her eyes, and people seemed to be able to see from it that the mad woman who had experienced many hardships, insults and damages has also been saved by God and has listened to the gospel of the divine enlightenment.
To understand the hidden meaning of the image of Mad Girl, one must understand the phenomenon of "Holy Stupidity" (юродство) in the Russian Orthodox tradition. The concept of "Holy Stupidity" was originally derived from the "Bible" and already existed in the Byzantine tradition. "Holy and Stupidity" is a well-known method of abstinence in the Greek Orthodox Church. The sacred fools once contained a double meaning: one is; the second is in the Orthodox tradition, the sacred fools refer to such a type of person---"They put on the mask of madness, in order to conceal their perfection from the world and reject the world. The temptation of glory. Their foolishness is only presented in the eyes of the secular, and their wisdom is beyond the grasp of the secular." And this special wisdom is undoubtedly related to the secrets of the other side. The Russians believe that people can perceive some mysterious power from them. In the movie, the image of the mad girl has a lot of agreement with the typical image of sage and fool in the Russian Orthodox Church. Andrei Rublev’s acceptance and shelter of the mad girl seems to be unreasonable and incomprehensible, but in fact similar plots are not uncommon in Russian literary works. For example, in "The Brothers Karamazov", Grushenka takes a sickly and foolish old man at home all the year round, and Stavrokin in "The Group of Demons" also volunteers with the mad lame woman Maria. Timofievna was married. It can be seen that the universal and subconscious sympathy and pity for people who have lost their social status and ability to live, and for the humiliated and harmed unfortunate people have a deep and traditional humanitarian psychological foundation in Russia. We regard it as a religious "compassion" peculiar to the Russian nation. In addition, we can see that it was precisely because of the various opportunities with the mad girl that Andrei Rublev obtained the opportunity of self-salvation, completed the redemption process of sin and punishment, suffering and confession, and finally , Picked up the paintbrush again, and bravely shouldered his cross.
From another perspective, the image of the mad girl, in a sense, also represents Ross (тёмная Русь) in a state of ignorance. Not only did she fail to understand Andrey Rublev’s selfless love, compassion and self-sacrificing effort, she responded with indifference and numbness. We even saw that when Andrey tried to prevent her from being with Tartarus. When the Tatar left, the mad girl even sipped Andrei's face. However, accepting the temptation and leaving her with the Tatars did not make her suffer the most terrible bad luck. All these are arranged by God, experiencing fall, experiencing salvation, experiencing the resurrection and sublimation of the soul, thus highlighting the theme of "Holy Rose".

Fourth, the film’s features in film techniques are

different from other art forms such as literature, drama, and so on. It is said to have its unique artistic charm and unique artistic expression techniques. The tower movie is a movie with a very personal style, a movie of poetry. It seems inappropriate to comment on his films without referring to his unique way of film expression.

It is worth mentioning that, except for the color film used in the performance of Andrei Rublev’s iconic paintings at the end of the film, the other parts of the film were shot with black and white film. We know that in the late 1960s, color films have basically become popular. Obviously, Tarkovsky chose black and white film deliberately. Regarding this question, Andrei Rublev bluntly stated his preference for black and white films in an interview. In his view: "Color ruins the sense of reality." No matter which color film, its images affect the audience's perception of the event. The black and white image allows the audience to focus on the film itself without being distracted by the fancy colors. At the same time, Tarkovsky believes that individual details can be colored, as long as it conforms to the status of the character on the screen. When the audience's attention is particularly focused on a certain detail when needed, the color lens can be inserted into the black and white scene. In the movie "Andrei Rublev", Tarkovsky's shooting concept is well reflected. Moreover, Tarkovsky believes that his handling of the conversion from black and white to color in the movie "Andrei Rublev" is extremely natural and not too obvious.

In addition to color, we noticed that another feature of the movie "Andrei Rublev" is the use of a large number of long shots. The tempo of the film is very slow, and the film length of more than 3 hours emphasizes the dullness of the viewer during the viewing process. And this is also the intention of the director. Tarkovsky once said: “I know very well that from a commercial point of view, I often change scenes and shoot a variety of lively, fancy and angled shots... it will definitely be profitable. But for my main focus In other words, the external effect only stretches out and obscures the goal I am pursuing." The long shots used extensively in "Andrei Rublev" are "to avoid making people feel unnatural and special rhythms, and to make the rhythm match the rhythm of life itself." Here we can't help but be deeply impressed by the director's commendable dedication to the principles of film art. In order to maintain the purity and ultimateness of art, I would rather eliminate any factors that please the audience and flatter business. This is a kind of courage, but also a kind of persistence. From this perspective, isn't the image of Andrei Rublev in the film also a portrayal of the director himself? Great and serious works of art will eventually stand the test of time, and will endure forever in the dust of history.

5. Conclusion

The image of Andrei Rublev in the film mainly contains the following ideological characteristics:
1. It is the theme of the Christian virtues of fraternity. Love, or to be more precise, universal love is the real power that saves the world and promotes the development of history. It is not the law but the grace that fills the world, and it is not deterrence but love that makes it perfect.

2. It is the theme of repentance and self-salvation in the way of suffering, resulting in the resurrection of the soul. Affirmed the value of suffering and the power of repentance, and pointed out that repentance and self-restraint are important ways of moral perfection.

3. Positive thinking about saving Russia from historical disasters. The movie is about Russia's ideals and distinctive characters. The exploration of the Orthodox Church is permeated with "the theme of holy Russia." In the process, the film promotes tolerance, humility, docility, and an unquenchable belief in God. This Russian-style docility is a powerful support in the sea of ​​disaster. It comes from the spirit of Russian saints and has profound religious significance. Different from the destiny’s negativity in which fatalists obey fate, what the film extols is that obedience is a call to participate in life, is to bear one’s own cross, to be full of compassion and love for the people around, and to face all suffering and even death. Peaceful attitude. Accept everything God has arranged, whether it is to give or take away, without complaint, and always hold a grateful heart.

4. The practical significance of movies to the times. The film hints at thinking about the spiritual way out for the Russians in the era of atheism in the Soviet Union, and affirms the importance of Orthodox values ​​and beliefs to Russia. The Orthodox Church is the root of the Russian nation and the spiritual foundation and pillar of the nation. Religion means strong cohesion and centripetal force for the Russian nation.


Attached:

understand this movie you need to know Keywords: Orthodox, Bible (Ge Duolin book before Jesus's life ...), Holy Fool, Russian icon painting, "Trinity" (Korolev rubles representative) , Russian medieval history, Eastern Slavic polytheism...

Suggested bibliography-those books about Russian Orthodox culture you can find in China:
Cao Yue: Russian Orthodox Painting, Kunming: Yunnan University Press, 2009.
Liu Kun: Eastern Orthodox Spirit and Russian Literature, Beijing: People's Literature Publishing House, 2009.
Le Feng: History of Russian Religion, Beijing: China Social Literature Publishing House, 2008.
Xu Fenglin: Russian Religious Philosophy, Beijing: Peking University Press, 2006.
Xu Fenglin: History of Eastern Orthodox Icon, Beijing: Peking University Press, 2012
Ren Guangxuan and Waiting: The Divine Tradition of Russian Literature, Beijing: Peking University Press, 2010.
Liang Kun: The Last Days and Redemption: A Religious Cultural Interpretation of the Theme of Russian Literature in the 20th Century, Beijing: Renmin
University of China Press


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Extended Reading
  • Brittany 2022-03-25 09:01:10

    Bergman's "Seventh Seal" and this film explore the so-called "silence of God" this topic. The bell-casting boy finally succeeded without his father's true biography, and Rublev also made "The Trinity" without God's oracle. There are several passages where Rublev is not in it, but we can feel the atmosphere of his spiritual life and his worldview. Just as the absence of Rublev in the passage corresponds to the silence of God in the film, it confirms that God is everywhere.

  • Everardo 2021-12-22 08:01:13

    Three hours is not boring at all, every bit is worth savoring. A large number of lift-off and long-lens, great vision, and chants make the picture as charming as poetry, and the unique texture of the film vividly shows the rain, fog, and smoke in Russia in winter. From his initial "disdain" towards Jesus and his self-belief crisis after the war, Lublev quietly built the miracle of the Trinity. The most moving scene is the night of bell-casting where copper paste is poured into the mold. There is no close-up of the fiery glorious scene, but the camera is aimed at the humble and pious young bell-casting boy, "God bless..." Jean My nose becomes sore all at once. . Mankind’s pursuit of faith and piety to the unknown are always so moving. The film ends with the camera silently sweeping the huge mural. At this time, it has changed from black and white to color. The horses under the mist seem to be a tribute to life. There are many religious metaphors in the film, because I am not a Christian and the translations are really rubbish, but the gurgling poetry should only be included in this film.

Andrei Rublev quotes

  • Kirill: [admiring one of Feofan's icon paintings] As Epiphanius said in "The Life of Saint Sergeius," "Simplicity, without gaudiness." That is what this is. It's sacred... Simplicity, without gaudiness - you can't say it better.

    Feofan Grek: I see you are a wise man.

    Kirill: If so, is that a good thing? If one is ignorant, isn't it better to be guided by one's heart?

    Feofan Grek: In much wisdom there is much grief. And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

  • Andrey Rublev: I see the world with your eyes. I listen to it with your ears. With your heart...