Andrei Rublev

Created by: Ricky Wilson
Last modified: 2004-04-06
Location: http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/film/rublev.html

Andrei Rublev

Background Information

The film charts the life story of Andrei, a famous Russian icon painter from the fifteenth century (the narrative is substantially fictionalized, since little is known about the details of Andrei's life). The segment we see begins when Andrei and his compatriots are distracted on their journey to complete the painting of a cathedral: they come across a group of rural peasants engaged in a traditional pagan festival.

Things to Watch For

1. How would you characterize Andrei's reaction to the peasants, notably the unclothed females?
2. Are these pagans participating in dvoeverie (double-belief)? What is their impression of Christianity? What is Andrei's response to their paganism?
3. How would you interpret the "crucifixion" of Andrei?