Overview
Witness the tumultuous life of a master artist during a time of chaos and conflict.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- austere
- cerebral
- harrowing
- focused arthouse viewing
- historical film study
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a cerebral, visually monumental historical epic that turns Rublev’s life into a moving meditation on art, faith, and history.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rublev’s vocation, silence, and response to violence are repeatedly connected to the moral purpose of painting.
The film’s octuple structure moves through distinct episodes around Rublev’s life and the upheavals of medieval Russia.
Tarkovsky stages cathedrals, icons, mud, famine, invasions, and ritual in carefully composed, materially rich images.
Christian imagery, monastic life, Tatar invasions, rival princes, and the destruction surrounding Rublev define the film’s central tension.
Films like Andrei Rublev, and why
The Sacrifice
shared cerebral historical epic, spiritual inquiry, painterly visual design, and meditation on art amid political violence
The Seventh Seal
shared austere historical drama, religious symbolism, moral suffering, and visually contemplative filmmaking
Caravaggio
shared biographical art-film form, creative vocation, institutional pressure, and intense psychological portraiture
Movie Details
- Director
- Andrei Tarkovsky
- Release Date
- 1966-12-16
- Runtime
- 183 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (982)
Cast
- Anatoliy Solonitsyn
- Ivan Lapikov
- Mykola Hrynko
- Nikolai Sergeyev
- Irma Raush
- Nikolay Burlyaev
- Yuriy Nazarov
- Yuriy Nikulin
- Rolan Bykov
- Nikolay Grabbe
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Darkroom
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Andrei Rublev about?
- A visionary icon painter struggles to preserve faith and artistic purpose while medieval Russia is ravaged by war, invasion, and spiritual crisis.
- What is Andrei Rublev like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Andrei Rublev as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Andrei Rublev violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Andrei Rublev as graphic.
- What did critics think of Andrei Rublev?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a cerebral, visually monumental historical epic that turns Rublev’s life into a moving meditation on art, faith, and history.
- Which films are like Andrei Rublev?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sacrifice, The Seventh Seal, and Caravaggio.
- How long is Andrei Rublev?
- Andrei Rublev runs 183 minutes.
- Where can I watch Andrei Rublev?
- In United States, Andrei Rublev streams on Darkroom.
