The Sacrifice

"The final film of Andrei Tarkovsky"

1986 2h 29m SV

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 640

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Alexander, a journalist, philosopher and retired actor, celebrates a birthday with friends and family when it is announced that nuclear war has begun.

“The final film of Andrei Tarkovsky”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Erland Josephson
Alexander
Susan Fleetwood
Adelaide
Allan Edwall
Otto
Guðrún Gísladóttir
Maria
Sven Wollter
Victor
Valérie Mairesse
Julia
Filippa Franzén
Marta
Tommy Kjellqvist
Little Man

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Writers: Andrei Tarkovsky
Languages: English, Icelandic, French, Swedish
Countries: Sweden

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Icelandic, French, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, shot by Sven Nykvist. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michał Leszczyłowski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Erland Josephson and Susan Fleetwood and Allan Edwall carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The final film of Andrei Tarkovsky".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0091670 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrei Tarkovsky directs. Sven Nykvist behind the camera. Michał Leszczyłowski cuts. Produced in Sweden. Dialogue in English, Icelandic, French, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

140 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Icelandic, French, Swedish.
3Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, shot by Sven Nykvist. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Michał Leszczyłowski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Erland Josephson and Susan Fleetwood and Allan Edwall carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The final film of Andrei Tarkovsky".
7IMDB entry: tt0091670 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Released under 22 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sven Nykvist
Editing: Michał Leszczyłowski
Production design: Anna Asp
Costume design: Inger Pehrsson
Makeup / hair: Kjell Gustavsson
Runtime: 149 min · 2h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $1,095,380
Original language: SV
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Sacrifice (1986)

Awards

Greta
Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix
Guldbagge Award for Best Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Andrei Tarkovsky

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-08-25
★ 7/10
I reckon anyone with any sense would avoid a family birthday party like the plague, but not 'Alexander" (Erland Josephson) who invites his lot to his seaside home for lunch. He was an actor and fancies himself as a bit of a disillusioned philosopher who craves the decency of times gone by - even though were probably never really there in the first place. Anyway, the party soon sets off down the usual path of familial discord and just when things couldn't get any more awkward, the house starts to tremble and loud aircraft sounds are heard passing overhead. They turn to the television and it tells them that a nuclear war has began before going blank. Now, they have no electricity and no way of knowing what's going on in the outside world and this adds more to their frustrations and fears and drives "Alexander" to his knees in prayer. He prays, he offers everything he has and is - if only his family are spared the worst. It's now that we are introduced to the enigmatic "Otto" (Allan Edwall) who suggests that salvation may indeed be in his hands, but first he must visit - and possibly placate - the reclusive "Maria". Who is she and what power might she have to alter this terminal train of events? This has many of the traits of an Ingmar Bergman film. The usual dysfunctional dynamics, the style of presentation and I'd say the glacial pace of the plot development, but it is't actually that quick. What makes it work though is the striking effort from Josephson in offering us a character who at times looks like he has but a limited grasp on realty, but who also has a deep spirituality to him. Though he doesn't much care for his brood, he will sacrifice anything and everything to see them safe. There's enough dialogue to convey meaning, but no more and the camerawork does most of the rest of the heavy lifting accompanied by some beautiful JS Bach. It's a film that tantalises our brains. We don't get anything, really, handed to us - we can treat it as a load of emperor's new clothes if we like, or we can imagine just how we might deal with impending disaster and consider what pacts we might make with God - or, for that matter, anyone else - to avert catastrophe. Susan Fleetwood is on top form as "Adelaide", a woman not entirely anchored in reality either and the below stairs machinations add a bit of necessary diversion to the intensity of the principal plot as we take a leisurely 2½ hours to reflect on what we might chose to reflect on with armageddon looming. It's a big screen experience, this film. Not just for the cinematography but also to help concentrate - no easy feat at times, here.

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