Andrei Tarkovsky’s final film, The Sacrifice, is a fitting epitaph for a great artist. While it’s not an easy movie to get through, nearly every frame is a piece of art, the script is thoughtful, and the performances are universally excellent.
The story itself is a simple one. It covers twenty-four hours as a Swedish family deals with the prospect of nuclear war. Sixty something world-weary retired professor, Alexander (Erland Josephson lives on a remote island off Sweden’s Baltic coast with his younger English wife Adelaide (Susan Fleetwood, sister of Fleetwood Mac’s Mick), teenage daughter Marta (Filippa Franzen) and a young son, known simply as Gossen or “Little Man” (Tommy Kjellvqist). Alexander dotes on the boy, hoping to instill in him a sense of spiritual purpose in a world that has lost its way.
The Sacrifice opens on Alexander’s birthday, prior to the announcement of World War III. Alexander and Little Man are planting a tree, a symbol of their aim to make the world a better place. During this event, they run into their mailman Otto (Allan Edwall), who enjoys quoting Nietzsche and discussing philosophy with Alexander. Both he and the retired professor are struck with visions at different times in the movie, just two of the unexplained and potentially supernatural events that pervade the picture. That evening, Otto comes to Alexander’s birthday party, presenting him with an ancient map, yet another symbol of man’s contradictory knowledge. Also at the gathering is Alexander’s son-in-law Victor (Sven Wollter), their live-in maid Julia (Valérie Mairesse), and an Icelandic woman named Maria (Gudún S. Gísladóttir) who also works in the house. Maria represents society’s outsiders, she belongs there, but she’s not particularly familiar with her employers, because they haven’t taken the time to get to know her.
Once the news of impending doom reaches the family, The Sacrifice goes haywire. The colors change, everything becomes washed out, and nearly pale. It’s almost as if nuclear winter has already set in. Victor (Sven Wollter), a doctor, quickly gives the women sedatives to calm them, while the men turn to alcohol. Julia refuses to wake up Little Man from his nap, hoping that if annihilation does suddenly arrive, it will happen while the boy is asleep. Though a professed atheist, Alexander falls to his knees and recites the Lord’s Prayer. He desperately tries to make a deal with God: “I will give Thee all I have. I’ll give up my family, whom I love. I’ll destroy my home, and give up Little Man. I’ll be mute and never speak another word to anyone. I will relinquish everything that binds me to life, if only Thou dost restore everything as it was before, as it was this morning.” Salvation comes in the form of love from Maria, who may or may not be a witch.
The Sacrifice was shot by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, who was behind the camera for many of Ingmar Bergman’s most famous films, as such, he was no stranger to cinema as areligious quest. No two people will likely see this film the same way, but it is one that should be felt first and analyzed later. Tarkovsky forces the viewer to engage fully with what they’re watching and care about the characters.
Sourced from a 2023 4K SDR restoration from the original 35mm negative of the film, Kino Lorber has delivered another solid 4K title. While the release lacks HDR, the image reveals a strong depth of field with intricate details and realistic textures. The production team excels at handling the shifting image styles, adjusting the tones to best represent Nykvist’s intentions. There are hardly any instances of scratches or marks on the film, and only twice did I notice any splotchy backgrounds. This 4K transfer is a wonderful result for an unforgettable film.
The audio mix is restored from magnetic tape. The result is surprisingly warm. There’s good use of ambient noise and volume levels to create a realistic sounding landscape, even within the limited speaker range. The few scenes where the sound effects grow loud have the appropriate heft, making the viewer feel like a part of the action.
The optional English subtitles are well done and easy to read.
The following extras are included:
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- Audio Commentary by Layla Alexander-Garrett, Tarkovsky’s translator on the set of The Sacrifice
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (1988, a documentary on the making of The Sacrifice)
- Interview with Michal Leszczylowski (editor of The Sacrifice)
- Trailers
