Page - 121 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 04/02

120 | Philippe Bornet www.jrfm.eu 2018, 4/2, 117–120 renunciation, the monastic ideal) and Taoist notions (explicitly suggested by the yin-yang print on Alexander’s robe in the last scenes, and a possible echo to the ecological concern that pervades the film), at least as imagined by a Russian di- rector working in the second part of the 20th century. In addition, there would be ample space to develop a discussion about how the film might (or might not) reflect non-institutional and alternative forms of religion, such as Theoso- phy or Anthroposophy (the criticism of western materialism, the notion of a soteriological quest). In any case, The Sacrifice is both marked by an impressive number of discrete influences and lends itself to various interpretations. It can and probably should be considered a “myth” for modern times, questioning existential matters in a time of crisis. On a more formal note, I would like to underline the quality of expression and the careful editing. However, even if it is evident that the reader is meant to watch the film while reading the book, the reproduction of a few film stills related to major scenes would have been particularly welcome. Similarly, since this is a dense work, dealing with a great variety of topics, a thematic index would have been a useful addition. These minor reservations notwithstanding, the present volume offers a rich and detailed analysis of The Sacrifice as well as a solid theoretical framework to explore the interface of film and religion – a framework that will, one hopes, inspire further studies of the same genre on other filmic corpuses. FILMOGRAPHY Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, SU 1972). Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, SU 1979). The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky, SE/GB/FR 1986). BIBLIOGRAPHY Tarkovsky, Andrei, 1986, Sculpting in Time. Reflections on the Cinema, London: The Bodley Head.