Andrei Rublev (1966 Andrei Tarkovsky & co-scr)

As you would expect to find with Tarkovsky, you get water, weather, committed acting, awesome moments. Did he see The Seventh Seal? Of course he did. Like that film, this paints a vivid picture of medieval life (15th century) in all its primitivity, sophistication, religion and barbarity. Episodic, but with strong continuing storyline (that's the dumb peasant girl at the end, I think.)

We see some of this stuff where the camera holds on to something a little longer, which he really began to do more in his later films like Stalker. How does it snow inside the church? Some incredible production design and staging, well photographed by Vadim Yusov. The music's by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.

I was most amazed though to find near the opening a buffoon rapping.

After the quite astonishing leap to colour for the climax, and the montage of Rublev's remaining icons, the final shot is horses by the water in the rain...

Anatoliy Solonitsin, Ivan Lapikov, Irina Tarkovskaya, Nikolay Burlyaev (the bell designer).

As films about 15th century Russian religious painters go, it's one of the best. It's rather wonderful.

Didn't get much of a release at home or abroad. Ranked 26th in the 2012 BFI Sight and Sound poll. (Mirror is 19, Stalker 29th). One of Roger Deakins' Top 10.

There's a great word for Tarkovsky: numinous.