Is anyone aware of any filmmakers that cited this film as an influence? I thought it was similar to some of Tarkovskys work, especially Solyaris. I thought the two were quite similar.
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I do see some similarities. In particular, both do a lot of bizarre, close up body shots. Both do strange cutaways to natural patterns such as sand or algae. And both use the theme of an overwhelming, envelopping environment that has dominion over all.
But remember that Solyaris was in 1972, almost 10 years after this film. If anything, I'd say Tarkovsky was influenced by Hiroshi Teshigahara.
Given the similarities though, I still can't figure out why I loved this film so much whereas I don't like Tarkovsky's work at all. I think it's because Teshigahara stays much more focused on a central theme, whereas Tarkovsky likes to wander about. I see it as Realism (Teshigahara) vs. Impressionism (Tarkovsky).
I have to disagree with you there - I certainly wouldn't classify Teshigahara's film as an example of `realism`. The cinematography, I would say, definitely gives the film a `surreal` dimension. I would also say that Soylaris also has surreal dimensions.
shareYou're right. Actually I didn't word it clearly. What I meant to say is that comparing Teshigahara to Tarkovsky (in cinema) is like comparing Realism to Impressionism (in painting).
The analogy has nothing to do with technical style. I meant it mainly with regard to the clarity of presentation. In painting, Realism uses distinct colours and sharp lines to show a very clear picture; Impressionism uses vague smears and hazy images to give the observer an emotional "impression".
Teshigahara gives us a very vivid plot, clear dialogue and a crisp theme throughout the film, and much like in a Realist painting, there's no question what he's showing us. Tarkovsky, on the other hand, presents a hazy, poetic outline which doesn't always give the viewer a clear image of what's going on, and it's up to the viewer to discern the meaning.
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