Andrei Tarkovsky, Kazimierz Kutz and Federico Fellini: References and counterpoints.

This article analyzes the intertextual and intermedial references in Andrei Tarkovsky’s films *Ivanovo detstvo* (Ivan’s Childhood, 1962) and *Zerkalo* (Mirror, 1975), demonstrating how Tarkovsky incorporates and transforms elements from Kazimierz Kutz’s *Krzyż Walecznych* (Cross of Valour, 1958) and Federico Fellini’s *8½* (1963), respectively. In *Ivan’s Childhood*, Tarkovsky directly quotes a key scene from Kutz’s film about war’s devastation, reworking its imagery and emotional tone to emphasize Russian patriotism and the loss of childhood. In *Mirror*, Tarkovsky employs both direct and contrapuntal references to Fellini’s *8½*, including narrative structures, dream sequences, and motifs such as mirrors, to explore memory, identity, and artistic creation, while also integrating intermedial elements like visual art and poetry. The article argues that these cinematic dialogues reveal Tarkovsky’s cosmopolitan approach and deepen the thematic complexity of his films through layered allusions and reinterpretations.