Are the DVDs any good? The covers leave me very questionable.

Don't hesitate to pick these up.

Although I will need another viewing, or three, or more to form an opinion on Mirror, I can unequivocally recommend The Sacrifice, especially because it includes the Tarkovsky documentary as a bonus. There's nothing wrong with these DVDs and a hell of a lot right.

By the way, I just read that Mr. Chris Marker (La Jetee, A.K.) has done a new hour-long doc on Tarkovsky called One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich. I hope I get a chance to see it, because it sounds great.

You can read more about it here:
http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/revi...sky/index.html

I would also recommend The Sacrifice wholeheartedly. After C
riterion's Andrei Rublev, the best Tarkovsky on dvd ,IMO.
The documentary is also something to cherish in your collection.

The only thing that might postpone your purchase of Mirror is coming Ruscico disc that, judging by Solaris's transfer, could be of much better quality than Kino's disc. I would buy The Sacrifice without any hesitation as somebody pointed out, for the documentary alone.

Sem's point is a good one.

Kino's release of The Sacrifice is likely the best you're gonna see for quite awhile, if ever. Plus, it includes the 'Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky' documentary. Nice set.

Mirror, on the other hand, is bare bones, plus Ruscico will be releasing this disc. If their version of Solaris is any indication, their version of Mirror will be much nicer than Kino's. Hell, even the trailer for Mirror that's included on the Solaris set looks better than Kino's transfer.

My advice: buy Kino's "The Sacrifice". Wait to purchase Ruscico's "Mirror".