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Example of Tarkovsky's exemplary use of long takes. There are three shots here. The first lasts approximately 1 minute 27 seconds. The second is .43 seconds. The third is just under a minute (.58 seconds). The last is one of the most brilliant shots in the history of cinema. Imagine the audacity of a filmmaker who is willing to stage a shot so that the revelation at the end of .58 seconds (the burning barn) comes after the execution of a series of complicated, intricate movements of the camera + actor + inanimate objects (the vase that falls to the ground). If anything went wrong prior to this the whole shot would be ruined and the burning barn would be for naught. For more on Tarkovsky's theory of the long take see his terrific book Sculpting in Time, a must for all serious filmmakers, present and future.