Tarkovsky perceived that the art of cinema has only been truly mastered by very few filmmakers, stating in a 1970 interview with Naum Abramov that "they can be counted on the fingers of one hand".
tɑːɹkˈɑːvski pɚsˈiːvd ðætðɪ ˈɑːɹt ʌv sˈɪnəmə hɐz ˈoʊnli bˌɪn tɹˈuːli mˈæstɚd baɪ vˈɛɹi fjˈuː fˈɪlmeɪkɚz, stˈeɪɾɪŋ ɪn ɐ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti ˈɪntɚvjˌuː wɪð nˈaʊm ˈeɪbɹɐmˌɑːv ðˈæt "ðeɪ kæn biː kˈaʊntᵻd ɔnðə fˈɪŋɡɚz ʌv wˈʌn hˈænd".