In 1974, an acquaintance from Tallinnfilm approached Tarkovsky to write a screenplay on a German theme.
ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈoːɹ, ɐn ɐkwˈeɪntəns fɹʌm tˈælɪnfˌɪlm ɐpɹˈoʊtʃt tɑːɹkˈɑːvski tə ɹˈaɪt ɐ skɹˈiːnpleɪ ˌɔn ɐ dʒˈɜːmən θˈiːm.