Tartosky’s Russian Sci-Fi about 3 characters going to a place called THE Zone where all of one’s deepest desires are filled. A great looking/composition film using the ‘Wizard of Oz’ effect (black and white to color). Not a ‘traditional’ science fiction movie but a deep meditation on human desire. One of the best movie about ‘ideas’ I have seen. Hypnotic and dense as a perogy.
Andrei Tartovsky's Stalker is a real head trip about a guide taking two men, a writer and a scientist, into a mysterious "Zone" where the laws of physics do not apply, in the quest to find a room where all of one's wishes are granted. I know Tartovsky's languorous shots are boring to many, and may not seem necessary to modern audiences. What he's actually doing, here as much as in Solaris, is allowing you to think not AFTER the film, but DURING. Because there is a lot to think about. The films is open to multiple interpretations to the point where it DEFIES interpretation. A perfectly posed philosophical film about unhappiness, at its broadest, it is about anything the unhappy person takes refuge in. Relationships, work, greater principles, democracy (if you see the film as a critique of Soviet communism), venal ones, drugs, violence... the imagery and plot support them all. The most striking, however, is spiritual enlightenment, with the two travelers representing two sides of the atheist's coin and the Stalker as prophet/apostle. Allusions to the the New Testament abound. And while it may seem like enlightenment is impossible, and the Stalker often feels like a failure - the crux of HIS unhappiness - I do believe he succeeds, in a way he doesn't understand. But see what you think; there's no one simple answer. None of Tartovsky's films are easy to sit through, but this one, at least, has a powerful look and a host of strange locations; additional viewings to get more out of the allegory will benefit from the cinematography.
In all honesty, I didn't expect to enjoy this film. At all. All I can say is that it had me hooked from the get-go. I was spellbound to the point of literally losing all track of time. The runtime of nearly 180 minutes ticked by in the blink of an eye. I don't even know what it was that enthralled me to such a degree. Maybe I'll have more answers upon a second or third viewing? 4/4
One of the most awe-inspiring things about Stalker is how Tarkovsky manages to create a very convincing, eerie, and ominous science-fictional world with little or no special effects.
Oddily, the movie is also very thrilling and scary at many points, even though it's very slow-moving and contemplative.
I'd say most of us probably have dopamine receptors that are too overstimulated and fried up to get in the same frequency as this film - but if you manage that, it will be mesmerising.
After seing Solaris, I said to myself that i will never watch another Andrei Tarkovsky movie ever again, since I found Solaris so dull and boring that I allmost turned it off. It had alot of interesting ideas and themes, but like I said it was dull and boring. So for some odd reason i decided to give Tarkovsky one more chance since I thought he had potential as a director. So going into this movie I expected the same boring and dull experience like Solaris. After seeing Stalker I can easily say that I was pleasantly suprised.
This is a very haunting, beautiful and often poectic film about a group of three men who sets out for a room that can grant your deepest desires known as 'The zone'. And what follows is a very surreal and dark journey into the subconscious filled with a lot of philosophical quenstions about life, the human condition, science and religion.
Andrei Tarkovsky's directing is absolutely stunning. It gives it a certain feel and atmosphere that I can't really describe unless you have seen the film. And unlike Solaris, Stalker had in my opinion a very well executed story, great performances, interesting and deep characters and very well written dialog.
Now this film will not be for everybodys tastes. The way it's directed may put some people of, since it uses a lot of slow panning shots and a little amound of editing, that will make the film seem slow for a lot of people. And since it's running time is 2 and a half hours, you have to go in with caution, because if you're not going to be as pulled in by the films atmosphere and directing like i was, you will have a very painfull experience. But if it does draw you in, you will probaly have one of the most unique movie-experiences in a long time.
Personally I was absolutely facinated by it and to my suprise, those 2 and a half hours went by a lot quicker than I expected. And when that happens, it only proves that the movie has sucked you to it's world.
So, I highly recommend Stalker, but i cannot promise you that you will love it, you might even hate it.
The more time that passes since seeing this film, the more I realize that it has stayed with me. It made me feel something I haven't felt since I was a child, a feeling I'd almost forgotten about, the dread and power that "scary places" have on you as a child, whatever forbidden zones that existed that both enticed and repulsed, held the terrible and the irresistible. This movie does the seemingly impossible task of reproducing such a place through the lens of a camera.
This is one of those films that will stay with you forever. Whether you liked it or not, there will always remain this feeling inside you which you can't quite explain. A feeling that only this film can give you, after the first time you've watched it.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 49
mattjacobs188
Stunning.A film to show your friends!
captain canuck
Tartosky’s Russian Sci-Fi about 3 characters going to a place called THE Zone where all of one’s deepest desires are filled. A great looking/composition film using the ‘Wizard of Oz’ effect (black and white to color). Not a ‘traditional’ science fiction movie but a deep meditation on human desire. One of the best movie about ‘ideas’ I have seen. Hypnotic and dense as a perogy.tomaszori
Wait until the end!!!!! Is pretty hard but deserve it.Siskoid
Andrei Tartovsky's Stalker is a real head trip about a guide taking two men, a writer and a scientist, into a mysterious "Zone" where the laws of physics do not apply, in the quest to find a room where all of one's wishes are granted. I know Tartovsky's languorous shots are boring to many, and may not seem necessary to modern audiences. What he's actually doing, here as much as in Solaris, is allowing you to think not AFTER the film, but DURING. Because there is a lot to think about. The films is open to multiple interpretations to the point where it DEFIES interpretation. A perfectly posed philosophical film about unhappiness, at its broadest, it is about anything the unhappy person takes refuge in. Relationships, work, greater principles, democracy (if you see the film as a critique of Soviet communism), venal ones, drugs, violence... the imagery and plot support them all. The most striking, however, is spiritual enlightenment, with the two travelers representing two sides of the atheist's coin and the Stalker as prophet/apostle. Allusions to the the New Testament abound. And while it may seem like enlightenment is impossible, and the Stalker often feels like a failure - the crux of HIS unhappiness - I do believe he succeeds, in a way he doesn't understand. But see what you think; there's no one simple answer. None of Tartovsky's films are easy to sit through, but this one, at least, has a powerful look and a host of strange locations; additional viewings to get more out of the allegory will benefit from the cinematography.jhhayes
In all honesty, I didn't expect to enjoy this film. At all. All I can say is that it had me hooked from the get-go. I was spellbound to the point of literally losing all track of time. The runtime of nearly 180 minutes ticked by in the blink of an eye. I don't even know what it was that enthralled me to such a degree. Maybe I'll have more answers upon a second or third viewing? 4/4Rene Narciso
One of the most awe-inspiring things about Stalker is how Tarkovsky manages to create a very convincing, eerie, and ominous science-fictional world with little or no special effects.Oddily, the movie is also very thrilling and scary at many points, even though it's very slow-moving and contemplative.
Definitely a masterpiece.
QQsniff
I'd say most of us probably have dopamine receptors that are too overstimulated and fried up to get in the same frequency as this film - but if you manage that, it will be mesmerising.BigAwesomeBLT
Woody Harrelson and his two mates sod about on some train tracks, then in a field, and then in a tunnel. Nothing else happens.Groovy09
After seing Solaris, I said to myself that i will never watch another Andrei Tarkovsky movie ever again, since I found Solaris so dull and boring that I allmost turned it off. It had alot of interesting ideas and themes, but like I said it was dull and boring. So for some odd reason i decided to give Tarkovsky one more chance since I thought he had potential as a director. So going into this movie I expected the same boring and dull experience like Solaris. After seeing Stalker I can easily say that I was pleasantly suprised.This is a very haunting, beautiful and often poectic film about a group of three men who sets out for a room that can grant your deepest desires known as 'The zone'. And what follows is a very surreal and dark journey into the subconscious filled with a lot of philosophical quenstions about life, the human condition, science and religion.
Andrei Tarkovsky's directing is absolutely stunning. It gives it a certain feel and atmosphere that I can't really describe unless you have seen the film. And unlike Solaris, Stalker had in my opinion a very well executed story, great performances, interesting and deep characters and very well written dialog.
Now this film will not be for everybodys tastes. The way it's directed may put some people of, since it uses a lot of slow panning shots and a little amound of editing, that will make the film seem slow for a lot of people. And since it's running time is 2 and a half hours, you have to go in with caution, because if you're not going to be as pulled in by the films atmosphere and directing like i was, you will have a very painfull experience. But if it does draw you in, you will probaly have one of the most unique movie-experiences in a long time.
Personally I was absolutely facinated by it and to my suprise, those 2 and a half hours went by a lot quicker than I expected. And when that happens, it only proves that the movie has sucked you to it's world.
So, I highly recommend Stalker, but i cannot promise you that you will love it, you might even hate it.
Biki
nicolaskrizan
Art and Science on a hazardous journeyhttps://beyond1001movies.wordpress.com/2015/06/07/%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BA%D0%B5%D1%80-stalker-1979/
bulmer
The more time that passes since seeing this film, the more I realize that it has stayed with me. It made me feel something I haven't felt since I was a child, a feeling I'd almost forgotten about, the dread and power that "scary places" have on you as a child, whatever forbidden zones that existed that both enticed and repulsed, held the terrible and the irresistible. This movie does the seemingly impossible task of reproducing such a place through the lens of a camera.ReVision
This is one of those films that will stay with you forever. Whether you liked it or not, there will always remain this feeling inside you which you can't quite explain. A feeling that only this film can give you, after the first time you've watched it.Yousef Mousa
This is a poem rather than a movieKloVero
I got physically involved watching this movie. Tarkovski is undoubtedly the best to create ambience. I never saw anything like this.Showing items 1 – 15 of 49