BEFORE YOU COMMENT: Let me explain about the name pronunciations. When I made this video, I was actually thinking about quitting TH-cam because (despite just crossing 100k subs) it had been several years and wasn’t making enough money to invest so much time into it. I decided to make a video just for me on Stalker because I found the movie very interesting. I figured it wouldn’t get many views because I had never met anyone who had seen it, but I thought it would be cool to devote time and effort into making a quality video on a movie that wouldn’t otherwise get that treatment. My core audience would give me nice comments about how much they liked my videos, but they would always point out that I mispronounced something no matter how much effort I put in to getting it right. For this last video, I thought I’d goof around as sort of an inside joke about not even trying to pronounce the Russian names. To my shock and surprise, the video went viral, brought in a ton of new subs, and totally reinvigorated the channel. The only issue is that, for years, new people have discovered my channel through this video and, without the context, thought that I was goofing on the name pronunciations out of disrespect or laziness. **Also fun fact: Given the nature of the story, you might find it hilarious that I recorded the whole video to find out that the mic stand was constantly bumping up against the table and I had the re-record the whole video over again.
I actually live and spent a lot of time of my childhood around the areas stalker was shot. And i think i remember my dad mentioning he ruined many takes of the film with a tractor.
Fun unrelated fact: Tarkovsky wrote the script for Andrey Rublev together with another famous soviet director Andron Konchalovsky. After they'd finished the script, they decided to celebrate and took a cab to the Metropol restaurant. Once they'd sat down and were ready to touch glasses, they discovered that they'd left the script behind in the cab. They had been working on the script for a year; there was only one copy, and the copy was lost. The two directors got drunk out of disappointment and frustration, and a few hours later, when Tarkovsky got back to Metropol after a walk to have a few more drinks, the very same cab pulled over next to him, the driver silently gave him the script through the window and took off. I've heard this story from another terrific soviet director Andrey Smirnov, the creator of Belorussky Vokzal (Belorussian Railway Station).
Only copy of the final draft you mean? I'm sure they don't carefully burn every copy after retyping with the hand-written edits applied, as well as all of their notes and personal journals after they finished.
@@JohnDlugosz That's just how this story was told by Mr Smirnov. Yes, it probably was the only copy of the final draft, as you suggested. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal.
I can't imagine how soul crushing and just unbelievably heartbreaking it would be to film such a meticulous and dangerous film just for it to get ruined Its a blessing that we even got to see the masterpiece in the first place
@Irakli Meparishvili I agree, but this seems to be a thing with Tarkovsky. He has an actress in the Sacrifice perform an almost identical tantrum on the floor of that set too. Based on what we know of Tarkovsky's obsession, it might be more fair to credit that performance to the director's vision rather than on the actor's interpretation of the script...
Or anything else by Tarkovsky, as they are all good. Mirror really requires viewing of all the other Tarkovsky films to understand it, but all the others are self contained and amazing in their own right.
Anatoly Solonitsyn died from lung cancer in 1982 when he was only 47. Four years later, Tarkovsky died from the same illness. Solonitsyn was Tarkovsky's kindred spirit, his alter ego, they understood each other almost without words. I have loved and admired Solonitsyn ever since I first saw him in Stalker 13 years ago. What he did in Andrey Rublev, I think, is beyond acting craft, beyond art, beyond human. There was always something transcendental, otherworldly in all his roles. A video about Andrey Rublev would be very interesting. There are many stories around its production and, in particular, the way Solonitsyn approached his role (which initially belonged to Stanislav Lyubshin).
@@maddieb.4282 Acording to Anatoli's wife, they got cancer due to exposure to toxic materials during the filming of Stalker, in a river scene next to a chemical factory. I was trying to get more info, but I couldn't find any... anyway, if that was really the cause, smoking wouldn't help at all...
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was indeed inspired by both the movie and the book Here's to hoping that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will have an atmosphere that matches the original trilogy
I was more the book than the movie, actually. The movie is way too philosophical, but the book ("Roadside Picnic" by Strugatsky brothers) really has all the anomalies and the strange creatures and the whole mythology in it.
God I'm obsessed with the Stalker 1979 film. I love how different it is from the book. No aliens, monsters or villains, just pure existencial crisis between the three characters as they walk into a lifeless zone trying to find some sort of meaning to life only to walk further and further into a void.
All movies fillmed in USSR were not supposed to make profit, to make money. Government gave money to director to make movie. So when Tarkovsky were producinig his Stalker he didnt care abot boxoffice. That's why many soviet movies were pure art not business product like hollywood.
Soviet movie industry have "art council" for each movie. You should be talented to work in movie business and you should do your best, to have opportunity to make next movie. In case of bad directing, the art counsils can change director, or even do not let movie on the screen. These art councils also do the casting very carefully - all actors should be the best possible choice for the each main role.
No, Soviet movies were not "pure art" as they were used for political propaganda. The purpose of Mosfilm was to glorify the communist regime. Tarkovsky's movies were artistic and spiritual rebellion against it. That is why he was censored and opressed, and eventually had to leave the USSR.
I think red in reproduction film is a sensitive color, often with decaying packaging in sunlight weather or so red seems to be the first to go thus yellow in worst scenario, green , certainly captured and frozen in time, intent , possibly, film was the only medium of cosequence as in still fotography, fortunately in a digitized age much can be accomplished with color and tonal presentation from black and white to the depths of white, on a grayscale of course. Malfunctions in fixer contaminating developer in industrial capacity film processing is a definite reality to this day in polymer printing plates for offset... a good ending word.
I think the set of unfortunate events brought that atmosphere of heaviness and tiredness into the film that jumps at you out of the screen, it was a worthy effort all the way through.
I saw 'Stalker' just because I was in a film club and it was on. I had no prior information about it. Probably the most visually stunning film I've ever seen ... years before CGI. It was all just (a few) sets, then incredible use of a blasted industrial landscape. The Russian V/O works like a musical soundtrack. I'd HATE to see a dubbed version! Amazing. On my greatest films, Top Ten List.
I’ve never really knew it was a thing. Have you heard of Richard Stanley? Dust Devil, Hardware and “Lost Soul” details (documentary must see) the making of the Island of Dr. Moreau. A film that would have likely been great and turned into the worst ever and also ended Richards career.
Jesus, I worked on many movie sets and trust me, most of the time it's extremely tiresome (even if we are in a "nice" place it's extremely crowded, everybody is in a rush, everybody is tense, you have to work sometimes 10-15 hours a day -maybe more- and you can never really rest because you don't know what's inside the directors head and if he says something you act instantly). I can't imagine what were it like to shoot this damned move 3 TIMES in the worst set you can imagine. Many people have no idea how much sweat is to make a movie.
I've got a friend who was an actor as a kid, teenager. a few times I went with him up to the bbc, and no thanks not for me... neither side of the camera, to hard. one day I wandered off and got really lost in the place... fun times
@@ozymandiasnullifidian5590 Fun fact: people need money to survive. And I never said that it's always horrible. It's just harder than one would think. But seeing your grammar I don't think you fully understood my comment, so I'd advice you to read it a couple of times more.
It might be most streamed in certain places, however Stalker is still such an underrated film of it's time and still a very deep and mysterious movie, especially that ending, just wow! Honest moment, only watched this for the first time last year, this is a brilliant film.
Thats how I feel about "classic" movies and books. If a piece of art is considered a masterpiece or atleast important, you figure it has value and you would not want to miss out on the chance to experience that. update: I watched Stalker for the first time yesterday, my feeling by the end was, there was a lot of effort and love put into it, and I appreciated the sci fi elements ( characters walking around a zone that has been warped so much, it can change reality itself). The pacing was slow and some of the dialogue seemed not that interesting to me. I still think it is worth a watch to see the move version of a sci fi story, but I do not think would watch it a 2nd time. I will read the story (I get the feeling the plot of the story is better told in the novel).
@@gelitrippingkiddo5907 Did you know Anton Mesmer lived in Vienna at the time of Mozart? He was reasonably well off from his practice and research into hypnosis (called "mesmerism" or "animal magnetism" at the time) and had a nice house near Vienna, and he would throw parties featuring Mozart's music (live, obviously). Mozart was very young at that time and Mesmer seemed to have an ear for talent :-) I have always regretted they didn't find a way to include Anton Mesmer in the film _Amadeus,_ just as a cameo and a wink to the audience perhaps.
2:25 Just for the record: Tarkovsky's _Solaris_ is not an "answer" to Kubrick's _2001_ in any sense, neither was it "caused" by it. Tarkovsky hadn't even seen _2001_ until _Solaris_ was well into the editing stage. The motivation for _Solaris_ was completely different: it was Tarkovsky's problems with his previous film _Andrei Rublov_ which was shelved for several years by the ruling Communist Party. So Tarkovsky started looking for a topic for his next film as diametrically opposite to Mediaeval Russia as possible. By chance at a party someone told him of Stanisław Lem's book _Solaris_ and that he ought to read it. He did and decided this was the material he's been looking for. I know it's tempting to think Kubrick influenced Tarkovsky but it's simply not true, it was a coincidence.
“The film [Stalker] needs to be slower and duller at the start so that the viewers who walked into the wrong theatre have time to leave before the main action starts.” ― Andrei Tarkovsky
The whole point was that the house was built expressly to burn completely in the space of a 1000’ magazine. It was Tarkovsky’s vision. Motion picture cameras are of extremely high quality with tight tolerances as image steadiness depended on it in the mechanical era. Rumor I heard was that Arriflex received steel with the wrong coefficient of expansion causing the movement to get too tight as it heated up. Other cameras from that batch worked perfectly in the US because nobody shoots 10 minute takes.
I love the idea of Kubrick being one side of the brain and Tarkosvky being the other purely from a poetic view. One is from the west, one is from the east, both operating during a very turbulent and tense time between their two countries, and they themselves are almost like opposites in their styles and motivations for movie making, despite both often times tackling similar subjects. Ying and yang, perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
@@Football101syou can understand the point of something while also finding it boring. I understand the point of letting paint dry but that doesnt make it any more exciting. With that said though i very much enjoyed Stalker
I used to absolutely despise MLA and APA formatting and thought it was pointless. Nowadays when I am reading a paper or watching a video and I want a source i get completely frustrated that I have to look for it myself. Human condition...
Yeah, except Tarkvoskij's directing is the exact opposite of static since the majority of his films constantly move through nature and evocative environments at a calming pace.
Sorry for my bad english, but I would like to tell about the "effect" Tarkovsky wanted Rerberg to make, which you mention around 8:08. I just recently finished reading a book written by Evgeny Tsymbal, who worked as a props assitant from the beginning of filming till the end of it. That's from march 1977 till january 1979. The last scene they finished, was the last in the movie: Stalkers daughter reading the book and moving the glasses. So, he worked all the way through the shooting of this film, and he mentions this "effect". Which wasn't really an effect. So in the first version of the movie, they were shooting the dialogue between Professor, Writer and Stalker "on location" inside the abandoned power plant in Estonia. The scene was close to what we see in the final picture just before they come down to the threshold of the Room. There's dialogue between Professor, Writer and Stalker inside a small room, with mystical phonecall, shot through doorway. In the final version this was filmed on a soundstage in Moscow on "Mosfilm studio". Yes, ALL the interiors in the final version of the movie were build on soundstage. They were build by Rashid Safiullin and MOSTLY by Vladimir Fabrikov, who was lead carpenter and one of the production designers on the film. But in the first year of shooting, as mentioned before, they tried to make this kind of a scene on location inside the abandoned power plant. The problem was - there were almost no room to setup the light to light the scene. Tarkovsky said to Rerberg, that he saw same kind of a scene in one of the Bergman's movie and "he somehow did that, and it magically worked. I wanted you to make the same atmosphere". They tried in multiple times, it didn't work. Because there was no space to setup enough light. So Rerberg suggested to Safiullin and Tsymbal, what they tear down the wall, so he can put a ligh outside. Filming stopped about for a day and a half (but they were already out of schedule) while these 2 guys break a wall. Remember - it's on location. This power plant was built around WW1. With massive granite rocks. So the wall was around one meter thick. They have only crowbars and sledgehammers. Tsymbal remembers that after 1st day of work, the blood was pouring down from their palms. So anyway. They make a giant hole in this wall, Rerberg set up the lighting fixtures outside, they again started to shoot aaand... it again wasn't the thing Tarkovsky wanted. And again "the scene does not work" like it was in Bergman movie. Tarkovsky was furious that they wasted time, Rerberg couldn't do what he (Tarkovsky) want's and they ruined the location, they might have used later to shoot from different angles. That's the story.
The problem with "ruined" footage is somewhat more complicated than that. According to memoirs of Boris Strugatsky (co-writer of both original book and movie script) Tarkovsky was extremely unhappy with movie as it was coming along and thought that the take on the story and Stalker's character is wrong. Apparently first version had more tough and proactive protagonist, more in line with the book and even referred as "Rambo like". So there is certain suspicion by some people whether footage was ruined by accident or deliberately. In the end Tarkovsky asked authors to re-write the script and apparently liked this new Stalker character a lot more. So that's what we've got and according to authors it is pretty different to original vision.
Yup, the video game is in many ways closer to the novel than to the movie, though the game in itself is again a completely different version of the underlying story and "the zone". I wonder what would be the result if a director like Christopher Nolan or David Fincher would do their own adaptation of the original novel. That would be a movie I really, REALLY want to see.. (An adaptation made by Stanley Kubrick would have been VERY interesting as well....)
@@NKA23 why would you want to see a movie from Nolan or Fincher if you already have a movie from tarkovsky. This film is really, really damn impressive. I love how its metaphor gives many different meaning to each viewers. I have my own interpretations of the film and the shots are also just incredibly beautiful. A film from Kubrick would be interesting. He also will probably make enemies and issues while producing cause Kubrick is also known to be a perfectionist. However I find it funny how Kubrick liked solaris yet Tarkovsky hated 2001. A film like this from Nolan would only be 100% for entertaining purposes. Fincher is a good director but I would much rather see a film like this from Kubrick than from Fincher
It would have been impossible to do this on purpose (not enough space to explain, lots of reasons, just trust me on that). I've seen film strips from the first version (just few frames long each) scanned by someone in Russia and they all have a very heavy blue-green cast, as if a tungsten colour balance was used in daylight or something. There is a (long, again) story how this happened. One source Russians bought Kodak film from at the time was a company in West Berlin (forget its name, it was run by some guy named Sergo Gambarov, probably an emigree or some such) and he apparently shipped to them a new Kodak negative without telling them it required an updated chemistry to process it.
I saw "Stalker" in a re-release at an art house a few years ago. I think Tarkovsky created a film that was a visceral experience that I cannot describe in any way for others to understand. I was immersed in it from beginning to end.
Since he even dedicated it to him, I feel like von Trier's 'Antichrist' is the closest we'll ever get to a Tarkovsky horror film. I agree about missing out on so many great works in other genres he could have made. Great vid essay.
That truly is a horror film, in the true sense of horror. It was disgusting to me, and by that I do not mean bad, but horrific. It did it's job, I am never watching it again. I really liked the talking fox, the highlight of the movie to me, which I have heard others think was silly. I saw the darkness in it.
Thanks for analysing a Tarkovsky movie! Stalker is definitely one of my favourites. As for Russian surnames (or those of most languages) one can just copy-paste the original name into google translate and then just listen to the pronunciation 👍
I never had money for a powerful computer to play this game back then so I got the book and the movie from a library and realized how those two were so much different to each other but so much better than the game
@@brandoncallahan9289 Well they tried faction wars and it did not turn out well, but the game is still fun to play through with the usual secret underground lab and stuff.. Just alot more shooting than usual haha
My father was tortured to death by cancer for 18 months, due to long term exposure to photographic chemical and printing solvents. He was a gravure etcher, photolithographer and visual artist. My father died just after the Chernobyl disaster. So when I say I find the making of Stalker extremely upsetting, you'll understand I have skin in the game. Sounds like making of Stalker is a microcosm of post Chernobyl Soviet Union, just as the making of Apocalypse Now was a microcosm of the Vietnam war. I look forward to watching Stalker… but I’m gonna have to prepare for the dive.
A masterpiece. A real think-piece. The idea that we don't all always know what we want, even when we think we do. It's quite cutting and penetrative, and really made me think and reflect. And the fact the film is visually stunning helps as well.
Tarkovsky was a visionary. That comes with a price tag that far exceeds the cost of a production. Many great artists have killed themselves to realize their vision. God bless them all.
"They told me I was daft for filming in a stagnant polluted swamp. But I did it anyway. That film collapsed into the swamp. So I filmed it a second time...that one burned down and sank into the swamp...but the THIRD film stayed!-Tarkovsky
@@natura808 and still they fucked the game up, now releasing the sequel that's going to be a disappointment. Hope I'm wrong, but hope isn't gonna do the trick.
Thank you for this video! I fell in love with this film so deeply the first time I watched it that I learned Russian just to be able to fully watch, understand, and appreciated this masterpiece. It cost me 2 years of my life, more than 1000 hours and over 6000 USD in lessons and apps... это того стоило
I'm about to watch Stalker for the first time. Thanks for sharing the history behind creating the film. I'm going to watch Stalker now with a lot more appreciation behind how it was made
CUBE was also an inspired film, almost like a play, apart from the traps. The psychological manipulation, the claustrophobia and the subtle oppressing atmosphere worked great and would not be matched by it's sequels, although CUBE 0 came close and was even more cruel than the first movie.
Cube. I guess I am the only one who thinks that movie was made to be a comedy. I laughed so hard when I watched it. So much overacting, funny death scenes and stupid decisions made by characters. I get the idea but the movie was hilarious.
Ironically (I guess) enough, CUBE was written into a song by a Christian post-hardcore band, Hands. And it was actually pretty good and I felt musically captured the films atmosphere
As an ethnic Russian and a fan of Tarkovsky, I thank you for this refreshing take on his work. I feel like when he is talked about by Russians in documentaries it is always with exceptional reverence... Not like he doesn't deserve it of course, but I really like your style. You've already got some very good tips on pronouncing some of the surnames. I would like to add that the stress in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is on the first syllable. Oh and the Jonesey t-shirt is cute! 😄👍
@g milne actually he's not even a good troll. Just off the top of my head, I'm thinking, "if there were better directors in Russia, they died in the gulag". Actually, just grouping directors under the ethnic term "Slavic", smacks of far right agitprop to me. IDK
@@TheFutureLooksGrimm , I don't know much about soviet cinematography, but my favorite soviet movies work around russian language. In these movies dialogues don't sound like normal conversations, and it brings huge amount of personality. Maybe this is the reason why visual directors like Tarkovsky are much appreciated in the West. But in my opinion good chunk of russian movies are lost for foreign viewers due to their untranslatable nature.
I was left in awe and with so much unspoken emotions the first fine I saw "Stalker". It's an incredible journey, in my humble opinion far more superior than the source material, the "picnic" novella. I found the characters incredibly fascinating, and the visuals are really gorgeous. I was shocked when I hear about the intoxication and the death of both his genius and his talented crews. Solaris was enchanting, but this is the film that really got under my skin.
Saw it on film in Moscow last year and quality of the film was amazing. Tarkovsky specifically pointed that there's no politics, movie is more on philosophical, religious and transcendental side. Stalker is like a priest essentially, in a totally materialistic world. Btw that shot of paper waste was made by Rerberg, and that's the only piece by him which been left in final cut of the movie. As for being a cause of death of Tarkovsky himself and some crew members, dunno about that. There's still some crew members alive to this day, such as costume designer Nelly Fomina etc. I've heard Tarkovsky had a strong lung infection at his childhood (possibly tuberculosis), and up to late 60s -- early 70s he was a smoker. Also, durring work on Stalker he had heart attack, and recent medical studies shows some correlation between heart attack and cancer. So it's most likely was a combination of these unlucky and unfortunate events which leads to his disease.
also, especially in the English media in the 80s, the anti-Soviet propaganda was pretty heavy-handed. Tarkovsky, as a critically acclaimed USSR film-maker, was the target of rumors in the West.There were probably some awful environmental disasters going on, but...
@@fuckererbitcher8689 it sure is, but for Tarkovsky major role was in philosophy and religious issues. But the beauty of the art is that you're absolutely free to interpret things as you see, as you prefer.
@You Tube Not really. For example I was baptized around this time. Mainstream culture look on religion was indeed ironic but you can find unironic references in big movies, like another classic "Come and See". Edit: Forgot an elephant in the room. Master and Margarita was a decade since published and a widely known classic.
Thank you, for 40 years I've been trying to identify/remember the name of this this unsettling film that I had seen once before as part of a film festival in 1980, and never saw on show again.
I bought this film on DVD for $50 dollars at HMV, based on a persons recommendation. The first time I watched it I couldn't get into it, second I watched it I was intrigued, 3rd time I was spell bound. This movie challenges you to be bored but is never boring. The best $50 dollars I ever spent on a masterpiece that I once could not comprehend at first.
Some of the Stalker environments look incredibly toxic, but I think a bit much is made out of the Stalker-killed-them theory. Being smokers, drinkers, and living lives of creative stress under government control couldn't have helped.
Some of the areas they were filming in were incredibly toxic. There were scene shot near a Soviet Chemical Plant, the water would burn your skin. There was scenes with what looks like snow or ash in falling.. that was toxic ash raining down from the plant. Oddly enough the USSR and the US had some severe problems with chemical pollution in that time. We had a river catch fire, we had corps hiding dioxin as a paving agent and burying it on farms in Missouri.. and worse. They had of course some horrible areas, giant radioactive lakes.. other fun stuff.
@@meatybtz Yep, the very idea of the Zone was a reference to Chernobyl, but also partly (in my opinion) about the kinds of industrial no-go-zones in which they filmed. Tarkovsky in that sense was literally a 'stalker' showing us the surreal views of industrial wastelands that ordinary people could not venture into without exposing themselves to serious health risks.
Thank you, Tyler, for covering Tarkovsky and Sidney Lumet and David Lean, and other amazing filmmakers from the past instead of pumping out half-baked superhero stuff just because it's popular. Stay true to yourself and your passions. You're the best in the game today.
I wanted to focus on understanding the central message of the film after watching it for the first time today. Initially I saw the Stalker as a charlatan. Promising a divine reward but only to those who pay him and following him without question. At the threshold of The Room the decision for both not to enter leads to an uncharacteristic emotional breakdown of the stalker. Like a preacher losing his congregation. The paradox is that the stalker is delivering them to materialistic evil, not from it. The Scientist never intended to enter and the Artist (Writer) reflected and repented at the final moment. One knew the truth and the other found it along the way. I ultimately saw the stalker as the films moral antagonist. What frustrated me was the daughter. Until the revelation at the end I assumed this wasn't even a Sci-Fi, there was nothing supernatural about the Zone or even the film, it was purely a nuclear accident in a dystopian future. So I came to the following conclusion...... The zone is a metaphor for the materialistic pursuits of humans. The stalker is its delusional salesman who takes pride in being followed by more intelligent and creative men than himself all under the myth of him being a "stalker". Tarkovsky's real expression of anything supernatural or divine isn't found in colours of the The Zone, it is in the stalkers sepia toned home, in the only humanistic quality of the film, his family. This is shown first in his wife's monologue symbolising marriage and love through hardship. Then finally in the through the "miracle" of a child. Took me a good few hours to think about and write this mini thesis. Ive probably got something wrong or not elaborated more on other themes but if anyone can add to this I'd be grateful.
I beg to differ. I think you got it wrong way up (but that's okay). I've just watched the film myself moments ago. It's self-evident that they're not walking into a materialistic realm. And it is clear the confession by the stalker was emotional, authentic, by a man utterly broken by his calling. He's not selling the fulfilment of a materialistic longing ("Only your deepest longing will be fulfilled" - the Writer). How he ends up being the moral antagonist in your mind is interesting to me. But hey, each man must make his decision at the Threshold.
As much as how allegorical this film can be, I actually think it speaks for itself. Just hearing out the characters is sometimes enough to see the essence of the story and how it might apply to us. The Stalker's insistence on the power of the Zone to change lives doesn't really strike me as an evil act but a desperation/stubbornness that is very human. But that's not something everyone will see in the movie. That might sound bad but I think that's what makes movies like these so special. They never tell you what to think or how to think, they just show you the story and let you project your own. It makes the film that much personal.
@@quickbeam00 The fact that we have different interpretations is probably at the heart of why the film works so well for people who have the patience for it and who take the time to think about it afterwards. It's meaning is intentionally enigmatic and although I am sure Tarkovsky intends it to be a Christian parable on desire and faith I generally enjoy films more if I look for an elevated or alternative meaning that suits my own way of seeing the world. I think we both agree its a special film.
Yeah I had a similar view on it at one time, and I think it comes from the obscure way that the "traps" in The Zone are shown in the film. It's ambigous throughout whether they really exist, as none of the characters die on screen, however that's more to do with our expectations of the genre than the story itself. The writer has a couple of encounters with traps which he manages to survive and there are little bits and pieces scattered through out the the visuals which you can find if you've read Road Side Picnic. The power of The Zone is real, but it is totally illogical, that's the central idea of the zone. Humans come to it with their own point of view and assume that the alien force which created it (The Visit) will operate on lines which they can understand, but unlike just about every other Science Fiction alien - these aliens are not psychologically human so their motives are as mysterious as their technology and their effects. It becomes a mirror to the humans, they look for answers in the external reality of The Zone but only find themselves exploring their own inner self.
I don't know why but it's making me think of a song I really like. It's The New Cult King by Mushroomhead. In the song, he does talk about escaping a prison. Maybe that's why.
Hey, Tyler about that Bergman's effect you're talking on 7:58 In his interview in 1997, Rerberg said smth that might be it. It was about the scene with three people inside the power station. They tried medium shot but failed to get an image out of it and Tarkovsky was desperate about it cause Bergman and Nykvist were able to film long shots and he could not. So he asked Rerberg to try to film that scene with the widest lens they got which Rerberg did not like to work with. After that 2nd try they failed to get the image again so this time Tarkovsky demanded on using of the long-focus lens but Rerberg declined cause they did not have enough room in that building to move or to get the light. Then, after the crew managed to get a hole in the wall big enough for the camera dolly and for the lights from the outside of the compound, they did the 3rd take and still no image of the scene... So Rerberg got fired after that and to make that long shot Tarkovsky build the whole hangar for that scene (I think, that was that "special studio" you mentioned).
@alevort sorry, this I do not know but in the same interview Rerberg said they were watching Bergman's Viskningar och rop and Skammen before shooting Stalker
Three weeks ago I watched this movie for the first time and not a day has passed where I haven't thought about ‘Writer’ and the many ways in which I relate to him. The Writer's deepest desire seemed to be avoiding coming face to face with who he truly is underneath his cynicism, his fear of inadequacy, & his intellectual detachment… Why am I trying to maintain a facade that I have built around myself? Who am I beneath my persona? What are my true desires & weaknesses?
Roadside Picnic and everything it has spawned is so beautiful. Stalker is a mesmerizing film and I only show it to people I trust because it's a deal breaker, not many out there have the patience to watch it. I definitely want more
this is one of those movies where, even having it explained to you, you just have to experience it yourself to understand. I was one of those people who put it off, because it sounded really really boring through description ... but the world tarkovski creates is simply incredible, and part of what makes it so good is how JUST enough is left to our imagination. there's a few things here and there, like the sound of a creature in the distance, the writer's unexplained fear when close to the room, the way the professor somehow ends up moving forward by going back for his canteen... it's just a masterfully crafted mindfuck of a movie.
That's really a damned shame. Such a high price to pay for such a masterpiece. Tarkovsky was a great director. Much better than the majority of drivel being released these days. A true film artist.
lol you are mistaken. drivel was released back then as well. and there are many amazing film artists in Europe making movies right now. some coming very close to Tarkovski's caliber but obviously different.
The film is a masterpiece on every single level, dialog, cinematography, music, atmosphere...everything! A dark film that shines bright. This is one the the best critiques I have heard yet.
Everything except narrative. This only makes any sense if you have first read the book. Otherwise it’s just shouty people walking through a derelict landscape, inexplicably jumping at their own shadows.
I really liked Roadside Picnic, and when I saw Stalker I was a bit disappointed because it's an adaptation of a relatively small part of the novella, which has more backstory and multiple plot threads focusing on a bunch of different characters in and out of the Zone. But Tarkovsky's artistic intent was different from the Strugatskys'. I just saw Annihilation and, yes, the similarity between it and Stalker is indeed palpable. While I was watching it I thought of the story as resembling a couple of Stanislaw Lem novels, but, really, the comparison to Roadside Picnic and Stalker is closer (Lem was a big fan of Roadside Picnic).
I saw Stalker about 1990 at the "Anvil Civic Cinema" in Sheffield (UK), just before it closed. I then lived with a poet who was mates with the cinema's curator Dave Godin, so got invited to some after-film drinks with some Eastern European film studies academics who had been at the showing. One had known Tarkovsky in Italy in the early 80s, and claimed to have seen the first version of the film. He too said that it was exactly the same as the third version we had watched earlier that day. (excellent critique btw : you got a subscriber)
@chubbyurma considering he has roots in the north of england and he's not a short order chef in a new york diner. I think him saying you "have" a subscriber would be a lot more appropriate.
@chubbyurma if you are joe cocker singing in an american accent, why not. But if youre in sheffield and you walk around saying you got a subscriber this and you gotta do what you gotta do that. You will look and sound like a pretentious arsehole who is talking in an affected way and you will be banished from Sheffield.
john smith Saying “have” means something was already in place: “I have a car”. Saying “got” means something was received: “I got a car”. Please stop overthinking this into oblivion.
Hello! First time viewer from UK but I had to comment since Tarkovsky is one of my favourite directors. Firstly, a couple of triv bits about Solyaris. The set built for the space station was beautiful. I've never seen such a perfect set (maybe Alien, and Outland come close) of a working station that once had a huge crew, now dwindled to a handful, and really nearing the end of its life (MIR Space Station anyone?) The story goes that Japanese director Akira Kurosawa asked to be allowed into the set for an hour on his own. He wanted to experience it for himself. What he did there, I don't know but somebody more familiar with him and his work could fill me in on that. If you're interested, for contrast, a USSR TV station made a monochrome version of Solyaris in 1968. It's wonderful to compare - you can see how Tarkovsky was all about emotion in his version, whole the 1969 TV film is more "nuts and bolts". Finally on Solyaris, Stanislaw Lem, the author, didn't like Tarkovsky's film. But! Most of us that have read the English translation have been reading a *garbled telex version* of the book for years. The English translation from 1971 came like this: Polish to French to English - with the French and English translators not really "getting" what Lem was saying. Luckily, a brand new translation came out a few years back, and not only is it available on Audible, but there is an incredible audiobook version that captures what Lem *meant* beautifully. BONUS EXTRA: BBC Radio 4 made a two hour (if I'm remembering correctly) radio play. Joanne Froggatt played Rheya, and it is done with such care you'd think it was Radio 4 in 1980 ( when they still have a shit about good drama). And onto Stalker. I'd already read Roadside Picnic and was excited there was a film version. I was jumping up and down for joy when I found out Tarkovsky had made it. I have a wonderful box set of his films, which include Stalker and Solyaris, but a year or so ago I found out Criterion had restored Solyaris, so I bought that immediately and watch that version now - big difference! About the chemical poisoning in Estonia. Yes, totally true. These people REALLY died for their art. A strange coinkydink happens here. An actor in noir radio series, along with some decent film roles, is someone I deeply admire - Dick Powell. He plays a private eye in the radio series "Richard Diamond" , and if you want to *see* him nor, check out 1949's "Johnny O'Clock" which is just gorgeous start to finish. Now, Dick Powell directed a terrible film with (ugh) John Wayne who plays Genghis Khan (!) in 1956's "The Conquerer" (no, I haven't seen it). It was filmed smack dab in a piece of Nevada used for nuclear testing. To make matters terrifyingly worse, they scooped up tons of the Geiger Counter Destroying sand and took it to the film studio for interior shot set dressing. A disturbing number of those who worked in any way on this (travesty - no, stop, be professional) film died early due to strange cancers - Dick Powell among them. His wife has said it was smoking that killed him, but you just have to look at the numbers and make your own mind up. So a bit about a few great films, and I hope someone got something out of this. And your video on Stalker was perfect. Presentation is top notch, some good gags, and a respect for a Soviet director who, in the west, doesn't get the credit he deserves . Nice one sir, extremely well done, and might turn on a few new fans. All the best from a tiny bit of a tiny island!
"Stalker" is truly a unique piece of cinematography. It's significance and after effects can still be felt today, even if modern Hollywood film-making is at a complete opposite to the style and substance of Tarkovsky's brilliant masterpiece. It feels more like a feverish dream than a narrative, and tends to (as stated) engulf the viewer into it's somewhat subjective/abstract concept/construct. So do we want more info about "Stalker"? Do we want to see more videos about "Stalker"? I believe the answer is without a doubt a "most deffinately"! Perhaps an analysis of the longest shot/take of the film and why it was arranged in such a way, or the choice of sound design/soundtrack for the film and such. In any case, thanks for the great video!
Oh yes indeed; « Solyaris » does deserve quite the proper recognition and analysis, although for me personally, “Solyaris” is too much of a personal attachment in order to provide an unbiased and objective interpretation. I do believe it is rightfully labeled as his “masterpiece” and it too is quite the poetic vision, both visually and aurally (sonically). The film is ripe with hints and details as to provoke a reaction from the audience, not always on the same first-level narrative.
I actually live on The Jagella River, the one that was covered in pulp from the paper factory. A naturally occuring algae would combine with the paper and change it to this form of red seen in the film. It has done this for thousands of years (before the paper factory existed the pulp just exacerbated the color disbursement) and is why it is called the jugular (Jagella) river because of the way it looks like flowing blood. My father told me stories about our ancestors using the trails left by animals leaving this river to stalk them which is where the term for the original stalkers came from, this is mentioned in Roadside Picnic Tale of the Troika which the movie was based on. It was also said that Oxen would defecate into this river and is how you would describe this story, i.e., Bullshit.
What a beautiful video. Thanks so much! (I've always thought Kubrick and Tarkovsky were mirror images -- and that mirroring was itself a mirror reflection of the States and the USSR; they're almost the same.)
I had been obsessed with this film, but never knew much about it, probability because I was searching under the wrong title - The Zone and found nothing. When the Internet had no video, they would occasionally broadcast it at late night on an intellectual national TV channel. Now finally I got an answer to my quest, thank you.
There was a movie made about the making of Nosforatu, where they found a real creature to play the part. They could make a movie about the making of Stalker, but not a pure documentary but some reason why they are really haunted.
Interesting that we got some of the greatest studies of existentialism and the human condition from Soviet directors. They couldn't go after common themes of protest and parody of the state and many popular genres were considered deviant/degenerate. They had to go inward, so they did...to great effect.
I find myself coming back to this video over and over when I want to introduce them to Tarkovsky and Stalker. Something about knowing the story that went on behind the scenes makes the movie that much more amazing to watch with people.
5:33 Alisa Freyndlih/Алиса Фрейндлих with *K* being silent and *H* don't 10:56 Alexandr Knyazhínskiy/Александр Княжи́нский just say *Knya* (like nyan but with *K* in front and without *N* in the end) and *zhinskiy* . Put those together = Knyazhínskiy. Sorry but this is the best explanation i've got :D
I just wanna add, that -zh is pronounced like french -j or -si in the words "a*si*an", "confu*si*on", etc. I know, that this might be obvious to some people, but I've often heard people pronouncing -zh as -z.
Reynaldo Luna Jr. - No. it’s: K- Nya- (like the nya in nyan cat) Zhin- (zh is like the j in bonjour; in would be like the word “in”; the emphasis is here) Skiy - ski like the snow sport. K-nya-zhín-skiy
Your video made me realize why Stalker is one of my favorite films - not only can i zone out while watching but the shots were filmed with the explicit intent i zone out. I normally have a bit of a hard time following films because i cannot control the often too fast pace they go at and tend to be quite overwhelming. Stalker is the opposite of that - i get to vividly imagine rolling around in the alien meadows, 10/10 movie
What is also great about the movie is that you feel a lot of unease when they fall into water with foam, since you know that everything is toxic. The knowledge of the background of the production makes it feel even more real.
I studied photography and film, where we had a short film project, and later I was an extra for a local TV series. Goofing around with your class for a full day is fun. Waiting around for something to happen along with 100 other people you don't know for a full day is exhausting.
Tarkovski was amazing, two of his movies are some of my most favourite movies ever: Solaris and Stalker. It's hard to put into words how and what but it they just draw you in and you become completely immersed in them.
BEFORE YOU COMMENT: Let me explain about the name pronunciations. When I made this video, I was actually thinking about quitting TH-cam because (despite just crossing 100k subs) it had been several years and wasn’t making enough money to invest so much time into it. I decided to make a video just for me on Stalker because I found the movie very interesting. I figured it wouldn’t get many views because I had never met anyone who had seen it, but I thought it would be cool to devote time and effort into making a quality video on a movie that wouldn’t otherwise get that treatment.
My core audience would give me nice comments about how much they liked my videos, but they would always point out that I mispronounced something no matter how much effort I put in to getting it right. For this last video, I thought I’d goof around as sort of an inside joke about not even trying to pronounce the Russian names.
To my shock and surprise, the video went viral, brought in a ton of new subs, and totally reinvigorated the channel. The only issue is that, for years, new people have discovered my channel through this video and, without the context, thought that I was goofing on the name pronunciations out of disrespect or laziness.
**Also fun fact: Given the nature of the story, you might find it hilarious that I recorded the whole video to find out that the mic stand was constantly bumping up against the table and I had the re-record the whole video over again.
man you should have included that at the end
I’m Russian, I can’t pronounce some of the names either 😂😂
Was the previous recording of your video also burned in a fire and lost forever?
My favourite one was 5:03 Talleen lol
I actually live and spent a lot of time of my childhood around the areas stalker was shot. And i think i remember my dad mentioning he ruined many takes of the film with a tractor.
Thats horrible and hilarious at the same time
LOL
Bro, your dad killed Tarkovsky!! Haha
@@MasterOfKnowledge. Too far dude. Too far.
@@MasterOfKnowledge. lmao
Fun unrelated fact: Tarkovsky wrote the script for Andrey Rublev together with another famous soviet director Andron Konchalovsky. After they'd finished the script, they decided to celebrate and took a cab to the Metropol restaurant. Once they'd sat down and were ready to touch glasses, they discovered that they'd left the script behind in the cab. They had been working on the script for a year; there was only one copy, and the copy was lost. The two directors got drunk out of disappointment and frustration, and a few hours later, when Tarkovsky got back to Metropol after a walk to have a few more drinks, the very same cab pulled over next to him, the driver silently gave him the script through the window and took off.
I've heard this story from another terrific soviet director Andrey Smirnov, the creator of Belorussky Vokzal (Belorussian Railway Station).
art finds a way
Only copy of the final draft you mean? I'm sure they don't carefully burn every copy after retyping with the hand-written edits applied, as well as all of their notes and personal journals after they finished.
@@JohnDlugosz That's just how this story was told by Mr Smirnov. Yes, it probably was the only copy of the final draft, as you suggested. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal.
Manuscripts don't burn ...
Noobs
I can't imagine how soul crushing and just unbelievably heartbreaking it would be to film such a meticulous and dangerous film just for it to get ruined
Its a blessing that we even got to see the masterpiece in the first place
Alisa Freindlich is an amazing Soviet actress. She's 84 now and she still performs in Bolshoi Drama Theater in St. Petersburg.
That's awesome
@@xhall0910 it's okay my man. I miss my grandfather too.
@Irakli Meparishvili I agree, but this seems to be a thing with Tarkovsky. He has an actress in the Sacrifice perform an almost identical tantrum on the floor of that set too. Based on what we know of Tarkovsky's obsession, it might be more fair to credit that performance to the director's vision rather than on the actor's interpretation of the script...
Kream Machine , yes, we love Alisa very much. My favourite movie with her is: ,, Office romance,, ❤️
@@xhall0910 Yeh -- and despite all the daunting consonants, particularly in the transliterated-from version, the name actually means "Friendly".
Do we want to see more videos about Stalker?
(Orson Welles voice) Yes! ALWAYS!
Or anything else by Tarkovsky, as they are all good. Mirror really requires viewing of all the other Tarkovsky films to understand it, but all the others are self contained and amazing in their own right.
Is it even ethical to watch someone's suicide on film?
@@karlkarlos3545 uuuuuhhh, he didn't commit suicide in any literal sense. Plus, if no one watches it on that basis, then what was the point?
Yassss
@@karlkarlos3545 your ethics are up to you, Karl
Anatoly Solonitsyn died from lung cancer in 1982 when he was only 47. Four years later, Tarkovsky died from the same illness. Solonitsyn was Tarkovsky's kindred spirit, his alter ego, they understood each other almost without words. I have loved and admired Solonitsyn ever since I first saw him in Stalker 13 years ago. What he did in Andrey Rublev, I think, is beyond acting craft, beyond art, beyond human. There was always something transcendental, otherworldly in all his roles.
A video about Andrey Rublev would be very interesting. There are many stories around its production and, in particular, the way Solonitsyn approached his role (which initially belonged to Stanislav Lyubshin).
Don’t smoke, kids
@@maddieb.4282 Acording to Anatoli's wife, they got cancer due to exposure to toxic materials during the filming of Stalker, in a river scene next to a chemical factory. I was trying to get more info, but I couldn't find any... anyway, if that was really the cause, smoking wouldn't help at all...
This movie / the book, unless I'm mis-remembering, inspired the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. video game series, which was so great imo.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was indeed inspired by both the movie and the book
Here's to hoping that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will have an atmosphere that matches the original trilogy
Loved that game!
russian comrads are uniting
I was more the book than the movie, actually. The movie is way too philosophical, but the book ("Roadside Picnic" by Strugatsky brothers) really has all the anomalies and the strange creatures and the whole mythology in it.
Look up the Intro cutscene from STALKER Clear Sky and the guy in the coat called "Scar" looks so identical to the Stalker from the Stalker movie..
God I'm obsessed with the Stalker 1979 film. I love how different it is from the book. No aliens, monsters or villains, just pure existencial crisis between the three characters as they walk into a lifeless zone trying to find some sort of meaning to life only to walk further and further into a void.
That's my life in a nutshell!
One of the most unique and realistic "Sci-fi" film.
And then nothing happens. Lol Tarkovsky is a hack
You should play the videogame too, its pretty good
Lifeless is exactly how I'd describe Stalker.
All movies fillmed in USSR were not supposed to make profit, to make money. Government gave money to director to make movie. So when Tarkovsky were producinig his Stalker he didnt care abot boxoffice. That's why many soviet movies were pure art not business product like hollywood.
He made 4:1 rubles back
woah never thought about it like this
Soviet movie industry have "art council" for each movie. You should be talented to work in movie business and you should do your best, to have opportunity to make next movie. In case of bad directing, the art counsils can change director, or even do not let movie on the screen. These art councils also do the casting very carefully - all actors should be the best possible choice for the each main role.
Yeah but good art sells too lol
No, Soviet movies were not "pure art" as they were used for political propaganda. The purpose of Mosfilm was to glorify the communist regime. Tarkovsky's movies were artistic and spiritual rebellion against it. That is why he was censored and opressed, and eventually had to leave the USSR.
I wonder if Tarkovsky had lived long enough to see The Matrix what his reaction would have been about the green tint the the footage he'd shot.
Jason & Max 😂😂😂😂😂
the the the th- bro just shut up
i wonder if Tarkovsky had lived long enough to see Shrek
He could’ve gone and released his green tinted film - just supplied those blue and red 3D glasses to neutralise the effect.. 🤣
I think red in reproduction film is a sensitive color, often with decaying packaging in sunlight weather or so red seems to be the first to go thus yellow in worst scenario, green , certainly captured and frozen in time, intent , possibly, film was the only medium of cosequence as in still fotography, fortunately in a digitized age much can be accomplished with color and tonal presentation from black and white to the depths of white, on a grayscale of course. Malfunctions in fixer contaminating developer in industrial capacity film processing is a definite reality to this day in polymer printing plates for offset... a good ending word.
I think the set of unfortunate events brought that atmosphere of heaviness and tiredness into the film that jumps at you out of the screen, it was a worthy effort all the way through.
The movie is great, I can't disagree...But I'd rather have Tarkovsky and Solinitsyn still alive and making movies for the past 40 years.
@@flashingsword At his pace, 40 years will get half a finished reel.
I saw 'Stalker' just because I was in a film club and it was on. I had no prior information about it.
Probably the most visually stunning film I've ever seen ... years before CGI. It was all just (a few) sets, then incredible use of a blasted industrial landscape. The Russian V/O works like a musical soundtrack. I'd HATE to see a dubbed version!
Amazing. On my greatest films, Top Ten List.
I've never seen such a good editorial on this film. People don't talk about Stalker enough.
Thanks! I really appreciate it!
I’ve never really knew it was a thing. Have you heard of Richard Stanley? Dust Devil, Hardware and “Lost Soul” details (documentary must see) the making of the Island of Dr. Moreau. A film that would have likely been great and turned into the worst ever and also ended Richards career.
I do know who Richard Stanley is. Great filmmaker.
@Gaal Kasiiv You sir, I respect. You have taste and class my friend.
Gaal Kasiiv sub
Jesus, I worked on many movie sets and trust me, most of the time it's extremely tiresome (even if we are in a "nice" place it's extremely crowded, everybody is in a rush, everybody is tense, you have to work sometimes 10-15 hours a day -maybe more- and you can never really rest because you don't know what's inside the directors head and if he says something you act instantly). I can't imagine what were it like to shoot this damned move 3 TIMES in the worst set you can imagine. Many people have no idea how much sweat is to make a movie.
Krisztián Dobos 😢😢😢😢. What films have you worked on?
I've got a friend who was an actor as a kid, teenager. a few times I went with him up to the bbc,
and no thanks not for me...
neither side of the camera, to hard.
one day I wandered off and got really lost in the place... fun times
@@ECLECTOb In some Nickelodeon movies, maybe...
Than don't work on movies, someone is pushing you to work that "damned" work by force?
@@ozymandiasnullifidian5590 Fun fact: people need money to survive. And I never said that it's always horrible. It's just harder than one would think. But seeing your grammar I don't think you fully understood my comment, so I'd advice you to read it a couple of times more.
It might be most streamed in certain places, however Stalker is still such an underrated film of it's time and still a very deep and mysterious movie, especially that ending, just wow! Honest moment, only watched this for the first time last year, this is a brilliant film.
I feel obligated to watch this movie not just because it looks interesting but also because I need to validate the effort and loss behind it.
It’s mesmerizing
Thats how I feel about "classic" movies and books. If a piece of art is considered a masterpiece or atleast important, you figure it has value and you would not want to miss out on the chance to experience that.
update: I watched Stalker for the first time yesterday, my feeling by the end was, there was a lot of effort and love put into it, and I appreciated the sci fi elements ( characters walking around a zone that has been warped so much, it can change reality itself). The pacing was slow and some of the dialogue seemed not that interesting to me. I still think it is worth a watch to see the move version of a sci fi story, but I do not think would watch it a 2nd time. I will read the story (I get the feeling the plot of the story is better told in the novel).
It's well worth the watch!
@@gelitrippingkiddo5907 Did you know Anton Mesmer lived in Vienna at the time of Mozart? He was reasonably well off from his practice and research into hypnosis (called "mesmerism" or "animal magnetism" at the time) and had a nice house near Vienna, and he would throw parties featuring Mozart's music (live, obviously). Mozart was very young at that time and Mesmer seemed to have an ear for talent :-) I have always regretted they didn't find a way to include Anton Mesmer in the film _Amadeus,_ just as a cameo and a wink to the audience perhaps.
Don't waste your time, you'll regret it.
2:25 Just for the record: Tarkovsky's _Solaris_ is not an "answer" to Kubrick's _2001_ in any sense, neither was it "caused" by it. Tarkovsky hadn't even seen _2001_ until _Solaris_ was well into the editing stage. The motivation for _Solaris_ was completely different: it was Tarkovsky's problems with his previous film _Andrei Rublov_ which was shelved for several years by the ruling Communist Party. So Tarkovsky started looking for a topic for his next film as diametrically opposite to Mediaeval Russia as possible. By chance at a party someone told him of Stanisław Lem's book _Solaris_ and that he ought to read it. He did and decided this was the material he's been looking for. I know it's tempting to think Kubrick influenced Tarkovsky but it's simply not true, it was a coincidence.
this guy is just full of BS don t even try bringing back some facts. The way he speaks show how clueless he is about cinematography
Yann MASSARD needlessly harsh?
This sheet he is taking about is a normal talking about all the Russian masterpiece they can't even approach with their opulent simple mind
@@АлександрБартенев-у7ы Excellent point, Boris
@@EatPieYes thank u John Kennedy
The fact that Tarkovsky liked The Terminator says alot about the film
Its a great film. Everything after it was dreadful though
“The film [Stalker] needs to be slower and duller at the start so that the viewers who walked into the wrong theatre have time to leave before the main action starts.”
― Andrei Tarkovsky
really doubt that's true. the beginning is one of the fullest most incredible movie experiences you'll ever have.
@@Juventinos Yeah, i think he mean't it as a joke
Please tell me that’s an actual quote!
@@MrUndersolo it is
What main action?
Rule #1: when Nykvist says bring two cameras you bring two cameras
Do it
Whatever Nykvist says, you obey !!
He was an ahole....
The whole point was that the house was built expressly to burn completely in the space of a 1000’ magazine. It was Tarkovsky’s vision. Motion picture cameras are of extremely high quality with tight tolerances as image steadiness depended on it in the mechanical era. Rumor I heard was that Arriflex received steel with the wrong coefficient of expansion causing the movement to get too tight as it heated up. Other cameras from that batch worked perfectly in the US because nobody shoots 10 minute takes.
Stop comparing that ahole to Stanley Kubrick plx....
I love the idea of Kubrick being one side of the brain and Tarkosvky being the other purely from a poetic view. One is from the west, one is from the east, both operating during a very turbulent and tense time between their two countries, and they themselves are almost like opposites in their styles and motivations for movie making, despite both often times tackling similar subjects. Ying and yang, perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Tartovski makes movies using the brain part that controls boredom.
@@RustyTonesJr If you think his movies are boring then you're completely missing the point
@@Football101syou can understand the point of something while also finding it boring. I understand the point of letting paint dry but that doesnt make it any more exciting. With that said though i very much enjoyed Stalker
I like how every line in the subtitles has a source citation.
he is movie head
I used to absolutely despise MLA and APA formatting and thought it was pointless.
Nowadays when I am reading a paper or watching a video and I want a source i get completely frustrated that I have to look for it myself.
Human condition...
Yep, subscribed just for this fact
Me: That's a beautiful looking static shot of a pineapple.
Andrei Tarkovsky: Welcome to the next 45 minutes of the film.
Wacky Delly, yeah!
Bela Tarr: Hold my beer.
@@Orxbane hold my cow
Yeah, except Tarkvoskij's directing is the exact opposite of static since the majority of his films constantly move through nature and evocative environments at a calming pace.
@@Orxbane hold my vodka
Sorry for my bad english, but I would like to tell about the "effect" Tarkovsky wanted Rerberg to make, which you mention around 8:08. I just recently finished reading a book written by Evgeny Tsymbal, who worked as a props assitant from the beginning of filming till the end of it. That's from march 1977 till january 1979. The last scene they finished, was the last in the movie: Stalkers daughter reading the book and moving the glasses. So, he worked all the way through the shooting of this film, and he mentions this "effect". Which wasn't really an effect.
So in the first version of the movie, they were shooting the dialogue between Professor, Writer and Stalker "on location" inside the abandoned power plant in Estonia. The scene was close to what we see in the final picture just before they come down to the threshold of the Room. There's dialogue between Professor, Writer and Stalker inside a small room, with mystical phonecall, shot through doorway. In the final version this was filmed on a soundstage in Moscow on "Mosfilm studio". Yes, ALL the interiors in the final version of the movie were build on soundstage. They were build by Rashid Safiullin and MOSTLY by Vladimir Fabrikov, who was lead carpenter and one of the production designers on the film.
But in the first year of shooting, as mentioned before, they tried to make this kind of a scene on location inside the abandoned power plant. The problem was - there were almost no room to setup the light to light the scene. Tarkovsky said to Rerberg, that he saw same kind of a scene in one of the Bergman's movie and "he somehow did that, and it magically worked. I wanted you to make the same atmosphere". They tried in multiple times, it didn't work. Because there was no space to setup enough light. So Rerberg suggested to Safiullin and Tsymbal, what they tear down the wall, so he can put a ligh outside. Filming stopped about for a day and a half (but they were already out of schedule) while these 2 guys break a wall. Remember - it's on location. This power plant was built around WW1. With massive granite rocks. So the wall was around one meter thick. They have only crowbars and sledgehammers. Tsymbal remembers that after 1st day of work, the blood was pouring down from their palms.
So anyway. They make a giant hole in this wall, Rerberg set up the lighting fixtures outside, they again started to shoot aaand... it again wasn't the thing Tarkovsky wanted. And again "the scene does not work" like it was in Bergman movie. Tarkovsky was furious that they wasted time, Rerberg couldn't do what he (Tarkovsky) want's and they ruined the location, they might have used later to shoot from different angles.
That's the story.
cool, thanks for sharing...this film is a masterpiece.
The problem with "ruined" footage is somewhat more complicated than that. According to memoirs of Boris Strugatsky (co-writer of both original book and movie script) Tarkovsky was extremely unhappy with movie as it was coming along and thought that the take on the story and Stalker's character is wrong. Apparently first version had more tough and proactive protagonist, more in line with the book and even referred as "Rambo like". So there is certain suspicion by some people whether footage was ruined by accident or deliberately. In the end Tarkovsky asked authors to re-write the script and apparently liked this new Stalker character a lot more. So that's what we've got and according to authors it is pretty different to original vision.
Yup, the video game is in many ways closer to the novel than to the movie, though the game in itself is again a completely different version of the underlying story and "the zone". I wonder what would be the result if a director like Christopher Nolan or David Fincher would do their own adaptation of the original novel. That would be a movie I really, REALLY want to see.. (An adaptation made by Stanley Kubrick would have been VERY interesting as well....)
@@NKA23 why would you want to see a movie from Nolan or Fincher if you already have a movie from tarkovsky. This film is really, really damn impressive. I love how its metaphor gives many different meaning to each viewers. I have my own interpretations of the film and the shots are also just incredibly beautiful. A film from Kubrick would be interesting. He also will probably make enemies and issues while producing cause Kubrick is also known to be a perfectionist. However I find it funny how Kubrick liked solaris yet Tarkovsky hated 2001. A film like this from Nolan would only be 100% for entertaining purposes. Fincher is a good director but I would much rather see a film like this from Kubrick than from Fincher
@@NKA23 The result would be a shitty hollywood movie like anihilation
It would have been impossible to do this on purpose (not enough space to explain, lots of reasons, just trust me on that). I've seen film strips from the first version (just few frames long each) scanned by someone in Russia and they all have a very heavy blue-green cast, as if a tungsten colour balance was used in daylight or something. There is a (long, again) story how this happened. One source Russians bought Kodak film from at the time was a company in West Berlin (forget its name, it was run by some guy named Sergo Gambarov, probably an emigree or some such) and he apparently shipped to them a new Kodak negative without telling them it required an updated chemistry to process it.
@@JunkyardHounds Annihilation is very good movie, with a dozen few from Hollywood which I can say that are good Sy-Fy movies.
I saw "Stalker" in a re-release at an art house a few years ago. I think Tarkovsky created a film that was a visceral experience that I cannot describe in any way for others to understand. I was immersed in it from beginning to end.
Since he even dedicated it to him, I feel like von Trier's 'Antichrist' is the closest we'll ever get to a Tarkovsky horror film. I agree about missing out on so many great works in other genres he could have made. Great vid essay.
That truly is a horror film, in the true sense of horror. It was disgusting to me, and by that I do not mean bad, but horrific. It did it's job, I am never watching it again.
I really liked the talking fox, the highlight of the movie to me, which I have heard others think was silly. I saw the darkness in it.
i dunno about that, Antichrist is literally one of the most graphically extreme and unsubtle movies out there
Have you seen annihilation? Its like a spiritual adaptation of Stalker
Thanks for analysing a Tarkovsky movie! Stalker is definitely one of my favourites.
As for Russian surnames (or those of most languages) one can just copy-paste the original name into google translate and then just listen to the pronunciation 👍
The one who is keen on search and inspection of little-known, often dangerous for life places and who is a conductor in such places.
also it's TAllin, not TallIn
@@МатвейКлимов-м3х let me correct you bro, it's tAllinn, somehow russians always drop out second "n".
Or you can read the actual letters...
Not really hard.😃
I’d actually played the STALKER game series before I rediscovered the novel Roadside Picnic and the original movie Stalker👌
I never had money for a powerful computer to play this game back then so I got the book and the movie from a library and realized how those two were so much different to each other but so much better than the game
Maybe you should watch Vyöhyke - Zone, and go full circle? v=EwkIaJX3hmg (based on the game).
It's a good game, Stalker btw =)
@@fosphor8920 Well, maybe Clear Sky was pretty iffy, but the other two yeah XD
@@brandoncallahan9289 Well they tried faction wars and it did not turn out well, but the game is still fun to play through with the usual secret underground lab and stuff.. Just alot more shooting than usual haha
dude. I can't imagine how much work you put into all these edits. That's a lot of work
Phew... It was frustrating & sad to hear all that. Wonder how they got through this 3 times. But Stalker really is the most eerily stunning film.
Just wanted to point out that "Solaris" was based on a book of the same name. Including the ship's looks and design
I think we all know that ;)
no it's just the same writer but completely different book
@@jokubask5309 Wasn't Solaris written by Stanislaw Lem? Tarkovski did the movie version.
@@TheJosep70 your right
There’s also been an American remake but it changed things dramatically. The book, Sphere, is also pretty similar thematicallyz
My father was tortured to death by cancer for 18 months, due to long term exposure to photographic chemical and printing solvents. He was a gravure etcher, photolithographer and visual artist. My father died just after the Chernobyl disaster.
So when I say I find the making of Stalker extremely upsetting, you'll understand I have skin in the game.
Sounds like making of Stalker is a microcosm of post Chernobyl Soviet Union, just as the making of Apocalypse Now was a microcosm of the Vietnam war.
I look forward to watching Stalker… but I’m gonna have to prepare for the dive.
A masterpiece. A real think-piece. The idea that we don't all always know what we want, even when we think we do. It's quite cutting and penetrative, and really made me think and reflect. And the fact the film is visually stunning helps as well.
Tarkovsky was a visionary. That comes with a price tag that far exceeds the cost of a production. Many great artists have killed themselves to realize their vision. God bless them all.
What an artist! The man literally killed himself for his art. Thank you for introducing Tarkovsky. I would have never known about him.
The original version of Stalker was ruined by a greenish and dark tent
Zack Snyder " so? "
That actually made it look like a modern film. And that's a little bit sad.
Tint .. not tent
The Matrix?
Gotta hate Dark Tents, I always buy light blue myself.
@@ironreed2654 At least it's not as heavy as dark blue.
Wow. I've always loved Stalker and had no idea about its troubled production. This was fantastic to watch.
"They told me I was daft for filming in a stagnant polluted swamp. But I did it anyway. That film collapsed into the swamp. So I filmed it a second time...that one burned down and sank into the swamp...but the THIRD film stayed!-Tarkovsky
Must be a curse seeing how the game inspired by this movie went through 7 hells and back before being released
Hah that's true
Essex Class If you’re want it right it’s not gonna be easy.
@@natura808 and still they fucked the game up, now releasing the sequel that's going to be a disappointment. Hope I'm wrong, but hope isn't gonna do the trick.
it was worth it! the games came out amazing (except for clear sky fuck clear sky)
Death Stranding?
Thank you for this video! I fell in love with this film so deeply the first time I watched it that I learned Russian just to be able to fully watch, understand, and appreciated this masterpiece. It cost me 2 years of my life, more than 1000 hours and over 6000 USD in lessons and apps... это того стоило
Wow. Красава
Wow such dedication. Hates off dude.
seriously...hats off!
Ох, аж мурашки побежали. Очень круто👏
Зачёт.
I'm about to watch Stalker for the first time. Thanks for sharing the history behind creating the film. I'm going to watch Stalker now with a lot more appreciation behind how it was made
I finished watching the movie and it was cool seeing what the stalker game originated from! I really liked the videography
"I'm not going out there."
"What's out there?"
"Endless rooms of stupidity.'
- CUBE
CUBE was also an inspired film, almost like a play, apart from the traps. The psychological manipulation, the claustrophobia and the subtle oppressing atmosphere worked great and would not be matched by it's sequels, although CUBE 0 came close and was even more cruel than the first movie.
Cube. I guess I am the only one who thinks that movie was made to be a comedy. I laughed so hard when I watched it. So much overacting, funny death scenes and stupid decisions made by characters. I get the idea but the movie was hilarious.
@@erinc.1610 agreed -
it *was* ludicrous
Ironically (I guess) enough, CUBE was written into a song by a Christian post-hardcore band, Hands. And it was actually pretty good and I felt musically captured the films atmosphere
God damn prime numbers
As an ethnic Russian and a fan of Tarkovsky, I thank you for this refreshing take on his work. I feel like when he is talked about by Russians in documentaries it is always with exceptional reverence... Not like he doesn't deserve it of course, but I really like your style.
You've already got some very good tips on pronouncing some of the surnames. I would like to add that the stress in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is on the first syllable.
Oh and the Jonesey t-shirt is cute! 😄👍
@g milne actually he's not even a good troll. Just off the top of my head, I'm thinking, "if there were better directors in Russia, they died in the gulag". Actually, just grouping directors under the ethnic term "Slavic", smacks of far right agitprop to me. IDK
@Gene Bone so who are better than him according to you?
@Gene Bone We get it. You want to show off your knowledge in the most hipstery manner.
Gene Bone that is a lot to go through. Any recommendations for specific titles able to be watched by an American like myself?
@@TheFutureLooksGrimm , I don't know much about soviet cinematography, but my favorite soviet movies work around russian language. In these movies dialogues don't sound like normal conversations, and it brings huge amount of personality. Maybe this is the reason why visual directors like Tarkovsky are much appreciated in the West. But in my opinion good chunk of russian movies are lost for foreign viewers due to their untranslatable nature.
I love the background music you inserted into this video, it's unique without being distracting and makes the video more gripping overall
I was left in awe and with so much unspoken emotions the first fine I saw "Stalker". It's an incredible journey, in my humble opinion far more superior than the source material, the "picnic" novella. I found the characters incredibly fascinating, and the visuals are really gorgeous. I was shocked when I hear about the intoxication and the death of both his genius and his talented crews. Solaris was enchanting, but this is the film that really got under my skin.
Saw it on film in Moscow last year and quality of the film was amazing.
Tarkovsky specifically pointed that there's no politics, movie is more on philosophical, religious and transcendental side. Stalker is like a priest essentially, in a totally materialistic world.
Btw that shot of paper waste was made by Rerberg, and that's the only piece by him which been left in final cut of the movie.
As for being a cause of death of Tarkovsky himself and some crew members, dunno about that. There's still some crew members alive to this day, such as costume designer Nelly Fomina etc. I've heard Tarkovsky had a strong lung infection at his childhood (possibly tuberculosis), and up to late 60s -- early 70s he was a smoker. Also, durring work on Stalker he had heart attack, and recent medical studies shows some correlation between heart attack and cancer. So it's most likely was a combination of these unlucky and unfortunate events which leads to his disease.
John Smith word salad 🥗
also, especially in the English media in the 80s, the anti-Soviet propaganda was pretty heavy-handed. Tarkovsky, as a critically acclaimed USSR film-maker, was the target of rumors in the West.There were probably some awful environmental disasters going on, but...
politics is one of the central themes of the movie to me :S
@@fuckererbitcher8689 it sure is, but for Tarkovsky major role was in philosophy and religious issues. But the beauty of the art is that you're absolutely free to interpret things as you see, as you prefer.
@You Tube Not really. For example I was baptized around this time. Mainstream culture look on religion was indeed ironic but you can find unironic references in big movies, like another classic "Come and See".
Edit: Forgot an elephant in the room. Master and Margarita was a decade since published and a widely known classic.
Thank you, for 40 years I've been trying to identify/remember the name of this this unsettling film that I had seen once before as part of a film festival in 1980, and never saw on show again.
I bought this film on DVD for $50 dollars at HMV, based on a persons recommendation. The first time I watched it I couldn't get into it, second I watched it I was intrigued, 3rd time I was spell bound. This movie challenges you to be bored but is never boring. The best $50 dollars I ever spent on a masterpiece that I once could not comprehend at first.
Some of the Stalker environments look incredibly toxic, but I think a bit much is made out of the Stalker-killed-them theory. Being smokers, drinkers, and living lives of creative stress under government control couldn't have helped.
Some of the areas they were filming in were incredibly toxic. There were scene shot near a Soviet Chemical Plant, the water would burn your skin. There was scenes with what looks like snow or ash in falling.. that was toxic ash raining down from the plant. Oddly enough the USSR and the US had some severe problems with chemical pollution in that time. We had a river catch fire, we had corps hiding dioxin as a paving agent and burying it on farms in Missouri.. and worse. They had of course some horrible areas, giant radioactive lakes.. other fun stuff.
No man the chemicals killed them.
@@meatybtz Yep, the very idea of the Zone was a reference to Chernobyl, but also partly (in my opinion) about the kinds of industrial no-go-zones in which they filmed. Tarkovsky in that sense was literally a 'stalker' showing us the surreal views of industrial wastelands that ordinary people could not venture into without exposing themselves to serious health risks.
[404: User Not Found] how can the Zone be a reference to Chernobyl, if it didn’t happen yet?
@@shmekelfreckles8157 haha good point! I paid no attention to the chronology and just always assumed it did. Either that or Tarkovsky was psychic!
Thank you, Tyler, for covering Tarkovsky and Sidney Lumet and David Lean, and other amazing filmmakers from the past instead of pumping out half-baked superhero stuff just because it's popular. Stay true to yourself and your passions. You're the best in the game today.
I wanted to focus on understanding the central message of the film after watching it for the first time today.
Initially I saw the Stalker as a charlatan. Promising a divine reward but only to those who pay him and following him without question. At the threshold of The Room the decision for both not to enter leads to an uncharacteristic emotional breakdown of the stalker. Like a preacher losing his congregation. The paradox is that the stalker is delivering them to materialistic evil, not from it. The Scientist never intended to enter and the Artist (Writer) reflected and repented at the final moment. One knew the truth and the other found it along the way. I ultimately saw the stalker as the films moral antagonist.
What frustrated me was the daughter. Until the revelation at the end I assumed this wasn't even a Sci-Fi, there was nothing supernatural about the Zone or even the film, it was purely a nuclear accident in a dystopian future. So I came to the following conclusion......
The zone is a metaphor for the materialistic pursuits of humans. The stalker is its delusional salesman who takes pride in being followed by more intelligent and creative men than himself all under the myth of him being a "stalker". Tarkovsky's real expression of anything supernatural or divine isn't found in colours of the The Zone, it is in the stalkers sepia toned home, in the only humanistic quality of the film, his family. This is shown first in his wife's monologue symbolising marriage and love through hardship. Then finally in the through the "miracle" of a child.
Took me a good few hours to think about and write this mini thesis. Ive probably got something wrong or not elaborated more on other themes but if anyone can add to this I'd be grateful.
I beg to differ. I think you got it wrong way up (but that's okay). I've just watched the film myself moments ago. It's self-evident that they're not walking into a materialistic realm. And it is clear the confession by the stalker was emotional, authentic, by a man utterly broken by his calling. He's not selling the fulfilment of a materialistic longing ("Only your deepest longing will be fulfilled" - the Writer). How he ends up being the moral antagonist in your mind is interesting to me. But hey, each man must make his decision at the Threshold.
As much as how allegorical this film can be, I actually think it speaks for itself. Just hearing out the characters is sometimes enough to see the essence of the story and how it might apply to us. The Stalker's insistence on the power of the Zone to change lives doesn't really strike me as an evil act but a desperation/stubbornness that is very human. But that's not something everyone will see in the movie. That might sound bad but I think that's what makes movies like these so special. They never tell you what to think or how to think, they just show you the story and let you project your own. It makes the film that much personal.
@@quickbeam00 The fact that we have different interpretations is probably at the heart of why the film works so well for people who have the patience for it and who take the time to think about it afterwards. It's meaning is intentionally enigmatic and although I am sure Tarkovsky intends it to be a Christian parable on desire and faith I generally enjoy films more if I look for an elevated or alternative meaning that suits my own way of seeing the world. I think we both agree its a special film.
Yeah I had a similar view on it at one time, and I think it comes from the obscure way that the "traps" in The Zone are shown in the film. It's ambigous throughout whether they really exist, as none of the characters die on screen, however that's more to do with our expectations of the genre than the story itself. The writer has a couple of encounters with traps which he manages to survive and there are little bits and pieces scattered through out the the visuals which you can find if you've read Road Side Picnic.
The power of The Zone is real, but it is totally illogical, that's the central idea of the zone. Humans come to it with their own point of view and assume that the alien force which created it (The Visit) will operate on lines which they can understand, but unlike just about every other Science Fiction alien - these aliens are not psychologically human so their motives are as mysterious as their technology and their effects. It becomes a mirror to the humans, they look for answers in the external reality of The Zone but only find themselves exploring their own inner self.
Ironic that the "ruined filmstock" would become a hollywood trend in the matrix era. everything was green or blue tinted for a long time.
It’s something highly specific to movies released at the turn of the millenium, no idea why, didn’t notice any tinted movie after that period
Oddly even the overexposed version of the film would be better thwn most of the movies shot around the end of the last century
“So They Shot Stalker for a *THIRD* Time....”
Yeah, I heard that’s the version they shot with Eric Stoltz.
The Mirror was my favorite...long, lingering beautiful shots with such amazing minimal sound design.
That one dream sounds like a film itself "escaping from prison only to want go back"
I don't know why but it's making me think of a song I really like. It's The New Cult King by Mushroomhead. In the song, he does talk about escaping a prison. Maybe that's why.
It's reality for many people
Shawshank Redemption has a few parts that discuss that theme
Kafka once wrote the same thing, that he was a bird in search for a cage.
Please do something on the mirror, it’s been my favourite film for such a long time but nobody talks about it anywhere near enough
This is my favorite piece you released. I reference it through every stage of production. Thank you!
Yes more Stalker! My absolute favorite movie
I'm sorry, all I heard you say was There Will Be Blood is not my favorite movie.
why
I never watched Stalker. I will watch It for the first time and I will edit the comment
@Gene Bone recommendations?
Hey, Tyler about that Bergman's effect you're talking on 7:58 In his interview in 1997, Rerberg said smth that might be it. It was about the scene with three people inside the power station. They tried medium shot but failed to get an image out of it and Tarkovsky was desperate about it cause Bergman and Nykvist were able to film long shots and he could not. So he asked Rerberg to try to film that scene with the widest lens they got which Rerberg did not like to work with. After that 2nd try they failed to get the image again so this time Tarkovsky demanded on using of the long-focus lens but Rerberg declined cause they did not have enough room in that building to move or to get the light. Then, after the crew managed to get a hole in the wall big enough for the camera dolly and for the lights from the outside of the compound, they did the 3rd take and still no image of the scene... So Rerberg got fired after that and to make that long shot Tarkovsky build the whole hangar for that scene (I think, that was that "special studio" you mentioned).
Which was the specific Bergman film he referenced with that effect/shot?
Yes I'm curious of the film's name and scene too
@alevort sorry, this I do not know but in the same interview Rerberg said they were watching Bergman's Viskningar och rop
and Skammen before shooting Stalker
@@zhenyape Thanks! You were so nice :D
@@zhenyape There are beautiful wide shots in both Shame and Cries & Whispers, which one do you think Tarkovsky got his inspiration from?
Three weeks ago I watched this movie for the first time and not a day has passed where I haven't thought about ‘Writer’ and the many ways in which I relate to him.
The Writer's deepest desire seemed to be avoiding coming face to face with who he truly is underneath his cynicism, his fear of inadequacy, & his intellectual detachment…
Why am I trying to maintain a facade that I have built around myself?
Who am I beneath my persona?
What are my true desires & weaknesses?
you look like Ray Liota if you order him from AliExpress. Love the content btw
He looks French-Canadian
Now I can't unsee it...
Lmao I knew he looked familiar
Crossed with the sidekick guy from Brooklyn 99
Ray Liota looks like Ray Liota if you ordered him from AliExpress now
Roadside Picnic and everything it has spawned is so beautiful. Stalker is a mesmerizing film and I only show it to people I trust because it's a deal breaker, not many out there have the patience to watch it.
I definitely want more
this is one of those movies where, even having it explained to you, you just have to experience it yourself to understand. I was one of those people who put it off, because it sounded really really boring through description ... but the world tarkovski creates is simply incredible, and part of what makes it so good is how JUST enough is left to our imagination. there's a few things here and there, like the sound of a creature in the distance, the writer's unexplained fear when close to the room, the way the professor somehow ends up moving forward by going back for his canteen... it's just a masterfully crafted mindfuck of a movie.
That's really a damned shame. Such a high price to pay for such a masterpiece.
Tarkovsky was a great director. Much better than the majority of drivel being released these days. A true film artist.
lol you are mistaken. drivel was released back then as well. and there are many amazing film artists in Europe making movies right now. some coming very close to Tarkovski's caliber but obviously different.
To be an artist is to suffer.
How many directors these days know that you don't film a scene with just one camera.
@@iaincowell9747 why is that an issue? Having multiple cameras can open the director up to numerous and different/interesting shots.
@@TheEnigmaticBM39 You're not gonna use more than one camera if you already know what the scene is gonna be. You just don't.
The film is a masterpiece on every single level, dialog, cinematography, music, atmosphere...everything! A dark film that shines bright. This is one the the best critiques I have heard yet.
Alongside Barry Lyndon, it has to be one of the most beautiful looking pictures ever taken with a camera!
@@davidlean1060 Yes, it's very dream like....I have never watched Barry Lyndon? I'll have to check it out.
Everything except narrative. This only makes any sense if you have first read the book. Otherwise it’s just shouty people walking through a derelict landscape, inexplicably jumping at their own shadows.
Don't know about dialogue!
@@davidlean1060 I would definitely rank T. Malick's "A Hidden Life" way up there, and it doesn't even get an Oscar nom!!!
I really liked Roadside Picnic, and when I saw Stalker I was a bit disappointed because it's an adaptation of a relatively small part of the novella, which has more backstory and multiple plot threads focusing on a bunch of different characters in and out of the Zone. But Tarkovsky's artistic intent was different from the Strugatskys'.
I just saw Annihilation and, yes, the similarity between it and Stalker is indeed palpable. While I was watching it I thought of the story as resembling a couple of Stanislaw Lem novels, but, really, the comparison to Roadside Picnic and Stalker is closer (Lem was a big fan of Roadside Picnic).
It also killed Solonitsyn, one of the best actors I've ever seen perform on screen
Awesome! Your video got me stoked on tarkovsky again! Thank you. Ivans Childhood is great.
"Get out of here, Stal.."
Oh wrong Stalker
LOL!
Not completely.
Its... an anomaly.
This place ain't for you, either...
I said come in, don't just stand there!
funny how everything looks pornographic next to Stalker
Omgthat'ssoliketrue 😄
Its trash wym
@@chriss6439 If Stalker is trash for you, you do not know the first thing about cinematography.
@@ozymandiasnullifidian5590 leave the gulag citizen alone
@@ozymandiasnullifidian5590 Or, it just doesn't appeal to this person.
As a massive fan of Tarkovsky and Stalker this was an amazing eye opener. Thank you so much for doing this!
I saw Stalker about 1990 at the "Anvil Civic Cinema" in Sheffield (UK), just before it closed. I then lived with a poet who was mates with the cinema's curator Dave Godin, so got invited to some after-film drinks with some Eastern European film studies academics who had been at the showing. One had known Tarkovsky in Italy in the early 80s, and claimed to have seen the first version of the film. He too said that it was exactly the same as the third version we had watched earlier that day. (excellent critique btw : you got a subscriber)
You got? Is that how they speak in Sheffield?
@chubbyurma considering he has roots in the north of england and he's not a short order chef in a new york diner. I think him saying you "have" a subscriber would be a lot more appropriate.
@chubbyurma if you are joe cocker singing in an american accent, why not. But if youre in sheffield and you walk around saying you got a subscriber this and you gotta do what you gotta do that. You will look and sound like a pretentious arsehole who is talking in an affected way and you will be banished from Sheffield.
@chubbyurma oh i say so.....i say so real good.
john smith Saying “have” means something was already in place: “I have a car”. Saying “got” means something was received: “I got a car”. Please stop overthinking this into oblivion.
Even as a fan of both Stalker and Tarkovsky, I learned a whole lot from this video. Very well put together.
Hello! First time viewer from UK but I had to comment since Tarkovsky is one of my favourite directors.
Firstly, a couple of triv bits about Solyaris. The set built for the space station was beautiful. I've never seen such a perfect set (maybe Alien, and Outland come close) of a working station that once had a huge crew, now dwindled to a handful, and really nearing the end of its life (MIR Space Station anyone?) The story goes that Japanese director Akira Kurosawa asked to be allowed into the set for an hour on his own. He wanted to experience it for himself. What he did there, I don't know but somebody more familiar with him and his work could fill me in on that.
If you're interested, for contrast, a USSR TV station made a monochrome version of Solyaris in 1968. It's wonderful to compare - you can see how Tarkovsky was all about emotion in his version, whole the 1969 TV film is more "nuts and bolts".
Finally on Solyaris, Stanislaw Lem, the author, didn't like Tarkovsky's film. But! Most of us that have read the English translation have been reading a *garbled telex version* of the book for years. The English translation from 1971 came like this: Polish to French to English - with the French and English translators not really "getting" what Lem was saying. Luckily, a brand new translation came out a few years back, and not only is it available on Audible, but there is an incredible audiobook version that captures what Lem *meant* beautifully.
BONUS EXTRA: BBC Radio 4 made a two hour (if I'm remembering correctly) radio play. Joanne Froggatt played Rheya, and it is done with such care you'd think it was Radio 4 in 1980 ( when they still have a shit about good drama).
And onto Stalker. I'd already read Roadside Picnic and was excited there was a film version. I was jumping up and down for joy when I found out Tarkovsky had made it. I have a wonderful box set of his films, which include Stalker and Solyaris, but a year or so ago I found out Criterion had restored Solyaris, so I bought that immediately and watch that version now - big difference!
About the chemical poisoning in Estonia. Yes, totally true. These people REALLY died for their art. A strange coinkydink happens here. An actor in noir radio series, along with some decent film roles, is someone I deeply admire - Dick Powell. He plays a private eye in the radio series "Richard Diamond" , and if you want to *see* him nor, check out 1949's "Johnny O'Clock" which is just gorgeous start to finish.
Now, Dick Powell directed a terrible film with (ugh) John Wayne who plays Genghis Khan (!) in 1956's "The Conquerer" (no, I haven't seen it). It was filmed smack dab in a piece of Nevada used for nuclear testing. To make matters terrifyingly worse, they scooped up tons of the Geiger Counter Destroying sand and took it to the film studio for interior shot set dressing. A disturbing number of those who worked in any way on this (travesty - no, stop, be professional) film died early due to strange cancers - Dick Powell among them. His wife has said it was smoking that killed him, but you just have to look at the numbers and make your own mind up.
So a bit about a few great films, and I hope someone got something out of this.
And your video on Stalker was perfect. Presentation is top notch, some good gags, and a respect for a Soviet director who, in the west, doesn't get the credit he deserves . Nice one sir, extremely well done, and might turn on a few new fans. All the best from a tiny bit of a tiny island!
Were the cancer rates ever compared to a neutral group of actors that age? Because smoking 1000000% killed a lot of them pretty early.
It warms my heart to see Stalker get some love.
Best served whilst in the grip of existential despair.
“Get out of here stalker”
“I said come in, don’t stand there”
“You can’t go there”
Uhh dont even. Lol
Cheeki breeki
"How did I even manage that?"
"he was a good stalker"
"oruzhiye ubral."
*gun holster and unholstering sounds*
"o-o-o-oruzhiy-"
*finally holsters*
"howdy ho."
I just saw Stalker today. It's imagery is the most beautiful imagery that I've ever seen in a movie. Even the decay is beautiful.
"Stalker" is truly a unique piece of cinematography. It's significance and after effects can still be felt today, even if modern Hollywood film-making is at a complete opposite to the style and substance of Tarkovsky's brilliant masterpiece. It feels more like a feverish dream than a narrative, and tends to (as stated) engulf the viewer into it's somewhat subjective/abstract concept/construct. So do we want more info about "Stalker"? Do we want to see more videos about "Stalker"? I believe the answer is without a doubt a "most deffinately"! Perhaps an analysis of the longest shot/take of the film and why it was arranged in such a way, or the choice of sound design/soundtrack for the film and such. In any case, thanks for the great video!
No, here is already a Stalker video. Better make one about Solaris
Oh yes indeed; « Solyaris » does deserve quite the proper recognition and analysis, although for me personally, “Solyaris” is too much of a personal attachment in order to provide an unbiased and objective interpretation. I do believe it is rightfully labeled as his “masterpiece” and it too is quite the poetic vision, both visually and aurally (sonically).
The film is ripe with hints and details as to provoke a reaction from the
audience, not always on the same first-level narrative.
Momma always said life was like an “Empty.” Something on the top and something on the bottom- and nothing worth nothing in the middle.”
What a sad story. Thank you for making this video. Thank you, Andrei.
I attended a double bill of Solaris and Stalker in London and I managed to stay awake after several pints earlier. Stalker is moving to oneself
You deserve an award for that! I love both, but I doubt I could make it through a double feature even with a pint of Red Bull.
"Its beautiful here, not a single soul here" - Stalker
Roadside Picnic is one of the greatest Sci-fi stories I have read. Never knew there was a movie made of it. Thanks :)
Eh, better to say that it was inspired by the book. STALKER is a worthwhile experience, but a wholely different one from Roadside.
I actually live on The Jagella River, the one that was covered in pulp from the paper factory. A naturally occuring algae would combine with the paper and change it to this form of red seen in the film. It has done this for thousands of years (before the paper factory existed the pulp just exacerbated the color disbursement) and is why it is called the jugular (Jagella) river because of the way it looks like flowing blood. My father told me stories about our ancestors using the trails left by animals leaving this river to stalk them which is where the term for the original stalkers came from, this is mentioned in Roadside Picnic Tale of the Troika which the movie was based on. It was also said that Oxen would defecate into this river and is how you would describe this story, i.e., Bullshit.
Which story was bullshit? The effluent discharge part?
@The_Jaguar_ Knight Oh so he was talking about his own story lmao
@The_Jaguar_ Knight I mean, I even read Roadside Picnic and don't remember any of this but still felt inclined to believe him lmao
I was going with it until I realized that the book didn't necessarily take place in the same location as the film.
What a beautiful video. Thanks so much! (I've always thought Kubrick and Tarkovsky were mirror images -- and that mirroring was itself a mirror reflection of the States and the USSR; they're almost the same.)
I had been obsessed with this film, but never knew much about it, probability because I was searching under the wrong title - The Zone and found nothing. When the Internet had no video, they would occasionally broadcast it at late night on an intellectual national TV channel. Now finally I got an answer to my quest, thank you.
They should make a movie about the making of stalker staring brian cranston as tarkovsky lol.
jason bateman
they would probably get a russian actor
@@giovanni21mas or at least one that can speak it.
I agree. How no one has made that movie yet, I have no idea, given how ambitious stalker was/is for its time.
There was a movie made about the making of Nosforatu, where they found a real creature to play the part. They could make a movie about the making of Stalker, but not a pure documentary but some reason why they are really haunted.
Interesting that we got some of the greatest studies of existentialism and the human condition from Soviet directors. They couldn't go after common themes of protest and parody of the state and many popular genres were considered deviant/degenerate. They had to go inward, so they did...to great effect.
I find myself coming back to this video over and over when I want to introduce them to Tarkovsky and Stalker. Something about knowing the story that went on behind the scenes makes the movie that much more amazing to watch with people.
this is, by far, the most beautifully put essay about a cinema that i have ever seen! kudos!
5:33 Alisa Freyndlih/Алиса Фрейндлих with *K* being silent and *H* don't
10:56 Alexandr Knyazhínskiy/Александр Княжи́нский just say *Knya* (like nyan but with *K* in front and without *N* in the end) and *zhinskiy* .
Put those together = Knyazhínskiy.
Sorry but this is the best explanation i've got :D
I just wanna add, that -zh is pronounced like french -j or -si in the words "a*si*an", "confu*si*on", etc. I know, that this might be obvious to some people, but I've often heard people pronouncing -zh as -z.
Kin ya zin ski?
@@reynaldolunajr.6909 no!
Reynaldo Luna Jr. - No. it’s:
K-
Nya- (like the nya in nyan cat)
Zhin- (zh is like the j in bonjour; in would be like the word “in”; the emphasis is here)
Skiy - ski like the snow sport.
K-nya-zhín-skiy
Even simpler: Knya shin-skee
I am a movie lover and I love all genres.
It takes more than a few beautiful images and creating a mood for a movie to be called a masterpiece...
The scene that sparked the conflict was from Bergman's "Cries and Whispers". - Two sisters on their way to see their dying third sister.
Dude this is amazing! I'd love as many Stalker videos as you are physically able to make.
Your video made me realize why Stalker is one of my favorite films - not only can i zone out while watching but the shots were filmed with the explicit intent i zone out. I normally have a bit of a hard time following films because i cannot control the often too fast pace they go at and tend to be quite overwhelming. Stalker is the opposite of that - i get to vividly imagine rolling around in the alien meadows, 10/10 movie
This guy kinda looks like that guy from goodfellas
Buffoonus Troglodytus Ray Liotta
He looks like the little person that says "Boss! De Plane!"
Ayeeeeee! Forget about it!
Yeah, he looks like Henry's brother who wasn't using coke all the time lol
@@damarei
😂
Herve Villchaize
(Had to look up spelling)
What is also great about the movie is that you feel a lot of unease when they fall into water with foam, since you know that everything is toxic. The knowledge of the background of the production makes it feel even more real.
I studied photography and film, where we had a short film project, and later I was an extra for a local TV series.
Goofing around with your class for a full day is fun.
Waiting around for something to happen along with 100 other people you don't know for a full day is exhausting.
Tarkovski was amazing, two of his movies are some of my most favourite movies ever: Solaris and Stalker. It's hard to put into words how and what but it they just draw you in and you become completely immersed in them.