Film Number 18 on PinHeadLarry145's 30 Days 30 Countries Film Challenge!

Russia/Soviet Union, 1979.

Well.... There is was. My first Tarkovsky film. Many things may be rushing through your head...

"Why the hell haven't you seen a Tarkovsky film yet?"

"What did you think of it?"

"Did you like it? Did you hate it?"

"Why the hell did you choose Stalker as your first Tarkovsky film?"

I really only have a legitimate answer to one of those questions: did I like it.

Yes. Very much so.

Stalker turned out to be everything I dreamed it would be. An odd tale of existentialism and meaning; set behind striking cinematography and breathtaking visuals as the characters navigate a highly ambiguous wasteland. Andrei…

"Let everything that's been planned come true. Let them believe. And let them have a laugh at their passions. Because all they call passions actually is not some emotional energy, but just the friction between their souls and the outside world"

Although none of Tarkovsky's films can be completely understood apart from their technical aspects, Stalker can be appreciated (at least initially) within two different aspects, (1) the mysticism, in which the key to understand it, in my opinion, is in the text above and the development lies in dialogues around the whole movie; (2) the transient essence of life and the immutability of time, explained by the camera movements and the superb mise-en-scéne.

Tarkovsky himself said there is no…

I couldn't help but re-visit stalker. A film i saw for the first time about two years ago and may have been one of the first 'arty' films i ever watched and adored.

Another film you can just sink into, albeit with slight unease. It's eeriness working its way softly into you at every step. The first half of the film has some of the most sinister vibes and feelings that i have witnessed, the sense of impending doom is everywhere, and as the film moves slyly forward the fates of these characters feels intensely at jeopardy, even when i've seen it the outcome before. I don't particularly think this film is slow paced, it is choc full of penetrating…

It's sci-fi, but not as we know it.

Andrei Tarkovsky's philosophical mind-bender has a timeless quality and barely any special effects shots, and the few there are are very subtle. This makes it an unusual and low-key entry in the canon of post-apocalyptic depictions. The film concerns a 'Stalker', who acts as a guide through the mysterious 'Zone', where the laws of physics work differently and can be fatal to the unwary. Stalker is leading a professor and writer through the Zone in search of The Room; where all of one's heart's desires can be fulfilled.

First of, this is a very long film that I found very hard to engage with. It's well-known for the length of shots. There…

"Visually unforgettable" seems to be the go-to phrase when describing this film. Needless to say, I can see why. Mesmerizing may be an under statement. This is a fantastically unique film that everybody should see.

The 5th Tarkovsky film I've seen and easily one of the more striking. The premise is very interesting and yet simple while the film manages to be as complex and deep as cinema goes. A scientist and a writer are in search of "the room" which is hidden deep inside an impenetrable zone. The only people that can navigate this hazardous, mysterious zone are known as Stalkers. They hire one of these Stalkers in hope of finding this room which is known to grant peoples…

Film Number 18 on PinHeadLarry145's 30 Days 30 Countries Film Challenge!

Russia/Soviet Union, 1979.

Well.... There is was. My first Tarkovsky film. Many things may be rushing through your head...

"Why the hell haven't you seen a Tarkovsky film yet?"

"What did you think of it?"

"Did you like it? Did you hate it?"

"Why the hell did you choose Stalker as your first Tarkovsky film?"

I really only have a legitimate answer to one of those questions: did I like it.

Yes. Very much so.

Stalker turned out to be everything I dreamed it would be. An odd tale of existentialism and meaning; set behind striking cinematography and breathtaking visuals as the characters navigate a highly ambiguous wasteland. Andrei…

30 Countries Challenge // #12 - Soviet Union

I could probably cut and paste a lot of my opinions from my review of Werckmeister Harmonies and apply them to Stalker. I found them quite similar in the way I could appreciate their technical achievements but just couldn't connect with the narrative. I found Stalker about 50 times more watchable but it still didn't amaze me in the way I was hoping it would.

If you were to simply give me the synopsis of Stalker then I would be extremely interested. It promises just the right levels of intrigue but without giving too much away. Unfortunately for the most part I was just waiting for it to really kick on. There's…