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Tarkovsky's masterpiece.
Three men set out to reach the mystical "Zone," wherein a man's true wish is granted.
The stalker is the man who acts as the guide and, for this story, he is leading "the writer" and "the professor" to it.
Not much happens but it definitely is NOT an exercise in absurdity, as some of Beckett's works are. Rather, Tarkovosky is interested in exploring the validity of science, i.e. its benefit. Or the worth of faith or a system of beliefs in the modern world.
I was captivated from the beginning.
As usual for the master, there are both sights of sickening ugliness and astonishing beauty.
I probably don't have to mention that if you haven't liked more artistic and intellectual films in the past, you'll REALLY detest this one.
Follow Ups:
is not strong enough a word. While watching it, I wanted the entire world to end just to save myself from the criminal boredom...
I've liked all of his other films more. For some reason I just didn't connect with Stalker. What really puzzled me was my wife, who can't even stay awake for Solaris, loved Stalker. I guess we need to rent it again.
Stalker as Tarkovskys magnum opus is a tough call; I'd say Andrei Rublev ( sp.? )
and the later Nostalghia are more accessible films
There's definitely a different sensibility at work in Stalker; and some subtlety in that scenes fade from Color to Sepia to Black and White quite seamlessly throughout
I'm impressed by the opening scene of the weatherbeaten door and then interior of the Stalkers decrepit room which doesn't become recognizable as a living space until the gas illuminates him brushing his teeth ( the subdued lighting, and the near-constant railway noise in the background, was no doubt cribbed for David Lynchs "Erasurehead" )
This opening scene draws you into the film from the beginning
The Stalker, his wife, and their daughter, are just extra-ordinary looking people; which doesn't hurt either
The theme is science fiction, but the pacing and story are as far removed from Star Wars as it would be possible to get
I also think it's a Masterpiece; but definitely not for everyoneGrins
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Complicit Constapo Talibangelical since MMIII
model is the most "human?"
Is all progress a delusion? Was the first technological advance, fire, the beginning of the end of human innocence?
No, you needn't worry. Tarkovsky doesn't lecture these points. His characters, however, do confront them in a brilliant way in "The Zone."
Yes, "Andrei Rublev" is a masterpiece but in "The Stalker," Tarkovsky reduces his style to its essence.
Now, what the hell is it with the lug nut and the handkerchief? ;-)
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Complicit Constapo Talibangelical since MMIII
I especially enjoyed the comment one character makes (the stalker, of course) about art being the best human endeavor because of its unselfishness.
I know this sounds corny, and you're the wrong person to hear it most probably, but I had a sort of epiphany listening to the characters' arguments.
The whole idea of science destroying faith/religion isn't original but the way it was voiced was so, with the visuals and the looming atomic device on-stage.
A unique experience which absolutely transcends the usual cinematic one.
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Complicit Constapo Talibangelical since MMIII
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