Stalker (1979): The Sci-Fi Masterpiece That Killed Its Director
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2019
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Seven years before filming his final masterpiece, The Sacrifice, Andrei Tarkovsky sacrificed his sanity to make Stalker. Stalker had one of the most difficult productions in cinema history and possibly even caused Tarkovsky’s death. So let’s see why one crew member described the production of Stalker as “a mirror of a hellish trip."
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This video essay was written, edited, and narrated by Tyler Knudsen.
KUBRICK / TARKOVSKY - Vugar Efendi
bit.ly/2d3dw19
Sources:
Charles M on CZcams - Check out his channel!
bit.ly/2Gcv3of
A Unique Perspective on the Making of ‘Stalker’: The Testimony of a Mechanic Toiling Away under Tarkovsky’s Guidance - Cinephilia & Beyond
bit.ly/2KcQyYG
Masterclass with Andrei Tarkovsky: Cinema Is a Mosaic Made of Time - Cinephilia & Beyond
bit.ly/2NWDREY
Criterion Channel stat - bit.ly/30DbUDP
Stalker: Meaning and Making by Mark Le Fanu
Danger! High-radiation arthouse! By Geoff Dyer - The Guardian
bit.ly/32qQX0w
Interview with Andrei Tarkovsky (on Stalker) by Aldo Tassone (1980)
Stalking Tarkovsky at the Sheffield Doc/Fest - The Guardian
bit.ly/2JvzjRI
Tarkovsky’s Artistic Zone by Pamela Cohn
bit.ly/2YQIIbV
Pervert’s Guide to Cinema (2006)
bit.ly/1vyF5qE
The Sacrifice film review - jabardi
bit.ly/2yzYSMj
Stalker. The Zone of Andrei Tarkovski (2007)
bit.ly/2NSabJh
Production Designer Rashid Safiullin Reflects (Criterion)
Tarkovsky Stalker Alexander Knyazhinsky final interview - frankensplean
bit.ly/32ip5vo
No One Here Gets Out Alive: Andrei Tarkovsky's Final Masterpiece: The Stop Smiling Film Review (The Sacrifice)
bit.ly/2XKNueD
Wikipedia
Clips:
The Sacrifice (1986 dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
Spaceballs (1987 dir. Mel Brooks)
The Mirror (1975 dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
The Seventh Seal (1957 dir. Ingmar Bergman)
Pickpocket (1959 dir. Robert Bresson)
Interstellar (2014 dir. Christopher Nolan)
Nostalgia (1983 dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
Andrei Rublev (1966 dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
Ivan's Childhood (1962 dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Solaris (1972 dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
The Breakfast Club (1985 dir. John Hughes)
Under the Skin (2013 dir. Jonathan Glazer)
Annihilation (2018 dir. Alex Garland)
The Terminator (1984 dir. James Cameron)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991 dir. James Cameron)
Alien (1979 dir. Ridley Scott)
The Shining (1980 dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977 dir. George Lucas)
Blade Runner (1982 dir. Ridley Scott)
A Man Escaped (1956 dir. Robert Bresson)
The Ascent (1977 dir. Larisa Shepitko)
Music:
Epidemic Sound - Zábava
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
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...
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.
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 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.
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.
“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?
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".
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
The fact that Tarkovsky liked The Terminator says alot about the film
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
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
dude. I can't imagine how much work you put into all these edits. That's a lot of work
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
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'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
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
this is, by far, the most beautifully put essay about a cinema that i have ever seen! kudos!
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..
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
This is my favorite piece you released. I reference it through every stage of production. Thank you!
I love the background music you inserted into this video, it's unique without being distracting and makes the video more gripping overall
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.
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.
What an artist! The man literally killed himself for his art. Thank you for introducing Tarkovsky. I would have never known about him.
This video is wonderful, as is your series. I just found it, but i love movie trivia and info! Also your voice is so soothing, and engaging, and incredibly genuine. :)
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.
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
@@user-tg9em8zl1z Excellent point, Boris
@@EatPieYes thank u John Kennedy
"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
Hey thanks for the video, it was pretty good and I really like the setup! Editing was really good!
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.
Hey, I don't know how I came across this, but it was amazing and I'm watching this movie as soon as possible. Great work, thanks so much, man.
What a sad story. Thank you for making this video. Thank you, Andrei.
"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
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.
Game was awesome hope sequel will be even better in graphics
it was worth it! the games came out amazing (except for clear sky fuck clear sky)
As a massive fan of Tarkovsky and Stalker this was an amazing eye opener. Thank you so much for doing this!
Congratulations on the video again; You have a very good way of presenting and editing that makes the videos very joyful to watch, not to mention I love Tarkovsky and this was a brilliant choice.
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.
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
@@user-ov8xn7iz9l 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.😃
such a comprehensive and insightful review .. well done and thank you .
First one of your videos I've seen. So much information. Loved it. Will definitely watch more. Thanks.
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
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.
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.
This is as good a presentation as any review I have ever seen. Well done, Tyler.
I went to see “Stalker” 3 times in one week when it first came out! It totally blew my mind.
brofist
I once saw it 3 times in one day, back to back. I'm not sure why.
@@LocustxXxLocust Holy shit
@@LocustxXxLocust did you tryed to die while watching it or what lol
@@v44n7I may have taken acid at the time.
Wow. I've always loved Stalker and had no idea about its troubled production. This was fantastic to watch.
The Mirror was my favorite...long, lingering beautiful shots with such amazing minimal sound design.
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.
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.
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.
CinemaTyler, you are brilliant! THANK YOU for sharing your work with us.
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.
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
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.
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 found your channel looking for the stalker movie and damn, nice review dude! i love your style
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.
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.
Been binge-watching a lot of RedLetterMedia and video essays on Scorn, so I guess thats how this appeared on my feed: couldn't be happier, love your narrative pacing and humour so definitely subscribing
Thank you. Fascinating background. Only finished watching Stalker yrsteday, took me a long time to get all the way through it.
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.
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.
One of my favorite videos on CZcams. Thank you!
This video was like a weird but nice acid trip. Cannot stress enough how much I enjoy these videos!
“So They Shot Stalker for a *THIRD* Time....”
Yeah, I heard that’s the version they shot with Eric Stoltz.
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?
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.
Just watched this video and subscribed to your channel. Excellent work amigo, looking forward to exploring more of your uploads.
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
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.
4 years later and I am revisiting this and its more than amazing than ever!
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.
You know, there's a lot of content on CZcams now dedicated to reviewing and shedding light on older pieces of media, but seemingly either pieces of media that are well loved and regarded by all, or esoteric pieces of media you might have seen once when you were a kid. I was just thinking about how I'd love to see some content dedicated more towards important works that many people don't know about. Thank you so much for making this video. One of my all time favorite movies, it's very nice to see ANYONE talking about it. Keep up the good work!
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!
This was a really great video! Probably watching more of your content.
Great video/lecture and intro to Tarkovsky’s work. “Stalker” is MAGNIFICENT! Thanks!
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
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!!!
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.
You got me with that iconic Rod Serling moment! And thank you for an intelligent film critic, delivered with wit and insight, and turning me on to a new director!
It warms my heart to see Stalker get some love.
Best served whilst in the grip of existential despair.
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
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.
I have This film in my library. But haven't really come around to it..
I think tonight might be when I finally sit down and immerse myself in The Zone.
Thanks for making this. Gave me the push to finally watching it.
Will return when I have watched it through.. *presses Play*
Momma always said life was like an “Empty.” Something on the top and something on the bottom- and nothing worth nothing in the middle.”
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.
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.
If you've ever played the Stalker games it's actually crazy how much was not just inspired by the concept of the zone and it's stalkers but also the atmosphere. Stalker is a slow methodical game most times that almost forces you to stop and consider what's going on around you. No big pressing mission that needs to happen in this amount of time or that, no overarching evil or good just people living in the zone doing their best. There's also the escort missions that are very reminiscent of the movie which I like. But all in all it was the amount of alterations and reiterations and troubles around it's development that ultimately make it feel the most like Tarkovsky's stalker. This kit bashed underbudgeted experience that was not the the artists original intentions but still beautiful all the same. I also find it funny that Stalker also went under 3 iterations before the work could be considered complete (Not counting Clear Sky of course). At the end of the day the game never feels like it's trying to rush you through it but just like with the film it's trying to make you feel like your there which it achieves perfectly. I'm hoping with the second Stalker we can finally have a complete work directly inspired by the book that actually lives up to the artist's dreams
seems like even stalker 2 is in development hell, with it initially being scrapped in like 2011. and even now after the game is finally being developed again, gsc had to relocate their studio in the midst of the russia-ukraine conflict, some of the devs have even died fighting for their country. on top of all of that, hackers blackmailed gsc and leaked a shitton of stuff including a playable test build. honestly stalker seems to be a "cursed" franchise.
@@vain.a2 Facts, it’s sad we may never see a completed work for this “universe”
Goldsphere (a S. T. A. L. K. E. R. Mod) might be right up your alley if you're willing to give it a try
“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."
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.
00:38 I love that the subtitles have the direction (stopsmilingonline) tucked in there.
Just Discovered your channel. Glad I did!
It also killed Solonitsyn, one of the best actors I've ever seen perform on screen
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
I randomly thought of this video last night and spent all of today trying to remember the name of the movie/director so I could rewatch this. Tarkovsky is a prime example of a director with uncompromising vision and I really admire him for that. This guy had some really horrible luck, the story behind Stalker really sticks with me like no other.
Really good commentary! Now it kills me that the first version is gone forever.