Stalker (1979)
This is not the sort of movie I will go in-depth on; to use a cliche, it is best experienced fresh for a first time viewer:
I had ample opportunity to see this movie in the past; it is easy to find whether you go the physical media route or choosing a streaming option. I saw this real late Sunday night on Turner Classic Movies; as should be a non-surprise to those familiar with Stalker, I needed time to ruminate and contemplate the allegorical, complex piece of work that this was. I then realized I don't want to say so much about such a motion picture; of course I don't want to spoil too much about this-what you take into this film will play a part in how you interpret the message or messages it was trying to say. I won't reveal what I thought it all meant as it would taint someone else before they go into this for the first time.
This movie takes its time and yet it was perfect for the type of film this was; a stalker escorts two men (who did not know each other beforehand) into The Zone, a mysterious location which is fenced off as the laws of nature and reality do not apply there, and troops have gone missing so they are afraid to go in. So yeah, the Annihilation novel and later the movie were quite obviously inspired by this movie; ironically, the story that Stalker was based on was adapted loosely here, which is also the same between Annihilation's novel and movie adaptation.
A phrase I'll use here is “it's the journey, not the destination” as it's important for this film. All the interactions between the trio of disparate characters are critical and are the backbone of the movie. Stalker is meticulously directed with all the long takes used perfectly and there is an interesting score but how those three interact with each other is the keystone to this. The only other comment I can make is that this is a “must-see” for a hardcore film fan; needless to say it is something you need to be hyper-focused on; it being on in the background won't work as in no way is it that kind of motion picture. As long as you have the patience, this should be a rewarding story and you should admire how breathtaking this masterpiece is, irregardless of what you get out of Stalker.
Runtime:
163 minutes
Directed
by: Andrei Tarkovsky
Starring:
Alexander Kaidanovsky, Alisa Freindlich, Anatoli Solonitsyn, Nikolai
Grinko
From:
Mosfilm
I had ample opportunity to see this movie in the past; it is easy to find whether you go the physical media route or choosing a streaming option. I saw this real late Sunday night on Turner Classic Movies; as should be a non-surprise to those familiar with Stalker, I needed time to ruminate and contemplate the allegorical, complex piece of work that this was. I then realized I don't want to say so much about such a motion picture; of course I don't want to spoil too much about this-what you take into this film will play a part in how you interpret the message or messages it was trying to say. I won't reveal what I thought it all meant as it would taint someone else before they go into this for the first time.
This movie takes its time and yet it was perfect for the type of film this was; a stalker escorts two men (who did not know each other beforehand) into The Zone, a mysterious location which is fenced off as the laws of nature and reality do not apply there, and troops have gone missing so they are afraid to go in. So yeah, the Annihilation novel and later the movie were quite obviously inspired by this movie; ironically, the story that Stalker was based on was adapted loosely here, which is also the same between Annihilation's novel and movie adaptation.
A phrase I'll use here is “it's the journey, not the destination” as it's important for this film. All the interactions between the trio of disparate characters are critical and are the backbone of the movie. Stalker is meticulously directed with all the long takes used perfectly and there is an interesting score but how those three interact with each other is the keystone to this. The only other comment I can make is that this is a “must-see” for a hardcore film fan; needless to say it is something you need to be hyper-focused on; it being on in the background won't work as in no way is it that kind of motion picture. As long as you have the patience, this should be a rewarding story and you should admire how breathtaking this masterpiece is, irregardless of what you get out of Stalker.
No comments:
Post a Comment