An essay on Stalker by Gregory and Maria Pearse

An essay on Stalker by Joseph Mach

An essay on Stalker by Steve Erickson (not the novelist Steve Erickson)
An essay on Stalker by Todd Harbor
A!"#E$ TA#%&'S%()S
!&STA*GH$A +&# THE *$GHT
,Here -e are at the threshold.
This is the /ost i/portant /o/ent o0 yor lives.
(o have to kno- that here

yor /ost cherished -ish -ill co/e tre.
The /ost sincere one.
The one reached throgh s00ering.,
(0ro/ STA*%E#)


$n the entire history o0 cine/a there has never been a director1 -ho has /ade sch a
dra/atic stand 0or the h/an spirit as did Andrei Tarkovsky. Today1 -hen cine/a see/s to
have dro-ned in a sea o0 gla/ori2ed triviality1 -hen h/an relationships on screen have been
redced to se3al intrige or sloppy senti/entality1 and baseness rles the day 4 this /an
appears as a lone -arrior standing in the /idst o0 this cine/atic catastrophe1 holding p the
banner 0or h/an spiritality.

5hat pts this director in a class all his o-n and cataplts his 0il/s onto a height
inaccessible to other 0il//akers6 $t is1 0irst and 0ore/ost1 his nco/pro/ising stance that
/an is a SP$#$T7A* being. This /ay appear to be sel04evident to so/e1 and yet it is 8st on
this very point that 99: o0 cine/a 0ails. Man)s spiritality is ;ickly and conveniently pshed
aside in 0avor o0 other /ore ,e3citing, topics< /an)s se3ality1 /an)s psychology1 sociology
and so on. $n today)s cine/a1 i0 spiritality is dealt -ith at all1 it is never treated as the
0ondation o0 or e3istence1 bt is there as an appendage1 so/ething the characters concern
the/selves -ith in their spare ti/e. $n other -ords1 -hile in other 0il/s spiritality /ay be
PA#T o0 the plot1 in Tarkovsky)s 0il/s it $S the plot= it per/eates the very 0abric o0 his 0il/s.
$t can be said that his 0il/s vibrate -ith his o-n spiritality. As he hi/sel0 states1 in all o0 his
0il/s the /ain characters ndergo a SP$#$T7A* crisis.

This is particlarly evident in his 0il/ Stalker1 -here A** o0 the characters are involved in
an intense spirital strggle. And -hile the natre o0 this strggle is ni;ely personal 0or
each o0 the/1 the basic ob8ective is the sa/e< to keep the 0la/e o0 the h/an spirit -ithin
the/ alive. The character o0 the Stalker1 in particlar1 is the /ost 0ascinating e3a/ple o0 the
>
h/an being strggling to 0ind the right path by sing his intition (that is1 by listening to his
,inner voice,). And since /ost people are sed to 0ollo-ing only their -orldly desires in
carving ot their path in li0e (paying little or no attention to this ,inner voice,)1 Stalker)s
behavior prodces a reaction o0 be-ilder/ent 4 not only in his co/panions in the 0il/1 bt
also in the /a8ority o0 the vie-ers. $nstead o0 rshing throgh the ,?one, (representing li0e)1
grabbing and tasting and plndering everything in his path1 he proceeds -ith cation1 as
thogh listening 5$TH$! hi/sel01 -atching 0or signs to indicate the ne3t /ove to hi/1
care0l not to distrb anything arond hi/. 5hat is it that he is listening to1 -aiting 0or1
hoping to co/prehend6 $t is the langage o0 the ,?one,1 -hich is the langage o0 li0e itsel0 4
the langage1 in -hich the @reator speaks to s throgh li0e. This is1 perhaps1 the /ost ni;e
;ality o0 Tarkovsky)s cine/a (-hich also acconts 0or his ni;e cine/atic style o0
incredibly long takes and slo-ly4plsating rhyth/)< he is observing the very langage o0 li0e1
as thogh hoping in this -ay to ,hear, the langage o0 God.

And there are other ni;e ;alities1 -hich /ake Tarkovsky stand ot not only as a
director1 bt as a h/an being< his insistence that conscience is ,the /ost i/portant thing,
and his atte/pt to /ake other 0il//akers a-are o0 ,the 0act that the /ost convincing o0 the
arts de/ands a special responsibilty on the part o0 those -ho -ork in it< the /ethods by
-hich cine/a a00ects adiences can be sed 0ar /ore easily and rapidly 0or their /oral
deco/position1 0or the destrction o0 their spirital de0enses1 than the /eans o0 the old1 /ore
traditional art 0or/s., (0ro/ ,Sclpting in Ti/e,.) 7n0ortnately1 his -ords 0ell pon dea0
ears. At he contined to e/phasi2e the need to take personal responsibility 0or or destiny
and not bla/e others or society 0or it. He -rote<
,$t is so /ch easier to slip do-n than it is to rise one iota above yor o-n narro-1
opportnist /otives. A tre spirital birth is e3traordinarily hard to achieve.,
,. . . nobody -ants1 or can bring hi/sel01 to look soberly into hi/sel0 and accept that he
is accontable 0or his o-n li0e and his o-n sol.,
,The connection bet-een /an)s behavior and his destiny has been destroyed= and this
tragic breach is the case o0 his sense o0 instability in the /odern -orld. . . . B/anC has arrived
at the 0alse and deadly ass/ption that he has no part to play in shaping his o-n 0ate.,
,$ a/ convinced that any atte/pt to restore har/ony in the -orld can only rest on the
rene-al o0 personal responsibility.,
There see/s to be little reason to atte/pt an analysis o0 Tarkovsky)s 0il/s1 since no one can
do it better than he hi/sel0 has already done in his book ,Sclpting in Ti/e,. And1 anyho-1
since his 0il/s strive to reach ot to the spirit -ithin s and convey to s a spirital
e3perience1 each one o0 s -ill take a-ay 0ro/ the/ so/ething ni;ely personal. At in
each case1 it -ill be so/ething -hich -ill /ove s on a deep spirital level 4 /ch deeper
than e/otionD This level o0 e3periencing is akin to a state o0 !&STA*GH$A. Here the -ord
,nostalghia,1 -hich one o0 Tarkovsky)s 0il/s bears as its title1 is to be nderstood not in the
English sense o0 ,nostalgia,1 bt in the sense it has in the #ssian langage< a state o0
n;enchable longing 0or one)s ho/eland. And since the ho/eland o0 the spirit lies 0ar above
this earth1 ,nostalghia, o0 the spirit 0or the *ight is that ine3plicable longing -e 0eel -hen
nothing on earth see/s to satis0y s1 nothing see/s to co/e p to that ideal o0 har/ony and
beaty1 -hich -e carry deep inside s as a vage /e/ory 0ro/ or distant ho/eland. +ar
0ro/ being an i/aginary place drea/t p by poets1 it is a place as real as the earth 4 and it is
precisely the reality o0 that /e/ory1 -hich the poets in all branches o0 the arts throghot all
the ages have tried to convey to s. Tarkovsky hi/sel0 stated that he -as not satis0ied -ith the
screenplay 0or his 0il/ !ostalghia ntil he scceeded in e3panding the /ore narro- concept
o0 #ssian ,nostalghia, (the longing to retrn to #ssia) into a /ore pro0ond ,global
E
yearning 0or the -holeness o0 e3istence1, so that the 0il/ ,ca/e together at last into a kind o0
/etaphysical -hole.,

A great illstration o0 this state o0 nostalghia o0 the spirit 0or things not o0 this earth is the
poe/ by Tarkovsky)s 0ather (Arseniy Tarkovsky)1 -hich he pt into his 0il/ Stalker<

!o- s//er has passed1
As i0 it had never been.
$t is -ar/ in the sn.
At this isn)t enogh.

All that /ight have been1
*ike a 0ive4cornered lea0
+ell right into /y hands1
At this isn)t enogh.

!either evil nor good
Had vanished in vain1
$t all brnt -ith -hite light1
At this isn)t enogh.

*i0e took /e nder its -ing1
Preserved and protected1
$ndeed $ have been lcky.
At this isn)t enogh.

!ot a lea0 had been scorched1
!ot a branch broken o00. . .
The day -iped clean as clear glass1
At this isn)t enogh.

(translated by Maria Pearse)

$t is a sad and irre0table 0act that the over-hel/ing /a8ority o0 the poplation has decided
to bry this precios gi0t o0 longing 0or the *ight deep -ithin the/. Tarkovsky clearly
perceived this 4 ,. . . it)s only possible to co//nicate -ith the adience i0 one ignores that
eighty percent o0 people -ho 0or so/e reason have got it into their heads that -e are spposed
to entertain the/, 4 yet -ith every 0il/ he contined to try to rea-aken this sense o0 longing
-ithin his adiences. He 0elt it -as his dty and his calling to give e3pression to that -hich is
,inner/ost, in the sols o0 his vie-ers1 even i0 they the/slves are not a-are o0 it.

Those o0 s1 -hose spirits have been toched by his 0il/s -ill recall 0ro/ the/ or o-n
special /o/ents<
FFF it /ay be the apple cart -ith the t-o children in $van)s @hildhood (aka My !a/e is
$van)1 -hich rea-akens -ithin s the longing 0or the lost prity o0 childhood=

G
FFF it /ay be that se;ence in Mirror1 -hen Tarkovsky depicts his parents as a yong
cople lying on the grass1 already anticipating his birth1 and the /an asks the -o/an< ,5ho
do yo -ant /ore< a boy or a girl6, The -o/an says nothing1 bt her eyes /ove arond
searchingly ntil she sddenly trns a-ay 0ro/ the ca/era as i0 looking into the /ystery o0
@reation. Tarkovsky then cts to the trees as the -ind rstles throgh their leaves -ith the
opening strains o0 J.S. Aach)s ,St. John)s Passion, co/ing closer and closer to-ards s ntil
the 8bilant otcry o0 the chors< ,*ordD *ordD MasterD 7nto Thee be praise and glory
ever/oreD, 5here else has the entrance o0 a h/an being into this -orld been depicted -ih
sch a-e and sch sbli/e spiritality6D

FFF or it /ay be those brie0 /o/ents o0 2ero gravity in Solaris1 -hen the /ain character
and his beloved levitate (Tarkovsky 0elt that levitation -as the /ost accrate cine/atic
depiction o0 the state o0 love).

FFF or1 perhaps1 it is the /o/ent o0 Stalker)s breakdo-n on the very threshold o0 the
#oo/ ,-here all -ishes are granted.,

FFF or that /o/ent in Andrei #blev1 -hen -e learn that an i/poverished yong /an
-ho pt p a 0ront that he kne- a special secret o0 bell/aking1 didn)t kno- anything a0ter all 4
and yet1 throgh his intition and a desperate prayer1 still /ade the greatest bell ever.

FFF or the 0inal se;ence o0 !ostalghia -ith its three atte/pts by the /ain character to
carry a lit candle 0ro/ one side o0 an old1 e/pty pool to the other in his conviction that he is
carrying the 0la/e o0 the h/an spirit across. And -hen he 0inally /akes it to the other side1
the opening o0 'erdi)s #e;ie/ co/es in. $s it not the re;ie/ 0or all those /asses1 -ho have
so crelly neglected their o-n spirits that they are no- abot to 0all into the eternal sleep o0
spirital death6
All o0 these se;ences are cine/atic depictions o0 a spirital nostalghia 0or the *ight. $t can
even be said o0 Tarkovsky that he lived his -hole li0e in a state o0 sch nostalghia1 regardless
o0 -hether he -as in #ssia or abroad. All his li0e he kept trying to ncover deeper and
deeper levels o0 /eaning to or e3istence. 7pon arriving in the 5est1 he took i//ediate
advantage o0 his ne- 0reedo/ by reading throgh the vol/inos -orks o0 Grd8ie00 4 only to
be lti/ately disappointed1 bt the i/portant thing is that he e3plored every ne- opportnity.

He also took so/e -rong trns. #e0lecting on -hat he had to go throgh in his li0e to bring
his 0il/s into being1 he -rote< ,And so it)s al-ays the adience -ho -in1 -ho gain so/ething1
-hile the artist loses1 and has to pay ot., $t)s beco/e al/ost a tradition that a great artist
shold also be a /artyr. The /artyrdo/ co/ple3 see/s to have a strange appeal to /any
artists and even the best o0 the/1 like Tarkovsky1 Aresson and Parad8anov1 0ind the/selves
nable to resist its /agnetic pll. $n reality1 it is 8st the opposite o0 -hat Tarkovsky had
stated< it is al-ays the artist1 -ho gains /ost o0 all1 becase it is his spirit that advances
throgh this artistic e3ertion (-hen it is applied in an p-ard direction1 o0 corse1 like in
Tarkovsky)s case)1 -hile the adience can gain 0ro/ it only as /ch as they are capable o0
recogni2ing and ths re4e3periencing in their o-n -ay. At the artist possesses all o0 that
e3perience= it is totally his o-n spirital gain. The Per0ect Jstice o0 God does not allo- the
one1 -ho e3erted hi/sel0 the /ost (na/ely1 the artist) to ,lose and have to pay ot1, -hile the
ones1 -ho e3erted the/selves the least (na/ely1 the adience) ,to -in,. The sa/e Jstice
does not per/it the sacri0ice o0 an innocent li0e o0 A!( being in e3change 0or the sins o0
others. &ne cannot drive a bargain -ith God as Ale3ander atte/pts to do in The Sacri0ice.
The de/ands that are no- being /ade pon h/anity by the *ight are /ch /ore e3acting
than that. &ne spastic act -ill not s00ice= a -hole !E5 and S7STA$!E" -ay o0 living is
H
re;ired. A co/plete trans0or/ation o0 /an into a totally spiritali2ed being at lastD To /ake
this trans0or/ation possible 0or those1 -ho -ish to 0ollo- this @all 0ro/ ot o0 the *ight1 the
!e- %no-ledge is given in the book ,$n the *ight o0 Trth< the Grail Message, by
Abd4r4shin.


&ne o0 the last things Tarkovsky said on his deathbed (as reported by his -i0e) -as< ,$t is ti/e
0or a ne- direction., This is re/iniscent o0 *ev Tolstoy)s last -ords< ,To seek1 al-ays to seek
. . ., 5ith this kind o0 attitde one advances rapidly both here and in the beyond. 5hat drives
the seeking spirit on-ard in its ;est 0or Trth is an n;enchable longing described so -ell
in the 0ollo-ing ;ote by Pavel +lorensky (>IIE4>9HG)1 a #ssian philosopher1 -ho died in a
Stalinist labor ca/p<
,$ do not kno- -hether there is Trth or not. At $ instinctively 0eel that $ cannot be
-ithot $t. And $ kno- that i0 $t is1 then $t is everything 0or /e< reason1 and good1 and
strength1 and li0e1 and happiness. Perhaps $t is not= bt $ love $t 4 love is /ore than everything
that e3ists. $ already cont $t as e3isting1 and $ love $t 4 thogh perhaps non4e3istent 4 -ith all
/y sol and all /y thinking and drea/ing. $ renonce everything 0or $t 4 even /y ;estions
and /y dobts.,
5hen all is said and done1 -e are le0t -ith 4 perhaps1 not even an i/age 4 bt a sond 0ro/
Stalker o0 a train -histle 0ar o00 in the distance1 calling s to leave or old1 0a/iliar li0e behind
and to seek ot a ne- -ay to bring the spirit -ithin s to tre li0e.
,MA! is not really /eant to live according to the conceptions -hich have hitherto
prevailed1 bt shold be /ore o0 an intitively perceptive h/an being. $n that -ay he -old
0or/ an essential connecting4link 0or the 0rther develop/ent o0 the -hole @reation.
Aecase he nites in hi/sel0 the ethereal o0 the beyond and the gross /aterial o0 this
-orld1 it is possible 0or hi/ to srvey both and to e3perience both si/ltaneosly. $n addition
he also has at his disposal an instr/ent that pts hi/ at the head o0 the entire Gross Material
@reation< the intellect. 5ith this instr/ent he is able to gide1 ths to lead.
$ntellect is the highest o0 -hat is earthly1 and is /eant to be the steering ele/ent throgh
li0e on earth1 -hereas the driving po-er is the intitive perception1 -hich originates in the
Spirital 5orld. The basis o0 the intellect there0ore is the physical body1 bt the basis o0 the
intitive perception is the spirit.
As a prodct o0 the brain1 -hich belongs to the gross /aterial body1 the intellect1 like all
that is earthly1 is bond to the earthly conception o0 ti/e and space. The intellect -ill never be
able to -ork otside ti/e and space1 althogh it is actally /ore ethereal than the body1 bt
nevertheless still too dense and heavy to rise above earthly conceptions o0 ti/e and space.
Hence it is co/pletely earthbond.
At the intitive perception (not the 0eeling) is ti/eless and spaceless1 and there0ore
co/es 0ro/ the Spirital.
Ths e;ipped1 /an cold be closely connected -ith the 0inest ethereal1 indeed even be
in toch -ith the spirital itsel01 and yet live and -ork in the /idst o0 all that is earthly1 gross
/aterial. &nly /an is endo-ed in this -ay.
J
He alone1 as the only bridge bet-een the */inos Heights and the gross /aterial
earthly1 shold and cold provide the healthy1 0resh connectionD &nly throgh hi/ in his
special natre cold the pre *i0e 0ro/ the Sorce o0 *ight plsate do-n-ards into the
deepest gross /aterial1 and 0ro/ there p-ards again in the /ost glorios1 har/onios
reciprocal actionD He stands as a link bet-een the t-o -orlds1 so that throgh hi/ these are
-elded into one -orld.
Ho-ever1 he did not 0l0il this task. He separated these t-o -orlds instead o0 keeping the/
0ir/ly nited. And that -as the +all o0 ManD 4
Throgh the special natre 8st e3plained /an -as really destined to beco/e a kind o0 lord
o0 the Gross Material 5orld1 becase the Gross Material 5orld depends on his /ediation1
inas/ch as1 according to his natre1 it -as 0orced to s00er -ith hi/ or cold be pli0ted
throgh hi/1 depending on -hether the crrents 0ro/ the Sorce o0 *ight and *i0e cold 0lo-
in prity throgh /ankind or not.
At /an ct o00 the 0lo- o0 this alternating crrent necessary 0or the Ethereal 5orld and 0or
the Gross Material 5orld. !o- 8st as a good blood circlation keeps the body 0resh and
healthy1 so is it -ith the alternating crrent in @reation. @tting it o00 /st bring con0sion
and illness1 0inally ending in catastrophes.
This serios 0ailre on the part o0 /an cold co/e abot becase he did not se the
intellect1 -hich originates only in gross /atter1 solely as an instr/ent1 bt co/pletely
sb8ected hi/sel0 to it1 /aking it rler over all. He ths /ade hi/sel0 the slave o0 his
instr/ent and beca/e /erely intellectal /an1 -ho is in the habit o0 prodly calling hi/sel0
a /aterialistD
Ay sb8ecting hi/sel0 entirely to the intellect1 /an chained hi/sel0 to all that is gross
/aterial. Jst as the intellect cannot grasp anything beyond the earthly conception o0 ti/e and
space1 obviosly the /an -ho has co/pletely sb8ected hi/sel0 to it cannot do so either. His
hori2on1 that is his ability to co/prehend1 beca/e narro- together -ith the li/ited ability o0
the intellect.
The connection -ith the Ethereal -as ths severed1 a -all -as erected -hich beca/e dense
and ever denser. Since the Sorce o0 *i0e1 the Pri/ordial *ight1 God1 is 0ar above ti/e and
space and still stands 0ar above the Ethereal1 natrally every contact /st be ct o00 throgh
the binding o0 the intellect. +or this reason it is ;ite i/possible 0or the /aterialist to
recognise God.
The eating 0ro/ the tree o0 kno-ledge -as nothing /ore than the cltivation o0 the
intellect. The reslting separation 0ro/ the Ethereal -as also the closing o0 Paradise as a
natral conse;ence. Mankind locked the/selves ot by inclining -holly to-ards the gross
/aterial throgh the intellect1 ths degrading the/selves1 and volntarily or o0 their o-n
choice placing the/selves in bondage.
At -here did this lead6 The prely /aterialistic1 ths earthbond and in0erior thoghts o0
the intellect1 -ith all their acco/panying /ani0estations o0 ac;isitiveness1 greed1 0alsehood1
robbery1 oppression1 sensality and so on1 -ere bond to bring abot the ine3orable reciprocal
action o0 -hat is ho/ogeneos1 -hich 0or/ed everything accordingly1 drove /en on-ards1
and -ill 0inally brst over everything -ith ... annihilationD
K
A 5orld 8dg/ent1 -hich in accordance -ith the e3isting *a-s o0 @reation cannot be
avoided. As -ith a gathering thnderstor/1 -hich /st 0inally brst and bring destrction.
At at the sa/e ti/e also pri0icationD...
At then /en -ill 0l0il that -hich they shold 0l0il in @reation. They -ill be the
connecting4link1 -ill throgh their ;ality dra- 0ro/ the Spirital1 that is1 -ill let the/selves
be gided by the pri0ied intitive perception1 and translate this into the Gross Material1 ths
into the earthly1 to this end sing their intellect and acc/lated e3periences only as an
instr/ent1 in order to carry throgh these pre intitive perceptions in gross /aterial li0e1
taking into accont everything earthly1 -hereby the entire Gross Material @reation -ill be
continally 0rthered1 pri0ied and pli0ted., (Abd4r4shin1 ,$! THE *$GHT &+ T#7TH<
THE G#A$* MESSAGE,1 chapter ,Man in @reation,)

all art-ork by Maria Pearse
e3cept Java by Gregory Pearse
STA*%E#< a synopsis and analysis
B +ollo- 7ps C B Post +ollo-p C B Andrei Tarkovsky Message Aoard C B +AL C
Posted by Joseph 'incent Mach on "ece/ber MN1 >99I at MJ<GI<HE<
An old @hinese crse states OMay yo live in interesting ti/es.P $t is a crse becase the
ti/es that are interesting oneQs li0e are the ti/es o0 danger and s00ering. Andrei TarkovskyQs
>9N9 0il/ titled Stalker is al/ost a per0ect illstration o0 people in0licted -ith this crse. The
people in the 0il/ leave the sa0ety o0 their -orld to enter OThe ?oneP= a dangeros region
srronded by barbed -ire 0ences and ar/ed gards. $n OThe ?oneP is a O#oo/P said to grant
oneQs -ishes. Tarkovsky stated in >9IE O5eQve reached a ti/e -hen -e /st declare open
-ar0are on /ediocrity1 greyness and lack o0 e3pressiveness1 and /ake creative in;iry a rle
o0 cine/a.P(Petrie1 p>9M) TarkovskyQs 0il/ is not easily classi0ied as "ra/a1 Action1 or
Science +iction. $t contains ele/ents o0 all three bt see/s to re/ain distinctly di00erent 0ro/
each one. $n this three4hor 0il/1 he keeps the vie-er -aiting at the edge o0 their seat1
interested in the 0il/ and -aiting 0or the cli/a31 bt -ithot the predictability o0 a Science
+iction1 Action or "ra/a 0il/.
Stalker is based on a science 0iction novel called #oadside Picnic by Arkady and Aoris
Strgatsky. Ho-ever1 the 0il/ takes /any liberties and is a giant leap a-ay 0ro/ the te3t. $n
the book1 the reason 0or entering OThe ?oneP is 0or scienti0ic analysis1 bt the 0il/ shi0ts the
/otive to the ;est 0or OThe #oo/P and the spirital inner 8orney to discover the secret
desire that OThe #oo/P -ill grant. Tarkovsky states OThe ?one is not a territory1 bt on the
contrary1 a trial1 -hich one either passes or 0ails. Everything depends on sel04dignity1 on ho-
0ar one is able to distingish bet-een the i/portant and the transitory.P(Petrie1 pp. >9J4K)
Also1 Tarkovsky ses color to distingish bet-een the drab -orld and the interesting
O?oneP. $n the dll oter -orld1 Tarkovsky 0il/s in black and -hite1 bt tints the pictre -ith
sepia to separate si/ilar tone greys into di00erent bro-ns. This allo-s a co/plete vie- o0 the
area in the 0il/ 0ra/e -ithot the distractions o0 vivid color or the con0sion o0 black and
-hite.
$n the /ovie1 Three people enter OThe ?oneP< 5riter1 a -ell kno-n bt brned ot has been
-ho is searching 0or inspiration. Pro0essor1 a physicist -ho is hoping to gain 0a/e and riches
by discovering the /ysteries o0 OThe ?oneP. And Stalker1 one o0 a 0e- stalkers or gides -ho
N
bring selected people into OThe ?oneP. There is great /ystery and 0ear srronding OThe
?oneP. #/ors restated in the 0il/ are that a /eteorite 0ell on the area1 a s/all to-n that
contained a laboratory or /ilitary station called Anker !/ber +or1 also kno-n as OThe
#oo/P. OThe ?oneP is o0ten co/pared to the Aer/da Triangle as a /ysterios spot -here
people enter and disappear. OThe ?oneP is 0enced o00 -ith barbed -ire and ar/ed solders. $t is
nclear i0 this is to prevent people 0ro/ entering OThe ?oneP and -hy they -old -ant to
prevent it1 or i0 it is to prevent so/ething1 an alien being or alien ideas1 0ro/ entering the
civili2ed -orld.
Tarkovsky pins scienti0ic observation against sperstitios belie0 so that depending on the
0ra/e o0 /ind o0 the vie-er1 one cold vie- t-o di00erent stories in the sa/e 0il/. &ne cold
vie- the 0il/ rationally1 e3plaining a-ay OThe ?oneP as a nclear accident like @hernobyl1
not a large e3plosion that destroys the landscape1 bt a leak that -ipes ot al/ost every
ani/al and leaves the vegetation to gro- over the /an /ade ob8ects and d-ellings. This
cold e3plain the death and disappearances o0 people1 as -ell as the birth de0ects 0ond in the
children o0 stalkerQs and -hy the Stalker tires easily and needs to 0re;ently rest on the
8orney to OThe #oo/P.
&ne cold also vie- the 0il/ as a psedo4religios ;est. &ne cold state that the reason
Stalker can enter and e3it OThe ?oneP is becase he is pre1 has good intentions1 or is 0ree
0ro/ sin. &ne /st be both catios and righteos to pass throgh and have the -ish1 the
inner/ost desire granted. 5here a rational /ind -old see the Stalker as an $ndiana Jones
type person looking 0or adventre1 the #o/antic -old vie- hi/ as the Aiblical Persebal
;esting 0or a holy relic like the Grail. The Stalker poetry and stories are like the &racle o0 the
ancient Greeks. The vie-er needs to interpret the Stalkers -ords1 as the priests needed to
decipher the &racles predictions. And his 0re;ent rests are to be in toch -ith the Earth1
becase as a gide he /st be one -ith the land.
&ne can easily classi0y the three characters -ithin this 0ra/e-ork. The Stalker is a tre
believer in the po-ers o0 OThe ?oneP. He is al/ost /ilitant that his chosen 0ollo-ers are1 and
re/ain pre. He takes a-ay the -riterQs alcohol and pors it ot -hen they are standing in the
0ield and re/oves his gn and pshes it into the -ater1 a sy/bol o0 baptis/al cleansing1 -hen
they are approaching OThe #oo/P. The Pro0essor is a /an o0 science and is there0ore a
prag/atic disbeliever. He brings a bag -ith his lnch along the 8orney -here Stalker see/s
to be religiosly 0asting. And the 5riter is an a/bigos agnostic. He clai/s that StalkerQs
sperstitions are a hoa31 bt is a0raid to disobey StalkerQs orders. He is too a0raid to go the
strait path to OThe #oo/P and ends p trning back and 0ollo-ing Stalker.
To e3plain any o0 these concepts 0rther one -old need a synopsis o0 Stalker. $ -ill try to
e3plain it throgh direct scienti0ic observation1 bt $ -ill also inclde the spirital and /ystic
connotations o0 the 0il/. The 0il/ starts -ith electronic /sic. The title and credits appear
over sepia tinted black and -hite 0ootage o0 a dingy bar. The title itsel0 is striking. OStalkerP is
not a #ssian -ord. $t prodces 0eelings o0 alienation in the vie-er. $ts de0inition in English is
brings the sense o0 one -ho /oves silently1 -ith stealth and speed. A0ter the title and credits a
;otation 0ro/ Pro0essor 5allace abot the appearance o0 OThe ?oneP. 5hile the state/ent is
scrolling1 a bartender enters1 serves a patron1 and e3its.
The ne3t shot has the ca/era silently creeps throgh an open door-ay onto a brass bed. A
trinity o0 0igres1 a /an1 -o/an1 and child are sleeping. A train passes casing a glass o0
-ater to /ove across a table containing a bo3 o0 pills. The appearance o0 the roo/ see/s to
be one o0 poverty and /isery. The /an slithers ot o0 bed1 dresses1 and ;ietly leaves the
bedroo/ al/ost closing the door on his -ay ot. As he leaves the -o/an sits p in the bed.
I
He -ashes hi/sel0 -ith pri/itive haste in a kitchen -ith -ooden 0loors. A light trns on1 bt
brns ot breaking the blb. The -i0e pleads that he stop and re/inds that he cold end p in
8ail 0or ten years. He pshes past her and leaves as she states that he is the reason that they
have OSch a childP. His client soon identi0ies the /an as Stalker as they /eet in a dockyard.
The client is an arrogant intellectal in the co/pany o0 an elegantly dressed -o/an and is
telling her ho- dll conte/porary li0e is -ithot s00ering. 5hen asked i0 the -o/an can
co/e along on the 8orney1 Stalker1 -ho did not e3pect her1 orders her to leave and beco/es
disgsted that the client has been drinking.
Stalker and the /an enter the bar 0ro/ the title se;ence and /eet the csto/er. As they
0ollo- in a conversation1 the Stalker again 0orbids the 0irst /an1 5riter1 to drink and
addresses the second /an as Pro0essor. The 5riter presents hi/sel0 as cynical in his o-n
ability to contine -riting. The Pro0essor states that his /otive is scienti0ic criosity. The
5riter replies -ith the /otive o0 inspiration. A train -histle is adible and Stalker states that
it is ti/e 0or the/ to go.
They get into a topless 8eep and drive throgh trash 0illed streets and rn4do-n bildings
avoiding an ar/ed police/an by stopping and dcking -hen he rides by. The 0ollo- the train
as it passes throgh a gate into an inner and /ore heavily garded barrier. They hide again to
avoid detection. 5hen Stalker pases to plan the ne3t /ove1 5riter voices displeasre -ith
the trek so 0ar1 bt Pro0essor re/ains ;iet. They get into the 8eep and 0ollo- behind another
train to gain entrance past a large barbed -ire gate. As they pass they co/e nder 0ire 0ro/
/any ar/ed troops. They soon 0ind a rail-ay 0latcar and again co/e nder 0ire as they trail
o00 do-n the track. The troops do not 0ollo- the/ into OThe ?oneP.
As they enter OThe ?oneP the 0il/ changes 0ro/ sepia tones to rich color. A body o0 -ater
and vivid green vegetation are visible1 bt there are still re/ains o0 dilapidated bildings and
indstrial -aste. $n OThe ?oneP1 Stalker tells a story abot Porcpine. Porcpine -as his
teacher -ho also broght people into OThe ?oneP ntil so/ething -ent -rong and he -as
OpnishedP. Stalker then asks Pro0essor to tie so/e bandages arond a 0e- /etal nts and
goes to take a -alk. 5hile Stalker is a-ay1 Pro0essor tells 5riter abot their gide. He states
that Stalker -as i/prisoned and has a /tated daghter -ith no legs. He tells abot
Porcpine and ho- a0ter he beca/e -ealthy1 he hng hi/sel0. The Pro0essor also elaborates
on the history o0 OThe ?oneP and ho- a /eteorite cold have 0allen on the area t-enty years
ago and a0ter it happened1 strange things started to occr. Soon r/ors began to spread o0 a
roo/ -ithin OThe ?oneP that cold grant oneQs -ishes1 and a /ilitary blockade 0or/ed to
prevent -icked people -ith hostile desires 0ro/ -ishing. The 5riter then asks -hat cold it
be i0 not a /eteorite. The Pro0essor sggests a spernatral event -hen he replies that it cold
have been a gi0t or /essage to /ankind.
Stalker is brie0ly seen lying do-n -ith his 0ace in the long grass. He gets p and retrns to the
e3pedition -ith the Pro0essor going 0irst and Stalker 0ollo-ing thro-ing so/e o0 the
bandaged nts to leave a trail indicating the -ay that they ca/e. &vergro-n /ilitary vehicles
litter the landscape and Stalker co//ents that a /ilitary e3pedition ca/e here -hen he -as a
child. There is a clearly visible bilding that see/s to be their destination across a short 0ield.
5riter disbelieves Stalkers -arning that they cannot go directly to the bilding and they begin
to arge. Stalker -arns that OThe ?oneP is alive and de/ands respect. +ailre to respect OThe
?oneP -ill reslt in pnish/ent. Stalker takes 5riterQs 0lask o0 alcohol and e/pties it onto the
grond. 5riter begins to directly cross the 0ield to the bilding. 5eird sonds start to be herd
and a voice says OStop1 donQt /oveDP -hen 5riter is abot hal0 -ay. 5riter trns and heads
9
back to the grop. 5hen he asks -ho said that1 both Stalker and Pro0essor clai/ it -as not
they.
They begin to arge and Pro0essor sggests that 5riter beca/e 0rightened and told hi/sel0 to
trn back. Stalker yells a -arning that OThe ?oneP is a co/ple3 /a2e o0 0atal traps. $t is the
people and not OThe ?oneP that set the traps. People have had to trn back at varios points
along the -ay and people have died on OThe #oo/QsP threshold. 5riter asks i0 OThe ?oneP
lets the good pass and the evil die1 again sggesting a religios 8dge/ent. Stalker replies that
he thinks it is the hopeless -retches that are allo-ed to pass1 bt even they die i0 they do not
behave properly here. Stalker sggests that 5riter is lcky to have received a -arning 0ro/
OThe ?oneP. Pro0essor asks to -ait behind -hile the others contine1 bt Stalker replies that
the re;est is i/possible becase they -ill not retrn the sa/e -ay they le0t and o00ers to
abandon the /ission and re0nd portions o0 the /oney. Pro0essor relctantly re8oins the party.
The ne3t scene begins -ith StalkerQs calling 0or the other t-o. 5riter and Pro0essor are seen
standing in 0ront o0 a door-ay -ith dilapidated tiles on the -alls. A /etal nt on a bandage is
seen hanging behind the/ and Pro0essorQs bag is on the grond. 5riter states that he thinks
they are in 0or another lectre 0ro/ Stalker. Stalker /oves across a ledge -hile his thoghts
can be heard in a voice over. He 8oins the t-o as they e3it a large drainpipe. The voice asks
that the other t-o believe1 and that they beco/e helpless children becase -eakness is great
and strength is -orthless. 5eakness e3presses 0reshness o0 e3istence and tenderness.
Strength1 he states1 are like hardness and dryness. Strength is a co/panion o0 death and -hat
beco/es hard -ill not tri/ph. This state/ent recalls the biblical passage Othe /eek -ill
inherit the Earth.P
Pro0essor asks to retrn to 0etch his lnch bag. Stalker re0ses to let hi/ go as he sends 5riter
ahead do-n a latter. 5riter and Stalker pass the tiled -all and throgh a 0e- arch-ays
reaching a -ater0all. They begin to -ade in the -ater -hen 5riter notices that Pro0essor is
/issing1 bt Stalker says that they can not trn back and pshes ahead. The ca/era sddenly
0ocses on hot coals in a ca/p0ire. The ca/era pans across a tiled 0loor -ith a 0e- inches o0
-ater on it. 7nder the -ater is /edical -aste and rsty /etal trash along -ith a book1
possibly a Aible. 5riter e3its the arch-ay already seen t-ice only to be standing ne3t to
Pro0essor cal/ly sitting and drinking 0ro/ his ther/os. The lnch bag is on the grond ne3t
to a 0ire and a bandaged nt is hanging behind the/. Seeing the nt Stalker clai/s that they
have 0allen into a trap. 5riter and Pro0essor begin to inslt each other. ($t is this point in the
0il/ -here $ as the vie-er lost 0aith in Stalker as a prophet1 bt not in OThe ?oneQsP po-er1
/ystery1 and danger. Stalker is clearly going in circles1 bt he see/s correct to be catios o0
OThe ?oneP becase o0 the strange /sic and ne3plained sonds it still see/s like a
spernatral place. $ think this is allegorical to the #ssian *eo TolstoyQs leaving the
&rthodo3 @hrch to rediscover @hristianity. $ abandon the leader1 bt not the case.) The
conversation contines bet-een 5riter and Pro0essor. The ca/era again e3a/ines so/e
ob8ects nder the -ater. Aiblical readings can be heard in voice over by Stalker and a -o/an1
possibly StalkerQs -i0e. Electronic /sic a/pli0ies the strangeness o0 the scene. There is no-
dialog bet-een 5riter and Stalker abot art and rede/ption.
There is a ;ick ct to a dark tnnel called the OMeat GrinderP. There are holes in the top that
let light cast do-n onto /rky -ater covering the botto/ o0 the tnnel. Stalker has a dra-ing
o0 /atches to see i0 5riter or Pro0essor goes 0irst1 bt the /atches are the sa/e lengths and
5riter is tricked into leading the party. Sonds o0 -ater dripping and echoing 0ootsteps create
sspense and tension in the already neasy at/osphere o0 the s/all dark tnnel. Ae0ore 5riter
goes throgh he has Stalker toss a /etal nt into the tnnel to /ake sre it is sa0e. Stalker
0ollo-s behind Pro0essor throgh the OMeat GrinderP. They reach a door at the end o0 the
>M
tnnel. The s/all roo/ beyond is seriosly 0looded. 5riter plls ot a gn1 bt Stalker takes
it a-ay asking 5riter -ho or -hat he thinks he is going to shoot. 5riter proceeds throgh the
0looded roo/. There is a close p o0 StalkerQs hand slo-ly pshing the gn into the -ater
-ith the tips o0 his 0ingers1 as i0 not to get any o0 the gnQs bad kar/a on hi/sel0 and ths
casing OThe ?oneP to pnish hi/. Pro0essor and Stalker 0ollo- and Stalker calls 5riter to
-ait.
5riter is seen in a large roo/ -ith -hat look like large sand dnes. Stalker thro-s another
nt into the roo/ and both he and Pro0essor ;ickly lie do-n 0or cover. The nt see/s to
bonce o00 a dne -here logic /akes the vie-er think that its -eight shold have /ade it stay
-here it landed. A bird 0lies throgh the roo/ bt disappears hal0-ay. Another bird 0lies
throgh the roo/ bt sa0ely reaches the other side. 5riter is no- seen in the dnes standing
ne3t to -hat looks like a -ell. 5riter drops a large rock into the -ell and starts a /onologe
abot ho- /eaningless and sper0los his li0e and -ork are. He speaks -ith both sel04
loathing and bitter honesty. He sees hi/sel0 as a -riter -ho hates to -rite and 0inds the -ork
to be like tortre. He states ho- he sed to think that he -rote help0l books 0or people1 bt
nobody boght the/. Stalker co/0orts hi/ by telling hi/ that i0 OThe Meat GrinderP1 the
harshest trap in OThe ?oneP1 allo-ed hi/ to pass then he /st be a 0ine person. Stalker tells
the story abot ho- Porcpine sent his brother1 a good and gi0ted individal1 into the OMeat
GrinderP to die. Stalker then begins to recite poetry abot ho- natreQs beaty and living li0e
to the 0llest can not co/pensate 0or escaping oneQs 0ate. (This se;ence gives the vie-er the
0eeling o0 solitary sol4searching that prophets like Addha and Moses did -hen they
-andered in the desert 0or a n/ber o0 days and nights.)
The /en enter a roo/ -ith trash and a thin layer o0 -ater on the 0loor. There is a -indo- in a
-all o0 the roo/ and a door-ay opposite the -indo-. This roo/ has a telephone on the 0loor.
The /en get into a serios discssion abot their /otives 0or going on this trek. The
telephone sddenly rings. 5riter ans-ers it1 stating that the caller has not reached the clinic
and that the caller dialed the -rong n/ber. Pro0essor then ses the phone to call his lab.
Pro0essor gloats to his boss that the destination has been reached and the boss has been ot
s/arted. Pro0essor re/arks to the grop that people -ill /isse OThe #oo/P. Stalker clai/s
that he does not bring those kind o0 people into OThe ?oneP1 bt Pro0essor replies that he is
not the only stalker ot there. Stalker points ot the door-ay and states that they have reached
the /ost i/portant decision in their lives. He rges the/ to rethink their pasts and believe in
OThe #oo/P. He asks -ho -ants to go 0irst6
5riter re0ses to go saying that sniveling and praying are h/iliating. Pro0essor annonces
that he intends to destroy the roo/ -ith a bo/b that he has broght -ith hi/. He e3plains
that his boss at the lab hid the bo/b becase the roo/ /eant hope and did not -ant it to be
destroyed by Pro0essor. Pro0essor states that OThe #oo/P does not provide happiness and -ill
only be sed 0or evil intentions. Stalker leaps onto Pro0essor 0or possession o0 the bo/b.
5riter plls Stalker o00 o0 Pro0essor. Stalker asks 5riter -hat he is doing and -hy does he
-ant Pro0essor to destroy their hope. 5riter calls Stalker a hypocrite -ho is only interested in
/oney and po-er. He clai/s Stalker ses peopleQs hopelessness to 0eel like a god or a tsar
here. Stalker beaks do-n into tears saying stalkers are not allo-ed to enter OThe #oo/P or be
sel0ish. He sobs that OThe ?oneP is all he has le0t becase everything on the other side o0 the
barbed -ire -as taken 0ro/ hi/.
5riter calls Stalker a OHoly +oolP1 a blind believer. Then 5riter o00ers his analyses 0or
PorcpineQs sicide. 5riter clai/s that OThe #oo/P grants not a rational -ish -here the
conse;ences can be planned ot1 controlled1 and /ini/i2ed1 bt that is searches the sol o0
the person1 granting the inner/ost desire based on the natre o0 the person. Porcpine /ight
>>
have that he -anted to save his brother1 bt deep do-n he really -anted -ealth. A0ter
Porcpine reali2ed that his -ish -as not granted1 he hng hi/sel0. (There is a Aible passage
that 0its this point per0ectly. O5hat shall it bene0it a /an to gain the -hole -orld and lose his
solP (Mark1 I<GK)) 5riter re0ses to enter OThe #oo/P and pollte his sol or poison anyone
else -ith his sel0ishness. The telephone rings again1 bt is ignored. 5riter loses his balance
and al/ost 0alls into OThe #oo/P1 bt is plled back by Stalker. Pro0essor disasse/bles the
bo/b and thro-s the parts into the -ater. 5riter holds on to Stalker as Pro0essor s;ats ne3t
to the/. Stalker -onders alod i0 he shold live here -ith his -i0e and child -here no one
-ill hrt the/. &00 screen there is the sond o0 a train.
There is a ct back to the sepia tinted black and -hite 0ootage o0 the oter -orld. The 0ootage
is a shot o0 StalkerQs -i0e and child in the bar. The three /en are at the table they started ot
0ro/. The -i0e leads Stalker ot o0 the bar -ith the child. The ne3t shot is a color shot o0
-hat looks like the child -alking along a riverbank1 bt as the ca/era lo-ers the vie-er
realises that Stalker has her on his sholders. The river is littered an indstrial bilding
prodces s/oke lies behind it. The vie-er retrns to StalkerQs hose in sepia. Stalker is saying
that no one has 0aith any/ore1 and he and OThe #oo/P are no longer needed. The -i0e tries to
co/0ort Stalker. The -i0e then addresses the vie-er stating that people sed to lagh at
Stalker. Her /other re0sed to let the/ /arry becase stalkers end p in 8ail. At she states
that Stalker /ade her happy and one cannot have happiness -ithot sorro-. She says O$
-old rather live in bitter happiness than a dll grey li0e.P
The 0inal shot is in color and is o0 the child sitting and reading by a table. Poetry is adible in
voice over in -hat shold be the childQs voice i0 she cold speak. She stares at t-o glasses on
the table. Slo-ly the glasses /ove across the table and break on the 0loor. Then a train is
heard again. (This again pins a spernatral e3planation in the 0or/ o0 telekinesis sggested
by the voice over o0 the /te child against the scienti0ic e3planation o0 the train casing the
table to shake the glasses o00.)
$0 the vie-er looks at the 0il/ 0ro/ a totally rational and scienti0ic vie-1 this 0il/ -ill see/
boring. There -as no visal danger in OThe ?oneP apart 0ro/ the sspense broght abot by
dripping -ater1 crnching glass1 and electronic /sic. 5hile on the other hand1 OThe #oo/P
-as al/ost proven to be a sperstitios 0allacy1 and a spernatral believer -old be
disappointed in the -ay that the 8orney -as ended. The 0il/ see/s to place the vie-er in the
interesting drea/ -orld o0 OThe ?oneP thogh the se o0 lsh color there. At at periods
re/oves the vie-er 0ro/ the 0il/ into real li0e by the sdden retrn to sepia or a lod
disrpting noise like the train1 or the 0oghorns 0ro/ the docks by the bar1 or the telephone.
5here the 0il/ is sppose to cli/a3 at the entrance o0 OThe #oo/P1 the ringing a-akes the
vie-er 0ro/ the 0il/Qs trance. This is also tre o0 the ;estionable shot o0 the childQs
telekinesis abilities and the train.
$ believe that Tarkovsky -as trying to point ot that -hile 0aiths /ay be -rong or seless1
they /ake li0e /ore interesting to live. They provide hope and /iracles 0or -retches -ho
have nothing le0t in li0e. Tarkovsky states that his the/e in Stalker Ois the the/e o0 h/an
dignity= o0 -hat that dignity is= and ho- a /an s00ers i0 he has no sel0 respect.P (Tarkovsky1
p.>9I) He also states that the reason 5riter and Pro0essor 0ailed is becase Othey lackBedC The
spirital corage to believe in the/selves.P (Tarkovsky1 p.>9I) And it -as Stalker -ho had
the OSpre/e vale by -hichR /an lives and his sol does not -ant.P (Tarkovsky1 p.>9I)
*i0e needs to be scienti0ic and spirital1 happy and 0illed -ith sorro-. $t is StalkerQs -i0e -ho
realises this. $ think her state/ent O$ -old rather live a bitter happiness that a dll grey li0eP
is the /ost i/portant ;ote 0ro/ the 0il/1 and probably the best s//ary. The 0il/ 0orces the
>E
vie-er to realise that science /akes li0e possible to live1 bt it is 0aith that /akes li0e -orth
living.
The idea o0 classi0ying this 0il/ into a poplar category1 like Science +iction1 proves to be
hard. Althogh based on a Science +iction story1 the 0il/ see/s to be /ore Spirital that
Science. Althogh there is a lot o0 sspense1 Action is not an accrate classi0ication becase
nothing really disastros or event0l happens to the grop. "ra/a does not 0it the description
per0ectly. The de0inition o0 "ra/a is broad. The dictionary states that it is a co/position that
tells a story o0 h/an con0lict by /eans o0 dialog and action pre0or/ed by actors. There are
t-o parts o0 the de0inition that do not 0it the 0il/Qs description. The con0lict is /ostly
/onologe and dialoge1 not action as stated above. Also1 the acting is not Odra/aticP. The
vie-er has a di00iclt ti/e seeing that the people are acting. *ike StanislavskyQs OMethod
ActingP1 the actors see/ to really be their characters and not playing a roll o0 a character
0oreign to the/. The #ealis/ o0 the 0il/ also contradicts the Science +iction category. The
0il/ see/s real to the vie-er and has allegories to reality.
&ne co/parison that shold not be overlooked1 is the condition o0 the oter -orld to the state
o0 the Soviet 7nion1 -hich -as still in e3istence in TarkovskyQs ti/e. Althogh the o00icial
setting in the novel -as @anada1 Tarkovsky never na/ed the location o0 his 0il/. Ho-ever1
certain details in this a/bigos setting cold lead one to believe he -as talking abot the
state o0 the Soviet 7nion at the ti/e. The 0actories1 polltion1 and po-er plants that litter the
hori2on are obviosly related to the @o//nist syste/ based on an indstrial ideology. Many
Soviet posters -ere prod to OGive to heavy indstry.P Historical disasters like @hernobyl
-ere the reslts1 and are re0lected in the 0il/ by the polltion and debris. Also the ar/ed
gards and barbed -ire keeping the people ot o0 the spernatral and spirital O?oneP
represent the /ilitaris/ o0 the Soviet 7nion in con8nction -ith the atheist stance o0 the
ideology.
&ne cold look deeper into the 0il/Qs allegorical /eaning. The oter -orld -as al-ays sho-n
in a dll bro-n grey sepia. The vie-er gets the i/pression that he or she has looked at too
/any red banners and propaganda posters 0or too long. The color detecting cones in the
vie-erQs eyes see/ed to have brned ot. !o- i/agine looking at an &rthodo3 @hrch
ceiling. To eyes that have been desencitised to the color red1 the gold and lsh /osaics see/
so beati0l and vivid1 like the lsh overgro-n green vegetation in OThe ?oneP. $t is /ore
than 8st a coincidence that green is directly opposite red on the color scale.
Any vie-er o0 TarkovskyQs 0il/ Stalker -old never be able to de0ine its category. $s it
Socialist #ealis/1 the reality o0 socialis/ and its e00ects on the people and the land or Science
+iction6 @an people in a trly believable sitation be dra/atic actors6 &ne thing that is tre o0
the 0il/ is that it cases the vie-er to think. $t cases the vie-er to hope they are never in this
sitation. At the -orld is a strggle bet-een rationalis/ and intition1 spiritality and
science1 and in a -ay -e are all in this sitation. People -old rather live in O$nteresting
Ti/esP1 a OAitter HappinessP and not OA "ll Grey *i0e.P
Aibliography<
Johnson1 'ita T. and Petrie1 Graha/. The +il/s o0 Andrei Tarkovsky< A 'isal +ge. >99H.
$ndiana 7niversity Press. $ndianapolis
Petrie1 Graha/ and "-yer1 #th. Ae0ore the 5all @a/e "o-n< Soviet and East Eropean
+il//akers in the 5est. >99M. 7niversity Press o0 A/erica. *anha/
>G
Tarkovsky1 Andrey. Sclpting in Ti/e< The Great #ssian +il//aker "iscsses His Art.
>9IK. 7niversity o0 Te3as Press. Astin
#e< STA*%E#< a synopsis and analysis
B +ollo- 7ps C B Post +ollo-p C B Andrei Tarkovsky Message Aoard C B +AL C
Posted by $van Gro2ny on "ece/ber >E1 >99I at >I<JG<EH<
$n #eply to< STA*%E#< a synopsis and analysis posted by Joseph 'incent Mach on
"ece/ber MN1 >99I at MJ<GI<HE<
$ -old have to agree -ith the analysis<
$ en8oyed Stalker /ore 0or its content than its 0or/. The ca/era -ork o0 the 0il/ consisted o0
scenes o0 long dration. $n the editing process Tarkovsky tinted the black and -hite -ith
sepia. Aoth o0 -hich are neither original nor done so 0ar above average that they re;ire
special /erit. Tarkovsky did ho-ever1 display a -orld o0 scienti0ic prag/atis/ against a
-orld o0 spirital sperstition. Any one piece o0 0il/ 0ootage co/ing 0ro/ the pro8ector cold
be interpreted in t-o -ays. Anything a/bigos had t-o possible ans-ers1 a spirital one
and a scienti0ic one. Althogh Tarkovsky is very spirital in his -ritings1 0il/s1 and thoghts
and $ a/ very rational and scienti0ic1 the 0il/ cased /e to rethink and 0ine tne /y personal
ideology.
Tarkovsky sho-s that everything has an e;al and opposite conter in the -orld. The oter
-orld -as sho-n in sepia black and -hite and -as a hopeless and dangeros place pollted
-ith indstry. OThe ?oneP -as sho-n in lsh color and overgro-n -ith natral vegetation1
bt -as also very dangeros. The Stalker and the Pro0essor -ere direct opposites. Stalker -as
a /ystic prophet and gide -ho broght people into the O?oneP and led the/ to OThe #oo/P
bt never sed it 0or hi/. Pro0essor1 a /an o0 science1 -anted to go to the roo/ not to stdy
it1 bt to destroy it so that its po-er1 or potential po-er throgh the belie0s o0 others cold not
be sed /aliciosly. Aoth characters think o0 the/selves as correct in their intentions1 bt at
the end o0 the 0il/ each characterQs actions do not 0ollo-. The Stalker retires and never goes
back into OThe ?oneP and the Pro0essor does not destroy the hope that is OThe #oo/P.
Tarkovsky states that it is Obetter to live a bitter happiness than a dll grey li0e.P And that a
li0e -ithot ne3plained ans-ers to a/bigos ;estions1 a li0e -ithot irrational opti/is/ in
hopeless sitations is not really a li0e1 bt a hollo- pointless e3istence. Althogh $ a/ still
strggling -ith his presented concept o0 spiritality as entertain/ent. $ nderstand that the
/edieval peasant -as too involved -ith the prag/atis/ o0 living day to day to -orry abot
entertain/ent. And that i0 he cold gro- enogh 0ood 0or his 0a/ily he -as happy. !o-
science brings /ost o0 the h/an poplation 0ood -ith little e00ort1 bt li0e is e3tre/ely
boring. Tarkovsky sggests that there is a higher synthesis o0 science and spiritality1 bt he
does not clearly de0ine -hat that synthesis is. $ sppose Stalker is his -ay o0 proposing the
;estion hoping the vie-er can 0ind the ans-er.
$ -old like to hear /ore o0 ho- his 0il/s are aligorical to li0e6 $ a/ still not intirely clear.
STA*%E#
Al-ays re/e/ber that in ,/etaphysical1, even in #ssian1 yo have ,physical.,
>H
STA*%E# is a Soviet 0il/ (it is Tarkovsky)s si3th and1 in /y opinion1 his best) bt ,to stalk,
is an English verb (and a reglar one at that). To be precise1 to stalk is to ,prse at close
range1, a -ay o0 closing in1 a -alk1 al/ost a dance. $n ,stalking, the part o0 the body -hich is
a0raid lags behind and the part -hich is not a0raid is co/pelled to /ove 0or-ard. 5ith its
pases and its terrors1 the stalk is the -alk o0 those -ho /ake their -ay throgh nkno-n
territory. $n STA*%E# danger is every-here1 bt it has no 0ace. The landscape too is -ithot
end1 -ithot hori2on1 -ithot !orth. There are plenty o0 tanks1 0actories1 giant pipes1 a
railroad1 a corpse1 a dog1 a telephone -hich still -orks1 bt the -hole thing is being overrn
by natre. This 0ossili2ed indstrial landscape1 this corner o0 the t-entieth centry -hich has
beco/e a strata (Tarkovsky -as a geologist in Siberia 0ro/ >9JH to >9JK1 and it is still a part
o0 hi/)1 this is the ?one. &ne does not go into the ?one1 one has to creep in becase it is
garded by soldiers. &ne does not -alk there1 one ,stalks.,
$n the cine/a -e have seen co-boys -ho /ove to-ards each other -ith co;ettish steps
be0ore they shoot1 the stagnation o0 cro-ds1 coples dancing and rban /otion= -e have
never seen the stalk. Tarkovsky)s 0il/ is 0irst and 0ore/ost a doc/entary abot a certain -ay
o0 -alking1 not necessarily the best (especially in the 7SS#) bt the only one le0t -hen all
re0erence points have vanished and nothing is certain any /ore. As sch1 it is the 0irst o0 its
kind< a ca/era 0ollo-s three /en -ho have 8st entered the ?one. 5here have they learned
this crooked-alk6 5here are they 0ro/6 And ho- did they beco/e so 0a/iliar -ith this no
/an)s land6 $s their 0a/iliarity the 0alse 0a/iliarity o0 the torist -ho doesn)t kno- -here to
go1 -hat to look at or -hat to be a0raid o06 &ne o0 the/ has co/e -ith only a bottle o0 vodka
in a plastic bag< he)s 8st co/e o00 a drinking binge a/ong high society. Mean-hile1 the
second one has so/ething secret in a s/all traveling bag. The third one1 -ho has nothing bt
his 0rtive glances and his ;ickly e3tingished brsts o0 enthsias/44this is the Stalker. And
be0ore poncing on the contless interpretations -hich this kaleidoscope o0 a 0il/ leaves
open1 one shold -atch closely as these three e3cellent #ssian actors (Ale3ander
%aidanovsky1 Anatoli Solonitsin and !ikolai Gri/ko) ,stalk, in the ?one.
The 0il/ doesn)t begin so abrptly. $t is a bit /ore orderly1 bt not /ch. Tarkovsky1 in a
liberal adaptation o0 a science 0iction novel by the brothers Strogavski1 i/agines a -orld in
-hich a /ysterios accident has le0t part o0 the planet alien1 dangeros and closed o00 0ro/
access. The ?one is that 0orbidden corner1 retrned to its pri/itive state. $t)s a last reserve o0
0antasy and a territory o0 /acabre beaty. Shado-y characters1 0or a little /oney1 give ,tors,
o0 it. These are the Stalkers. These transitory people live a /iserable e3istence bet-een t-o
-orlds. This ti/e1 the Stalker (part sage1 part tor gide1 very /ch hoodl/) has broght
-ith hi/ a 5riter and a Pro0essor. The 5riter (-ith his plastic bag) speaks little1 bt has an
idea in /ind. +or there is a goal to this trip a trois< $n the /iddle o0 the ?one there is a ,roo/,
-hich1 they say1 0l0ills the -ishes o0 those -ho enter it. So they say.
At the entrance to the roo/1 the Stalker and his t-o clients back do-n< no one -ill step
inside. +irst o0 all ot o0 0ear1 then ot o0 -isdo/. &t o0 0ear becase i0 the roo/ is a hoa31 it
-old be h/iliating to let on that one had believed in it= and i0 it really does 0l0ill all
-ishes1 nothing -ill be le0t to -ish 0or= and i0 it ans-ers nconscios desires1 one doesn)t
kno- -hat to e3pect. &t o0 -isdo/ becase no li0e is livable -ithot the absolte1 o0 corse1
bt the absolte is not a place1 it is a /ove/ent a-ay< a /ove/ent -hich diverts one1 -hich
deports one (in every sense o0 the -ord)1 -hich /akes one ,stalk,. $t /atters little in the end
-hat)s pt on the plate1 or even that one believes< that one believes in believing or in others
capacity to believe.5hat /atters is one)s /ove/ent.
As a spectator1 one cannot resist ,stalking, in the 0orest o0 sy/bols -hich the 0il/ beco/es.
Tarkovsky)s scenario is sch a diabolical /achine that it does not e3clde any interpretation a
>J
priori. $n a kaleidoscope1 one can see -hat one -ants. Perhaps the ?one is planet Earth1 the
Soviet continent1 or nconscios1 or the 0il/ itsel0. The Stalker cold easily be a /tant1 a
dissident1 a cra2ed psychoanalyst1 a preacher looking 0or a clt or a spectator. (o can ,play
sy/bols, -ith the 0il/1 bt it)s a ga/e yo sholdn)t overdo either (no /ore -ith Tarkovsky
than -ith +ellini or ASel1 other great h/orists o0 interpretation.) Aesides1 the 0reshness
and the beaty o0 STA*%E# lie else-here.
5hen the 0il/ is over1 -hen -e are a little tired o0 interpreting1 once -e)ve eaten everything
on the plate1 -hat is le0t6 E3actly the sa/e 0il/. The sa/e co/pelling i/ages. The sa/e
?one -ith the presence o0 -ater1 -ith its teasing lapping1 piles o0 rsted /etal1 natre at its
/ost voracios1 and inescapable h/idity. As -ith all 0il/s that trigger a rsh o0
interpretation in the vie-er1 STA*%E# is a 0il/ -hich is striking 0or the physical presence o0
its ele/ents1 their stbborn e3istence and -ay o0 being there1 even i0 there -as no one to see
the/1 to get close to the/ or to 0il/ the/. This is not a ne- pheno/enon< already in
A!"#E$ #7A*E' there -as the /d1 that pri/al 0or/. $n STA*%E# the ele/ents have an
organic presence< -ater1 de- and pddles da/pen the soil and eat a-ay at the rins.
A 0il/ can be interpreted. This one in particlar lends itsel0 to it (even i0 in the end it hides its
secrets.) At -e are not obliged to interpret it. A 0il/ can be -atched too. &ne can -atch 0or
the appearance o0 things -hich one has never seen be0ore in a 0il/. The -atcher4vie-er sees
things -hich the interpreter4vie-er can no longer /ake ot. The -atcher stays at the sr0ace
becase he doesn)t believe in depth. At the beginning o0 this article1 $ -as -ondering -here
the characters had learned the stalk< that t-isted -alk o0 people -ho are a0raid bt -ho have
0orgotten the sorce o0 their 0ears. And -hat o0 these pre/atrely aged 0aces1 these /ini4
?ones -here gri/aces have beco/e -rinkles6 And the sel04e00acing violence o0 those -ho
-ait to receive a beating (or /aybe to give a beating i0 they haven)t 0orgotten ho-6) And -hat
o0 the 0alse cal/ o0 the dangeros /ono/aniac and the e/pty reasonings o0 a /an -ho is too
solitary6
These do not co/e only 0ro/ Tarkovsky)s i/agination. They cannot be invented1 they co/e
0ro/ else-here. At 0ro/ -here6 STA*%E# is a /etaphysical 0able1 a corse in corage1 a
lesson in 0aith1 a re0le3ion on the end o0 ti/e1 a ;est1 -hatever one -ants. STA*%E# is also
the 0il/ in -hich -e co/e across1 0or the 0irst ti/e1 bodies and 0aces -hich co/e 0ro/ a
place -e kno- abot only throgh hear4say. A place -hose traces -e thoght the Soviet
cine/a had lost co/pletely. This place is the Glag. The ?one is also an archipelago.
STA*%E# is also a realist 0il/.
Translated by +rank Matcha -ith Steve Erickson.
&riginally pblished in *$AE#AT$&! !ove/ber EMth1 >9I>.
Stalker
"irector< Andrei Tarkovsky
Starring< Ale3ander %aidanovsky1 Anatoly Solonitsin1 !ikolai Grinko1 Alissa +reindlikh
#elated *inks
>K
Stalker
$M"A
#elease "ates
$M"A
#ssian @ine/a @oncil
#evie-er)s -eb site
Merchandise *inks
Ay the video (PA* 0or/at)
#elated Aooks
+or his innovative lo-4tech science 0iction 0il/ Stalker (>9N9)1 Andrei Tarkovsky ses
brilliant cine/atic i/agination to trans0or/ the ghostly4beati0l 0ields1 strea/s and po-er
plants o0 Tallinn1 Estonia (in the then4Soviet 7nion) to the organic1 indstrial science 0iction
landscape o0 the ?one 4 a restricted1 ha2ardos area r/ored to contain paranor/al po-er
0ro/ the crash o0 a /ysterios /eteorite. The hard science 0iction approach taken in
Tarkovsky)s epic Solaris (>9NE) is abandoned 0or a sbtle1 na00ected approach -here
0antastic ele/ents are allded to bt rarely sho-n (/ch to the story)s bene0it) and 0sed to a
narrative 0ra/e-ork o0 ,the 8orney1, -here protagonists travel to a predeter/ined
destination in search o0 /aterial or spirital 0l0ill/ent (aka ,the road trip,). &nly in the
hands o0 a genis like Tarkovsky can the si/ple narrative strctre o0 three /en on a 8orney
be trans0or/ed to a co/plicated /oral and spirital e3a/ination o0 h/anity1 anchored to
re0erences o0 classical poetry1 literatre1 /sic and art1 0iltered throgh the /esh o0 a personal
li0e e3perience in a totalitarian society.
Ale3ander %aidanovsky is Stalker1 a /an charged -ith giding t-o /en1 5riter (Anatoly
Solonitsin) and Pro0essor (!ikolai Grinko)1 -ithin the heavily4garded ?one to a #oo/ that
holds the po-er to grant one -ish (prayer6) to anyone -ho enters. Stalker lives in a sparse
hovel -ith his -i0e (Alissa +reindlikh) and yong daghter Monkey1 -ho is nable to -alk1
perhaps de to a birth de0ect 0ro/ her 0ather)s reglar e3posre to the ?one. Stalker)s -i0e is
pain0lly pset and con0ronts Stalker abot his 8orney as he leaves the 0a/ily bed to /eet
5riter and Pro0essor. 7n0a2ed1 Stalker departs to rende2vos -ith the /en at a bar. They
board a 8eep1 and a0ter care0lly dodging la- o00icers1 enter the ?one by 0ollo-ing a train
throgh a barbed4-ire passage-ay. Ar/ed gards 0ire at the/. The /en escape the gards
and locate a s/all /otori2ed railroad trolley1 -hich they se to travel deep into the ?one ntil
Stalker stops the/ to contine on 0oot. The landscape o0 the ?one is beati0l1 -ith lsh1
green 0ields and trees. A/ongst the beaty1 indstrial tility lines and rsted /ilitary relics
>N
are scattered abot. Stalker e3plains that the ?one is in constant 0l3 and dangeros to
navigate1 and one can never travel the sa/e path t-ice. Althogh the bilding hosing the
#oo/ is visible a short distance a-ay1 Stalker -ill not take the direct rote= rather1 he travels
via ne3plained1 /ysterios1 and o0ten sbterranean rotes that he navigates by thro-ing
ahead bolts tied to ga2e bandages.
"ring the 8orney1 5riter is talkative1 o0ten ;estioning society1 his -riting talent1 and sel04
-orth. Pro0essor is /ore private1 and -hen not arging -ith 5riter and Stalker1 see/s /ore
concerned abot the knapsack he)s carrying. !either /an discloses their /otive 0or visiting
the #oo/. Stalker o0ten co//nicates -ith 5riter and Pro0essor on a philosophical plane1
and 0re;ently re0ers to Porcpine1 a stalker -ho hanged hi/sel0 a0ter an e3perience
involving his brother in the ?one. A0ter navigating throgh several srreal ndergrond
roo/s1 tnnels and caverns1 Stalker delivers the /en the #oo/)s threshold1 -here he a-aits
their decisions abot the #oo/.
Stalker is an acco/plished1 heady science 0iction classic 4 one o0 the genre)s best 4 bt a very
de/anding1 and so/eti/es inaccessible1 vie-ing e3perience. &n /ost days that)s a
co/pli/ent 4 cine/a that contines to challenge the vie-er and re0ses to -holly disclose its
/ysteries is indeed a desirable bt rare co//odity. As poplist science 0iction veered
to-ards plp and tech in the late >9NMs -ith 0il/s like the Star 5ars trilogy (>9NN4>9IG) and
Alien (>9N9)1 Stalker preserved science 0iction as art1 keeping alive the spirit o0 0il/s like
@hris Marker)s *a JetTe (>9KE)1 and in0lenced a ne- generation o0 0il//akers like *ars von
Trier1 -ho -old begin his career soon therea0ter -ith the Stalker4in0lenced The Ele/ent o0
@ri/e (>9IH).
&n the sr0ace1 Stalker recalls 5.5. Jacobs)s 0a/iliar A/erican short story ,The Monkey)s
Pa-1, -here earnest -ishes have the potential o0 catastrophic conse;ence. At Tarkovsky)s
approach doesn)t concern ironic t-ists o0 0ate1 bt rather conte/plates -ishes as beacons o0
personal 0aith 4 not necessarily spirital 0aith1 althogh sch an interpretation certainly has
/erit1 bt 0aith in -hatever trth stirs -ithin the individal sol. $n /any -ays the ?one is a
/ani0estation o0 Stalker)s 0aith1 a place -here logic1 science1 and even Stalker)s o-n rles 4
sch as his edict that backtracking in the ?one is disastros 4 have 0leeting hold. The ?one)s
/ysterios natre /irrors 0aith)s elsiveness1 and all three /en ndergo a crisis (test6) o0 0aith
in the ?one)s landscape. 5riter and Pro0essor1 0igrative /en o0 the arts and instittionali2ed
kno-ledge1 are asked to have dal 0aith in both Stalker)s ?one and in the essence o0 their
sols. !either /an is entirely sccess0l 4 indeed1 -hat /an is -hen it co/es to 0aith1 even in
0aith in hi/sel06 4 and lti/ately it is Stalker)s -i0e -ho poignantly shares the /ost
convincing de/onstration o0 0aith in a heart0elt /onologe at the end o0 the 0il/.
The #ssian @ine/a @oncil (#scico) presents Stalker in a t-o4"'" set -ith a generos
selection o0 interesting bt so/eti/es brie0 e3tras. "isc >1 a single layer disc1 presents Part
&ne o0 the 0il/= >M behind4the4scenes prodction photographs1 the best being a striking1
overhead color photograph o0 the cast and cre- at -ork -hen Stalker lays do-n be0ore his
drea/= a brie0 Tarkovsky biography sans 0il/ography1 -hich is inclded on "isc E= a J/ HGs
short 0il/ Me/ory (althogh the "'" /en labels it ,Tarkovsky)s Hose,)1 a Stalker4
inspired doc/entary 0il/ that co/bs throgh the -eathered1 8nk40illed rins o0 Tarkovsky)s
boyhood ho/e1 interct -ith 0ootage o0 Stalker)s drea/ se;ence1 and brie0 adio sa/ples
and /sic the/es 0ro/ Stalker= and a H/ JGs e3cerpt o0 Tarkovsky)s The Stea/roller and the
'iolin aka %atok $ Skyrpka1 a HK4/inte short 0il/ Tarkovsky 0il/ed in >9KM 0or his diplo/a
at 'G$%1 the All47nion State $nstitte o0 @ine/atography. The Stea/roller and the 'iolin
seg/ent is particlarly e3citing to sa/ple1 and -e can only hope that the 0ll short 0il/
eventally receives the 0ll #scico treat/ent on "'". "isc E1 a doble layer disc1 presents
>I
Part T-o o0 the 0il/= a J/ HHs intervie- -ith ca/era/an Ale3ander %nya2hinsky1
poignantly titled ,Ale3ander %ny2ahinsky)s last intervie-, as a -eakened1 ter/inally4ill
%ny2ahinksy is intervie-ed in his bathrobe at an assisted care 0acility= a >H/ E>s intervie-
-ith prodction designer #ashit Sa0illan1 -ho re/inisces abot Tarkovsky)s precise
attention to detail1 and the devastating loss o0 the 0il/)s negative a0ter it -as hal0-ay
co/plete= and biographiesU0il/ographies o0 9 cast and cre- /e/bers. !avigation /ens on
both discs /ay be accessed in #ssian1 English1 or +rench te3t. *ike #scico)s Solaris "'"1
Stalker contains a 0e- sbstantial e3tras not advertised on the disc)s packaging bried in the
biosU0il/ographies section. $n the bio 0or co/poser Edard Arte/yev1 there is a 0ascinating
E>/ Ns intervie- that toches on a n/ber o0 sb8ects1 inclding Tarkovsky)s se o0
co/posers to sclpt the sond design o0 0il/s as opposed to strict score co/position. +rther
in Arte/yev)s 0il/ography1 there is a brie0 teaser 0or the Solaris "'"1 inclding a 0ll G/ EMs
English langage trailer 0or the 0il/. $0 yo navigate to the sa/e spot in the #ssian or +rench
/ens1 the trailer can be played in #ssian or +rench1 respectively.
#scico)s visal presentation o0 Stalker is striking. Sepia se;ences are a rich1 deep bro-n1
and ;ite distinctive 0ro/ the 0il/)s color se;ences1 -hich are co/prised o0 pleasant1
sbded earth tones that e/phasi2e the ?one)s green vegetation. The sorce /aterial is
properly 0ra/ed in a >.GN<> aspect ratio and very clean1 -ith no noticeable scratches1 slgs1 or
other physical aberrations. The video co/pression is strong1 -ith very light arti0acting only
brie0ly noted dring scenes containing intense s/oke or 0og1 sch as the scene in the ?one
-here Stalker dispatches the trolley into thick 0og. &ne adio choice is available 0or the 0il/ 4
a #ssian langage "olby "igital J.> /i31 -hich /ay be translated to >G langages via
sbtitles (note that the sbs can)t be changed or trned o00 -hile on the 0ly). $t)s a solid1
pleasing sond /i3 that 0eatres a very distinct separated rightUle0t sond stage1 bt
n0ortnately it)s been altered -ith additional (and so/eti/es re/oved) /sic and sond not
present in Stalker)s original /ono /i3. Most noticeable is the absence o0 the Aeethoven)s
!inth Sy/phony ce that ends the 0il/ (althogh the other classical /sic ce1 #avel)s
Aolero1 is still present)1 and the addition o0 a/bient /sic to spple/ent the previosly solo
rhyth/ic clanking o0 the railroad tracks dring the trolley ride se;ence into the ?one1 bt be
a-are that there are other instances o0 tinkering. A0ter contacting #scico regarding the
altered sondtrack1 the co/pany revealed that it ,-ill prodce the original version o0 Stalker
in +ebraryUMarch, and that ,it -ill be possible to change one version 0or another in a store
-here the 0irst version -ere prchased.,
#evie-ed by Todd Harbor
>9