Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979)
Within my formative years of cinephilism, watching the works of Andrei Tarkovsky somehow escaped me. I had heard of his films through random name drops in conversations with fellow film enthusiasts and had intended for years to watch at least one film of his. In fact, Stalker and Solaris have been tucked away on a hard drive and a corroding laptop with the intent to watch someday in the distant future. Yet, merely thinking about either film’s expansive run-time and subtitles deflated any interest or attentiveness to sit down long enough to engage. For years this cycle of avoiding a Tarkovsky film has been in full swing until a friend finally cornered me to take him up on the promise that we’d watch Stalker, a film he considers his favorite in cinematography. There are moments in life when you engage in an activity that makes you realize it was perfect to try at that moment, at that time. Watching Stalker for the first time was one of those moments in life complete with the realization that I was at the right age, the right understanding of certain quandaries, and had the right amount of curious wonder that allowed me to fully appreciate Stalker as much as I did…
Read the rest of this entry over at Pretty Clever Films.
The Cinephiliac 
Great review. This film is incredible. The only other of his film I have seen is Solaris and I really think Stalker is the better film.. I really hope it gets a blu ray release. The DVD has some audio issues between the stereo and mono tracks. And I would love to see what they can do with a good image restoration.
I’m truly hoping for blu ray as well. That film deserves to be seen in the best quality available, it’s so beautiful.
Hi there Cinephiliac. I love every single Tarkovsky’s film, especially Stalker, which I think is his masterpiece. I’ve seen this film three times and still I don’t fully understand what it is about. One thing I know, though: every single frame in this film is astonishing. The movie is so beautiful, enigmatic and atmospheric that I don’t mind to watch it another 20 times to try to figure out what it really means. By the way, wonderful blog, you have here! I like your writing and the layout of the site. Cheers. Ricardo.
Hey Ricardo, thanks for the kind words. It’s funny because I was just perusing your site and I really enjoy your writing and the themes you tackle. The Five Easy Pieces post was a great read that makes me want to go back and rewatch it asap. Also your layout is great, I’m definitely debating borrowing a few ideas for my own site. That being said, I agree. Stalker is just enchanting and begs to be seen multiple times. I have yet to dive into another Tarkovsky film but I want to focus more on auteurs so soon I will watch as many of his films as I can!