Tarkovsky’s 1982 drama doesn’t live up to “Solaris”, but it’s an important part of his filmography nonetheless.
Although it appears to be more theatrical than cinematic, and a more compact scenario than his 1972 classic Solaris, Stalker remains an interesting part of Tarkovsky’s filmography and does encompass much of the thematic and stylistic perceptions that have personified the other works that I have had the pleasure of seeing in recent weeks.
Wisely, Tarkovsky’s framework is simple in execution, thus enabling the characters and situations to evolve and evoke emotion. Stalker is both a sobering and sombre experience and, like Solaris, represents a futuristic art-house world which relies little on special effects (In contemporary terms, reminds one of recent films like The Road and Never Let Me Go).
Visually, it lends more to Mirror than Solaris, in terms of combining both monochrome and colour cinematography. The lack of music, save for some brief incidental and elements of ‘Bolero’ and ‘Ode to Joy’, also adds to the sense of darkness and claustrophobia the characters feel.
The plot involves a guide, known as ‘The Stalker’, who offers people a chance to visit ‘The Zone’ and ‘The Room’ where, in a manner not dissimilar to what Kelvin discovers on the space station in Solaris, people can gain perception into their deepest desires. His company on his trip this time are ‘The Writer’ and ‘The Professor’, who are as intrigued and fascinated by what awaits them out in ‘The Zone’. After an initial encounter with security police, they pass through and enter the world, where they begin to sense there is much more to what ‘The Zone’ represents, both to their community – and themselves….
Like Solaris, do not expect Mad Max-style violence and car chases in this dystopian world. It is a film that is designed to evoke the same kind of reaction and emotions that affect the characters. Be prepared for moments and sequences that are deliberately drawn out and that in this case do create a desire to empathise with the journey ‘The Stalker’ is going through.
On balance, Stalker doesn’t quite hit the height that Solaris did either visually or emotionally, but still remains a very intelligently realised and skillfully executed art-house drama.
Stalker will be out on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 22 as part of Curzon Artificial Eye’s series on Tarkovsky. The disc includes a 40-page booklet, and the 2-disc special edition Blu-Ray also includes interviews with cinematographer Aleksandr Knyazhinsky, set designer Rashit Safiullin, and Andrei Tarkovsky’s Metaphysical Dream Zone: Selected Scene Commentary by psychoanalyst Mary Wild.
