Stalker (1979): The Sci-Fi Masterpiece That Killed Its Director

BEFORE YOU COMMENT: Let me explain about the name pronunciations. When I made this video, I was actually thinking about quitting YouTube because (despite just crossing 100k subs) it had been several years and wasn’t making enough money to invest so much time into it. I decided to make a video just for me on Stalker because I found the movie very interesting. I figured it wouldn’t get many views because I had never met anyone who had seen it, but I thought it would be cool to devote time and effort into making a quality video on a movie that wouldn’t otherwise get that treatment. My core audience would give me nice comments about how much they liked my videos, but they would always point out that I mispronounced something no matter how much effort I put in to getting it right. For this last video, I thought I’d goof around as sort of an inside joke about not even trying to pronounce the Russian names. To my shock and surprise, the video went viral, brought in a ton of new subs, and totally reinvigorated the channel. The only issue is that, for years, new people have discovered my channel through this video and, without the context, thought that I was goofing on the name pronunciations out of disrespect or laziness. **Also fun fact: Given the nature of the story, you might find it hilarious that I recorded the whole video to find out that the mic stand was constantly bumping up against the table and I had the re-record the whole video over again.

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.

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).

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).

Alisa Freindlich is an amazing Soviet actress. She's 84 now and she still performs in Bolshoi Drama Theater in St. Petersburg.

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.

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.

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.

Do we want to see more videos about Stalker? (Orson Welles voice) Yes! ALWAYS!

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.

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.

I've never seen such a good editorial on this film. People don't talk about Stalker enough.

I like how every line in the subtitles has a source citation.

The fact that Tarkovsky liked The Terminator says alot about the film

dude. I can't imagine how much work you put into all these edits. That's a lot of work

“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

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.

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.

this is, by far, the most beautifully put essay about a cinema that i have ever seen! kudos!