Andrei Tarkovsky
Stalker
Alexander Jones
Introduction: Andrei Tarkovsky
"I have a friend who is pure evil. He takes great joy in getting a group of his friends together and making them sit through the films of Andrei Tarkovsky. This “friend” takes amusement in watching others wade through the often times drawn out, yet melancholy two-and-a-half hour ‘Tarkovskian’ epics filled with spirituality and philosophy. This “friend” is really me, and this is my most convenient way to torture my fellow peers."
Tarkovsky History
Film director Andrei Tarkovsky was raised in Russia at the Yuryevetsky District. His father was Arseny Tarkovsky, a well known poet. Arseny used to be a bank clerk with aspirations of becoming an actor. He was briefly arrested for writing about for writing a poem about Lenin. The author has a collection of poetry entitled Before Snow, and he was posthumously awarded the USSR State Prize. Tarkovsky’s mother was a victim of tuberculosis, which is a subject matter that the director tackled in his autobiographical film known as The Mirror.
Tarkovsky History: Cont.
The last movie that he crafted under the Union was Stalker. The film had many complications including disagreements between the director and some of his crew. He also survived a heart attack while in the middle of production on the movie. The Soviet Union shut down production on The First Day, which had some heavy theist overtones that didn’t sit well with communist Russia. Most of the movie is now gone.
In the 80’s Tarkovsky’s health quickly grew dire. He left his wife and child behind, and traveled to Europe where he made Nostalghia and The Sacrifice. After the latter film, the director grew very ill. His wife died from the same disease.
His grave elegantly states: To the man who saw the Angel.
Notable
Actors
Alexander Kaidanovsky (The Stalker)
The actor had humble beginnings as he initially started off going to school as welder. The actor made another serious life decisions when he decided to switch his profession to acting. He began studying at The Rostov Theatre School. The actor began working on a film known as Tainstvenneya. He began his rise to prominence in Russian acting circles with films like Stranger Among Yours (1974) and Diamonds for Dictatorship of the Proletariat. (1976) He caught the eye of Tarkovsky, who wanted him in his next film, Stalker
Donatas Banionis (Kris Kelvin)
Banionis began as a Lithuanian language performer, this caused him spin out into the Russian film industry. The actor began working at eighteen, in a Lithuanian city known as Panevezys. He married a woman named On a Banioniene, who recently died in 2008. His son Raimundas Banionis is something of a creative renaissance man as he has directed television, theater, film, and opera. His most recent projects have all been with opera. Banionis’ other son died on August 6th, 1992. He was born on the date of November 20th, 1948, and is a noted historian. Not much information can be found regarding the life Donatas. Banionis has been working extremely hard since the 60’s. His most recent film was in 2011.
Historical Background
In the 1970’s Russia was still in the Soviet Union, which lasted from 1922 all the way to 1991. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, better known as the aforementioned Soviet Union is the combination of the Soviets.
In 1979, Russia was invading Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan were already upset at their Prime Minister, Hafizullah Amin, who tried to purge Muslim tradition from the Nation. The Russian people were trying to keep Amin’s influence over Russia. The Russian government shot down Amin, who was then switched out for Babrak Kamal, an individual who was dependent on the Russian Government. While this event happened after the release of Stalker, the introspective nature on the heart of war s certainly a major theme of the movie. As is something like the theme of loss, and weary nature of Russia reflected by Tarkovsky ins seemingly all of his movies.
Plot Summary
Stalker is a film that is inspired by a novel entitled Roadside Picnic. The tale is about a transaction between a lone man with the title of “The Stalker” taking his clients known as "The Writer" and "The Professor" through a dangerous landscape called the “Zone.” It is revealed that The Stalker has both a wife and a daughter. Due to the setting being so dangerous, his wife doesn’t want him to go, The Stalker shrugs her complaints off and assists his clients The Writer and The Professor.
They are in search of a place within the Zone which is known as “the Room,” which is said to grant wishes. The Stalker assists the two men in search of the Room. The rest of the film chronicles their journey deeper and deeper into the Zone. The short version of what happens next follows the themes of absolute power corrupting the average person.
Academic Sources
“Tarkovsky’s films demonstrate the working of the spiritual by summing up one large motif in a mere image.” - Anwar Javid
“Both before and after his exile Tarkovsky was interested in the idea of temporal and physical separation and the (im)possibility of return. Films such as Solaris (1972), Stalker (1979) and Nostalghia (1983), as well as Mirror, are all concerned with the notion of returning: of the need to return, of the possibility of regaining what we have lost, but also of the impossibility of any physical return.”
- Peter King
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0VJa3HmsJQ
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By Alex Jones
