Stalker (1979), directed by Russia’s late Andrei Tarkovsky, is one of the most bizarre and fascinating science fiction films ever made. It concerns a mysterious patch of Soviet countryside known only as “The Zone” which has been decimated by some mysterious happening, and quarantined off by the Communist government. All who venture into there disappear forever. Yet a handful of brave souls, lured by The Zone’s supposed promise of granted wishes and revelations, are led by ‘The Stalker’ into the abyss. The film is incredibly slow and long but possesses a hypnotizing power, as the unreal cinematography, locations, music and pacing fills you with existential dread and longing. The film is so open-ended and perplexing that its almost spiritual.

The following are two stunning clips that feature some of Eduard Artemiev’s haunting minimalist music that sets the tone for the unraveling psychological drama. If anyone knows where I can find the soundtrack for this, it would be greatly appreciated.

Entering the Zone

The Pool Sequence

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 11:57 am and is filed under Art, Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.