tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post4615425125749137787..comments2024-02-19T08:20:10.456-06:00Comments on Public Transportation Snob: Into the Unknown: Stalker (1979)Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-86231147221492862732014-01-23T22:13:11.853-06:002014-01-23T22:13:11.853-06:00Definitely. There's a lot to absorb on the fir...Definitely. There's a lot to absorb on the first viewing. I've only seen two Tarkovsky films, and I liked Solaris a bit more, but there's a lot to ponder with Stalker. Thanks for the comment!Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-80111625958578185932014-01-23T15:29:07.966-06:002014-01-23T15:29:07.966-06:00A true masterpiece and utterly unique. This was my...A true masterpiece and utterly unique. This was my first experience of Tarkovsky and its dreamy/nightmarish odyssey into The Zone stayed with me for a good long while. This deserves a second viewing to pick up on what I missed first time around. Absorbing read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-33373832632494536942014-01-21T23:12:41.467-06:002014-01-21T23:12:41.467-06:00I enjoyed Solaris a bit more (that's it for me...I enjoyed Solaris a bit more (that's it for me so far with Tarkovsky), but I agree that Stalker really sticks with you. The last few scenes have such an impact on how you view everything that's come before. Tarkovsky's films are tough to stick with due to the pacing, but the two I've seen have been really rewarding at the end.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-90066176390747762802014-01-21T18:19:39.026-06:002014-01-21T18:19:39.026-06:00It's one of my favorite films by Tarkovsky tho...It's one of my favorite films by Tarkovsky though I think <i>Solaris</i> is the better film. Still, it is an entrancing film though not easy to watch due to the fact that all of his films are slow in its pacing. Yet, I think one of the film's strengths is the fact that it never leaves your mind. thevoid99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03055459287396592446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-85457996030351636272014-01-21T07:35:24.562-06:002014-01-21T07:35:24.562-06:00Steve, I totally agree about the pacing, which mad...Steve, I totally agree about the pacing, which made it hard for me to stick with it. I ended up watching it over multiple sittings. I thought Solaris was a bit easier to stick with, but they both have major challenges for the viewer. <br /><br />It's tricky because I really admire Stalker on an intellectual level, but I'm definitely not smart enough to grasp everything that Tarkovsky is trying to do. Writing about it feels kind of silly because he's working on such a different level. Trying to rate his movies is even more challenging. Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-67590943985013743642014-01-21T07:05:27.375-06:002014-01-21T07:05:27.375-06:00This is such a difficult film to pass judgment on....This is such a difficult film to pass judgment on. I think I need to see it at least one more time before I can determine what I really think about it. It is the sort of film that I'm willing to watch again, though, because Tarkovsky is worth seeing more than once. <br /><br />The problem I have with it is the pacing. I need to really be in the right frame of mind for anything by Tarkovsky. Solyaris, for instance, is beautiful, but so slow it's frequently stopped. <br /><br />Ultimately, films like Stalker make me feel dumb, like I should be getting more out of them than I possibly can.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-54943006886147181682014-01-20T20:00:57.701-06:002014-01-20T20:00:57.701-06:00Chip, I agree with your take and really wondered i...Chip, I agree with your take and really wondered if anything we were seeing in The Zone actually happened. The Stalker's wife's monologue only supported that theory. The last scene throws it all in disarray. I read it as possibly saying that the power is with him, and the room is just a place with little power. He just doesn't realize it. It's the type of movie that is a slow viewing, but it leaves you thinking about so much afterwards. Thanks for stopping by!Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-76137641701013246422014-01-20T17:59:22.928-06:002014-01-20T17:59:22.928-06:00This is the first Tarkovsky film I saw and I liked...This is the first Tarkovsky film I saw and I liked it. And one of the things I liked is that you can actually see this movie as not the slightest bit supernatural or "science-fictiony". Were it not for a split second of telekinesis right at the very end, you could just as easily say that the stalker is making the entire thing up and/or that everything that is happening is in the minds of the travellers. You could even say the travellers are in the mind of the stalker and do not really exist; that it's just him and the mysterious room that won't work for him, but maybe will work for these people he has conjured/brought there.Chip Laryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00787403805554027107noreply@blogger.com