Stalker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stalker is a 1979 science fiction film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, starring Alisa Freyndlikh, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Anatoliy Solonitsyn. It drew a wide audience and shaped its genre.
Plot
Stalker is a 1979 Soviet science fantasy film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky with a screenplay written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, loosely based on their 1972 novel Roadside Picnic. The film tells the story of an expedition led by a figure known as the "Stalker" (Alexander Kaidanovsky), who guides his two clients—a melancholic writer (Anatoly Solonitsyn) and a professor (Nikolai Grinko)—through a hazardous wasteland to a mysterious restricted site known simply as the "Zone", where supposedly exists a room which grants a person's innermost desires. The film combines elements of science fiction and fantasy with dramatic, philosophical, and psychological themes.
The film was shot over a year on film stock that was later discovered to be unusable and had to be almost entirely reshot with a new cinematographer, Alexander Knyazhinsky.
Production
Written by Andrei Tarkovsky and Arkadiy Strugatskiy, the film was produced by Mosfilm. Eduard Artemyev composed the score. Aleksandr Knyazhinsky handled the cinematography. The film runs 162 minutes. The crew and editing refined every shot.
Reception
At its premiere the film drew strong box returns and earned an award nomination. A critic consensus praised the score and screenplay.
Legacy
Its legacy endures through a remake, a sequel and a lasting franchise; later cinema cites its influence and symbolism.
See also
References
- "The 100 Greatest Films of All Time". topfilms100. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- Ebert, Roger. The Great Movies. Broadway Books.
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