8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
A hired guide, known as a stalker, leads a writer and a professor into the heart of the Zone, the restricted site of a long-ago disaster, where the three men eventually zero in on the Room, a place rumored to fulfill one’s most deeply held desires.
Starring: Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Nikolay Grinko, Alisa Freindlich, Natalya AbramovaDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 96% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Russian: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Winner of the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival, Andrei Tarkovsky's "Stalker" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new video interview with author and film historian Geoff Dyer; and archival video interviews with composer Eduard Artemyev, cinematographer Aleksandr Knyazhinskiy, and set designer Rashit Safiullin. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Mark Le Fanu and technical credits. In Russian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The Zone
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new 2K digital restoration was undertaken by Mosfilm Studios form the 35mm original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic tracks."
The release is sourced from a truly wonderful new 2K master that makes it possible to experience Stalker in an entirely new way. (There are serious improvements in the audio department as well). I did some careful comparisons with the Region-B release that we reviewed last year and can confirm that there are dramatic improvements in all major areas that we typically scrutinize in our reviews. Indeed, close-ups and larger panoramic shots immediately reveal much better delineation; depth is also far better, with many of the tinted/foggy sequences now looking a lot more atmospheric because there are different types of nuances on display. Furthermore, the flatness that was visible on the previous release is completely eliminated here (you can see how dramatic the difference is if you compare screencaptures #2 and 12 with the corresponding screencaptures from the other review). There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. The film looks slightly brighter and much sharper, but not artificially sharpened. Density is also far superior and a lot of the footage that looks somewhat smeary on the previous release now has the type of organic appearance that proper new masters produce. Colors are healthier, more vibrant and better balanced as well. Last but not least, all of the age-related imperfections that were visible on the previous release -- dirt, scratches, flecks, and small damage marks -- have been completely eliminated. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Russian LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
There is a substantial difference in quality between the lossless track from the Region-B release and the new lossless track that is included on this release. The pops and hiss are eliminated and overall balance and even clarity are improved. The dialog is stable, clean, and very easy to follow.
Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release of Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker is sourced from a new 2K master that finally does this absolutely astonishing film justice. The folks at Criterion deserve a tremendous amount of credit for completing this project, and I personally believe that their release will end up being one of the high-definition format's greatest gifts to film lovers. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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1972
Offret / Restored
1986
Зеркало / Zerkalo
1975
Андрей Рублёв / Andrey Rublev
1966
Ива́ново де́тство / Ivanovo detstvo
1962
1983
Трудно быть Богом
2013
The Decalogue
1988
Smultronstället
1957
一一
2000
Иди и смотри / Idi i smotri
1985
1966
Det sjunde inseglet
1957
زیر درختان زیتون / Zire darakhatan zeyton
1994
Viskningar och rop
1972
Tystnaden
1963
生きる
1952
Riten / The Ritual
1969
Nattvardsgästerna
1963
Scener ur ett äktenskap
1973