Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		5.0

Stalker Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 13, 2017

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

Films like this one are very, very rare. For a short period of time, they can truly transport you to a different world. They can make you see the place you have temporarily left behind from a different angle and ponder whether you might be a visitor there as well. They can energize your mind in a way you never thought possible.

The transition occurs immediately after the opening credits disappear. You are abruptly pushed into a dark and gloomy world where time seems to have stopped. Your initial impression is that the thick long shadows have started chipping away from it and that soon they will succeed in collapsing it. The skinny man with the tired eyes that emerges from these shadows and tells his wife that he must leave is the Stalker (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky). You spend some time following him around and discover that he is a tracker who has agreed to lead the Writer (Anatoli Solonitsyn) and the Professor (Nikolai Grinko) into the Zone.

Along the way, you listen to the travelers talking about the Zone and learn how it came to exist. A long time ago, a giant meteor apparently fell from the sky and the radiation that entered the atmosphere with it instantly killed every single creature in the area. Scientists were dispatched to study the devastation, but they never returned, and the army sealed off the area. For a while, no one would come near it. When the atmosphere eventually rebalanced itself, rumors emerged that aliens had landed there and that there was a place where people can have their most personal wishes granted. It was the Room.

As the men approach and enter the Zone, you learn about their lives and why they have decided to risk them. They mention the system that shaped them, science and faith, and the many rumored secrets of the Room. You see some similarities between their reasons and start to understand bits of the logic behind them, but their words keep coming at you like giant waves that slowly begin to overwhelm your mind. Then while on the verge of giving up, you suddenly realize that you are also heading to the Room for the very same reason the Stalker, the Writer, and the Professor are -- because you have become a seeker of enlightenment.

The structure of the narrative and the manner in which the film ultimately engages the mind are absolutely brilliant. The entire journey through the Zone basically becomes something of a deeply personal experience that forces the viewer to think about a wide range of philosophical subjects.

The spectacular visuals also create a very special ambience. The unique use of filtered light and shadows and the very specific range of desaturated primary colors and nuances give the film a truly unforgettable poetic quality. In a way, it feels like an elusive dream that somehow has suddenly come alive.

The hugely atmospheric soundtrack blends a variety of new-age harmonies with Slavic folk elements. The meditation theme uses an incredible pan-flute/chimes solo that very much reminds of the one heard in the equally atmospheric soundtrack that was created for Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Stalker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

Stalker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Stalker Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Geoff Dryer - in this brand new video interview, Geoff Dyer, author of Zona: A Book About a Film About a Journey to a Room, discusses the profound influence Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker had on him, as well as the film's extraordinary visual style and the structure of its narrative. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080p).

• Eduard Artemyev - in this archival video interview, Eduard Artemyev recalls how he composed the soundtrack for Stalker and his interactions with director Andrei Tarkovsky at the time. The interview was composed in 2000. In Russian, with optional English subtitles. (22 min, 1080p).

• Rashit Safiullin - in this archival video interview, set designer Rashit Safiullin recalls his involvement with Stalker, and discusses the very problematic financing of the film, the shooting of specific scenes. Andrei Tarkovsky's perfectionism, etc. The interview was conducted in 2000. In Russian, with optional English subtitles. (15 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Aleksandr Knyazhinskiy - in this archival video interview, cinematographer Aleksandr Knyazhinskiy discusses the shooting of Stalker in Estonia (with some very interesting comments about the black dog that is seen in the Zone) and Andrei Tarkovsky's working methods. In Russian, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Mark Le Fanu and technical credits.

Stalker Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.