May 19, 1980 - released film "Stalker"

1.Andrey Tarkovsky said about the film "Stalker": "I was getting ready to film life, shot him two years».
In this tape, loosely based on the novel by the Strugatsky brothers' Roadside Picnic ", the action takes place in a kind of forbidden zone, where it is rumored that there is a room, where he performed the most cherished desire.
To leave the room fashionable Writer and authoritative professor - each for their own reasons, which prefers not to talk. And it leads them to Stalker - conductor in the Zone - whether Fool, or the apostle of the new faith ...
The film "Stalker", created by the genius Andrei Tarkovsky, was one of the landmark patterns in world cinema.

Will 9 images.





2. In February 1976, Tarkovsky officially received "good" at the beginning of the shooting from the chairman of the USSR State Committee for Cinematography Philip Ermash, and then there was completed the second draft of the script with the working title "The machine of desires", which has not yet made a director. Those first sketches Tarkovsky called too "motley" and in need of "uskuchnenii." Writers patient treated to endless alterations future scenario



3.Pochti one of the main creators of the film, alas, not the survivors. It lies in the cemetery of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois great Russian artist Andrei Tarkovsky. Gone from the life of his wife Larissa, who worked on "Stalker" second director.
He died tragically in a fire editor Lyudmila Feyginova. No contact brilliant cameramen George Rerberg, begins shooting "Stalker", and Alexander Knyazhinsky, then re-shoot it. Died playing the main male roles - outstanding actors Alexander Kajdanovsky Anatoly Solonitsyn, Nikolai Grinko ...



4th place of filming

Originally required nature was found near the town of Isfara Tarkovsky, in Tajikistan, but January 31, 1977 the city was destroyed by an earthquake. Himself filming this fact did not stop, but the film crew had nowhere to live. After a long search in April 1977 George Rerberg found a new nature in Estonia, 25 km from Tallinn, on the river JAGAL near the old, destroyed power.

Apocalyptic landscape areas failed so significantly more because near the site of filming pulp and paper mill waste dumped into the river, which became dead. Where filmed the episode with the UN outpost, near the boiler room of the old power plant in Tallinn, on the tube still remained the inscription «UN». In 2006, the tunnel was hung a commemorative plaque on the Estonian and English languages, that in this place were shooting the film "Stalker».

Some scenes were filmed near Leningrad pavilion shooting in the studio "Mosfilm". The final scene where Stalker carries his daughter on his shoulders, and the types of industrial landscape from the open door of the bar - was shot in Moscow in the area of ​​a suburban road. In the background is visible pipe CHP-20



5. "unbearable" Tarkovsky

- For Tarkovsky did not go to work casual man - says Vladimir Scharoun. - Everyone knew what kind of personality. On the one hand, he feared the high demands. On the other hand, the production of paintings Tarkovsky sometimes greatly delayed, and for idle filmmakers were not paid even in Soviet times.

And the most important "minus" Tarkovsky - that this great artist wanted to do everything himself. In "Stalker" because he was also artistic director. In the frame of every blade of grass laid his hands. When I agreed to work for "Stalker", my colleagues warned me: "Bear in mind when re-recording begins, and it comes to print a copy, you will be in big trouble. At the last moment he will climb up something in my head, and it will force you to redo everything ».



6.Tarkovsky and UFOs

- Unconditionally Tarkovsky believed in miracles - continues Vladimir Scharoun. - Believed in the existence of "flying saucers" and even claimed to have seen one of them in his estate, in meat, in the Ryazan region. To convince him it was absolutely impossible. There is no doubt in the existence of aliens Tarkovsky is not allowed. By the way, all this is perfectly combined with his faith in God, because he knew by heart the Gospel of Matthew and Luke and their quoted paragraphs.

Thanks to Tarkovsky's passion for anything supernatural in the group as a hit man named Edward Naumov. He popularized by films about paranormal phenomena, organized a lecture on the topic, and even served in a Soviet prison for selling "Left" Tickets for these gatherings. Group Tarkovsky helped him than she could.

Once Naumov showed us one of the films. It was attended by well-known at the time the psychic Ninel Sergeyevna Kulagina. During the war she was flying gunner-radio operator on the attack aircraft, together with its pilot shot down by the Germans. Then she married that pilot and had three children. When she opened the third delivery of the ability of telekinesis - move objects look.

On the screen Kulagina, surrounded by similar scientific people sitting at the table clear - to prevent accusations of simulation. On the table were a lighter, a spoon, something else. Kulagina's face darkened with stress, she began unblinking look at the lighter, and she "went" under her gaze. Tarkovsky looked this film Naumov, then immediately said: "Well, the finale for" Stalker "there!»

The shooting of any psychics we did not have. Glass, who was supposed to move in space under the eyes half-mad daughter Stalker, we tied a gray "invisible" thread and pulled it over on the table. I tried to lead this exciting process, but Tarkovsky drove me to write by sending a barking dog, and pulled the glass himself.



7.- "Stalker" unlucky.

The fate of the painting was something strange. There was a producer Gambarov from West Berlin. He has the right to hire Tarkovsky's films in the world, and supplied him with a deficit at the time the film "Kodak". For the filming of "Stalker" He sent us some new, newly developed type "Kodak».

Operator "Stalker" was then Rerberg George, who shot with Tarkovsky "Mirror". But disaster struck. On "Mosfilm" I refused an artesian well and was not specifically required for developing artesian water. We have nothing about this was reported, but the material did not show for 17 days. And the film, when she filmed, but not exercised, regress, loses its sensitivity, and other qualities.

In short, all the material of the first series was in the basket. Plus - I say this with the words of Andrew - Tarkovsky was certain that he was replaced film. That new "Kodak", sent Gambarov specifically for "Stalker", kidnapped, and some kind of fate, he ended up in the hands of a very famous Soviet film director Tarkovsky opponent.

And Andrew gave the usual "Kodak", and this one does not know why he showed in a different mode. Tarkovsky himself considered it the machinations of enemies. I still think it was the usual Russian carelessness.

When viewing the captured and spoiled the film there was a scandal. In the hall sat Tarkovsky Rerberg both Strugatsky and Tarkovsky's wife Larissa. Suddenly one of the Strugatsky brothers turned away from the screen to the Rerberg and naively said, "Gosh, what is it you can not see anything?" Rerberg always posing as a superman, he turned to Strugatsky and said, "You do not say anything, you do not Dostoevsky! "Tarkovsky was beside himself with anger.

But Rerberg too, can understand. What does it mean for the operator when they filmed the whole stuff was in marriage! Rerberg slammed the door, got into his car and drove away. More on the site did not see him.

Then there was the operator Leonid Kalashnikov - one of the most brilliant artists. He spent two weeks with us, and then honestly did not understand what he wanted from Tarkovsky. Kalashnikov left with a picture of himself and Tarkovsky thanked him for the honest, courageous act. Then came Alexander Knyazhinskiy.

From the memoirs of the former deputy chairman of the State Committee for Cinematography of the USSR Boris Pavlenko:
- It was clear that if you do not give the opportunity to Tarkovsky reshoot the picture, it will not take place. Management decided: reshoot the film, to allocate the necessary funds (something about 400 thousand rubles) ...



8.Avariya fourth bunker

In "Stalker" is not explained either what area or what it was called. The film called several causes of the Zone - it left behind by aliens, it was generated by a fallen meteorite. In interviews Tarkovsky said that the "Stalker" the least of his story carries, and actually fantastic in the film can only be described the initial situation.

Six years after the release of the film in Chernobyl pulled fourth unit, and a 30-kilometer zone has become a reality. Alas, it is not only self-fulfilling prophecy "Stalker". As an artist Tarkovsky himself organized the complex panorama of landscape littered areas. In one of these frames - through the water we see the torn piece of the calendar with the date 28.

This Day - December 28 - was the last day of life Tarkovsky, who died December 29, 1986. By the way a piece with this number also zips for a split second underwater scene "dry tunnel».

- We were shooting near Tallinn, in the vicinity of the river Pilite, where the dilapidated hydroelectric power, - says Vladimir Scharoun - Top - chemical plant and the river poured poisonous water. In "Stalker" even entered the frame: summer snow falls and the river floating white foam. In fact, it was some kind of terrible poison.

Many women from the crew was allergic to the skin. Tarkovsky died from cancer because the right bronchus. And Tolia Solonitsyn too. The fact that all this is connected with the filming of "Stalker" was finally clear to me, when in Paris, died of the same disease Larisa Tarkovskaya ...



9. Well, snack on one of the mysteries of the mystical film

Attentive viewers Johan noticed a frame from the film by Andrei Tarkovsky's "Stalker". "Red circled coin, which on closer examination and comparison with the images of the Estonian coins difficult to identify except Estonian kroon, which was released at the second independence of Estonia"

Kron introduced in 1992. "Stalker" was filmed in 1979. What kind of coin Tarkovsky shot? "

That's all ...