Andrei Tarkovsky/ Stalker

Yesterday I was making my way through piles of dusty, unpromising boxes, wandering around on my attic, biding my time. I stumbled upon this little gem (see photo). For a long time in the past I couldn’t get access to its contents because my video player wouldn’t accept the NTSC format, or I could not find an affordable dvd copy of the ORIGINAL Stalker movie WITHOUT the extra sound layers of subsequent versions.

This VHS (2 parts) is a goodie, but the image quality is an issue, to say the least. Copies on youtube are OK, but for some reason, I can’t make the subtitles showing up on Apple TV. At last, my son -who lives in LA and is involved in the movie business- sent me the REAL STUFF including Dutch subtitles 📺👍. All the Tarkovsky movies have a lot going for them (Solaris, The Mirror, …). They are definitely European, regarding content and style, but maybe the time is right to see them as what they really are: classic movies with a universal, lasting appeal.

PS The scene with the railway work car (the “draisine”) and the water scene are truly hypnotic.

#ajournalofuneventfuldays