Episode 14: On Tarkovsky's 'Stalker' - Part One

Journey into the Zone to uncover some of the strange artifacts buried in Tarkovsky's cinematic masterpiece, Stalker (1979). In this first of a two-part conversation, Phil and JF discuss a poem by Tarkovsky's dad, compare the film with the sci-fi novel that inspired it, explore the ideological underpinnings of formulaic genre, delve into the meaning and affordances of the concept of zone, and affirm that in a sufficiently weird mindset, even a casual stroll in your hometown can become an excursion into a Zone of your own.

REFERENCES

Andrei Tarkovsky (dir.), Stalker
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Roadside Picnic
The Wachowskis (dir.), The Matrix
James Cameron (dir.), Avatar
Second City Television (SCTV), vintage Canadian comedy show
Alex Garland (dir.), Annihilation (based on the novel by Jeff Vandermeer; here's an article on how Garland's film differs from Vandermeer's arguably weirder text)
SCTV, Monster Chiller Horror Theatre: Whispers of the Wolf