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Stalker (Сталкер) (PG)

Cold War Visions

— ,Cinema 1
Man lying in a pond with a dog nearby

This masterpiece from Andrei Tarkovsky is an essential piece of cinema history – a journey to a world where the laws of reality begin to dissolve.

In an unnamed country, a guide known as the Stalker leads two clients into the Zone, a mysterious, restricted area created by an unexplained event. At its centre lies a room said to grant a person’s deepest wish.

Loosely adapted from Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s novel Roadside Picnic, Stalker was filmed in a post-industrial area in Tallinn, Estonia, near a chemical plant. Ultimately, Andrei Tarkovsky, actor Anatoly Solonitsyn, and assistant director Larisa Tarkovskaya died from the same type of cancer, possibly caused by radiation exposure during Stalker’s production.

Though Stalker was released in 1979, similarities between the film and the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 have been observed by many. In 2007, Kyiv-based game development studio GSC Game World released a video game called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.

Tagged with: Cinema Cold War Visions

In Russian with English subtitles 

Film information
  • Release year   1979
  • Country of origin   USSR
  • Director   Andrei Tarkovsky
  • Runtime   2hr 42mins

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Cinema 1

Location
Barbican Cinema 1 is located within the main Barbican building on Level -2. Head to Level G and walk towards the Lakeside Terrace where you’ll find stairs and lifts to take you down to the venue floor.   

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.