Tarkovsky’s Masterpiece gets the Criterion Treatment

"The Zone is a very complicated system of traps, and they're all deadly. I don't know what's going on here in the absence of people, but the moment someone shows up, everything comes into motion."

The Criterion Release

Andrei Tarkovsky is one of the most beloved and heralded directors of world cinema, and despite only having directed seven feature films, the auteur arguably has one of the most impressive filmographies of all time. Amongst his widely praised works is Stalker, his fifth directorial effort, of which is considered by many of his devoted fans to be his most remarkable achievement. The philosophical science-fiction classic is a favourite here at Daze of Heaven, which is why it comes with great pleasure to announce that it has been released on Blu-ray as a part of the prestigious Criterion Collection here in the UK. This marks the second of Tarkovsky's films to be released on Criterion - the other available title being Solaris.

The Artificial Eye UK Re-release

Artificial Eye have recently re-released the director's work on Blu-ray and DVD; the titles can be found sold separately but also in a deluxe box-set which is sadly currently unavailable on Amazon.co.uk. This was a blessing for cinephiles, as much of his earlier films were hard to find on DVD due to being out of print, including Stalker. So, it is understandable that many were thrilled when the Artificial Eye Blu-ray editions were released. For the most part, they were welcome additions to the collections of Tarkovsky fans - apart from one... Stalker. Those who purchased the release were appalled with the films colouring, sound, and the overall lousy print that was used for the final product; the film's treatment seemed to be of a much lower quality than the other six releases, and has garnered a disappointing twenty-three one-star reviews on Amazon. Luckily, Criterion have saved the day with their absolutely definitive release.

The original Artificial Eye DVD release

The Criterion Collection have always nurtured the release of fantastic titles, but only in 2016 did the video distribution company begin to release titles on Blu-ray in the UK - to the delight of many cinema lovers. Priding themselves on releasing the finest quality product, there was arguably no better company to correct the mistakes of the prior release; they certainly did just that. The sound and image quality is terrific, and it almost feels as though you are watching the film for the very first time. It really is of such excellent quality, and as with other Criterion releases, is worth every penny. This is the treatment that the film deserves, and it may not be so naive to anticipate more of his films being released on this terrific label. So, if you are a fan of the film, or are yet to see it, this is the best chance you will have to do so. Journey into the zone.

Written by Christopher Weston