Title of the article:

THE SOUND OF PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL SPACES IN THE FILM “STALKER” BY ANDREY TARKOVSKY

Author(s):

Еlena А. Rusinova

Information about the author/authors

Elena A. Rusinova — PhD in Arts, Associate Professor, All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), Wilhelm Pieck St., 3, 129226 Moscow, Russia. E-mail: vgik_sound@mail.ru.

Section

History of Arts

Year

2017

Volume

Vol. 46

Pages

Pp. 207-216

Received

August 25, 2017

Date of publication

December 15, 2017

Index UDK

7.01

Index BBK

85.374.3(2)

Abstract

The great Russian director Andrei Arsenievich Tarkovsky, whose 85th anniversary is celebrated in 2017, has left a rich artistic heritage, always leaving a place for further understanding and interpretation. The last one of his films shot in USSR, “Stalker”, became an expression of the search for spiritual foundations of the life of modern mankind, understanding of its past mistakes, delusions of the present and possible path of its development in the future. The relationship and interaction between physical and spiritual spaces are expressed in “Stalker”, especially in its formal-structural and visual design. No less important is the sound in its broadest, philosophical sense of the word. Tarkovsky experimented with the sound a lot, bringing together its noise and music capabilities to build complicated sound images, environments and landscapes. Working with composer Eduard Artemyev, the director refused to create melodies and leitmotifs common for film music in search of the sound associated with spiritual practices of the Western and Eastern traditions. This approach to phonosphere of the film became one of the means to express a complex interaction between physical and spiritual spaces in its artistic structure. Tarkovsky consciously removes all the external effects usually inherent in the genre of fiction film from the narrative and audio-visual line to draw attention of the viewer to the essential and to portray changing state of the characters on a difficult road of Zone as a metaphor for the path of man to his spiritual transformation.

Keywords

Russian cinema, Andrei Tarkovsky, Eduard Artemyev, spiritual traditions in the cinema, film parable, sound design in film, film music.

References

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2 Evlampiev I. I. Hudozhestvennaja filosofija Andreja Tarkovskogo [The artistic philosophy of Andrei Tarkovsky]. St. Petersburg, Aletejja Publ., 2001. 349 p. (In Russian)

3 Kononenko N. G. Andrej Tarkovskij. Zvuchashhij mir fil'ma [Andrei Tarkovsky. Resonant world of the film]. Moscow, Progress-Tradicija Publ., 2011. 288 p. (In Russian)

4 Kosinova M. I., Fomin V. I. “Muzyka Baha zvuchit kak-to nepo-sovetski…”. Istorija sozdanija fil'mov Andreja Tarkovskogo, snjatyh v SSSR [ “Bach's music somehow does not sound in Soviet way ...”. The history of creation of Andrei Tarkovsky's films shot in the USSR]. Moscow, Kanon+ ROOI “Reabilitacija” Publ., 2017. 528 p. (In Russian)

5 Petrov A. Jeduard Artem'ev i Andrej Tarkovskij ( “Muzyka v fil'me mne ne nuzhna…” ) [Eduard Artemiev and Andrei Tarkovsky ( “I need no music in the film...” ) ]. Electroshock.ru. Available at: http://www.electroshock.ru/edward/interview/petrov3/index.html (accessed 31 August 2017). (In Russian)

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