Description:

ANDREY TARKOVSKY'S WORKING TYPESCRIPT FOR STALKER

Andrey Tarkovsky (1932-1986)'s working typescript (revision III, Jan 10, 1977) for the movie Stalker (1979), annotated by Tarkovsky with an abundance of revisions and alterations done in a ink and ballpoint of various colors, felt-tip and crayons with text cut-away and revised texts on paper collaged on top of the original ones. Also contains one instructional drawing and autographed title Stalker. Terasska. In hand-made cardboard cover. 29.7x20.7cm (11 5/8 x 8 1/8 in.). 54 pages.

PROVENANCE
Acquired in 1986 from Olga Kizilova, daughter of Tarkovky's second wife, Larisa Tarkovsky
Sotheby's, New York, June 11, 2013, lot 147 (offered for $300,000-500,000 along with three other scripts)

LOT NOTES
Movie director Andrey Tarkovsky was an iconic, highly regarded figure in Soviet and international movie industry. He was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for “Ivan`s Childhood,” at the Cannes Film Festival Tarkovsky won the FIPRESCI prize four times, the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury three times (more than any other director), and the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury twice. In 1988, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film to “The Sacrifice.” In addition, he was twice nominated for the Palme d'Or. 

His movies, saturated with philosophical and humanist ideas, often puzzled Soviet film industry bureaucrats by absence of clear ideological message, but were nevertheless highly valued by Soviet intelligentsia. Film “Stalker” was no exception. Tarkovsky was given a green light by Mosfilm to make a movie after his open letter to the Soviet Government Summit (S`ezd). While Tarkovsky`s plans to film Hamlet, The Idiot and Hoffmaniana at that point were rejected, the proposal for making sci-fi movie in supposedly anti-utopian capitalist society, received a nod of approval and consequent financing. Screenplay was loosely based on the book “Roadside Picnic” by two extremely popular writer’s duo of Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. The plot of the movie revolves around four characters and the Zone, a dangerous and mysterious area guarded by military and rumored to contain a room that gratifies inmost wishes. None of the characters have names, they are all presented by aliases, even Stalker`s former mentor mentioned as Porcupine and his daughter as Monkey. Stalker is guiding disillusioned, uninspired and skeptical Writer and quiet Professor through the Zone to the Wish Room. During their journey timid, soft-spoken Stalker recounts the story about Porcupine who entered the Room and begged for his dead brother`s life, but after coming home he suddenly becomes rich and commits suicide a week later. When they reach the Room both “guests” unexpectedly refuse to come inside. Writer is hesitant to find out his innermost desire. He also claims that writer`s inspiration comes from the inner struggle and constant doubting of own worth; therefore, if he comes back undeniably talented, he would not be able to create anything anymore. The Professor, on the other hand, does not want anything for himself. He can’t be at peace knowing that this Room can potentially serve as a weapon to some lunatic with destructive ambitions. Stalker defends both Zone and the Room asserting that Zone is the only place where he feels completely free and the Room is the last hope to the most miserable of individuals.
br>Even though original screenplay had little in common with book, it still had many Strugatsky`s trademark sci-fi elements and “action” characters. However, last version (purportedly 14th) was instead full of philosophical dialogues and monologues in a mystic setting with very little action. The typescript in this lot represents one of the early versions (III), which was most likely used for the first Stalker movie that was ruined due to the technical error (experimental Kodak film which was used to shoot that version was not developed correctly). The fact that this script corresponds to destroyed version of the movie makes this artifact even more unique. In this version Stalker`s character is presented as a tough guy with criminal past who gives strict orders and leads the way. The script ends with Stalker (called Provodnik) introducing his new “friends” the Writer and the Professor to his wife after they came back from their trip. Latest script versions and ultimately the movie, alter Stalker`s character into typical “Yurodivy,” hapless oddball who desperately attempts to give hope to those who is at the end of the rope. His view of the Writer and the Professor when he complains to his wife at the culmination of the movie is far from friendly. He sorrowfully exclaims that they have no faith: “You saw them, their eyes are empty.” In the script`s ink alterations we can already see partial transformation of Stalker character from original cynical “action hero” to hopeful martyr/yurodivy. Tarkovsky softens often crude, jargon filled, speech of Stalker. We can trace the words in the movie to director-revised words in typescript. Evgeniy Tsymbal, assistant director for Stalker, said in documentary, that Tarkovsky as a director was torn between “human and creative sides.” He started this movie for human (financial) reasons, but creative side took over, and final product was far from sci-fi blockbuster formula that it was originally meant to be. That change could be clearly seen in textual transformation of the script. With every ink color and every word revision, “human” was gradually converted to “creative.” Even though the movie is 160 minutes long, the script is not that big. However, every word has been revised multiple times and has an extreme informational or psychological weight. The film was completed in 1979 and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Festival. Talking about this movie Tarkovsky stated: “It is highly important for me to point out things that are specifically human, the ones that crystalizing in our souls make them valuable. Despite the fiasco that characters seem to end up with, in reality every one of them gains something much more important: faith, comprehension of the most essential in yourself. That essentiality lives in every person.” 

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