"Lands collapsed and the ground cracked, the black veil covering the sun and the stars fell like a fig tree being blown by the strong wind, and the stems of the melons fell. The universe shifted, rolled up like a scroll. The mountains and islands shifted. Kings, ministers, wealthy households, strong men, all slaves, The free hide themselves on the hills. The crowd shouts: Come down and cover us, from the face of the Throne, from the wrath of the Lambs. For the day of their wrath has come, and no one can stop them.” — - "New Testament Revelation" Preface
This apocalyptic prophecy of the "New Testament Revelation" appears in Andrei Tarkovsky's masterpiece "Stalker". When the God-like muttering sound is played, the yellowed screen switches. At the bottom of the river in the restricted area, the silent river water deposits are the relics of civilization for thousands of years. Guns, needles, steel, broken newspapers, statues of the Virgin... The lens of God's perspective slowly sweeps through everything, and the history of mankind is lying there quietly, pale, small, ridiculous, unable to make a sound, just silent Staring at the camera, waiting for the Lord's judgment. The first time I met Tarkovsky was through his Virgo, "Ivan's Childhood", which is also a war film. The use of black and white light and shadow, the imagery of disillusionment, and the completely different means of expression. I have to marvel that, before I met Tarkovsky, all the literary films were not enough to be called art. Mysterious religious mysteries, hopeless philosophies of nothingness, and absurd no-owner roads, Tarkovsky's films have always been famous for their philosophical, religious, and poetic qualities. He only directed less than ten films in his life, but he is known as the "Dostoevsky of the film industry". Taking "Stalker" as an example, it is very similar to "The Brothers Karamazov". There are only three protagonists in total, but with rich dialogue, it inherits the characteristics of Dostoyevsky's polyphonic novels and uses unique films. The narrative and language expression make it beyond the height of ordinary science fiction. It refers directly to the reflection and discussion on the human spiritual crisis. "For me, the Russian cultural tradition originating from Dostoevsky has a special meaning, in fact, this tradition has not been fully developed in contemporary times, or even completely ignored and despised. The reason is first of all in this Tradition is at odds with materialism. In addition, the spiritual crisis of the protagonists of Dostoevsky and his successors makes one suspicious. Why are contemporary people so afraid of spiritual crisis?" "Stalker" 1 The three explorers who challenged Tarkovsky's choice were not short-sighted mortals. Except for the "Stalker", the guide in the restricted area, the remaining two were the most outstanding representatives of human society - one was a physicist, a symbol of A high-level intellectual with reason and science; one is a writer, an artist who symbolizes inspiration and freedom. Reason and sense, logic and inspiration, technology and art, science and fantasy, the most unique and proud features of human society for thousands of years, have been given to these two elites, and together they form the epitome of secular civilization. . And the place they were going to was a mysterious place called "Forbidden Zone", which was formed due to natural disasters. It is said that there, people can realize their deepest wishes. At this time, the first pair of contradictions appeared. When the proud secular civilization learned of the existence of some superhuman force, both physicists and writers tried to know and understand. In their own view, the reason for this understanding is not out of curiosity, but simply a strong sense of mission, that is, they are fully aware of their responsibilities and swear to live up to the noble pursuits of their compatriots. Writers are eager to find inspiration to purify readers' souls and play the role of literature and art. Physicists are eager to unlock the secrets of the world, even through the mundane mind, using Euclidean formulas of physics. Therefore, when the writer asked why he wanted to enter the zone, the physicist replied with the utmost understatement: "Because I am a scientist." The two realities reveal the two forms of secular civilization, reason and sense, which, thanks to the participation of man, are first and foremost always attained There is no harmony, and secondly, the essence cannot be grasped forever. In the stealth of the forbidden area, the inferiority of the secular civilization in human beings gradually emerged, which is not only reflected in its own internal friction - the conflict between scientists and writers, but also in the opposition between consciousness and subconsciousness. To reflect the conflict between reason and the senses, Tarkovsky arranges the quarrel between scientists and writers throughout. Before setting off, the writer made a sarcastic first about the duties of scientists. "The pursuit of truth is still boring. The truth is hidden, but you have to find it. Dig in one place and find that atoms are made of protons. In other places, triangle ABC equals angle A and angle B. Corner C is fantastic. It's different for me, truths are constantly changing as I discover them, not one, but a bunch. "Reason, due to science and rigor, only allows one truth, which is single and certain; in contrast, the senses, due to their unrestrained imagination, feel the endless emergence of truths, and are open and free. In the writer's view, everything is relative, and the reason is very simple. The old antique jars in the museum, used to hold the leftovers, and now they are so precious, it may be because of some unique design and pattern, people are amazed. Then suddenly this antique is a fake, a prank People put this to the archaeologists, and for a moment these admiring people are silent again. And for the science and technology itself, the writers also sneer, their arguments are particularly interesting. "Professor, in any case, these technologies of yours are designed to be It is to lighten the burden. It is all prosthetics and crutches. The reason why human beings exist is for artistic creation. This is different from other human behaviors. This is a selfless, great fantasy and an absolutely true portrayal. " "You tell me what selflessness is?" There are still people starving to death in this world, are you from the moon? "Look, this is our top intellectual. The focus of differences between writers and scientists is nothing more than "freedom in the sky" or "bread on earth". In the long history of human existence, whether art should be higher than science, or science should be more important than art, this is an eternal question. The proposition. This pair of conflicts has despised and excluded each other for thousands of years, and will never be resolved. In stealth, in addition to its own internal friction, the hypocritical mask of secular civilization is further torn apart. Compared with physics Home, writers tend to be frank, after all, what he symbolizes is freedom and real senses. He never denies the root of human evil, and frankly admits that he is also selfish. "I don't care about human beings, in all groups of people. I am only interested in myself. Do I have any value? I'm just a piece of shit in this world like everyone else. Therefore, he began to realize the difference between the human consciousness and the subconscious, and denied his original desire to find inspiration. "I don't really care if there is inspiration, how do I know what I want, how do I know I don't want it?" What, or say, I really want what I want, really don't want what I don't want. These undefined words, once I say their name, their meaning is dissolved, like a jellyfish melting in the scorching sun. My conscious wants vegans to rule the world, my subconscious wants a piece of fat. What exactly do I want? ” The writer first expresses to his subconscious After questioning, I further began to analyze my heart - since I am indeed a selfish person, do I really believe in the art of selflessness? If I don't subconsciously believe in art, then I can't get my wish to enter the zone. Another hypothesis, despite my selfishness, I do yearn for selfless art, so what? "Think about it, even if I entered the district to realize my wish, gained inspiration, and returned to society as a genius. But a person writes because of his inner suffering and pain, and he always has to prove his ability and value to others. Then if I firmly believe that I am a genius, then why should I write books, for what?” Why do I believe in art, and is it really for a noble purpose—purifying people’s hearts, or being confined in the cage of selfishness—to prove my own value? Assuming that I am subconsciously interested only in myself, it means that my creation is only to prove my worth, so why should I prove my worth? If I think I'm a genius, and it's all out of my own personal satisfaction, why should I prove it to others by creating? Doesn't this mean that my subconscious is not just me? Since then, we will find that the writer's subconscious has fallen into a paradox, and there is no longer a standard answer. Selfish nature and selfless belief are intertwined. At first, the noble mask was torn, revealing a painful face. And in this pain, he realized that he was completely powerless to control, there is no so-called happiness, only the eternal wandering, painful Jews. "Whose conscience is to blame for this? Mine? I don't have a conscience, I'm only mentally ill, I put my mind on my work and they eat me up. They're all literate people, but they're all evil spirits around them. Surrounded by a horde of reporters, editors, critics. All yearning to come, come! I used to think writing was to save everyone, but no one needed me, I would die, and they would start eating other people, I thought I could Change them, and they change me, according to their own model. They don't want to know anything, they only know how to devour." The physicist is less real and spiritual than the writer, and he does not confess his inner thoughts On the contrary, it is better at disguise and more elusive. Tarkovsky did not give us a standard answer about him, but we can imagine another possibility of his personality through the accusations made by the writer. When his backpack was left behind and he desperately went back to get it, the writer sneered: "You have to sneak into the zone with all the sophisticated instruments on your back and turn all these miracles into data. No one in the world has ever heard of the zone, such a You'll make a splash around the world, and you'll win the Nobel Prize." "You vulgar and useless artist, old-fashioned psychologist, you should go and paint the toilet walls." "Professor, you're an intellectual, but you're still ignorant. Ignorance." If this is just the writer's malicious sarcasm, then as the physicist approaches the wish-fulfilling room, things are getting more and more bizarre around him. We found out later that physicists actually have their own enemies and entanglements, and always hide bombs through deception, with the purpose of blowing up the place and preventing it from being used by bad guys. Seemingly a noble goal, but it was rebuked by the writer in a straight line. Are physicists afraid of revenge, or do they really care about humanity? "How many despicable wishes can a bad person have? Money, women, revenge, hope that the boss gets hit by a car, nothing more than that. This is a society of power, what a beautiful society, a paradise on earth. Pure compassion is not Existing, evil is just human instinct. And you use the concept of good to destroy the hope of all mankind, because you do nothing, you think about one thing, but you get another thing, you are angry." For the physicist Said, is it a gimmick of personal reputation and safety, or is it a real good-hearted person to help the world? The mask has been torn, and only the physicists know the true face. three Mingzhe has gone through lawns, rivers, pipes, and dunes, and the secular civilization has finally stood in front of the super-civilization. The room that can satisfy the wishes of the heart is there, the mysterious power is there, but the secular civilization is daunting. Here, the story of "Porcupine" has to be introduced. This veteran restricted zone stalker, the guide's "master", who lost his younger brother while crossing the zone, came to this room, knelt in front of the puddle, begging for his younger brother. However, the younger brother did not appear. On the contrary, he obtained a large amount of wealth, and a week later, he chose to commit suicide. Why commit suicide? Because in front of the district, a person's innermost desire is exposed. "Porcupine" thought that his wish was to save his younger brother, but Ou could see his true, deepest desire, not to revive his younger brother, but wealth, countless wealth. The writer is very clear that the mask of secular civilization is vulnerable in the face of super-civilization, and the essence of secular civilization is exposed. The area will not realize the desires that people desperately suggest and want to achieve. It can accurately penetrate people's real desires, people's subconscious, and that is the barbaric consciousness that the secular civilization has been suppressing. Some people may think, what is this? We only need to close our eyes for a while, and imagine our own evil impulses at certain moments, as well as those terrifying thoughts in our subconscious, and we will shudder and feel ashamed. It turns out that the human mind can be so bad. Arrogant human civilization can never accept this, because accepting its own barbarism is equivalent to denying the cornerstone of civilization, denying all constructed morality and conscience. "Porcupine" is exactly like that. When he realizes that his heart is not his brother, but greed, his so-called conscience and pain are all made up. When he realizes this, his civilized world will be completely Broken down, he couldn't accept the fact that there was no way out but suicide. Therefore, when all the hardships and hardships reached the wish, the writer chose to give up and told the truth frankly. "I don't want to go into the room, because I don't want to see my own meanness, I don't want to see my nature that I don't know will become reality, hidden deep in my heart, and manipulate my life. I don't want to put my inner filth Dump on someone else and kill yourself like he did. I'd rather drink in peace in a big house by myself. Sir, if you bring someone like me into your room, you won't be able to tell people apart anymore." And faced with Super civilization, the way physicists choose is to destroy it and protect secular civilization. "This place doesn't make people happy, so once it falls into the hands of criminals, the consequences are disastrous. Just the thought of all kinds of bastards coming to this place, I tossed and turned, terrified. It turns out that civilization claims to be true, noble, civilized, beautiful, good, powerful, and eternal secular power, but when faced with scrutiny, it cannot stand the test and temptation, and can only have nothing to say and flee. Four Game writers and scientists are typical atheists and materialists. They realize that secular civilization will inevitably collapse in the face of super-civilization. They also recognize the inferiority of secular civilization, but they do not accept the existence of super-civilization. They don't believe in miracles, there are districts, there are rooms where wishes can come true. Just as the writer, although frankly frank about his own despicableness, added savage words to the guide "Stalker", the only believer who brought them to the area: "I see through you, you don't care about human beings at all, you make money from our pain , you're here to enjoy yourself, you're the trump card here, you're a god, you're a hypocrite, deciding which way people go. I finally understand why you never get in the room, you're here for power, secrets, authority. And What wish?" At this time, we turned our attention to the guide "Stalker", who was out of tune with secular civilization and believed in super civilization. No one does not want to ask, does supercivilization really exist? The guide "Stalker", is it Christ or the Inquisitor? Throughout the film, the stalker has always been a loyal explorer of the district and a leader of secular civilization. However, along the way, the writers and scientists did not encounter any dangers or obstacles except for some shocks during the journey and exploration. Therefore, they began to complain and question the existence of the district and the miracles that did not appear, and pointed the finger at the Stalker. And the suspicion of the secular civilization on the district is exactly the same as that described in Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov": "There are three forces in the world, and only these three forces can forever conquer and capture the conscience of these weak and incompetent rebels. to make them happy—these three powers are miracles, mystery, and authority. When man abandons miracles, he also abandons God. For man seeks miracles rather than God.” Miracles did not come , people began to curl their lips and shake; and once a miracle occurs, people wag their tails and beg for pity. What a fragile and vulnerable faith. What a poor human civilization. So far, the existence of the oracle of the district is no longer important. Tarkovsky's main intention is not to discuss this problem that has plagued mankind for thousands of years, but to expose human beings through his sneak experience in the district. the nature of civilization. However, it is worth mentioning that in the original "Picnic on the Road", the plot of the stalker encountering the meat grinder was deleted from the movie. This only "miracle" segment that can prove the existence of superpowers in the district was not shown. In fact, it is also the open thinking that Tarkovsky left us. District, is it a lie building constructed by stalkers? Or the true fountain of hope? It's hard to speculate from the first two hours of the movie, because the Stalker isn't perfect either, he's also a A villain who secretly manipulates the lottery, and the writer's accusations against him are not without basis. But who can prove that there is no zone at all, just the stalker himself making up and profiting? Who can blame him, even if it doesn't? To provide a holy place of hope for the world, and this lie is also to save millions of unfortunate people, in order to achieve a well-intentioned goal? "You're right, I'm a villain, I don't do anything good for the world, I can't do anything, I have no friends, and I can't take care of my wife, but don't take everything from me, I'm already in Everything is taken from the other side of the barbed wire! District, it's my everything, my happiness, dignity, freedom are all here. I come with people as desperate, unfortunate, tortured as I am, who have nothing left I beg. But I can help them, no one can help them, only a villain like me! I am very happy to help them." Similar traces can be found in the chapter of "The Inquisitor" of this stalker's defense: "Those of us who took the initiative to bear their crimes for their well-being will stand by you and say to you, judge us, if you have the ability and courage. You know, I have been in the desert too, I have I have blessed freedom as you have blessed people with freedom, and I have joined your hand-picked team, eager to make up the number of the strong. But I've come to my senses, I don't want to work for madness. I lost my way and left Proud people, for the happiness of the meek, return to them. I have loved mankind all my life, can you judge me?" Tarkovsky quickly ruled out this possibility at the end, and the little girl carried the Some kind of non-human superpower shows that the miracle of the district is still there, the oracle is still there, and the stalker is Christ, not a usurped Inquisitor. five After nothingness, from the complete satire of secular civilization to the confusion of three people sitting in front of the house, not knowing where to go, the whole film is filled with the atmosphere of nothingness. The debate between science and art, who is right and who is wrong, and who is meaningful? If secular civilization itself is a joke and a lie, what is the point of us trying so hard to maintain and develop it? If the district does not exist, there is no hope, and there is only a road leading to so-called "hope", should we still take it? If there is no faith, only the so-called edifice of lies of the structure of power and authority, where should mankind go? As the physicist's last complaint, "I don't understand, what's the use of coming here?" However, all the answers were resolved in the waiting of the wife in the tavern. When everything loses its meaning, only love is still there, waiting, accepting, and will not change. All the search for meaning is not as good as lovers watching each other, the father carrying the child, the mother carrying the dog, walking through the vast river, through the pollution of the world, through the muddy road, and through a lifetime. Love is always meaningful, it is something our senses can feel, the thrill of excitement, the tender tears, the close connection, the tender care, it is eternal, unified and harmonious, all-in-one. Love can save everything, love the concrete person more than the abstract person, love the concrete life itself more than the meaning of life. Finally, the film gives the answer against nothingness in the confession of the stalker's wife: "I know very well that he is a cursed person, so what can I do? I used to believe that I would be very happy with him. Knowing there will be a lot of pain, but I'd rather have bitter happiness than live a dark and dull life, I'm gone with him, I never regret it, even though there is a lot of fear, humiliation, but I never regret it, nor Whoever I envy is such a fate, such a life, such us. If there is no sadness in our life, life will not be better, it will only be worse, because there will be no happiness and no hope. ." Conclusion - Quotes by Tarkovsky For Tarkovsky, a spiritual crisis is an attempt to find himself and gain a new belief. The soul desires harmony, and life is not, this contradiction is the driving force of action, the source of our pain and hope, but also the affirmation of our spiritual depth and potential. Because he is dissatisfied with the absurd reality in front of him, he creates a beautiful world in art and shows the laws of beauty, not for fame and fortune, but only to embark on the journey of the soul. "Standing in front of her is a tormented woman with a paranoid husband and disabled children, who still loves him unrequitedly as young as she was young. Her love and loyalty are against the lack of faith in modern society and the loss of morality. The last miracle of spiritual deprivation, and writers and scientists are the victims of modern society. Perhaps in Stalker, for the first time, I felt the need to firmly express the main value of man, which is what everyone is talking about. Why live. In "Stalker" I said it more clearly - human love is such a miracle, it can resist any dry theory of the hopeless explanation of the world. This emotion is shared by human beings, There is no doubt that it is also the value of human beings. Although we no longer know how to love..." "Those who claim to be scientists, writers, intellectuals, they don't believe in anything, they have no eyes, they can only think in their heads. How do they make themselves worth more, they know "to die without regrets", know "to shoulder a mission", they only have one life, what can they believe?" "We are talking about the meaning of our lives, take music as an example, It has little to do with our real life, this ethereal sound has nothing to do with everything, yet music can miraculously penetrate our soul. What makes us resonate so harmoniously with noise, what makes us Think of it as a source of joy, unifying and shocking. What is the purpose of it all, and most importantly, who is it for? You would say no, no one needs it, no selfishness. No, I don't think so, Because in the end, everything has a meaning, a meaning and a reason again.” Scientists, writers, intellectuals, they don't believe in anything, their eyes are blank, and all they think about is how to make themselves more valuable, they know "to die without regrets" and "to shoulder a mission", They only have one life, so what can they believe? "We're talking about the meaning of our lives. Take music as an example. It has little to do with our real life. This ethereal sound has nothing to do with everything, but music can miraculously penetrate our soul." What makes us resonate so harmoniously with noise, what makes us think of it as a source of joy, unifying and shocking. What is the purpose of all this, and most importantly, for whom? You will say, no why, no one needs it, no selfishness. No, I don't think so, because in the end, everything has a meaning, a meaning and a reason again. " Scientists, writers, intellectuals, they don't believe in anything, their eyes are blank, and all they think about is how to make themselves more valuable, they know "to die without regrets" and "to shoulder a mission", They only have one life, so what can they believe? "We're talking about the meaning of our lives. Take music as an example. It has little to do with our real life. This ethereal sound has nothing to do with everything, but music can miraculously penetrate our soul." What makes us resonate so harmoniously with noise, what makes us think of it as a source of joy, unifying and shocking. What is the purpose of all this, and most importantly, for whom? You will say, no why, no one needs it, no selfishness. No, I don't think so, because in the end, everything has a meaning, a meaning and a reason again. "
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