Parker Lanting

Professor Liu

English 149

November 6, 2013

Annotated Bibliography

1.      Desmond, John M., and Peter Hawkes. Adaptation: Studying Film & Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2006. Print.

     John Desmond’s and Peter Hawkes’s Adaptation: Studying Film & Literature offers a comprehensive examination of the art and process of adaptation a work of literature into a film, video, or other visual medium. The work emphasizes the importance of film as medium, as well as the difficulties writers face during an adaptation. That is, in addition to why adaptations are an important and necessary form of expression.

     The text even includes examples, old and new, from To Kill a Mockingbird to The Shining to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and everything in between. Adaptation also overviews the immense difference between film and literature as mediums. This text could extremely beneficial in understanding why “Roadside Picnic” and Stalker (1979) are so different, but also why it was adapted into a feature film in the first place.

     Adaptations and their structure can range as widely as the scope of any original work. But, understanding the specific decisions made by a screenwriter when translating a work into a new medium can be extremely illuminating when analyzing films and their related mediums. And, though little is offered in terms of adapting works in video games, much can still be learned from studying this text.

2.      Fields, Syd. Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting. New York: Bantam Dell, 1979. Print.

     Syd Fields is considered to be the foremost expert on the art and craft of screenwriting, from blank page to completed script. In Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, Fields begins where most screenwriters do: a blank page. From there, he outlines the each and every necessary step involved in creating an original work or adaptation, from story structure to character development to the rigorous process of rewriting. And though he never explicitly mentions Stalker (1979), Fields punctuates his lessons with exceptional examples from some of the finest works of cinema ever created. This text can shed light on Stalker’s unusual story structure and character arc, while explaining the filmmaking techniques necessary to craft such an unusual tale.

     I plan to use the screenplay structure, outlined in this text, to analyze the film at a much deeper level. And, though I have been unable to find a sifficient copy of the original screenplay, I will use the resources that I have available to explain why Tarkovsky either supports or subverts the methods and troops he does and what effect these decisions have the audience at large. I am also interested in the films utility of character archetypes and stereotypes as a means of positing its pivotal question: What, if anything, is real?

3.     Fritz, Kristin. "Tarkovsky’s ‘Stalker’: You’ll Need a User’s Manual (and Here It Is)."

          Word & Film. Random House LLC, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

          <http://www.wordandfilm.com/2012/04/ tarkovsky-stalker-youll-need-a-users-

          manual-and-here-it-is/>. 

     Kristin Fritz's article begins by establishing the world of the story, in addition to shedding light on its status as possibly one of the most significant works in cinema of all time. She quotes Geoff Dyer, "It was not a case of love at first sight: The first time I saw ‘Stalker’ I was slightly bored and unmoved. I wasn’t overwhelmed.” And though Ms. Fritz may agree with Mr. Dyer to a certain extent, the author ives into her subject matter nonetheless and with much gusto.

     She works to explain why the film is constructed as it is, citing tone, pacing, atmosphere and its three archetypal characters (the Stalker, the Doctor and the Writer) as paramount to its understanding as whole. In addition, she attempts to draw connections between both events in the film itself, as well as the filmography of Tarkovsky and the unstable politic climate of Russia at the time.

4.     Stalker. Mosfilm, 1979. International Movie Database. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. 

          <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079944/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt>. 

     The International Movie Database (or IMDB) is an extremely helpful tool in acquiring basic or at times even usual information pertinent to the film itself. The site lists major characters and their corresponding actors, as well as integral crew members, release dates and much more. The database is also an excellent resource for acquiring plot summaries, important quotations, and themes that may have been otherwise overlooked. Finally, the IMDB also offers user comments, which, though not necessarily scholarly, can help to shed light on difficult scenes or unanswered questions. The URL, provided in this bibliography, links directly to Stalker’s page.

     Unfortunately, this source is fairly limited in the fact, that though it may link users to instances where similar characters appear in other films, or what other adaptations, if any, already exist, IMDB provides no information about text sources (books, articles, short stories etc.) or video games. So any necessary information about those mediums will need to be gathered elsewhere.

5.    Stilwell, Sarah. "Andrei Tarkovsky's 'Stalker': Matter, Soul and Folded Surfaces."

          Print. Lecture transcript. 

     Sarah Stilwell’s essay and lecture "Andrei Tarkovsky's 'Stalker': Matter, Soul and Folded Surfaces," delves deeper into the story to draw previously unseen conclusions and assertions, concerning the work as a whole. Stillwell deconstructs abstract notions such as the “universal veil” and the implications of the Chernobyl disaster to further establish Stalker as a canonical and insightful work of Science Fiction.

     From unspoken character development to camera and filmmaking techniques utilized, Stilwell crafts a discussion which encompasses all facets of filmmaking and cinema as a medium, as well as the limitations and difficulties Tarvosky might of faced, considering the era in which the film was made. Not to mention, the ruling powers of Russia.

6.    Tarkovsky, Andrei. Interview by Aldo Tassone. 1980. 

In 1980, shortly after the release of Tarkovsky’s masterwork, Stalker, journalist Aldo Tassone sat down with the filmmaker to discuss his film in further depth. The ensuing and thought-provoking interview provides not only insight into the basic plot, characters (and their motivations) and the reason for this particular adaptation, but also why Tarkovsky felt impelled to tell this story and what it means to him, as both an individual, a filmmaker and a human being.

     The ten or so page interview covers all of this and more as well as additional information about Andrei Tarkovsky and his other works, such as Solaris. With a film as enigmatic as Stalker, a guide such as this, particularly one outlined by the filmmaker himself could prove extremely beneficial in interpreting such an experimental film.

     It should be noted that this interview also includes snippets of a shorter interview conducted with Tarkovsky that functioned as the outline for this particular interaction and the questions asked. Since I have access to both, I will do my best to work in as much consummate information, without repeating too many details. Luckily, any new information could prove beneficial in dissecting the text.