Stalker (1979)

Stalker (1979)

"Stalker" is a Russian Language movie by Andrei Tarkovsky. The movie is loosely based on Roadside Picnic (1972), a novel by Russian science fiction authors Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. Despite being filmed entirely in Estonia, the film was released internationally under the English Title "Stalker" almost exclusively. Action takes place in "The Zone", unspecified in time or place. Movie is very peaceful, yet it uses firearms as certain symbols.

The following guns were used in the movie Stalker

Thompson Submachine Gun

In the dream sequence we can see a Thompson Submachine Gun gun submerged in the water. The exact model is hard to say, but most likely an M1928A1 - see note below. Camera is panned from bottom to top in this scene and you do not see whole gun at once. Due to changing camera angle making a panorama of several screencaps does not work too well.

It may seem strange to see a US firearm in a Russian movie. However Soviet Union received a number of Thompsons model M1928A1 during WWII as part of lend-lease program. They were included as standard equipment in M3 light tanks, but never used because .45 ACP ammunition was not standard in Russia at the time. Movie makers could have used such military surplus as a prop.

Thompson top section. You can see cooling fins introduced in M1928A1 and bolt handle on top of the receiver.

Middle of the gun.

Pistol grip section.

Tokarev TT-33 Pistol

One of the scenes features Writer taking out what looks like a Tokarev TT-33 Pistol before opening a closed door. He is asked to leave it, as "Zone" is not a good place to go around waving weapons. Moments later we see Stalker pushing the pistol further into the water, out of the sight. It can be clearly seen, shape of magazine and details of slide could help with further identification.

Tokarev TT-33 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev. Tula Arsenal (Soviet Union) Note CCCP printing around the star on the plastic grips

Continuity error: Writer racks the slide, then puts pistol down. In closeup scene however hammer is up.

It is hard to say what pistol it is - shape is similar to Colt 1911 and Tokarev TT-33, but several features seen in the movie are different from real guns (see discussion page).

Writer takes out his pistol

File:Stalker-21-colt.jpg

Pistol just before being pushed in water. Check spur at magazine bottom.

Last moments of the gun. Slide features can be seen in this shot.

unidentified rifles

When three movie protagonists illegally enter the Zone through a checkpoint, guards start shooting at them. One or two automatic rifles can be seen there.

Unidentified rifle.

Another unidentified rifle on a bipod.

Atomic bomb

It is not a firearm per se, but is included here for completness. One of movie heroes carries a 20kt atomic bomb to destroy an artifact in the "The Zone"

Atomic bomb.

Atomic bomb being armed.

Note: screencaps are as good as they get, this is not a modern movie with great quality.