Solaris
1972
Released in 1972, Solaris is Andrei Tarkovsky's third feature and his most far-reaching examination of human perceptions and failings. It's often compared to Kubrick's 2001, but although both bring a metaphysical dimension to bear on space exploration, Solaris has a claustrophobic intensity which grips the attention over spans .. Read more
| Starring | Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Yuri Jarvet, Anatoli Solonitsyn |
|---|---|
| Director | Andrei Tarkovsky |
| Genres | Sci-Fi/Fantasy, World Cinema |
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Solaris
Released in 1972, Solaris is Andrei Tarkovsky's third feature and his most far-reaching examination of human perceptions and failings. It's often compared to Kubrick's 2001, but although both bring a metaphysical dimension to bear on space exploration, Solaris has a claustrophobic intensity which grips the attention over spans of typically Tarkovskian stasis. Donatas Banionis is sympathetic as the cosmonaut sent to investigate disappearances on the space station orbiting the planet Solaris, only to be confronted by his past in the guise of his dead wife, magnetically portrayed by Natalya Bondarchuk. The ending is either a revelation or a conceit, depending on your viewpoint.
On the DVD: Solaris reproduces impressively on DVD in widescreen--which is really essential here--and Eduard Artemiev's ambient score comes over with pristine clarity. There are over-dubs in English and French, plus subtitles in 12 languages. An extensive stills gallery, detailed filmographies for cast and crew, and comprehensive biographies of Tarkovsky and author Stanislaw Lem are valuable extras, as are the interviews with Bondarchuk and Tarkovsky's sister and an amusing 1970s promo-film for Banionis. It would have been better had the film been presented complete on one disc, instead of stretched over two. Even so, the overall package does justice to a powerful and disturbing masterpiece. --Richard Whitehouse
| Starring | Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Yuri Jarvet, Anatoli Solonitsyn, Vladislav Dvorzhetsky, Sos Sarkissian |
|---|---|
| Director | Andrei Tarkovsky |
| Studio | ARTIFICIAL EYE |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 39 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Sci-Fi/Fantasy, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Russian |
| Dubbed | English, French |
| Subtitles | DVD: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 21 Jan 2002 Production year: 1972 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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For some, director Andrei Tarkovsky's philosophical cult movie is the Soviet equivalent of 2001; for others, it's an obscure intellectual snore-fest. Based on Polish writer Stanislaw Lem's 1961 novel, the tale involves astronauts on an alien planet who are confronted by illusions from their subconscious memories (usually their morose girlfriends back on Earth). Tarkovsky's highly influential and cerebral science-fiction epic is ponderous, very talky and contains minimal special effects, but its remote strangeness exerts a compelling hypnotic power that's often extraordinarily potent.
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Both engrossing and alienating, 'Solaris' was Tarkovsky's response to Kubrick's slightly earlier '2001: A Space... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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43 out of 45 people found this review helpful
'2001' meets 'Vertigo'...
Science-fiction needs atmosphere to succeed, and 'Solaris' has oodles of it. It's a peculiar, bleak, Russian winter kind of atmosphere: Tarkovsky's long takes, and seemingly arbitrary moments of colour removal, help to create a futuristic vision full of the monotony and suppressed despair of everyday life.
The story follows Chris Kelvin, a psychologist, who is sent to the Solaris Space Station to join the three men investigating Solaris itself. Solaris is a mesmerising, yet undeniably alien, mass of yellow liquid; it bubbles away throughout the film, passively controlling the proceedings.
Kelvin encounters more questions than answers as he becomes obsessed with visions of his late ex-wife, which seem utterly genuine and refuse to disappear. By focusing on man's narcissistic human desire to discover new worlds, Tarkovsky creates a self-perpetuating world of obsession and the delusions of scientific progress.
It's a very subtle and thoughtful film, and even though it tars science with a very cynical brush, it makes some accurate points on the collision of human interests with the pursuit of knowledge. The final scene is truly chilling, and suggests that the quest for truth can be nothing more than a hypocritical form of escapism. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Customer Review
Didn't do it for me. Stylised and shaky camera work, bad continuity and sudden cuts made it slow and unwieldy.
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