SOLARIS (1972) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

solaris (1972) movie

Genre              |   Science Fiction

Classification   |   M

Running time   |   167 minutes

Released         |   5 February 1972

cast

Donatas Banionis ... Kris Kelvin, psikholog
Natalya Bondarchuk ... Khari
Jüri Järvet ... Doktor Snaut, kibernetik
Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy ... Anri Berton, pilot
Nikolay Grinko ... Nik Kelvin, otets Krisa Kelvina
Anatoliy Solonitsyn ... Doktor Sartorius, astrobiolog
​Olga Barnet ... Mat Krisa Kelvina (as O. Barnet)

director

Andrei Tarkovsky

writer

​Stanislaw Lem ... (novel) (as Stanislav Lem)
 
Fridrikh Gorenshteyn ... (screenplay) (as F. Gorenshteyn) &
Andrei Tarkovsky ... (screenplay) (as A. Tarkovskiy)

cinematographer

​Vadim Yusov

music

​Eduard Artemev

film editor

​Lyudmila Feyginova ... (as L. Feyginova)
Nina Marcus ... (uncredited)

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box office result

Worldwide             $​​​​​​​​134,782

Australia                 $​​​​​ not available

North America       $​​​​​​​​​​​​22,168

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movie minutiae

​A print was screened at the Cinema Village theater in New York City in the mid-1980s that combined an English-dubbed version of the film with sequences from a Russian-language print. This version also featured cheesy 1970s-era titles. Around this time, this was considered the most complete version of the film available in the United States. It was not until the re-opening of New York's Film Forum theatre in 1989 that the complete and uncut Russian-language version was shown there theatrically.

According to a 1970 interview with Russian film journalist Naum Abramov, Tarkovsky said, "For some reason, in all the science-fiction films I've seen, the filmmakers force the viewer to examine the details of the material structure of the future. More than that, sometimes, like Kubrick, they call their own films premonitions. It's unbelievable! Let alone that 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) is phony on many points, even for specialists. For a true work of art, the fake must be eliminated."

​Stanislaw Lem was scathing of the adaptation of his novel, and complained that he did not write it about people's "erotic problems in space."

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related movies

STALKER ​(1979)

SOLARIS (1972) MOVIE IMAGES

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SOLARIS (1972) STORY SYNOPSIS

​A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.

SOLARIS (1972) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 5 February 2016

​​Pop Movee Rating

SOLARIS is a science fiction film released in 1972 by Andrei Tarkovsky. The story is about Kris Kelvin, a psychologist who is sent to a space station orbiting the planet Solaris to evaluate the three-man scientific team with whom Earth have lost contact. Upon his arrival, what he encounters makes him question everything in which he believes.

SOLARIS is regarded very highly among film critics and cinephiles, with many comparing it's high-minded philosophical themes and visually-arresting cinematography favourably to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). There's far more emotion present in Tarkovsky's film than Kubrick's but it's easy to see why the two films have been compared. Regardless of similarities or differences to 2001, SOLARIS is an important science fiction film and is compulsory viewing for any fan of cinema.

The film that explores the meaning of being “human” and challenges its audience to undertake a greater examination of their own conscious reality.

Released in early 1972, SOLARIS was brought to the screen by Andrei Tarkovsky; arguably the best Russian film-maker of his generation. Tarkovsky’s approach to the story is pure cinema and, despite being based upon Stanislaw Lem’s highly successful science fiction novel of the same name, his film unfolds in a very personal and intimate way. Despite the film’s lengthy 166 minute running time and leisurely pacing, it never feels boring or dull. The story is far too compelling and the film-making far too polished for these types of details to be detractions.

Psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) is called upon by his government to undertake a mission that requires him to travel to one of his country’s space stations positioned in orbit above the alien world Solaris. He has been asked to assess the psychological well-being of the station’s three remaining inhabitants; all of whom are highly-regarded scientists.

Before leaving for Solaris, Kelvin is visited by Ari Berton (Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy), a former astronaut stationed at Solaris who experienced strange phenomenon when he tried to survey the planet’s ocean some years before. Kelvin is sceptical of Berton’s story, deciding that he would prefer to see first-hand what is happening at the station. Berton is disappointed by Kelvin’s position and departs his meeting frustrated and disappointed. Later, Berton calls Kelvin to relay a story about a strange occurrence that happened on board the station that he never reported. Kelvin departs for the station aware that something out of the ordinary is happening at the space station, but what exactly is unclear.

The station appears to be in complete disarray upon Kelvin’s arrival...

None of the three scientific crew is present to greet him and he makes several running repairs while making his way through the station. Kelvin locates Astrobiologist Sartorius (Anatoliy Solonitsyn), but he is unprepared to explain what has been happening on the station. He suggests that Kelvin come back at another, more convenient time. Undeterred, Kelvin goes in search of cybernetics & computer expert Snaut (Juri Jarvet), whose answers to his questions are puzzling but is at least prepared to attempt some sort of rational explanation about what has been happening at the station. Snaut reveals to Kelvin that Kelvin’s friend, Dr.Gribaryan, the station’s third scientist, has committed suicide. Kelvin is shocked at this news and makes his way to Gribaryan’s quarters in the hope of discovering the circumstances that led to the Doctor taking his own life. Kelvin finds a video message from Gribaryan to him but it provides no real answers and he heads to his quarter’s no closer to any version of truth.

Kelvin wakes some time later to discover a woman sleeping next to him. To his astonishment, the woman is Hari (Natalya Bondachurik), his dead wife who committed suicide ten years earlier.

Hari’s introduction marks the turning point in the story for Kelvin.

Before her appearance, Kelvin is a spectator to the effect Solaris exerts upon others. Hari’s appearance, manifested by the sentient entity that exists is the oceans of Solaris after it has delved into Kelvin’s subconscious, personalises Kelvin’s mission and forces him to confront his feelings and thoughts on the meaning of existence. The existential discourse that follows, especially between Kelvin and Snaut, results in a unique film experience where each character’s underlying psychology becomes the prime driver of the story from moment to moment.

SOLARIS is very much an extension of its maker, Andrew Tarkovsky. He allows the story to unfold at a natural pace; not feeling compelled at any stage to force plot for the sake of characterisation. Tarkovksy does not fall into the trap of allowing contrivance to dictate story.

The subject matter of SOLARIS is such that it does not conform to the established mores of westernised, late 20th Century film-making. It is not plot-heavy and there is very little action. The film is about themes and Tarkovsky weaves a personal narrative into the film that gives the audience the Kelvin character with whom they can empathise. The film challenges the audience to derive their own meaning from the story that unfolds before them. In Kelvin’s case, his journey sees him travel to another part of the universe to unlock his repressed humanity and, in doing so, is given the chance to “go home” and experience personal fulfilment.

The performances in SOLARIS are extremely subtle and each progressive scene sees each of the main characters add another layer of characterisation.

At the time of the film’s production, Tarkovsky rated the performances and declared that Natalya Bondachurik’s Hari had been the stand-out. (There may have been a degree of bias in his assessment, as Tarkovsky and Bondachurik had become romantically involved during the making of the film.) Bondachurik’s performance is actually the most melodramatic of those in the film, but her character’s actions serve to stir Kelvin from the emotional-stupor he exists in prior to his arrival at the station.

The strongest performance in SOLARIS belongs to Juri Jarvet’s Snaut. The creases in his face, coupled with his piercing eyes, make Jarvet a memorable character and his performance as the somewhat jaded Snaut matches the look he presents throughout the film. His appearance is that of a man who is always just waking up from a dream, somewhat dishevelled and confused, questioning whether he’s still dreaming or whether he has been jarred back into reality. Banionis, as Kelvin, anchors the film, moving his character from objective sceptic to subjective believer in a realistic and measured way that keeps the audience completely engrossed.

SOLARIS has very few visual effects shots to help tell its story; they’re not really necessary. The execution of the principal photography by Tarkovksy and Cinematographer Vadim Yusov is such that the audience member is able to become immersed in the film’s natural imagery. There are some truly beautiful scenes in SOLARIS, especially at Kelvin’s father’s cottage - one of the movie’s key locations. At one point in the film, there is a shot of the pond next to the cottage. The surface of the pond has frozen, but not as solid ice. It appears more like a sheet of glass.

Cinematographer Yusov stated in interviews that the scene in which the pond appears this way was filmed on the last morning the crew was at the location. The image of the pond, surrounded by fog, helps to create an ethereal quality that plays an important part in convincing the audience member of what is happening to Kelvin in that part of the movie.

​In both the Earth-bound and space station locations, Tarkovsky and Yusov employ lengthy takes that hold focus on singular images for longer than what the audience may be accustomed to. This technique serves as a marker for each scene in establishing the mood the film-makers are seeking to create for subsequent scenes.

A shot at the film’s start, focussed on reeds in the pond at Kelvin’s father’s cottage, establishes a sense of calm and serenity, allowing Tarkovsky to psychologically disarm the audience to the film’s fantastical context and subject matter.

The ongoing counter-point between the acknowledgement of a contemporary Earth-reality and the science fiction-fantasy events occurring on the space station is something that Tarkovksy uses in all elements of the film’s production.

The existence of a traditional library aboard the space station seems unusual, but it reinforces the connection to Earth and serves as a key setting for an important exchange between Kelvin and Snaut about the implications of what is happening in the station. It is a very deliberate effort on Tarkovsky’s part in challenging the audience to contemplate the meaning of what they are watching.

​SOLARIS is much more than a science fiction film. This is a film that aspires to be art and, while audience members may question whether it attains that status, its Director – Andrei Tarkovsky – creates a remarkable character study in the meaning of human existence.

SOLARIS (1972) USEFUL LINKS

Solaris (1972 film) - Wikipedia
​Solaris (1972) - IMDb
​Solaris (1976) - Rotten Tomatoes​

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