Solaris (movie)
Solaris (Солярис) is a 1972 Russian film and is also a 2002 United States film. Both films are based on the original novel Solaris by Polish author Stanislaw Lem.
Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers.
Tarkovsky's 1972 version
The 1972 Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, features scenes filmed in Japan and the Soviet Union by cinematographer Vadim Yusov, and is often called a Russian answer to though Tarkovsky himself claimed to dislike 2001 (he referred to it as "cold and sterile"). While both Solaris and 2001 deal intensely with the relationships between humans and machines and the transformation of humanity due to these relationships, Tarkovsky's Solaris is at heart about relationships between humans and the relationship between humans and the Divine. It has achieved cult status as a science fiction film.
The introduction to Solaris is very long and slow, involving car traffic and nothing of the drama and pace it gains later. On direct question from the Soviet censor overseeing the production, Tarkovsky said he made this sequence boring on purpose: "so that the idiots leave before the actual movie starts".
One of the most unforgettable parts of Solaris is an adaptation of Bach's chorale prelude, "Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ" which is heard four times throughout the movie. (In general, Tarkovsky seems to have been quite fond of Bach, as his later film, The Sacrifice features the similarly haunting aria "Erbarme dich, Mein Gott" from Saint Matthew's Passion.)
- See also: Cinema of Russia
Soderbergh's 2002 version
A second adaptation of Lem's novel by US director Steven Soderbergh was released in 2002. Kris Kelvin is played by George Clooney, Harey (Rheya in English version) by Natasha McElhone. This version of Solaris is a slow, meditative psychodrama set on a space station. The movie's trailer depicted a science fiction love story and may have raised expectations among potential filmgoers that were not met, so many viewers reportedly left confused and disappointed by the film. In addition the burden of being compared to the highly regarded 1972 adaptation, made it difficult to get positive critical appraisal. Nevertheless it did receive a share of positive reviews.
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Referenced By
CultFilm | Cult Film | List of movies/S-Z | List of movies: S | List of movies: S-Z | List of science fiction films | Natascha McElhone | ScienceFictionFilm | Science Fiction Film | Solaris | Solaris (novel) | Space colonization | Space colony | Space habitat | Space settlement | Stalker (film) | Stalker (movie) | StanislawLem | Stanislaw Lem | Steven Soderbergh
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