Average Rating: 
Rating:  - GREAT DVD of TARKOVSKY 'S MASTERPIECE FILM SOLARIS!
This is a high quality DVD. Criterion does justice to Tarkovsky's great Sci-Fi film 'Solaris". This is not your ordinary Science Fiction story. It a kind of film that Tarkovsky is known for. It delves more into the human side of the story, rather than technology and special effects. It is no "2001: A Space Odyssey". And, for those who are not accustomed to Tarkovsky's slow action, they may not care for it, unless they give it a chance. But if you see it through, you may love this film. If your attention span is short, this is NOT the movie for you! But in fairness to those who are waiting for the action, many American Sci-Fi fans will find that any Soviet science fiction film is not their cup of tea. This film is a thought-provoking sci-fi drama that shows the mysteries of inner space are as awesome as those of outer space. Revered Lithuanian stage actor Donatis Banionis, the lead actor in "Solaris" does an excellent portrayal of the inner mind of the astronaut Kris Kelvin, a psychologist sent to the spaceship orbiting the ocean planet Solaris to find out what happened to the crew.
The original story was by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem, who had some qualms about the way Tarkovsky brought the story to film. The book is a great piece of writing. But the film is well worth seeing. I personally think it is Tarkovsky's best film, though some may not share that opinion.
Included on this DVD are excellent interviews with people involved in the film, including the well-known Russian actress Natalya Bondarchuk, and the director of photography Vadim Yusov. It also has nine deleted and alternate scenes and a documentary excerpt with Solaris author Stanislaw Lem
Tarkovsky has been called one of the greatest directors of all time. This film proves it.
Rating: - An Absolutely Brilliant Work Of Science Fiction
When people mention 2001: A Space Odyssey in conversation, they should also mention Solaris because it is a classic from the same era. The story goes that the great filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky was not too happy with 2001 and decided to make his own grand science fiction film that was more human natured. Solaris is a planet with a huge, possibly sentient, ocean that causes humans to hallucinate things from their past and confront their fears. Kris Kelvin is a psychologist and astronaut who is sent to the station on Solaris to find out what happened to the scientists there since they lost contact. To say any more of the story would spoil it, and people should see this without knowing much about the story. One thing though, don't go into this expecting great special effects, lighting, music, etc. This is very much a subtle film with little flashiness, and it shows. This movie doesn't need special effects, it is very much a character-driven movie. As for the recent remake, I liked it, but I still prefer the Soviet version since it has more haunting atmosphere and takes its time to tell the story. Whichever adaptation you like though, try to read the book as it is one of the most thought-provoking stories ever told. The new Criterion DVD of Solaris is everything we could have hoped for from a great company like Criterion. The picture has been newly remastered and looks really good for a foreign movie from 1972. There are some scenes where the grain is noticeable, but overall I can't get over how incredible this picture is. The sound is in single-channel mono which certainly won't impress people since it won't fill your room like a 5.1 mix would. You get used to it though. There is a commentary track with Tarkovsky analysts which is pretty interesting. They really help you appreciate the conditions this film was made under and the personal struggles of Tarkovsky. The second disc has a number of interviews as well as a bunch of extended scenes that were cut. The asking price on this 2-disc edition is high, but well worth it considering we're talking about a movie here that is often compared with 2001. Experience this classic for yourself and ponder what makes us human.
Rating:  - Enigmatic
Having failed to date to see the 2002 version of SOLARIS with George Clooney, I thought I'd at least view the 1979 Russian version as a point for future reference. A cult classic it may be, but another stunning "2001" it's not.Disturbing reports from the Russian space station in stationary orbit over the ocean of the planet Solaris cause mission controllers to doubt the mental health of a crew that has dwindled to three, the rest having retreated to Earth. Psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) is sent up to investigate. Once aboard, he discovers that only two of the crew remain, the third having recently committed suicide. The station chief, Dr. Snauth (Juri Jarvet) cautions Kelvin not to be surprised by anything he sees. This is good advice for Kris to remember, especially when he awakens from his first sleep after arrival to find his wife, Hari (Natalya Bondarchuck), at his bedside. You see, she's been dead for 10 years. As Kris learns from Snauth and the other cosmonaut, Dr. Sartorius (Anatoli Solonitsyn), Hari is a "visitor" - a being conjured from Kelvin's memory by the unknown intelligence living in the Solaris ocean. Or, is it the ocean that's alive? As Kris soon learns, if you throw a visitor off the station, another copy soon appears. And if injured, a visitor regenerates. And what is a visitor's purpose? Neither Kelvin nor the audience ever knows for certain. This film has been characterized as "deliberate". At 169 minutes, I'd call it "slow". And the conversations between Kelvin, Snauth and Sartorius sometimes come across as non-sequiturs. Perhaps it's the English translation in the subtitles. Oddly enough, though, SOLARIS has a certain fascination that kept me watching. I suspect a kernel of profundity is buried here that could be endlessly debated. What is the essence of Love, or that of Existence? Are we the master of our memories, or do they govern us until the end of days, particularly if manipulated by external forces? Is the realist less affected by past experiences than the romantic? Banionis's scruffy, unprepossessing Kelvin makes for an usual leading role. No Tom Cruise, George Clooney, or Mel Gibson here. But he's very good at depicting perpetual perplexity. Bondarchuck is engaging as the tragic Hari. She knows she's not Kelvin's real wife, and her love for him evolves into a cry of desperation via her own self-imposed feeling of inadequacy. Snauth and Sartorius were mostly annoying, though they did serve to keep Kris psyche grounded in reality. Finally, what was the Solaris intelligence up to? As the ending indicated at least to me, it was simply seeking from the minds of other beings suitable blueprints to construct its own world. Viewing the George Clooney version of the film is now a must. Perhaps it will clarify.
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