Solaris (1972)
"Solyaris" (original title)

A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting an alien planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.

Director:

Andrei Tarkovsky

Writers:

Stanislaw Lem (novel), Fridrikh Gorenshtein (screenplay),

Stars:

Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Natalya Bondarchuk	...	Hari
Donatas Banionis	...	Kris Kelvin
Jüri Järvet	...	Dr. Snaut
Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy	...	Henri Berton
Nikolay Grinko	...	Kelvin's Father
Anatoliy Solonitsyn	...	Dr. Sartorius
Olga Barnet	...	Kris Kelvin's Mother (as O. Barnet)
Vitalik Kerdimun	...	André Berton's son (as V. Kerdimun)
Olga Kizilova	...	Gibarian's she-guest (as O. Kizilova)
Tatyana Malykh	...	Kris Kelvin's niece
Aleksandr Misharin	...	Shannahan, Berton's expedition host (as A. Misharin)
Bagrat Oganesyan	...	Professor Trajet (as B. Oganesyan)
Tamara Ogorodnikova	...	Anna, Kris Kelvin's aunt
Sos Sargsyan	...	Dr. Gibarian, a physiologist (as S. Sarkisyan)
Yulian Semyonov	...	Chairman of Investigation Commission (as Yu. Semyonov)

Storyline

The Solaris mission has established a base on a planet that appears to host some kind of intelligence, but the details are hazy and very secret. After the mysterious demise of one of the three scientists on the base, the main character is sent out to replace him. He finds the station run-down and the two remaining scientists cold and secretive. When he also encounters his wife who has been dead for ten years, he begins to appreciate the baffling nature of the alien intelligence.

---

Plot Keywords:

scientist | psychologist | space station | ocean | alien | 

---

Genres:

Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian German

Release Date:

20 March 1972 (Soviet Union)

Also Known As:

Solaris

Filming Locations:

Akasaka, Minato, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

RUR 1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Creative Unit of Writers & Cinema Workers, Kinostudiya ''Mosfilm'', Unit Four

Technical Specs

Runtime:

167 min 115 min (first release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Sovcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The extended scene following Berton as he rides back to the city was filmed in Osaka and Tokyo. Foreign travel was not easily approved, and the reason this long scene was left in the movie was probably to justify that trip for the director and crew. A Japanese city circa 1970 may not look very futuristic to modern audiences, but its impression on Soviet viewers at that time of the film's release was probably quite different. Tarkovski's diary reveals that they just missed the World's Fair, and they may have planned to shoot footage at it that would have looked far more futuristic.

---

Goofs

At the moment when the station attains zero-gravity, the candlestick passes floating in the air, with the flames burning the same as in earth. Actually, with zero gravity, the fire doesn't go upward, candle flames would rather be spherical and very weak (blue).

---

Quotes

Dr. Sartorius: Man was created by Nature in order to explore it. As he approaches Truth he is fated to Knowledge. All the rest is bullshit.

---

Connections

Referenced in Breaking the Waves (1996)

---

Soundtracks

"Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ"
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, BWV 639

User Reviews

One of the greatest

If you compare this movie to the Lem's novel there are a lot of differences. But don't compare them. The novel and movie have their own lives. I personally prefer movie. Tarkovsky is going beyond the limits described by Lem. It is not only the problem of Solaris planet and the relationship between main heroes. Tarkovsky reminds everybody that the origin of our problem is us. And all kind of the most important life keys you can find inside yourselves. The great Swedish director Ingemar Bergman said, that Tarkovsky is in the "room" where I just started to knock. You should see this movie if you want to know what is real you and what you really want. The movie is not the answer, but it is the step to your new understanding of your life.