Solyaris (1968)

Kris Kelvin joins the space station orbiting the planet Solaris, only to find its two crew members plagued by "phantoms," creations of Solaris. Kelvin is soon confronted with his own phantom, taking the shape of his dead wife Hari.

Directors:

Lidiya Ishimbaeva (as L. Ishimbaeva), Boris Nirenburg

Writers:

Nikolay Kemarskiy (screenplay) (as N. Kemarskiy), Stanislaw Lem (author)

Stars:

Vasiliy Lanovoy, Antonina Pilyus, Vladimir Etush

Cast

Cast overview:
Vasiliy Lanovoy	...	Kris Kelvin (as V. Lanovoy)
Antonina Pilyus	...	Hari (as A. Pilyus)
Vladimir Etush	...	Snaut (as V. Etush)
Viktor Zozulin	...	Sartorius (as V. Zozulin)
Vyacheslav Dugin	...	(as V. Dugin)
A. Katsynsky

Storyline

Kris Kelvin joins the space station orbiting the planet Solaris, only to find its two crew members plagued by "phantoms," creations of Solaris. Kelvin is soon confronted with his own phantom, taking the shape of his dead wife Hari.

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Plot Keywords:

outer space | space mission | trapped in space | based on book | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

8 October 1968 (Soviet Union)

Also Known As:

Солярис

Company Credits

Production Co:

Iz Sobraniya Gosteleradio,Studio "Orlenok", Central Television USSR

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Solaris (1971)

User Reviews

A televised Solaris

Well, watching TV movies from the Soviet Union is a new experience to me, but being a big fan of Tarkovsky's Solaris (1972), I was always naturally curious to see the true original. I've now seen and reviewed all three film versions of Solaris (the other being the Americanized 2002 version).

Seeing this leads to a better understanding of why Tarkovsky's feature film was necessary- this 1968 film is not satisfactory, and bears parallels to TV movies produced in Western society in later decades. You can see what's missing from this version, and what Tarkovsky added- a Kris Kelvin with sad eyes, a more distressed and lost Hari, a moody score (the 1972 film makes brilliant use of Bach's Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ), and a convincing sense of Kelvin's deterioration. It's missing the convincing, colourful sets (according to Akira Kurosawa, Tarkovsky's budget was quite extravagant). It's missing some subtlety, as Kelvin's narration tells us Hari can't be Hari the first time she appears, and Snaut and Sartorius explain to each other why Kelvin won't let go of Hari. It's missing the foreshadowing that came with Burton's video in the 1972 film.

Of course, Solaris is a great story, and much of the story is conveyed here. It is merely presented in a blander, less hypnotic and ultimately forgettable style.