Solaris (1972 film)

For other films based on the novel, see Solaris (1968 film) and Solaris (2002 film).

Солярис
Solaris
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrei Tarkovsky
Screenplay by
Based onSolaris
by Stanisław Lem
Produced byVyacheslav Tarasov
Starring
CinematographyVadim Yusov
Edited byLyudmila Feiginova
Music byEduard Artemyev
Production
company
Release dates
  • February 5, 1972 (1972-02-05) (Moscow)
  • May 13, 1972 (1972-05-13) (Cannes)
Running time
166 minutes[3]
CountrySoviet Union
Languages
  • Russian
  • German

Solaris (Russian: Солярис, tr. Solyaris) is a 1972 Soviet psychological science fiction film based on Stanisław Lem's 1961 novel of the same title. The film was co-written and directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, and stars Donatas Banionis and Natalya Bondarchuk. The electronic music score was performed by Eduard Artemyev and features a composition by J.S. Bach as its main theme. The plot centers on a space station orbiting the fictional planet Solaris, where a scientific mission has stalled because the skeleton crew of three scientists have fallen into emotional crises. Psychologist Kris Kelvin (Banionis) travels to the station to evaluate the situation, only to encounter the same mysterious phenomena as the others.

Solaris won the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d'Or.[4] It received critical acclaim, and is often cited as one of the greatest science fiction films in the history of cinema.[5][6] The film was Tarkovsky's attempt to bring greater emotional depth to science fiction films; he viewed most Western works in the genre, including 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), as shallow due to their focus on technological invention.[7] Some of the ideas Tarkovsky expresses in this film are further developed in his film Stalker (1979).[8]

  1. ^ Lopate, Phillip. "Solaris: Inner Space". Criterion. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  2. ^ Le Cain, Maximilian (September 28, 2009). "Andrei Tarkovsky". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  3. ^ "SOLARIS (A)". British Board of Film Classification. April 16, 1973. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  4. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Solaris". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  5. ^ "Blade Runner tops scientist poll". BBC News. August 26, 2004. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  6. ^ "Top 10 sci-fi films". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  7. ^ Lopate, Phillip. "Solaris". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Solovyeva, O. N.; Oboturov A. B. (2002). "Genesis and a human in the work of Andrei Tarkovsky" (in Russian). Vologda State Pedagogical University. Retrieved May 7, 2010.