Plot: What’s it about?
Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) is a psychologist who lives with his father and a woman, the latter of which is more enigma than known person. His skills as a psychologist are quite impressive, so when a visitor arrives in need of his services, it is no surprise. But this visitor seeks to gain Kelvin’s assistance in a very nontraditional approach, as it will require the psychologist to venture into the depths of outer space. The visitor is Berton (Vladislav Dvorzhetsky), a man who used to be stationed on a spacecraft that orbits the planet Solaris, but he experienced some unusual phenomena and has returned to ask for Kelvin’s insights. It seems others have also had some strange experiences aboard the Prometheus, the ship that rests in the heavens over Solaris. After a quick briefing on Solaris and the guidelines of the mission taking place there, Kelvin is asked to travel to the Prometheus and evaluate the situation. The troubled state of the mission has some of the backers nervous and unless Kelvin concludes a solution is possible to stabilize the Prometheus’ crew members, the project is likely to be canceled. Kelvin agrees to visit the space station and give his professional analysis, unaware of how troubled the Prometheus has become. But has he been drawn to Solaris by chance, or is there more of a plan for Kelvin?
This movie sounds like sci/fi, looks like sci/fi, and has the usual trademarks for sci/fi, but don’t expect a traditional sci/fi picture with Solaris. I’ve seen this movie with several people and it often divides the audience, some find it to be understated and powerful, others find it to be pretentious and cryptic. I can see the argument made by both sides, but I think Solaris succeeds more than it fails, thanks to Andrei Tarkovsky’s personal approach. Yes, he makes it all seem distant and hard to relate to at times, but this is true of most of his movies and Solaris turns out to be a memorable cinematic experience. The slow pace is sure to scare off some viewers, while the offbeat and cryptic moments might push even more away, but for those who have seen Tarkovsky’s films before, I think Solaris is a solid acquisition. You can’t be the kind of person who needs all the questions answered and the problems solved into a neat little package, but then again if you’re that kind of viewer, you probably wouldn’t even touch Solaris in the first place, though to be certain, you’ll spin the recent remake in a heartbeat. I recommend Solaris to those interested in well crafted, off the beaten path pictures, as it has little mainstream appeal, but has a lot to offer discerning viewers.
Video: How does it look?
“Solaris” is new to Blu-ray, though the title has been a part of Criterion’s library for quite some time. The 2.35:1 AVC HD restored transfer is nothing short of breathtaking. Granted, due to the age of the film, there are a few segments that have a bit of dirt on them and a bit of grain, but on the whole it’s a great-looking image. Contrast is right on the mark and I noticed no problems with the black levels. The one thing that really struck me was the enhanced detail as compared to the standard DVD edition. While not a night and day difference, it’s noticeable and this Blu-ray shows the movie looking its absolute best.
Audio: How does it sound?
This Blu-ray version sports an uncompressed mono track and while it’s a bit of an improvement over the previous mono track, it’s still a mono track. “Solaris” was never really a movie that was audio heavy (nor its remake). The music does sound fairly good and while the “surround” effects are limited to the one channel, it does sound a bit more expansive than I’ve heard before. As with the previous standard DVD, the English subtitles are there if your Russian is a bit rusty.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Criterion has issued this Blu-ray of “Solaris” with the same features that were on the two disc standard DVD some time ago. We start off with an audio commentary track with Tarkovsky scholars Vida Johnson and Graham Petrie in which the pair discuss not only the production of this picture, but also the director’s personal life and how it impacted his movies. That is important here, as Solaris was an intensely personal project and the comments shed some light, which is most welcome in this case. A five minute excerpt from a television documentary is found here, but its too brief to be that helpful, especially since it is loaded with clips from the movie itself. This release also includes a selection of deleted & alternate scenes, as well as a host of interviews with assorted cast & crew members. These interviews aren’t the usual EPK fluff either, as real insight is given and for fans of this movie and filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, these interviews are excellent inclusions. In all, you’ll find almost two hours of interviews, as two of the sessions clock in at all well over thirty minutes each, while the others also run quite a substantial duration.
