Solaris (1972 film)
A psychologist confronts mysterious phenomena on a space station.
Solaris is a 1972 Soviet science fiction film co-written and directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, based on Stanisław Lem's 1961 novel of the same title. The film stars Donatas Banionis and Natalya Bondarchuk, with an electronic music score by Eduard Artemyev and a composition by J.S. Bach as its main theme. It won the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival and is often cited as one of the greatest science fiction films in cinema history.
- Release Year
- 1972
- Country
- Soviet Union
- Director
- Andrei Tarkovsky
- Based On
- Solaris (1961 novel) by Stanisław Lem
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Awards
- Grand Prix Spécial du Jury at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival; nominated for Palme d'Or
Quick Facts
- Director
- Andrei Tarkovsky
- Producer
- Vyacheslav Tarasov
- Screenplay
- Friedrich Gorenstein / Andrei Tarkovsky
- Based On
- Solaris · Stanisław Lem
- Starring
- Donatas Banionis / Natalya Bondarchuk / Jüri Järvet / Vladislav Dvorzhetsky / Nikolai Grinko / Anatoly Solonitsyn
- Music
- Eduard Artemyev
- Cinematography
- Vadim Yusov
- Editing
- Lyudmila Feiginova
- Studio
- Mosfilm
- Released
- 1972 · 2 · 5 · Moscow
- Runtime
- 166 minutes
- Country
- Soviet Union
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot centers on psychologist Kris Kelvin, who travels to a space station orbiting the planet Solaris to evaluate a stalled scientific mission. The skeleton crew of three scientists have fallen into emotional crises, and Kelvin soon encounters the same mysterious phenomena: visitors or guests that appear to be physical manifestations of his memories, including his deceased wife Hari. The film explores themes of memory, guilt, and the limits of human understanding in the face of an alien intelligence.
Reader's Guide
Solaris was Tarkovsky's attempt to bring greater emotional depth to science fiction films, which he viewed as shallow due to their focus on technological innovation—he singled out Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey as 'phoney on many points.' The film contrasts a vibrant Earth with an austere space station, questioning space exploration's impact on the human psyche. Its set design features reproductions of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and alludes to Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son. Some ideas in Solaris are further developed in Tarkovsky's later film Stalker (1979).
Did You Know?
- The film's main theme is a composition by J.S. Bach.
- Tarkovsky co-wrote the screenplay with Friedrich Gorenstein in the summer of 1969.
- The interior of the space station is decorated with full reproductions of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting cycle The Months.
- The film references Tarkovsky's 1966 film Andrei Rublev through an icon by Andrei Rublev in Kelvin's room.
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