8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ground control has been receiving mysterious transmissions from the three remaining residents of the Solaris space station. When cosmonaut and psychologist Kris Kelvin is dispatched to investigate, he experiences the same strange phenomena that afflict the Solaris crew, sending him on a voyage into the darkest recesses of his consciousness.
Starring: Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet, Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy, Nikolay GrinkoDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 85% |
Mystery | 15% |
Romance | 13% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Russian: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival, Andrei Tarkovsky's "Solaris" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the release include filmed video introduction by film psychoanalyst Mary Wild; archival video interview with actress Natalya Bondarchuk; archival featurette; and more. The release also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film. In Russian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye.
The release appears to have been sourced from the same master that Criterion worked with when they prepared their release of Solaris for the U.S. market. The only minor discrepancy is in the brightness levels -- the film looks slightly brighter here, likely because the gamma levels are set differently, but the actual discrepancy is in fact extremely small. (Compare screencapture #15 and screencapture #5 from our review of the U.S. release). The same color pulsations and minor density fluctuations can be spotted here. Some careful grain management work has been done, but grain is retained and quite well resolved. Fluidity is good, but a new restoration will almost certainly offer noticeable improvements in terms of depth and density. Image stability is very good. A few flecks, dirt spots and small scratches pop up, but there are no large debris, damage marks, or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Russian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
Depth and clarity are good. Dynamic intensity is somewhat limited, but the film's original sound design is hardly impressive (at least by modern standards). Balance is good, but there are select areas where it feels like there is room for some improvements. The mid-register can be a bit uneven; bits of the dialog can stick out as well. Still, there are no serious issues to report in our review.
Arguably one of the greatest and most influential science fiction films ever made, Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris does not need to be promoted or recommended; it simply belongs in any serious film library. Curzon Artificial Eye's upcoming Blu-ray release of Solaris appears to have been sourced from the same master that Criterion worked with when they prepared the U.S. Blu-ray release, but it has a different selection of supplemental features.
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