Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Solaris Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 30, 2016

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".

Andrei Tarkovsky’s legendary Solaris is a product of its time. It is a long and slow film that demands patience, a virtue modern audiences seem to lack. It is a film in which the atmosphere is a lot more important than the narrative and its characters. It is also a Soviet film that was carefully scrutinized by the Soviet censors before it was approved for release.

Kris (Donatas Banionis, Depressiya) is a space psychologist who has been asked to assist with a puzzling case involving the Soviet space station Solaris, which the government is considering closing down. Before he leaves Earth, he is shown various clips from a scientific conference where it is revealed that the station’s crew members have began suffering intense hallucinations.

At Solaris, Kris is shocked to discover that one of the crew members has already committed suicide. The scientist’s final video message warns Kris about various anomalies, affecting the way people on board of the station think and react, whose origin is unclear. Unsure what to make of the message, Kris questions the remaining two scientists on Solaris, who explain to him that some sort of an intelligent force was unleashed after they sent powerful probes to a nearby planet which disrupted the radiation balance in its atmosphere.

On the following day, Kris comes in contact with the force - by meeting his deceased wife Hari, who offers him the type of love and affection his heart has been longing for. At first, Kris succumbs to the force, and his memories, but then lures Hari (Natalya Bondarchuk, Prishyol soldat s fronta) into a capsule and launches it into space. Much to his surprise, however, Hari reappears.

After the two spend some time together, Hari begins to realize that Kris and his feelings for her have changed. Enormously hurt and disillusioned, she commits suicide - like the real Hari apparently did many years ago. Filled with sadness and guilt, Kris begins to reevaluate his entire life.

Based on the famous novel by Stanislaw Lem, Solaris is an intoxicatingly beautiful and thought-provoking reflection of a country that no longer exists. In it Tarkovsky questions various perceptions about the meaning of life, reality and identity, which were once carefully shaped for the Soviets by Marxist ideology and propaganda.

The film is slow and moody, overflowing with nostalgia for a world that seems to have been forgotten by those who built Solaris. Aside from Kris, who is fascinated by life and nature’s beauty, everyone else is obsessed with various abstract theories and experimental approaches. There is a sense that a massive isolation has occurred - perhaps a distant reference to the Cold War division - which has dramatically affected the way people perceive reality.

The film’s greatest strength is its ability to force one to ponder and reassess what matters in life, as well as one's entire belief system. Indeed, Solaris is a science fiction film, but not one that is concerned with outer space and the mysteries of the universe; rather, it is an unusual reevaluation of Earth and nature’s timeless beauty, as well as man’s inexorable desire to explore, learn and believe.

Lensed by legendary cinematographer Vadim Yusov, who also collaborated with Tarkovsky on the unforgettable Ivan’s Childhood and Andrei Rublev, Solaris is an astonishingly beautiful film. Even today, the lovely scenes from the Russian countryside, as well as the futuristic footage from Japan, look enormously impressive. The film also boasts a terrific electronic soundtrack courtesy of Eduard Artemiev (Stalker, Burnt by the Sun).

Note: In 1972, Solaris won the Grand Prize of the Jury and FIPRESCI Prize (Andrei Tarkovsky) at the Cannes Film Festival.

Solaris Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

Solaris Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Solaris Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Andrei Tarkovsky's Metaphysical Dream Zone: An Introduction By Mary Wild - a short video introduction to Solaris and Andrei Tarkovsky's unique body of work by film psychoanalyst Mary Wild. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Andrei Tarkovsky's Metaphysical Dream Zone - Part 3: Solaris - in this video piece, Mary Wild discusses the manner in which hyperreality and reality/the real are treated in Solaris, Stanislaw Lem's novel and its focus on human and technological values, Andrei Tarkovsky's interest in the metaphysical and the manner in which it is conveyed in Solaris, the interactions between the two sexes in the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Interview with N. Bondarchuk - in this archival video interview, Natalya Bondarchuk, daughter of legendary Soviet director Sergei Bondarchuk (War and Peace), discusses the screening and success of Solaris at the Cannes Film Festival, the character she plays in the film (Hari), Andrei Tarkovsky's directing methods, etc. In Russian, with optional English subtitles. (6 min).

• Master From a Little City: Donatas Banionis Featurette - this archival featurette takes a closer look at the life and legacy of actor Donatas Banionis (Kris). Included in the featurette are clips from films and an archival interview with the late actor. In Russian, with optional English subtitles. (11 min).

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film.

Solaris Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.