The Russians have established a space station in orbit around a planet called Solaris. The station has been in orbit for years and was used as a research facility. The facility was constructed to be able to handle a staff of 85. Scientists had hoped to find out more about the planet but most of its surface is ocean. Now the station is only supported by a skeleton crew of three researchers, Doctor Snaut (Juri Jarvet), Dr. Satorius (Anatoly Solonitsy) and Dr. Guibarian (Sos Sargsyan). A pilot (Anri Berton) who returned from the space station reported some strange visions in the vast ocean that surrounds the planet. In addition, they receive reports that the men stationed there are having emotional crises. Psychologist Chris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) is sent to find out what is going on.
When Kelvin arrives at the space station, he finds the place looking abandoned. He eventually finds Dr. Snaut and finds out that his friend, Dr. Guibarian committed suicide. The two surviving men are distant and cold. Kelvin catches glimpses of what he at first believes are other people on board. In Guibarian’s room he finds a note and a video. Guibarian tries to explain his reasons for taking his own life, but his words are a bit rambling.
That night Kelvin is visited by a woman who looks like his dead wife, Hari (Natalya Bondarchuk). Hari died ten years ago. Kelvin learns that the aliens on the planet are manifested by the thoughts of the individual they encounter. At first Hari is confused and unaware how she got there. In turn Kelvin, when first seeing Hari is frightened but he soon comes to accept her and even fall in love with her. Kelvin learns that the alien entities or “guests” as the other scientists call them, started appearing after radiation experiments in the form of X-rays were done on the ocean to try to learn more about it. Instead, their first contact is with an alien life force that manifests based on human emotion and consciousness.
“Solaris” was released in 1972 and was directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. It is a Russian science fiction film. The movie is based on Stanislaw Lem’s 1961 novel. A Soviet television play was done on the story in 1968. An American Remake of the story was done in 2002 starring George Clooney.
It is a really long and slow-moving film, very talkie with at least one really long montage. Cinematically, it’s beautiful, attention grabbing, no. Most of the film is philosophical discussions between the actors. It has rather complex themes and tends to ramble. If you like thought provoking, intellectual and artistic films this has all that and it doles it out slowly. This is not a space opera; it is a space melodrama or social science fiction.
The central plot concerns men having an existential crisis in outer space and an alien culture that copies the humans it encounters. This is similar to the Martian in the third part of “The Martian Chronicles” 1980 where the alien takes the form of whoever the one looking at it wants it to be.
The Solaris "ocean" was created by mixing a solution of acetone, aluminum powder and various dyes.