Solaris

"The planet where nightmares come true…"

1972 2h 47m RU

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7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 1,921

DramaScience FictionMystery

Synopsis

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A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.

“The planet where nightmares come true…”

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Cast

Natalya Bondarchuk
Hari
Donatas Banionis
Kris Kelvin
Jüri Järvet
Dr. Snaut
Vladislav Dvorzhetsky
Henri Berton
Mykola Hrynko
Kelvin's Father
Anatoliy Solonitsyn
Dr. Sartorius
Olga Barnet
Kelvin's Mother
Vitalik Kerdimun
Henri Berton's Son

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Writers: Andrei Tarkovsky, Fridrikh Gorenshteyn
Languages: Russian
Countries: Soviet Union

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, shot by Vadim Yusov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nina Marcus shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Natalya Bondarchuk and Donatas Banionis and Jüri Järvet carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The planet where nightmares come true…".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0069293 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrei Tarkovsky directs. Vadim Yusov behind the camera. Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov scores. Nina Marcus cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Soviet Union. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
254 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, shot by Vadim Yusov. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Nina Marcus shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Natalya Bondarchuk and Donatas Banionis and Jüri Järvet carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The planet where nightmares come true…".
8IMDB entry: tt0069293 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "loss of sense of reality", "based on novel or book", "extraterrestrial technology", "1970s".

The technical file

Cinematography: Vadim Yusov
Original score: Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov
Editing: Nina Marcus
Production design: Mikhail Romadin
Costume design: Nelli Fomina
Makeup / hair: Vera Rudina
Runtime: 167 min · 2h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: RU
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Solaris (1972)

Awards

Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Andrei Tarkovsky

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-07-22
★ 7/10
Acclaimed psychologist "Kelvin" (Donates Banionis) is despatched to a space station to investigate the mysterious death of one of the three remaining scientists who are working on the surface of a remote moon. Upon arrival he discovers that there are now just the two of the original eighty-plus crew left aboard the rather ramshackle facility. "Snaut" (Jüri Järvet) and "Sartorius" (Anatoliy Solonitsyn). Their welcome is, to put it mildly, bizarre and before long he starts to dream. His apparitions become more vivid, more realistic, and they feature his deceased wife "Khari" (Natalya Bondarenchuk). Are these just hallucinations or are they more. Might they be real? Might they exist in an alternate reality? Is it something in the water? Andrei Tarkovsky uses his dialogue sparingly as he tautly directs this mystery. We are drip fed information - sometimes contradictory, sometimes speculative - just as "Kelvin" receives it - and we are left in the same quandary as he finds himself in. It's a sort of groundhog day scenario that plays out time and time again - but he cannot decide if he wants to break it, amend it or sustain it, and his colleagues are little help as they have long suffered from the same symptoms. I won't lie - it can be slow progress at times. It's not always helped by the rather soporific Artemyev score, and the pace is a little wobbly as we get to grips with the scenario, but once there this is a considered look at just how the human mind may/can/will work when tested and it's well illustrative of the fact that there is way more out there that we don't understand than we do. It does benefit from a big screen, if only to add a scope to the broadness of the production and the concept.

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