Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1970s
    Movies - 1970s Movies - S 3 Mins Read

    Solaris (1972)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem, Solaris is a film that takes on some very big issues: the nature of self-awareness, knowledge and perception.

    solaris1In an era of space epics that were strong on special effects but weak on content – from Star Wars (1977) to The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Solaris served as a reminder that the science fiction genre has its roots in philosophical speculation.

    The opening shots of the film are long and slow, idyllic images of the natural world: grass waving softly in the waters of a lake, trees, fog, a solitary horse. In the background, we hear birdsong, frogs croaking, and the soft rustle of flowing water.

    From beginning to end, Solaris maintains this meditative tempo, and it’s one of the film’s greatest strengths. With a confident minimalist use of cinematic means, director Andrei Tarkovsky presents a maximum of disturbing effects.

    The world he creates is a kind of Utopia – highly idiosyncratic, familiar and yet strange. But Tarkovsky is only marginally interested in doing justice to the conventions of the sci-fi film. Indeed, his almost provocative refusal to serve up the special effects expected of the genre gives him more space to follow the development of the characters as they travel in search of themselves.

    The centre of attention is psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis), whose task is to examine the crew of a space station in orbit around the planet Solaris – an all-ocean, possibly sentient, planet – and to find out the reasons for their strange behaviour.

    solaris

    Before he departs from the Earth, however, he has to order his personal affairs, which means, above all, his relationship with his father (Nikolai Grinko). Kelvin’s farewell is also overshadowed by the still-raw memory of his wife, Hari, who took her own life.

    Against this background, the voyage to the space station seems like a welcome departure to a new life.

    Upon arriving, Kelvin finds the two astronauts Snaut (Yuri Jarvet) and Sartorius (Anatoli Solonitsyn) in a strangely nervous and preoccupied state. Their peculiar behaviour appears to have something to do with the ocean of Solaris, whose biostreams are somehow affecting the psychic wellbeing of the crew.

    It becomes apparent that the planet itself is capable of turning private thoughts and wishes into three-dimensional reality.

    solaris_1972

    Kelvin himself is not spared the experience. Soon he is faced with a materialised copy of his wife Hari (Natalya Bondarchuk), and is drawn into a series of mysterious encounters with this phantom creature – and confronted with the power of his own memories.

    Kelvin ultimately attains a new level of consciousness.

    An American 2002 remake starred George Clooney in the role of Kelvin.

    Hari
    Natalya Bondarchuk
    Kris Kelvin
    Donatas Banionis
    Kris’s Father
    Nikolai Grinko
    Snaut
    Yuri Jarvet
    Sartorius
    Anatoli Solonitsyn
    Berton
    Vladislav Dvorzhetski
    Gibarjan
    Sos Sarkissian
    Kris’s Mother
    Olga Barnet
    Aunt Anna
    Tamara Ogorodnikova
    Chairman
    Yulian Semyonov

    Director
    Andrei Tarkovsky

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Flesh Gordon (1974)
      Flesh Gordon (1974)
      Emperor Wang the Perverted (William Hunt) - ruler of the planet Porno - aims his mighty Sex Ray towards Earth,…
    • Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
      Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
      The big-screen Star Trek franchise has been a mixed bag. The first, Star Trek - The Motion Picture (1979) was…
    • Amorous Milkman, The (1975)
      Amorous Milkman, The (1975)
      Randy Milkman Davey (Brendan Price) bites off more than he can chew when he starts to deliver more than pints…
    • Sweet Kill (The Arousers) (1972)
      Sweet Kill (The Arousers) (1972)
      Former 50's teen idol Tab Hunter plays Eddie Collins, a handsome milk-drinking highschool gym teacher living at a beach house…
    • Playbirds, The (1978)
      Playbirds, The (1978)
      This landmark film is like a feature-length version of The Sweeney with lashings of nudity and sex. The Playbirds was one of a series…
    • THX 1138 (1971)
      THX 1138 (1971)
      In the 25th century, an autocratic regime mandates that emotions are suppressed via mandatory medication and presides over a population…
    • Crystal Voyager (1973)
      Crystal Voyager (1973)
      Crystal Voyager - a surfing biography about legendary design innovator and photographer George Greenough - is one of the most beautiful…
    • Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
      Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
      The actors are wallpaper, the jokes are juvenile, there's no romance, and the dialogue lands with the thud of a…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleS.O.B. (1981)
    Next Article Soldier Blue (1970)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Mamas & The Papas, The
      Leader and principal songwriter John Phillips had enjoyed […]
    • Granny Glasses
      Despite their name, granny glasses were a fashion statement of […]
    • Punishment
      1 9 8 1 (Australia) 1 x 90 minute episode 26 x 60 minute […]
    • Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1975)
      Watching Barry McKenzie Holds His Own today it’s difficult […]
    • 808 State
      With their sample-driven dance music, the pioneering […]
    • TOG’L
      TOG’L was a construction set produced by Mattel from 1968 […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    2 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    5 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.