"Solaris" was billed as the Soviet answer to the American science-fiction epic "2001: A Space Odyssey" when it was released internationally in 1972. Thirty years later, as if to signify Cold War victory, the Americans have remade the cult classic in their own image.
Steven Soderbergh and James Cameron have tackled this interstellar tale based on the novel by Polish author Stanislaw Lem.
George Clooney stars as psychiatrist Chris Kelvin who is called to investigate the mysterious behavior of the crew aboard a space station orbiting the planet Solaris. He arrives to find the commander, Gibrarian, has committed suicide. Kelvin is troubled by manifestations of his dead wife, Rheya, who seems to appear in the flesh.
Directed by Russian filmmaking legend Andrei Tarkovsky, the original movie follows a similar plot, but focuses more on the crew's futile attempts to understand the mysterious entities below them. In Cameron-esque style, the 2002 version lavishes more attention on Kelvin's relationship with his wife, though Soderbergh maintains the Spartan chills of the original.
Length and Pace
Soderbergh's "Solaris" clocks in at a merciful 100 minutes compared to its nearly three-hour long predecessor. That's not to say it wasn't great movie, but Tarkovsky's films required a great deal of patience to sit through. Like "2001" the original had a slow, quiet tempo. The new movie is also an exercise in meditative cinema, but moves along at a steadier pace. Philadelphia Inquirer critic Carrie Rickey put it best when she said the new version filters down the monumental classic into "a rich stew of longing."
The Special Effects
No doubt about which rockets have the most bang. "Solaris" 2002 benefits greatly from Cameron's expertise (he helmed the Academy-Award-winning effects extravaganzas in "Terminator 2" and "Titanic") and Hollywood's deep pockets, creating an elegant bicycle wheel-like station floating against the backdrop of the purple electrically charged clouds streaming into orbit over Solaris. The original gave only brief shots of a golden but fuzzy landscape over the planet and denied any clear views of the station.
The Music
"Solaris" 1972 employed the classical strains of Bach, along with such simple sounds as rain dripping into a pond to create a beautiful aural medley. Overall the tone, like the movie, is somber and haunting.
Soderbergh opts for the ethereal but more upbeat tones of Cliff Martinez (who also composed the music for the director's 2000 film "Traffic"). The score, which incorporates elements of techno and jazz, adds a bit of warmth complementing the romantic themes.
The Cinematography
Filmed in format dubbed Sovscope, a sort of Russian widescreen designed to avoid paying royalties to foreign companies, the original is a study in grimy interiors, beautiful close-ups and sweeping traffic patterns. But it is not for the claustrophobic, as most of the action takes place in the torn up space station.
In the remake Soderbergh draws from an icy color pallet painting the sets in various shades of blue, gray and white. Again warmth is added through Kelvin's romance and flashbacks of his life on Earth.
The Future
Both films give little hint of what life in the future is like. Earth is seen only in a few brief and blurry shots. 1972's "Solaris" offers the most extensive, (though not very comprehensive) view, notably with a long, enigmatic driving sequence through the crowded overpasses, tunnels and exchanges of a future superhighway (an apparent homage to the stargate sequence in "2001").
Soderbergh's future consists mainly of Kelvin's home and office with a few scenes aboard a commuter train. But the director has said in press releases that he was uninterested in the technological aspects of science fiction and uses the heavenly setting mainly to evoke ecclesiastical questions about predestination and the nature of grief.
Critics have upheld the original as the better of the two, though they have respected Soderbergh's vision, delivering generally favorable reviews, with some critics hailing it as one of the best movies of the year. The new film is streamlined version of Tarkovsky's epic, but not watered-down. It's light-years from the warp-speed, shoot-em-up antics common to the genre. The film is as much a psychological drama as it is sci-fi, a tedious cinematic trek, for anyone expecting a "Star Wars" like thrill ride.
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