Solaris [Widescreen]

A psychologist is sent to a spaceship orbiting the planet Solaris to investigate the mysterious disappearances and deaths that have occurred on the ship. He discovers that madness has overtaken the occupants of the craft, who are haunted by the material presence of their guilty past. Soon, the psychologist too finds his past coming back to him in the shape of his dead wife. “Solaris” is an extraordinary science fiction movie that utilises the genre to investigate the increasing alienation and isolation of humanity, a condition accelerated by the rapid advances of technology. The film is ravishing to look at, from its opening shots of a meadow on earth, to the long gliding takes across the surface of the metallic craft. With “Solaris” Tarkovsky established a reputation as the finest Russian film-maker since the days of the silent masters. Along with Kubrick’s “2001”, Tarkovsky’s film is an intelligent and intensely communicated masterwork of science-fiction cinema. From the novel by Stanislaw Lem. Winner of the Special Jury Prize, 1972 Cannes Film Festival.