SOLARIS The Criterion Collection Bluray

I've seen all but one of Tarkovsky's films, own most of them and find myself going back to them over and over again. Tarkovsky was a Russian making his movies during a period of deep censorship but he somehow managed to communicate a moving and provocative spirituality through them anyway. His process, which incorporated long takes in an effort to cinematically sculpt using time itself has taxed the patience of many on first approach. But there is no doubt he is one of the most influential filmmakers to ever come out of the Soviet Union. For many he is far more than influential, he is seminal. For me Tarkovsky was the beginning of a long and fruitful journey through the spirituality of cinema in general, the birth of the idea that cinema was not just an art form that should be explored for it's own sake but for everyone's sake, a human response to our hopes and dreams and yearnings and fears. 

In Solaris we follow a widower on his assignment to visit a troubled space station and make a determination as to whether the mission should be aborted. In orbit above the ocean of, what may very well be a sentient planet, he begins unravelling the suicides of three scientists only to be visited by his own dead wife. Is it a blessing or a curse? Is the planet Solaris alive and playing tricks on him or giving him needed insight? A moving finale underscores Tarkovsky's deep regard for the ultimately spiritual nature of the journey from cradle to grave. Indeed Tarkovsky saw his film as a response of sorts to what struck him as the cold and inscrutable 2001: A Space Odyssey. Is his film more accessible? Solaris is, by far, his most accessible film but such comments should be made with tongue in cheek. The point is that Tarkovsky is vital, necessary, vibrant and worth whatever it takes for most people to develop a taste for. And Solaris, based on the novel by Stanilaw Lem,  is landmark science fiction, not just landmark cinema. 

Criterion has ported over the extras from the previous excellent two disc DVD so those wondering whether to upgrade should know that the sound and the picture will blow away any previous edition of the film. 1080p resolution shines best on screens 32 inches and above. If you have a larger TV there is simply no other edition of this film that measures up. You also get  an Audio essay by Andrei Tarkovsky scholars Vida Johnson and Graham Petrie, coauthors of The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue, nine deleted and alternate scenes, video interviews with actress Natalya Bondarchuk, cinematographer Vadim Yusov, art director Mikhail Romadin, and composer Eduard Artemyev and a very interesting documentary excerpt about Stanislaw Lem, the author of the film's source novel. The booklet featurres essays by critic Phillip Lopate and an appreciation by director Akira Kurosawa.