Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Bill McNeal (A) on December 08, 2002 at 18:29:02

In Reply to: An appreciation of Solaris posted by clarkjohnsen on December 08, 2002 at 09:33:04:

Nice review. I just saw it today at an early (12:40 PM) Sunday showing at the friendly neighborhood 24-plex. Counting myself and my son the audience totalled three. Consequently we are discussing an art film :-)

I read Solaris back in the early 70s; found it a bit too dry, perhaps because I preferred Lem's more witty stuff like Cyberiad, Pirx the Pilot, The Futurological Congress. Went to see the movie when it came to NYC, with high hopes for a masterpiece. Found it just awfully slow -- Tarkovsky's version makes L'Avventura look like a John Huston western (perhaps someone should do a remake with horses in the badlands?) -- and felt that it did not particularly illuminate the book.

The new version hit me very hard emotionally, which I was not expecting. This is a very worthwhile film, remarkably grown-up for a big-budget flick. I agree with the reviewer's main points, and would add that the acting is very good throughout. Having the two main characters be such unusually handsome specimens rather works against the film, as it does with so many Hollywood projects, but in this case it's more a trifling annoyance than a casting error which persists in ruining things for you (again, as in so many Hollywoodens).

The music is Hearts-of-Space-ish and works terrifically well in this context. Hats off overall to the audio presentation. Overall pacing is really fine -- felt quicker than the two hours it took.

I have no idea how this is doing at the box office, but I'd lay 8 to 5 it's a flop. So I would just like to suggest to you discerning types out there that you catch this one quick. I could niggle about this or that, but if more big-time directors could get the cash to do work this good, we'd look forward to going to the movies a whole lot more.

And yes, this version very much makes me want to re-view the Tarkovsky. And re-read the book, as long as I don't have to buy it in a paperback with George Clooney on the cover...