Solaris Themes

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The Culture and Poetry Tarkovsky’s Solaris

The film Solaris directed by Andrei Tarkovsky is an important artifact of Russian culture, poetry, and art. The significance of poetry and art is deep rooted and reflective of Russia’s special place in the world. Depth and meaning come from where the uniqueness of Russian culture coincides with the messages Tarkovsky communicates through the film. More so than other films, Solaris deals with the existential questions of the period in a context that has remained relevant to this day. Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris is a philosophical work that -- in the context of Russian raw and unadulterated contradiction -- creates an environment conducive to deep introspection. Solaris should be appreciated as cinematic poetry, not just as a classic Russian film.

The movie begins with Kris Kelvin walking by a lake outside his family home. He is preparing to travel to the space station orbiting the planet Solaris, which has been studying the planet for many decades. The crew has dwindled down to three scientists, Dr. Gibarian, Dr. Sartorius and Dr. Snaut. Kelvin’s assessment of the space station will determine whether or not it will remain in orbit. He and his father are visited by Henri Berton, a disgraced former resident of the Solaris station. They watch a footage of Berton’s account of his expedition to the planet in search of two missing scientists, in which he describes a fantastical scene formed within the ocean; including a claims of having seen a four-meter-tall child sitting on the sea. Berton’s testimony is dismissed by the committee as a hallucination, thought to have been caused by the intelligent and sentient Solaris, and Kris similarly disregards it. In their final conversation, made ev...

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...ussia will not be happy if it continues on it’s current path of modernity at the expense of humanistic feelings.
Solaris first appears to be a slow-paced movie of little entertainment value, but a deeper examination reveals it to be a work of cinematic poetry. Upon looking for meaning in the negative spaces, the artistic and philosophical value forms the framework for introspective and metaphysical questioning. Seeking to understand the mechanisms of the film reveals potential flaws in the fundamental way in which humanity understands and asserts itself upon the world. Developing an appreciation for Tarkovsky’s unique style of cinematic composition can provide a rewarding and intellectually stimulating experience. However, to truly appreciate any single piece of Russian artistry, one must experience and reflect on the cultural foundations upon which it was built.

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