'Solaris' Screen Adaptation Forthcoming

Jooly Rodney writes "No, not the operating system, the sci-fi novel by Stanislaw Lem, long considered to be a classic of the genre. Apple's movie trailer site features a teaser trailer, and IMDb has George Clooney and Natascha McElhone as the leads Kelvin and Rheya."

Comments

One of the most difficult movies ever

[z7209]

I've seen Solaris a couple of times in the past. The original is in Russian. Not knocking it, but it is one of the most difficult movies I've ever seen. It is inspiring you to get drawn in, but it is very perplexing. On the face of it the story is simple, but it is multi-layered.

It is also perhaps the most non-Hollywood movie ever made, so you might as well assume right now that Cameron, Steven, and George are not capable of remaking as complex.

Re:Another one?

[Huge Pi Removal]

I know Tarkovsky isn't to *everyone's* tastes, but he had some amazing techniques. Highlights include:

* Very long shots (as in, not the fast cutting you get these days where the average shot length is about 3 seconds). It really adds to the mood of the film, makes you feel like you're part of it.

* The driving scene builds from being a road with a few cars to an immense cacophony of noise, light, etc. It definitely has a point.

* A lot of highly thought-provoking dialogue (something that's rather lacking in most films).

* His autobiography is called "Sculpting in Time", which ought to give you some idea of what he's trying to *do* with his films.

And to answer the poster below, maybe Lem didn't like the film, but I bet he wouldn't like some brash American remake either. I'm sorry, but at least Tarkovsky turned the novel (or ideas contained therein) into something worth watching and learning from, rather than a sloppy piece of entertainment-action.

'spose I'd better stop ranting now...

Re:Solaris on DVD

[eggboard]

I was lucky enough to suck it off the Sundance channel via ReplayTV. It took me weeks to watch it. Parts of the film, like the LONG DRIVE BACK INTO THE CITY are hypnotic, mesmering, trying to show us an alien intelligence of alien coldness in our own environment.

Frankly, I'd love to see the less brainy alternative. Tarkovsky's is brilliant, barely accessible, odd. The flip side would be terrifying, fast paced, etc. The book is full of terrifying moments, which I think don't get captured through the intellectualization of Tarkovsky's film, although he captures the horrible, horrible isolation and alienation.