Screening: Solyaris (1968) + introduction

Lem completists won’t want to miss this rare screening of the 1968 Russian TV version of Solaris.

When Kelvin arrives at the space station, just two of the original crew remain. They are haunted by replicas of people from their past, emanations of the mysterious planet Solaris they are orbiting. Soon enough, Kevin is visited by a woman outwardly identical to his dead wife. Can he resist the disturbing ambiance of Solaris, and the emotional pull towards the living, breathing likeness of the woman he loved?

Featuring some of the top actors from Moscow’s celebrated Vakhtangov Theater, this screen version of Lem’s masterpiece reimagines it as a psychological chamber piece, played out against a spare, expressionistic studio set, with an eerie electronic score and stylized black-and-white cinematography.