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Solaris (1972)
Solaris (1972) poster

Solaris (1972)

Солярис

Drama, Science Fiction, Mystery • 2h 45m

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Cast: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet, Vladislav Dvorzhetsky, Mykola Hrynko, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Olga Barnet, Vitalik Kerdimun, Olga Kizilova, Tatyana Malykh, Aleksandr Misharin, Bagrat Oganesyan, Tamara Ogorodnikova, Sos Sargsyan, Yulian Semyonov, Vitaliy Statsinskiy, Vera Sumenova, Georgiy Teykh

Best English-friendly & video release

 · updated 1 month ago

Mosfilm official 4K Youtube Streaming

4K Streaming
Video notes:

See comparison vs German Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray which is a 2K upscale of the previous restoration

Criterion/Artificial Eye Blu-ray are even older restoration than the Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray

Overview

A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.

Release details

Best Audio Release

Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray

Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray has incorrect pitch on the Russian audio see thread

TSPDT
2026: #217
2025: #214
2024: #215
2023: #212
2022: #212
Length
165 mins
Type
Movie

More from Andrei Tarkovsky

See more →

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Netherlands Lumière Blu-ray is new 2K master.

Best Audio:

Lumière Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Lumière Blu-ray best, but wrong pitch and needs correcting

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical Cut: UK Artificial Eye Blu-ray

2023 "Director's" Cut: Unreleased

Passion According to Andrei Cut: MosFilm Youtube Stream

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Theatrical Cut: Netherlands Lumière Blu-ray has best encoding

2023 "Director's" Cut: Unreleased

Passion According to Andrei Cut: MosFilm Youtube Stream

Video Notes:

Theatrical Cut: UK Artificial Eye Blu-ray > Criterion

Passion According to Andrei Cut: MosFilm Youtube Stream > Criterion Blu-ray

Passion According to Andrei Cut: MosFilm Youtube Stream > Criterion Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Theatrical Cut: 2011/2018 RU Blu-ray

Passion According to Andrei Cut: ??

Directors: Marika Beiku & Andrei Tarkovsky & Aleksandr Gordon

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion The Killers set Blu-ray extras

Sources: criterion.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Student film, available in Criterion The Killers set as extras or Streaming

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Youtube Mosfilm streaming

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab) · criterion.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Youtube Mosfilm stream is better than Criterion bonus feature of Andrei Rublev

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Nicolas review

Best Audio:

Japan King Records Blu-ray

Directors: Andrei Tarkovsky & Tonino Guerra

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Nostalghia Blu-ray

Best Video:

Documentary, included in Kino Lorber Nostalghia Blu-ray

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion

Audio Notes:

Netherlands Lumière Blu-ray marginally better

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1986 Pioneer LaserDisc

More from Filmjuwelen

See more →

Director: René Clair

Best English-Friendly & Video:

VCI US or Filmjuwelen Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

VCI US or Filmjuwelen Blu-ray are both MP2 encoded, most likely from the same master. Judging from the size and the caps from DVDBeaver or BR for VCI or caps-a-holic for Filmjuwelen, they are probably very similar.

Director: Sergio Corbucci

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Disappointing
Best Video:

Filmjuwelen Germany 4K

Video Notes:

Filmjuwelen Germany 4K has the same problematic master, and some subtitles with errors and slightly out of sync, not-so-good encoding

More Drama on Blu-ray

Director: Guillermo del Toro

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Cineverse 4K Blu-ray announced with a new 4K restoration from the original negatives

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray both have issues, up to preference. UK Optimum/Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better, Criterion is worse

Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better encoded than the Optimum, is in the original 1.85 ratio, and has the original colors

Best Audio:

2011 Optimum Blu-ray has audio in wrong pitch, fixed in 2013 reissue in the Zavvi exclusive Steelbook. Criterion has correct 5.1 and a 7.1 mix.

Additional Info:

Criterion and Optimum Blu-rays have exclusive extras

Director: Barry Jenkins

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Lionsgate 4k

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray announced by director Barry Jenkins

Director: Brian De Palma

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1993 Universal LaserDisc

Additional Info:

Carlito’s Way was released theatrically in both Dolby Stereo and DTS. The 2.0 on the Arrow UHD is the original stereo mix, unknown if the 5.1 mix on the  Arrow disc is the original DTS mix.

Director: Damien Chazelle

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Excellent
Upcoming Release:

US Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray re-release announced with Dolby Vision, a new exclusive bonus, and the previously retailer pre-order bonus-exclusive/Hong Kong-exclusive bonus interviews in HD

Video Notes:

Italy Eagle Pictures has DV, better encode, and no brightness shifts compared to Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray for the original Dolby Atmos mix

Additional Info:

Hong Kong Panorama 4K Blu-ray has two interviews available in HD that are SD everywhere else and only included as retailer-exclusive pre-order bonus DVDs with the US Blu-ray

Director: Toshiharu Ikeda

Best English-Friendly:

UK Third Window Blu-ray and US Error 4444 Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

FRA Carlotta Blu-ray

Video Notes:

caps; UK and US Blu-rays share the encode

Director: Arthur Penn

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K transfer

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Japan Blu-ray 2021 reissue

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Japan Blu-ray has better encode than other BDs.

Additional Info:

US and UK Blu-rays have their framing slightly positioned higher and lower respectively caps. JP BD is closest to center frame.

Directors: Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Imprint 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · filmalert101.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

FiM encode and none of the low-pass filtering present on the Criterion 4K, resulting in more detail and better handling of highlights on Imprint
Review, comparisons

Best Audio:

ITV UK Blu-ray or Indigo DE Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

All HD and 4K sources use the same 2009 restoration. Criterion's master (also used by Imprint) is a bit more rolled off, though the difference is minor.

Director: Doug Liman

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

US Cut: Universal HD-DVD

International Cut: International Universal Blu-ray but slightly filtered and DNR'd

Video Notes:

The Universal Blu-ray is slightly filtered and DNR'd compared to the HD-DVD, and the Universal 4K Blu-ray, on top of being upscaled, adds additional DNR and is softer than both previous HD releases.

Best Audio:

Universal Blu-ray DTS-HD 5.1

Additional Info:

Versions:
- The International version contains a short additional scene (part of the "Farmhouse" extended scene from the special features). See additional detail below.
- The US version does not contain this scene during the film. Director Doug Liman confirms in his audio commentary that the scene was cut from the original US theatrical release "for time".
- "The Explosive Extended Edition" found on some DVD releases is not an alternate cut of the film, simply an access mode that plays "The Bookend Scenes" features via non-seamless branching.

Deck the Halls scene:
The U.S. release is 118:17 while the European/Australian/Japanese releases are 118:36. There is no difference between the two running times from the start, but at 81:21, the U.S. version cuts from a kitchen scene of Marie and Eamon washing dishes, to a scene of Eamon bringing blankets to Jason and Marie. On the European/Australian releases, at the same point, there is a scene of Jason, Marie, Eamon and his children eating dinner while "Deck the Halls" plays in the background. There is no dialogue, the characters just each exchange uncomfortable glances. The scene goes to 81:40, then picks up the same scene of Eamon bringing blankets. This scene is included as an extra ("Farmhouse" extended scene) albeit sans the holiday themed music. Many thanks to Rewind user Mark Bowen for comparing these releases and letting us know the difference.

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· last reviewed 1 month ago

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