Solaris / Solyaris / Солярис (1968)

4 years before Andrei Tarkovsky made his classic version of Stanislaw Lem’s sci-fi novel "Solaris" there was this Russian TV version made by Boris Nirenburg and Lidiya Ishimbayeva.

Directors: Lidiya Ishimbayeva, Boris Nirenburg
Cast: Vasili Lanovoy, Antonina Pilyus, Vladimir Etush, Viktor Zozulin, Vyacheslav Dugin, A. Katsynsky

Solaris is Lem’s most famous work, and an excellent starting-point for readers who want to make the acquaintance of this seminal writer. What would happen, Lem asks, if an encounter with intelligent alien life took place on a biological level beyond our comprehension? What if the life form was so different that it no longer matched our pre-conceptions of how organisms look and act?
The planet Solaris is apparently uninhabited, except for the scientists from Earth who operate a small research station. The surface of the planet is covered by water, and the visitors marvel at the range of patterns and forms taken by the waves, which act in an awe-inspiring and sometimes frightening manner.

But cryptic events start taking place among the researchers, and the only possible explanation is that the ocean is responsible. Can a geographic fact, a part of the landscape, really be a life form? Or can some other explanation be found?

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