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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Солярис' or 'Solyaris' or 'Solaris')

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/direct-chair/tarkovsky.htm

USSR 1972

 

Ground control has been receiving strange transmissions from the three remaining residents of the Solaris space station. When cosmonaut and psychologist Kris Kelvin is sent to investigate, he experiences the strange phenomena that afflict the Solaris crew, sending him on a voyage into the darkest recesses of his own consciousness. In Solaris, legendary Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky creates a brilliantly original science fiction epic that challenges our preconceived notions of love, truth, and humanity itself.


Posters

 

Theatrical Release Date: March 20th , 1972

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Comparison: 

MK2 (France) - Region 0 - PAL vs. RusCiCo Region 0 - NTSC vs. Artificial Eye Region 0 - PAL vs. Criterion Region 0 - NTSC vs. Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Ole of DVDBasen and Pavel Borodin for the DVD Screen Caps!

Box Cover 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Distribution MK2 (Russia)
Region 0 - PAL
RuCiCo Region 0 - NTSC ( North America ) Artificial Eye - Region Free - PAL Criterion Collection, spine #164
Runtime 2:39:40 (4% PAL speedup) Total of part 1 + part 2 of film: 2:39:27  minutes Total of part 1 + part 2 of film: 2:39:36  minutes 2:46:35
Video Aspect ratio: 1.95:1 Anamorphic 
Average Bitrate: 5.38 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
Aspect ratio: 2.20:1 Anamorphic 
Average Bitrate: 8.14 mb/s
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
Aspect ratio: 2.20:1 Anamorphic 
Average Bitrate: 8.14 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
Aspect ratio: 2.30:1 Anamorphic 
Average Bitrate: 5.53 mb/s ( interviews disc 6.98 mb/s )
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

 

Coming to UK, on Blu-ray, from Criterion April 3rd, 2017:

Criterion Collection, spine #164 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Artificial Eye (UK)

Region 'B' - Blu-ray

2:46:54.170 2:46:32.983

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 47,904,054,951 bytes

Feature: 33,471,197,184 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 22.96 Mbps

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 41,888,495,834 bytes

Feature: 41,522,454,528 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps

  NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

 MK2 Disc 1

 

 

Bitrate:

 

 MK2 Disc

2

Bitrate:

 

 "Solaris" RusCiCo Disc#1

 

Bitrate:

"Solaris" RusCiCo Disc#2

"Solaris" Artificial Eye Disc#1

"Solaris" Artificial Eye Disc#2

Bitrate:

 "Solaris" Criterion Disc#1

 

Bitrate:

"Solaris" Criterion Disc#2

Interviews disc 

Bitrate: Criterion

Blu-ray

Bitrate: Artificial Eye

Blu-ray

 

 

 

 

RusCiCo and Artificial Eye

 Criterion DVD Criterion Blu-ray Artificial Eye Blu-ray
Audio Russian, Dubs in English and French. All in  (Dolby Digital 5.1)   Russian (Dolby Digital 1.0) LPCM Audio Russian 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
LPCM Audio Russian 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles Russian, English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese ( You cannot choose 'NONE' ) English, None English, None English, None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: RusCiCo / Artificial Eye / MK2
 

Bonus Materials:

  • Biography of director Andrei Tarkovsky Biography of sci-fi writer Stanislav Lem

  • 10 min Documentary on actor Donatas Banionis, The Master of a Small Town

  • Interview with actress Natalya Bondarchuk

  • Interview with Andrei Tarkovsky's sister, Marina

  • Fragment from another film based on S. Lem's novel, Investigation of Pilot Pirx(1979)

  • Archive Photo Album

  • Filmographies of principal actors, director, camerman, composer, script writer

  • Trailers of films by A. Tarkovsky

DVD Release Date:  MK2 was 25th May 2005
Slim Digipak with no sleeve
16 in Part 1, 16 in Part 2 - total = 32 Chapters

2 Discs

Release Information:
Studio: Criterion

Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Region 0
• DISC ONE: New digital transfer, enhanced for widescreen televisions
• Audio essay by Tarkovsky scholars Vida Johnson and Graham Petrie, co-authors of The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue.

• New and improved English subtitle translation
• Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
• DISC TWO: Nine deleted and alternate scenes ( not restored )

  • Berton's Flight ( 3:05)

  • Kris' Takeoff from Earth  (4:23)

  • Something to Eat (1:08)

  • Beginning of Part 2 (:59)

  • Kris and Harl's Meal (2:21)

  • Kris' Delerium/The Mirror Room (4:25)

  • Mother (6:00)

  • Further Philosophy (1:02)

Video interviews with: 

• Natalya Bondarchuk (32:20)

• Cinematographer Vadim Yusov (33:54) 

• Art director Mikhail Romadin (16:46)

• Composer Eduard Artemyev (21:43)
• Documentary excerpt with Solaris author Stanislaw Lem (4:55)

 

DVD Release Date:  November 26th, 2002
Double Keep Case
33 Chapters ( 33rd is Color Bars )

2 Discs

Release Information:
Studio: Criterion

 

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 47,904,054,951 bytes

Feature: 33,471,197,184 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 22.96 Mbps

Edition Details:
• Commentary by Tarkovsky scholars Vida Johnson and Graham Petrie, co-authors of The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue. It is in 33 Chapters as follows:

 

•  Tarkovsky's Collaborators
•  Donatas Banionis
•  The Soviet Film Bureacracy
•  The issues of Special Effects
•  Narrative Consistency
•  Tarkovsky and his Parents
•  Moral Knowledge
•  Russian and Western Audiences
•  Clues
•  Stanislaw Lem's Novel
•  Yuri tarvet
•  The Sets: Kris and Gilbarians' •  Rooms
•  Sculptured Time
•  Sos Sarkasian
•  Elliptical Shorthand
•  Kris' Reasons
•  How Could Hari Know?
•  Island of Memory
•  The Ocean's Motives
•  Hari's Humanity
•  A Dysfunctional Family
•  Color and Texture
•  Natalya Bondarchuk
•  Western Culture
•  Bach and Breughel
•  Levitation as Motif
•  Hari's writhing
•  Solaris as Science Fiction
•  Ambiguity
•  Film Stocks
•  Big Issues
•  Questions and Possible Answers
•  Color Bars

• Nine deleted and alternate scenes ( not restored )

•  Berton's Flight ( 3:05)
•  Kris' Takeoff from Earth (4:23)
•  Something to Eat (1:08)
•  Beginning of Part 2 (:59)
•  Kris and Harl's Meal (2:21)
•  Kris' Delerium/The Mirror Room (4:25)
•  Mother (6:00)
•  Further Philosophy (1:02)

Video interviews with:

• Natalya Bondarchuk (32:20)

• Cinematographer Vadim Yusov (33:54)

• Art director Mikhail Romadin (16:46)

• Composer Eduard Artemyev (21:43)
• Documentary excerpt with Solaris author Stanislaw Lem (4:55)

• 24-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by critic Phillip Lopate and an appreciation by director Akira Kurosawa

 

Blu-ray Release Date:  May 24th, 2011
Transparent
Blu-ray Case
32 Chapters

Release Information:
Studio: Artificial Eye

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 41,888,495,834 bytes

Feature: 41,522,454,528 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps


Edition Details:
• Mary Wild Introduction (2:35)

• Film Psychoanalyst Mary Wild visual essay (13:50 - Part 3 - Solaris - Hyperreality vs. The Real)
•  Interview with screenwriter Natalya Bondarchuk (5:32)

• Master From a Little City - Donatas Banionis Featurette (10:19)

36 page booklet

 

Blu-ray Release Date: August 8th, 2016
Standard Blu-ray case

Chapters 12

 

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Artificial Eye - Region 'B' Blu-ray - July 2016: Curzon / Artificial Eye provide another two-Blu-ray package for one of their new Tarkovsky film-to-1080P releases. Solaris, the feature, is housed on one dual-layered Blu-ray disc with a very high bitrate. Beside the Criterion, it looks a shade brighter - I don't know that this is more accurate or not, but otherwise the image quality is fairly similar between the two 1080P transfers. For audio - AE go with a linear PCM track, but only 16-bit to Criterion's 24 - which may show up in a greater depth for the Region 'A' release. The score by Eduard Artemev (Stalker, Mirror) sounds excellent - augmented by Johann Sebastian Bach's majestic Chorale Prelude in F minor (cited as Fa-minornaya khoralnaya prelyudiya). The Blu-ray discs are region 'B'-locked.

AE include a second Blu-ray of extras with Film Psychoanalyst Mary Wild Introduction and her 'Andrei Tarkovsky's metaphysical dream zone' - Part 3; Solaris - Hyperreality vs. The Real running shy of 14 minutes. There is also an interview with with Natalya Bondarchuk for 5.5 minutes as well as 10-minute featurette; Donatas Banionis's "Master From a Little City"  (all offer optional English subtitles) and the package has a booklet - that I have not been privy to, yet.

Criterion, with their massive extras, may get the nod for the definitive release but the AE has substantial value for region 'B'ers... absolutely recommended! - a film that will stay with you for life!

***

ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - May 11': The new Criterion is improved in the expected areas - but most notably the black and white sequences which, like the rest of the film, are darker and show less of the light surface scratches. On the other DVDs - MK2 (France), RusCiCo (Russia) and Artificial Eye UK - these sequences had chroma. Colors don't vary much, but they are tighter and the overall image has a bit more information in the frame and showcases a bit of depth. The original Criterion DVD was not bad - but this Blu-ray supports the film in a significantly more distinguishable way. The 1080P 'scope' is far more film-like and this is another excellent Criterion HD transfer.

Audio remains faithfully mono - but in an uncompressed form; a linear PCM track at 1152 kbps. There are some effect sounds that benefit from the lossless track and it adds another level of atmosphere to the film experience. Criterion, predictably, have optional English subtitles on the Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.

Extras duplicate the 2002 DVD with the commentary by Tarkovsky scholars Vida Johnson and Graham Petrie, co-authors of The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue, the 9 deleted and alternate scenes and video interviews with Natalya Bondarchuk, cinematographer Vadim Yusov, Art director Mikhail Romadin and composer Eduard Artemyev plus the documentary excerpt with Solaris author Stanislaw Lem. There is also a 24-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by critic Phillip Lopate and an appreciation by director Akira Kurosawa.

Tarkovsky fans didn't need my endorsement - to have the film looking its 1080P best and sounding authentic as well as available on one lone disc makes for an easy purchase. The extras alone are worth the price - our highest recommendation!

***

ADDITION: (MK2 - Region 0 - PAL - June 2005) - The MK2 is, again, an exact port of the current RusCiCo - as is the Artificial Eye. All PAL RusCiCo's are original PAL source and all NTSC RusCiCo's are from PAL sources (unconverted). All have the 5.1 surround in both Russian and English and French Dubs. The only recommendation is the Criterion in every department.

***

The RusCiCo and Artificial Eye versions are slightly cropped vertically reducing it from its aspect ratio of roughly 2.25 (2.30?) to 2.20 . Although the PAL - AE is superior to the RusCiCo NTSC, it is obvious to see the striking quality of the Criterion in comparison. I have gone through all the extras of the Criterion (and they are extensive), and they blow away the RusCiCo/AE. RusCiCo/AE does offer multiple sub-titles as well as dubs in English and French (if you are into that) but I still couldn't find a way to totally remove the subs from the RusCiCo. Thank goodness the Criterion finally came around with this one, the sharpness and attention to detail are outstanding. Might be their best disc of the year!

RusCiCo also changed the mono soundtrack to 5.1. It sounds very good, but not accurate and they don't offer the ability to choose the mono.

Regarding the Menus: The Criterion have limited animation, often with a shadowy Khari appearing and disappearing. However the resonance of the 5.1 in the RusCiCo/AE menus is quite stirring. I liked the RusCiCo better. It appears as though more work has gone into them.

 



DVD Menus

NOTE: RusCiCo / AE ? and MK2 menus are exactly the same.

RusCiCo / Artificial Eye / MK2 Original Criterion DVD
 

 

Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray

 

 

Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 

 

Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Second Blu-ray

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

Subtitle sample

 

1) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray TOP

2) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

Film Screen Captures

( NOTE: I found it extremely hard getting exact frame captures with  the aspect ratio being incompatible. They are as close as I was able to get. )


 

1) MK2 Region 0 - PAL TOP

2) RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND

3) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL THIRD

4) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC FOURTH

5) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray FIFTH

6) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) MK2 Region 0 - PAL TOP

2) RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND

3) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL THIRD

4) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC FOURTH

5) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray FIFTH

6) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) MK2 Region 0 - PAL TOP

2) RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND

3) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL THIRD

4) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC FOURTH

5) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray FIFTH

6) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) MK2 Region 0 - PAL TOP

2) RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND

3) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL THIRD

4) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC FOURTH

5) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray FIFTH

6) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) MK2 Region 0 - PAL TOP

2) RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND

3) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL THIRD

4) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC FOURTH

5) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray FIFTH

6) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) MK2 Region 0 - PAL TOP

2) RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND

3) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL THIRD

4) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC FOURTH

5) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray FIFTH

6) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) MK2 Region 0 - PAL TOP

2) RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND

3) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL THIRD

4) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC FOURTH

5) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray FIFTH

6) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) MK2 Region 0 - PAL TOP

2) RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND

3) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL THIRD

4) Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC FOURTH

5) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray FIFTH

6) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

More Blu-ray Captures

1) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray TOP

2) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray TOP

2) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray TOP

2) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Criterion - Region 'A'- Blu-ray TOP

2) Artificial Eye - Region 'B'- Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

More Criterion Blu-ray Captures

 

Report Card:

 

Image:

 Blu-rays

Sound:

Criterion Blu-ray (24-bit vs. 16-bit)

Extras:

Criterion Blu-ray

 

DVD Box Cover 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click logo to order from:

 

 

 

   

 

Distribution MK2 (Russia)
Region 0 - PAL
RuCiCo Region 0 - NTSC ( North America ) Artificial Eye - Region Free - PAL Criterion Collection, spine #164

 

Coming to UK, on Blu-ray, from Criterion April 3rd, 2017:

Criterion Collection, spine #164 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Artificial Eye (UK)

Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 

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