I’m a sci-fi nut, so of course a few years ago I just had to see the movie Solaris with George Clooney. I loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I loved it so much that I not only have watched the film over 20 times, but I also own the soundtrack and the Criterion Collection Russian version. And now, I’ve read the book written by Polish author Stanislaw Lem in 1961.
I did love the book as well, but perhaps only because I love the movies so much. There is a lot more science involved in the novel, which I didn’t mind (and even enjoyed) because I’m sort of a geek that way. It made me appreciate the movies even more and understand more of what the scientists were actually doing in their study of the planet Solaris. I relished the additional background story that the movies didn’t have time to go into.
SoundtrackI’m not going to say much of what the book and/or movie is about, because it would just spoil it too much for those who aren’t familiar with them. Let me just say that it is a pschological romance in a sci-fi setting. The movies do concentrate more on the romance while the book is more sci-fi, but I loved all aspects of the both the book and movie versions. I also love the soundtrack by Cliff Martinez in the Clooney movie. I even listened to it while I read the novel!
The movie also introduced me to what is now one of my favorite poems:
DVDAnd death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan’t crack;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.
– Dylan Thomas
1961, 204 pp.
4.5/5
If you’re still reading this review, you might be interested in some youtube videos of the movies. This first one is George Clooney reading the poem. Note: Stop at 1:30 if you don’t want to see spoilers!
This next one is one of my favorite scenes from the Russian DVD version:
And this last one is some scenes from the modern version highlighting the soundtrack:
