keyspoet

I saw this film a couple of weeks ago, and loved it. As a working artist who started out as a science major, it is nice for a change to see an artistically produced film that so challenges the status quo, while encouraging lofty thought on a grand scale.

Having said that, it is not difficult in this anti-intellectual climate, to understand the often vitriolic attacks against the film. But most of those attacking it have missed a crucial point, and that is that the film in no way attempts to give definitive answers to the questions it asks, it merely offers them up to provoke thought. Furthermore, in attacking the credentials of some of the scientists involved, I have yet to read of anyone even attempting to attack either Dr. Fred Alan Wolf or Dr. John Hagelin, both of whom are renowned, widely published and highly respected physicists.

The more dogmatic Christians may care to recall that Jesus himself spoke of the world being illusion, which is one of the central ideas presented in the film. What recent discoveries in quantum physics are showing is that he may have been speaking far more literally than anyone realized.

A cult film? Hardly, unless it is a cult of those who choose to think for themselves, rather than blindly accepting the drivel being handed out by society at large. There were a number of divergent views expressed, from mainstream scientists to those in more esoteric fields, and the filmmakers left it to the viewer to decide what to accept and what to reject.

I found the blonde with the heavy make-up (Ramtha?) and the goofy animations during the Polish wedding scene to be the weakest points of the film, but this was a film intended to make people think, and in that respect it has succeeded admirably. The friend who convinced me to go had already seen it, and intends to purchase the DVD as soon as it is released. I will probably do the same, as it strikes me as a film where repeated viewings would lead to additional insights.

My advice is to see the film with an open mind and decide for yourself. You just might learn something.

I rented this film, then did some last minute Christmas shopping. While I was gone, my husband watched the first half of "Solaris" and turned it off - twice. He then watched "Terminator 3," which he enjoyed.

After he went off to bed. I started "Solaris." Unlike my husband, I was hooked from the start, and thoroughly enjoyed being reeled in. This is what I look for in a film - a compelling, nuanced story, involving complex characters. Perhaps it appealed to me more than to some, because I have lost several loved ones in recent years, including my father who died three years ago today, and am therefore wrestling with the same questions pondered in the film. Or perhaps I'm just a sucker for a good story, deftly told.

I don't think we would have necessarily had a better or worse film had Cameron written the screenplay, merely a different film altogether. I give him more credit than many on this board, as "The Abyss" is and remains a favorite film of mine, and only defied the laws of physics a few times. ;-) Certainly "The Abyss" is a quieter and more introspective film than the Terminator series, but then again, the films do examine the same themes. It might have been interesting to see what Cameron would have done with "Solaris," hopefully sans car chases.

Personally, I am glad Soderbergh wrote this version, as there is very little I would change. I enjoyed every minute of it. The musical score captured and enhanced the atmosphere quite well. I remember hearing about the original "Solaris," which came out the year I started high school, but I never saw it. Having now seen this version, I'll make it a point to do so, and I'll read the book as well. I will definitely be adding this film to my collection.

As for my husband, I probably won't recommend that he see it right away. Instead, I'll let him see it over time, as he did "The Shipping News," which also put him off initially. Once he got past the move to Newfoundland, he began to understand the humor I saw in the film, but he still despises its more depressing aspects. Still, he considers my taste in films weird, and to date understands neither my love for "Jacob's Ladder" nor my devotion to "Six Feet Under."

But then, he doesn't like jazz, either. ;-)

Even though it has been thirty years, I remember this well, as do my mother and sister. I probably saw it a dozen times over it's KCET run, every time we knew it was going to be on, and loved every showing.

So many in the cast are favorites of mine that I'll refrain from going into each performance, except to say that the casting was excellent all around. Growing up in Los Angeles I was fortunate to see Richard Chamberlain on stage several times, and never better than he was in this role. Kristoffer Tabori stood out as well, as he has done so consistently throughout his career.

If you have the opportunity to see this, DO NOT MISS IT. You will not be sorry.

Message to KCET: PLEASE RELEASE THIS ON VHS/DVD!!!!!