... Here, Soderbergh doesn’t merely depart from Lem’s original story; he rewrites it. The novel is an icy meditation on man’s place in the universe and the mystery of God. It poses countless metaphysical questions and makes a point of answering none of them. In Soderbergh’s hands, however, “Solaris” becomes a celebration of romantic love which culminates in the revelation of a caring, forgiving creator. At the end of his book, Lem writes “The age-old faith of lovers and poets in the power of love, stronger than death, that finis vitae sed non amoris is a lie, useless and not even funny.” The director ignores the author in favor of just such a poet. Clooney’s character repeatedly quotes Dylan Thomas: “Though lovers be lost love shall not; and death shall have no dominion.” It’s a gutsy move and I have to say I find Soderbergh’s “Solaris” an eminently more satisfying experience than Lem’s. This is a film as elegantly directed as any by Kubrick, one which is superbly acted and brilliantly scored, as spellbinding a work of cinema as we’re likely to see for some time. It’s not every day a picture comes along and proves worthy of comparison to “2001.” Soderbergh’s latest may well leave Stanislaw Lem grumbling. My bet is virtually everyone else will be blown away.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 10:32:57 +0000
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