Films/DVD Asylum

Lots to feel sorry about

74.75.127.139

late

A

In Reply to: RE: Sorry to give you that news... the film is NOT about dealing with alien culture posted by Victor Khomenko on June 18, 2010 at 11:30:27

Just not what you think...

Solaris is about a failure to communicate (to borrow an old phrase)

Difficulties in communication is a common theme in scifi. It's been done hundreds of times, quite a few of them were better than Solaris

Solaris was fine for it's time. Aspects of scifi are additive, alien race becomes alien races and then cultures and then cultural clashes and alliances and wars lasting millenia and on
and on.

Nowadays that would be just a subplot.

Follow Ups:

RE: Lots to feel sorry about - Fretless 19:31:30 06/18/10 (9)
> > > "Difficulties in communication is a common theme in scifi. It's been done hundreds of times, quite a few of them were better than Solaris."
IMO, Solaris (along with "Fiasco," "The Invincible" and "Eden") is still the definitive story for expressing the futility of any meaningful contact with a truly alien mind. I think Lem's 'no final outcome' approach to SciFi writing is unsurpassed and holds up very nicely to this day, though Arkady and Boris Strugatsky come close in "Roadside Picnic," as does Vladimir Savchenko in "Self Discovery."
Of course, none of those amateurs can compete with Joe Menosky's "no comprende, senor - we only speak English in the form of historical allegory" masterwork "Darmok."

"We lived for days on nothing but food and water." W.C. Fields

Edits: 06/18/10
- Interesting, but... - late 20:20:32 06/18/10 (8)
  Along with..?
  We were talking about Solaris, not Solaris and everything including the kitchen sink..
  If an alien were sufficiently different, communication might not be possible. Heck we might not even know they were there. But people manage to
  do things you would think were impossible, and fairly often.
  Self Discovery is new to me, I just ordered it from Amazon.
  Haven't read Roadside Picnic, but it's out of print and absurdly expensive.
  
  Edits: 06/18/10 06/18/10
  - Lost in Internet space? - Victor Khomenko 06:12:47 06/22/10 (7)
    In case you missed that fact - this is Film forum, not Sci-Fi.
    
    Your approach to such films is still that of a teenager... we all go through stages like that. Nothing's wrong with that, except that it blocks your perception of what FILMS are about. You are so engrossed in the subject material that artistic means, human insight and emotions are becoming... ahem... alien to you.
    
    I mentioned before - Solaris is NOT about some "contact"... it is about human struggle with self-identity, love, meaning of life, laments, conscience, guilt, self-examination... these are universal things that happen to anyone, in any country, on any planet. That all that is happening on some "station" has little significance. That's what makes that movie so different from say, the 2001, which is a lot of silly effects filled with much hot air, and not much more. Solaris could have been very well set in a 14th century France, with the same impact and trepidations. THAT is its strong point, not some "contact".
    - LOL - late 07:42:01 06/22/10 (6)
      I love this place.
      Snorlaris is about going to a weird planet and finding alien life and not being able to deal with it, much less communicate. You just dodged the whole freaking plot of the movie.
      It was based on a book, and the book was Russian scifi. I happen to love Russian scifi, but as with all things Russian it rises and falls with the strengths and weaknesses of the Russian culture.
      OK, maybe I exaggerate a bit, but you get the point.
      I don't see this as a film forum, I see it as a poseur forum. I also see your implied restriction about not discussing the origins of a film a childish fit of pique.
      
      Edits: 06/22/10
      - "It was based on a book, and the book was Russian scifi" Need I say more? - Victor Khomenko 08:45:40 06/22/10 (5)
        
        In Reply to: RE: LOL posted by late on June 22, 2010 at 07:42:01
        
        Coming from a sci-fi expert, that is quite a whopper.
        
        Yeah, you need to say more. - late 08:46:42 06/22/10 (4)
        
        In Reply to: RE: "It was based on a book, and the book was Russian scifi" Need I say more? posted by Victor Khomenko on June 22, 2010 at 08:45:40
        
        I don't think you can, but try anyway.
        
        Don't worry, someone will give you a hint! - Victor Khomenko 10:36:32 06/22/10 (3)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Yeah, you need to say more. posted by late on June 22, 2010 at 08:46:42
        
        Bummer!
        
        But it won't be you, you don't have one ..nt - late 11:13:54 06/22/10 (2)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Don't worry, someone will give you a hint! posted by Victor Khomenko on June 22, 2010 at 10:36:32
        
        .
        
        You do realize - sjb 16:39:34 06/24/10 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: But it won't be you, you don't have one ..nt posted by late on June 22, 2010 at 11:13:54
        
        the author is Polish, right? So it's a Polish Science fiction novel.
        
        Stupidity is NOT a victimless crime.
        
        Nope - late 09:26:28 06/25/10 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: You do realize posted by sjb on June 24, 2010 at 16:39:34
        
        For some reason I thought he was Russian.
        My bad.
        That was the first book I read by that author, maybe it was the ambiance...
        
        Edits: 06/25/10

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