Criterion Re-issuing New Edition of Non-Clooney SOLARIS, Old One on Sale

Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris is one of the very few Criterion titles that’s been subject to some justified criticism since its original release: the black & white scenes were intended to have a blue tint to them. The release was chock full of enough extras otherwise that most collectors who knew or cared just didn’t mind.

Well, Criteiron has fixed that oversight and are re-issuing the movie on DVD and adding a Blu-ray this coming May. According to the email they just sent out to newsletter subscribers, the extras stay 100% the same on the new version.

If you’ve never seen it and just know that Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney teamed up to remake it a few years ago (to not much financial success), Solaris follows a cosmonaut who is sent to investigate a space station after mission control starts receiving strange transmissions. He goes up into the void of space and ends up plunging into the depths of his psyche to fascinating effect.

If the coloration detail doesn’t bother you and you don’t simply have to have it on Blu-ray, you can use coupon code RHEYA at checkout on Criterion’s site and get the old 2-disc DVD edition for $13.98. It’s out of stock at the moment, and officially out of print, but they’ll have their remaining copies restocked shortly. Not a bad deal if you ask me, that set’s packed.