MovieChat Forums > Solyaris (1972) Discussion > Audio Quality ... ?

Audio Quality ... ?

posted 11 years ago by george-aldous
3 replies | jump to latest

Just wondering if anyone has anything to say on the audio quality in this intriguing film.
I would like to say that Tarkovsky purposefully intended for somethings to be captured on audio and other things not, however my instinct is also telling me that maybe the audio they captured was not good enough so they put in most of the audio afterwards...
Any thoughts? For example when he is burning his possessions, you do not hear the crackling of the fire.
[I also watched the Criterion version with good quality speakers so it wasn't my set up.]
What do people think? Thanks.

[–] vladivostok-1 11 years ago

Solaris is 100% ADR; your observation is correct. Soviet movie makers seldom employed synchronized sound recording due to various reasons, mostly of technical nature. Natalya Bondarchuk, who played the leading role of Hari, recalls that a sync sound camera was utilized only once during the production of Solaris. Solaris was shot mostly with Rodina camera, which allows film sound recording known among the industry professionals as "rough sound." You can enjoy an earlier (partly) sync sound television play (made-for-TV film) Solaris directed by Boris Nirenburg in 1968. You can watch it here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSEGTBBHqgw].

[–] george-aldous 11 years ago

Thanks! It definitely adds/subtracts something from the movie though. I think it adds a sense of tenseness or mystique because you only hear certain sounds and you don't hear other ones that you think you should. And it also subtracts from the story sometimes, as I feel that if its sound design was better than it would have been a more watchable or intimate experience. What do you think?

[–] vladchan 11 years ago

Tarkovsky was extremely anal about everything incl the sound so it is exactly what he wanted it to be.

PS: they dubbed Kelvin and Snaut's lines using different actors due to heavy accents of the original actors. In Soviet film-making live sound was not used anyway.

-- Mothershytter... Son of an ass!!