Maps of Movies

Solaris (1972)

Where Solaris says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

An ocean planet and a station that never existed on Earth: the only real places are a Russian country road and a Tokyo highway

Scenes and places

The last day at the family house

Kelvin spends his last day on Earth with his father and Burton, a pilot recalled from Solaris after reporting a child standing on the planet's water. The panel dismissed it as hallucination, but now the crew at the station report similar things, so Kelvin is sent.

Set in Kelvin's family house in the countryside — Kelvin's last day on Earth, with his father and the retired pilot Burton, before the journey to the station.

A wooden country house in the Russian countryside, the one stretch of green Earth the film shows.

Filmed at Zvenigorod, near the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery (Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery area, Zvenigorod, Russia) — The exterior scenes of the countryside house were photographed around Zvenigorod. The coordinates are the monastery nearby, not the exact spot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Burton's drive through the future city

As they drive away, Burton tells Kelvin that he recognized the child's face as one who was orphaned by the disappearance of a Solaris explorer.

Set in A future city (not placed in the film) — Kelvin watches the city go by as Burton drives away from the house; the city is never named.

The film never says where this future city is; the footage is Tokyo's expressways.

Filmed at Akasaka and Iikura, Tokyo (Metropolitan Expressway) (Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan) — The highway and tunnel footage was shot in Tokyo in autumn 1971. The pin is the Akasaka district centre, not the road. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Arrival at the silent station

Kelvin finds the station in disarray and learns that his friend Dr. Gibarian has killed himself. The two surviving crew, Snaut and Sartorius, are erratic, and Gibarian's video asks Kelvin to trust that whatever happens is not madness.

Set in Research station above Solaris — Kelvin arrives at the station over the ocean planet Solaris and finds it in disarray.

A fictional research station orbiting Solaris; its interiors were built as sets at Mosfilm studios.

Hari at the bedside

Kelvin wakes to find Hari, who died ten years earlier, sitting in his room and unaware of how she got there. The crew explains that Solaris made her from his memories.

Set in Kelvin's quarters, Solaris station — After sleep, Kelvin finds Hari, his wife who died ten years earlier, in his room.

A sleeping cabin on the station, the same set interior as the rest of the station.

The birthday that turns into an argument

Sartorius, Snaut, Kelvin and Hari gather for a birthday party that turns into a philosophical argument about duty and what counts as human.

Set in Dining room, Solaris station — The four on the station gather for a birthday party that turns into a philosophical argument.

Another set inside the station.

The ocean swirls into a funnel

The ocean on the surface of Solaris begins to swirl faster into a funnel.

Set in Surface of Solaris — The ocean surface begins to swirl faster into a funnel.

An invented planet; its ocean was filmed with special effects, not on location.

Characters

• Kris Kelvin — A psychologist sent to decide the fate of a research station above Solaris.
• Hari — Kelvin's wife who died ten years earlier and now appears aboard the station.
• Snaut — One of the surviving crewmen at the station.
• Burton — A retired pilot who once saw a giant child on the ocean of Solaris.