The Tarkovsky version had been showing in London for a year or so when I turned up as a fresh-faced art student. I remember conversations along the lines of:
"Isn't 2001 a great film?"
"Yes, but I've seen Solaris, and it's better."
As though the two were somehow in competition. I never did get to see it while I was at St. M's, but I sneaked back in late 1975 to see it. It's one of the few films that really blew me away then and there. I went back to see it again a few months later. Probably the reason I was ready for Stalker when I saw that. They aren't exactly similar, but there's a Tarkovsky mood in both of them.
No problem with the Soderbergh-Cameron version. It's a pretty similar telling of the story, and not badly done. I guess they liked the original, and decided to make some money.
Tartovsky definitely brings the mood! My favourite is still Andrei Rublev.
I did not know you were an art student. Which school?
St Martin's (which was) in Charing Cross Road. Only did a foundation year there.
Heard of it! I was at the Edinburgh College of Art for two, non-consecutive years, roughly around the same time, Massachusetts CoA (Boston) before that for a year, and much later (early 90s), NSCAD where I did a design degree.
You did better than me. I might have been able to take it further, but I was a very young 18 when I started and needed a bit of guidance (or slapping into line). St Martin's was completely laid back so I did the same. I must have had some ability but I stopped using it there. It didn't work out too bad though. After doing bit-jobs and stuff for a couple of years, I discovered that the year didn't affect my qualifications for a grant (life was easy back in the pinko-commie-socialist 1970s) so I went to university and did a philosophy degree.
My wife went to St Martins, but the Holborn building.
I have the T-Solaris on a Criterion Blu-ray, it's really nice. I should watch it again, been ages!
Holborn is after my time, I think. There was a separate building when I was there for the fashion school, but I have no idea where that was. I didn't think it was Holborn. What did she study?
And yes, Mrs WilliamA gave me that Criterion bluray too.
Ceramic Design. I remember a lot of her cohort were knocking out these beautiful pieces, would fit straight into a fancy shop or something. Meanwhile she was doing conceptual art things like recording videos of her tipping about a thousand ceramic doorknobs out of an upstairs window... long story short she got the only First in the year, I'm still so proud but not sure why they called the degree that :'-D
I think it's all moved to a fancy new building in Kings Cross now, we went to some sort of opening do that the alumni were invited to.
It was St Martin's School of Art when I went. It went through various mergers and management changes, the main one being with the Central School of Art and Design. It appears to style itself as 'Central St Martin's' now, although looking around t'web, I still see extra bits of name tagged on. The holborn site is still in use, along with a building in Archway and as you say, the fancy new buildings in Kings Cross. Well done to Tina for her first. I'm always impressed by potters and ceramicists. Does she still potter about?
When I was there, Foyles was opposite and along a bit, but they've taken over the old St Martin's building and moved in now.