Author Steven Donoso wrote me today about the 1963 Czechoslovakian space science-fiction film Ikarie XB-1, which I was unaware of and did not have on my space sci-fi film list. In the US the film was shortened and released as Voyage to the End of the Universe. A newly restored version is available from Second Run DVD. They describe the movie as follows:

Jindřich Polák’s pioneering and much-imitated feature Ikarie XB 1 is one of the cornerstones of contemporary sci-fi cinema. It predates Star Trek and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and was clearly an influence on both, as well as on almost every other science-fiction work that followed.

Adapted from Stanisław Lem’s 1955 novel The Magellanic Cloud, the film is set in 2163 and follows a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity. With outstanding design and cinematography, Ikarie XB 1 is imbued with a seriousness, intelligence and attention to detail rarely seen in science-fiction cinema of the period.

Here’s a teaser:

And here is a longer clip:

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