{"id":6516,"date":"2014-02-16T07:03:17","date_gmt":"2014-02-16T07:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=6516"},"modified":"2014-02-16T07:03:17","modified_gmt":"2014-02-16T07:03:17","slug":"ikarie-xb-1-an-influential-space-sf-film-from-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=6516","title":{"rendered":"Ikarie XB-1: An influential space SF film from 1963"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author\u00a0Steven Donoso<\/a>\u00a0wrote me today about the 1963 Czechoslovakian space science-fiction film\u00a0Ikarie XB-1<\/a>, which I was unaware of and did not have on my space sci-fi film list<\/a>. In the US the film\u00a0was shortened and released as\u00a0Voyage to the End of the Universe<\/a>.\u00a0A newly restored version is available from\u00a0Second Run DVD<\/a>. They describe the movie as follows:<\/p>\n

Jind\u0159ich Pol\u00e1k\u2019s pioneering and much-imitated feature Ikarie XB 1 is one of the cornerstones of contemporary sci-fi cinema. It predates Star Trek and Kubrick\u2019s 2001: A Space Odyssey and was clearly an influence on both, as well as on almost every other science-fiction work that followed.<\/em><\/p>\n

Adapted from Stanis\u0142aw 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s a teaser:<\/p>\n