by Here’s an amazing scene from an ultra-rare, kitschy, trippy, Soviet-style SF film Ikarie XB 1 (aka Ikaria XB1, Icarus XB1 and Voyage to the End of the Universe). This is Czechoslovakia’s first science fiction film. Made in 1963, the movie takes place in the year 2163 and tells the story of Starship Ikaria XB 1’s voyage to Alpha Centari. (“Voyage” was the savagely cut, English-dubbed version released by American International Pictures.)
In this remarkable scene, the explorers enter a derelict 20th Century space craft, littered with evidence of elitist immorality. The visuals are striking. Vacuum preserved corpses dressed in tuxedo and evening gowns who died in the middle of gambling and partying. The crew killed by their own chemical hand-weapons as they fought over dwindling oxygen. The ship laden with nuclear weapons—still active after centuries.
Ikarie XB 1 is an ambitious, thoughtful, intelligent film decades ahead of its time. It’s an ultra-rare “must-see” for any serious SF fan. The film has high-concept elements galore: a trip to proxima centauri; time dilation; future foods, fashion, music and dance; first-contact protocols; increased longevity; artificial intelligence; bulky socialist robots.
It’s said the screenplay was inspired by the work of Stanislaw Lem, including “The Magellanic Cloud” from 1955. (Credit: trekfancvg)