First Spaceship on Venus (1960) Der schweigende Stern (original title)

Director:

Kurt Maetzig

Writers:

Stanislaw Lem (novel)
Jan Fethke (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

You are there... on man's most incredible journey!

Plot:

When an alien artifact discovered on Earth is found to have come from Venus, an international team of astronauts embarks to investigate its origins.

Plot Keywords:

Team | Spaceship | Alien | Astronaut | Artifact

Cast

Yoko Tani	...	Die japanische Ärztin / Sumiko Ogimura MD
Oldrich Lukes	...	Amerikanischer Atomphysiker / Prof. Harringway Hawling
Ignacy Machowski	...	Polnischer Chefingenieur / Prof. Saltyk / Prof. Durand
Julius Ongewe	...	Afrikanischer Fernsehtechniker / Talua
Michail N. Postnikow	...	Sowjetischer Astronaut / Prof. Arsenew / Prof. Orloff
Kurt Rackelmann	...	Indischer Mathematiker / Prof. Sikarna
Günther Simon	...	Deutscher Pilot / Robert / Raimund Brinkmann
Tang Hua-Ta	...	Chinesische Linguistin / Dr. Tchen Yu / Lao Tsu
Lucyna Winnicka	...	Fernsehreporterin / Joan Moran (as Lucina Winnicka)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Horst Schäfer	...	Wissenschaftler
Danuta Szaflarska	...	(voice)
Klaus Bamberg	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Fredy Barten	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Christoph Beyertt	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Karl Brenk	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Fritz Decho	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Karen Fredersdorf	...	Brinkmanns Mutter (uncredited)
Eva-Maria Hagen	...	Female Reporter (uncredited)
Karl-Helge Hofstadt	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Peter Kiwitt	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Gertraud Kreissig	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Ruth-Maria Kubitschek	...	Frau Brinkmann (uncredited)
Heinz Kögel	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Hans Ulrich Laufer	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Barbara Leonhard	...	Sekretärin (uncredited)
Erich Lie	...	Chinese (uncredited)
Omani Mensah	...	Afrikanischer Funker (uncredited)
Vera Oelschlegel	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Paul Paulsen	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Lieselotte Schmoock	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Werner Senftleben	...	Funker (uncredited)
San Din Tscho	...	Chinese (uncredited)
Nico Turoff	...	Wüstenarbeiter (uncredited)
Eduard von Winterstein	...	Wissenschaftler / Weiland (uncredited)

Directed by
Kurt Maetzig

Writing credits
Stanislaw Lem		(novel "Astronauci")
Jan Fethke		(adaptation) (as J. Fethke) and
Wolfgang Kohlhaase		(adaptation) (as W. Kohlhase) and
Günter Reisch		(adaptation) (as G. Reisch) and
Günther Rücker		(adaptation) (as G. Rücker) and
Alexander Stenbock-Fermor		(adaptation) (as A. Stenbock-Fermor)
Kurt Maetzig		(screenplay collaboration)
J. Barkhauer		uncredited

Original Music by
Andrzej Markowski

Cinematography by
Joachim Hasler

Film Editing by
Lena Neumann

Production Design by
Alfred Hirschmeier
L. Kunka
Paul Lehmann		(as P. Lehmann)
T. Mystzorek		(as T. Myszorek)
Senta Ochs		(as S. Ochs)
Ryszard Potocki		(as J. Potocki)
Anatol Radzinowicz
A. Schulz
W. Schäfer

Costume Design by
Elli-Charlotte Löffler		(as Elli-Charl. Löffler)

Makeup Department
Christa Grewald	....	makeup artist
Alois Strasser	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Hans Mahlich	....	production manager
Martin Sonnabend	....	unit manager
Henryk Szlachet	....	unit manager
Edward Zajicek	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Doris Borkmann	....	assistant director
Hans-Joachim Kasprzik	....	assistant director
Hieronim Przybyl	....	assistant director

Art Department
Theo Görgens	....	property master: exterior

Sound Department
Kurt Eppers	....	sound
Werner Klein	....	sound
Andrzej Markowski	....	sound effects
Günter Witt	....	sound

Special Effects by
Helmut Grewald	....	special effects
Ernst Kunstmann	....	special effects supervisor
Vera Kunstmann	....	special effects
Jan Olejniczak	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Helmut Grewald	....	assistant camera
Detlev Hertelt	....	assistant camera
Herbert Leistikow	....	gaffer
Waltraud Pathenheimer	....	still photographer

Music Department
Walter Greene	....	music editor
Andrzej Markowski	....	conductor: DEFA-Sinfonie-Orchester
Josef von Stroheim	....	music editor (as Joseph von Stroheim)
Gordon Zahler	....	music provider: US soundtrack
Hans J. Salter	....	composer: stock music, US version (uncredited)

Other crew
Edmund Goldman	....	producer: US dubbing
Hugo Grimaldi	....	executive dubbing supervisor (US version)
Newton P. Jacobs	....	producer, american dubbing
Paul Schreibman	....	producer, american dubbing
Hans-Joachim Wallstein	....	script editor

Production Companies

• VEB DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme (made by)
• Künstlerische Arbeitsgruppe ''Roter Kreis'' (as DEFA Gruppe Roter Kreis)
• Film Polski (and)
• Zespól Filmowy ''Iluzjon'' (as Gruppe ''Iluzjon'')

Distributors

• VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb (1960) (East Germany) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Universal Filmverleih (1960) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Allotria Filmi (1960) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Crown International Pictures (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Astral Films (1963) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Progress Film-Verleih (1990) (worldwide) (all media)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Englewood Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Echo Bridge Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Icestorm Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Englewood Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• TGG Direct (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• BCI Eclipse (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• First Run Features (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Payless Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• YLE Teema (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Reel Media International (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Moore Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• VCI Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• DEFA Sinfonie-Orchester  orchestra
• Polskie Radio  electronic music recording

Also Known As:

"Der schweigende Stern" - East Germany (original title)
"The Silent Star" - USA (DVD title)

Runtime:

93 min | USA:79 min | West Germany:80 min | East Germany:95 min (short version: 94')

Country:

East Germany | Poland

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:11 | West Germany:12 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme, Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

VEB DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme

Trivia:

At one point DEFA intended to establish a co-production with a French company for financing and scriptwriting. Part of the plan was to use French actors Yves Montand and Simone Signoret. However, Communist government officials disapproved of DEFA's pursuit of Western partners.

Goofs:

Factual errors: One of the crew is injured during the first meteor shower, and has a gauze applied to his head. The next time he's seen the gauze has moved to the side of his head and now has a lot more tape holding it on.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Galaxina (1980)

STRIKING, THOUGHTFUL SCI-FI.

What's wrong with this picture? This movie is neither highly regarded by critics nor IMDB voters. Yet, it contains some striking visuals; thoughtful comments on the "human" condition; an attractive, multiracial, coed international cast (daring for the time); and a pretty good storyline, to boot.

Excavators at the site of the 1906 mystery explosion in Tunguska, Siberia, discover evidence that the explosion was the destruction of an alien spaceship. Evidence includes a "memory spool." Scientist determine the alien spaceship came from the planet Venus, and cryptographers and linguists begin to translate the memory spool.

Before translation can be completed, an international crew is assembled and an enormous nuclear powered spaceship constructed (a stunningly beautiful piece of matte work) for a flight to Venus. The ship begins its voyage before the on-board linguist makes a startling announcement. The memory spool contains plans for a Venusian invasion of earth!

The ship lands on a eerie, vapor-cloaked Venus (Striking art direction; just how did they do those strange, microbe-like vapors?). The crew discovers, a burned out, uninhabitable planet. The Venusians, apparently attempting an invasion to escape either overcrowding or an impending nuclear war, have destroyed themselves, leaving only the shadows of their disintegrated bodies. Further exploration discovers a strange, living amoeba-like organism and a damaged, super-gravity beam weapon aimed toward earth. Many members of the crew are lost, and the ship is eventually deflected back to earth by the accidental discharge of the gravity beam.

The movie IS choppy, without a doubt because the American distributor, Crown International, cut the film by over one half hour. I'd certainly LOVE to see the excised footage; however, since the film is East German, I doubt if a complete print still exists. Besides, we Americans are having enough trouble finding obscure fifties and sixties from ENGLISH-speaking countries, including our own.