Kosmicheskiy reys: Fantasticheskaya novella (1936)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Vasili Zhuravlyov

Writers:

Aleksandr Filimonov (writer)
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (novel)

Release Date:

21 January 1936 (Soviet Union)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

The science fiction film "Kosmicheskii Reis" was first shown in Soviet theaters in January 1936. Soviet...

Plot Keywords:

Moon | Spacecraft | Moscow | Old Man | Rocket Launch Ramp

Cast

Sergei Komarov	...	Pavel Ivanovich Sedikh, academician
K. Moskalenko	...	Professor Marina
Vassili Gaponenko	...	Andryusha Orlov, a boy
Nikolai Feoktistov	...	Capt. Viktor Orlov
Vasili Kovrigin	...	Professor Karin (as V. Kovrigin)

Also Known As:

Cosmic Journey (International: English title) (informal title)
The Space Ship
The Space Voyage (International: English title) (DVD title)

Runtime:

USA:70 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Gosudarstvennoe Upravlenie Kinematografii i fotografii (GUKF)

Phenomenal early SF gem

I saw Kosmicheskii Reis with the 2006 DVD edition with English subtitles, entitled "The Space Voyage". This Russian edition had a new soundtrack to this silent film, which suited it very well.

The special effects alone on this film will astound anyone who has seen American SF serials from the same period, such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. This 1930s speculation amazes with its accuracy of prediction. Everything from the look of the rocket ships, to the weightlessness scene, weighted boots for moon walks, etc. Even most Hollywood depictions of space travel from the 1950s were not this well produced. Kosmicheskii Reis is a must-have for any serious SF collection, if you can find it! Hopefully we will see a nice box set of early Soviet SF cinema some day. This gem deserves the kind of restoration treatment that Fritz Lang's Metropolis has received.