Croisières sidérales (1942)

It may be the first time they have used the theory of relativity in a story.

Director:

André Zwoboda (as Andre Zwobada)

Writers:

Pierre Guerlais (screenplay), Pierre Bost (adaptation)

Stars:

Madeleine Sologne, Jean Marchat, Julien Carette

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Madeleine Sologne	...	Françoise Monier
Jean Marchat	...	Robert Monier
Julien Carette	...	Lucien Marchand (as Carette)
Robert Arnoux	...	Le banquier Antoine
Simone Allain	...	Béatrice (as Simone Alain)
Auguste Bovério	...	Le directeur (as Boverio)
Violette Briet	...	Marie
Jean Dasté	...	Pépin (as Jean Daste)
Luce Ferrald	...	Gaby
Richard Francoeur	...	Charles (as Francoeur)
Paul Frankeur	...	Le premier bonimenteur
Tony Jacquot	...	Le jeune marié
Georges Jamin	...	Gustave
Guita Karen	...	La vénusienne
Serge Laroche	...	Philippe

Storyline

In 1942, Robert and Françoise Monier make a hot air balloon to fly to the stratosphere.Before leaving ,the husband has an accident.His wife carries out the experiment with the laboratory assistant.The balloon drags them along towards space ;after a visit to Venus where they meet a couple fluent in French,they land on the good old Earth but,(theory of relativity) they have aged fifteen days whereas on their native planet ,twenty-five years have passed.

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Plot Keywords:

space travel | outer space | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

29 April 1942 (France)

Also Known As:

Sideral Cruises

Filming Locations:

Studios Eclair, Epinay-sur-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Industrie Cinématographique

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Variray Blue Seal Recording (Tobis Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Certain scenes were planned to be filmed in color but the project fell through.

User Reviews

Everything is relative

"The only sci-fi movie made during the Occupation days ", "Croisières Sidérales " is another of those escape movies that were supposed to make the French forget they were under the Germans' thumb.

With the exception of the movies made by Meliès in the prehistoric times ,there are very few "space movies" (if there are any) in France .This one features scenes "in space" but the lack of means make them ludicrous;ditto for the Venus exploration,where you can breathe as easily as on good old Earth ,where the natives (a man and a woman,another Adam and Eve) speak French ,like everybody should in the universe ;sign of the times ,the two lovers choose to stay on this planet,after learning that "on Venus ,we have science but we use it in a good way ,in a way you people of the Earth don't".

The subject of the movie was the theory of relativity ,perhaps (correct me if I'm wrong) the first time screenwriters had used it for their story.But it's really a dismal attempt:although a line in the credits claims that the movie was based on scientific facts,who could believe that Madeleine Sologne and Julien Carette (Julien Carette!)are explorers of the stratosphere (and more)?

The director seems to be caught between two stools (and even three): the movie is ,in turn,dramatic (the woman meeting up with her husband ,who has become an old man),comic (sometimes unintentionally)or close to musicals (as the tourists are about to leave for the space-time mysteries, girls are singing and dancing all over the place ,as if they were in a Fred Astaire movie.)