The first science fantasy film in the history of the Polish cinematography.
A Polish – German (German Democratic Republic) reply to the Hollywood science-fiction films that frequently show the threat posed by extraterrestrial civilizations symbolizing the states of the Eastern Block.
The film combines the themes of space travels fashionable in the early 60-ties with international communist propaganda and a peace-promoting message.
A loose adaptation of the novel “Astronauci” by Stanisław Lem, a globally renowned writer, one of the most important authors of science-fiction books. The writer himself was dissatisfied with the visible propaganda theme included in the film, described the picture as a “blurry, socrealistic flop” and didn’t want his name to be included in the credits.
Innovative, eye-catching scenography by the Polish master Anatol Radzinowicz.
The story of a dangerous space travel becomes a warning of the consequences of the arms race and a nuclear war.
The year 1970. An artifact found on the Gobi Desert allows to determine that years ago a space shuttle from Venus crashed on the Earth. The Soviet Union, the most powerful state in the world, launches an international expedition that is to establish contact with the alien civilization. During the expedition astronauts gradually learn the horrible truth: the aliens didn’t come to the Earth with peaceful intentions, they intended to conquer the planet and exterminate the human race. The plans were never fulfilled because the military drive led the inhabitants of Venus to self-destruction and nuclear holocaust. The currently dead planet proves to be a lethal trap which the characters have to get out of.
The film was available in a Polish language version. Foreign actors were dubbed by such artists as Władysław Hańcza (professor Weimann), Danuta Szaflarska (doctor Sumiko) Stanisław Milski (Sikarno), Andrzej Szczepkowski (Brinkmann) or Igor Śmiałowski (Hawling)
In 1962 a few versions of “Milcząca gwiazda” hit the cinema screens in the US under various titles: “First Spaceship on Venus”, “Spaceship Venus Does Not Reply”, “Planet of the Dead” or “Silent Star”. The film was post-edited to adjust it to the American viewers’ expectations. The modifications included changing the nationality of many crew members and removing parts related to dropping a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima.
