Strange New Worlds: Science Fiction At DEFA (1969-1976) (Blu-ray) (UK Import mit deutscher Tonspur)

Following the division of Germany in the aftermath of World War II, DEFA was established as the state-owned film studio of East Germany or the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Active from 1946 until its dissolution in 1992, the studio made hundreds of feature films in a diverse range of genres, from hard-hitting dramas to crime thrillers, fairytale adaptations and Westerns. During the 1960s and 1970s, it also produced a series of colourful and wildly imaginative science fiction films in which courageous cosmonauts attempt to unravel the secrets of the universe: The Silent Star, Signals: A Space Adventure, Eolomea and In the Dust of the Stars.

Based on Stanisław Lem’s The Astronauts, The Silent Star (1960) (Der schweigende Stern oder Raumschiff Venus antwortet nicht) begins as an extraterrestrial object is unearthed in the Gobi desert. When it is found to have originated on Venus, the crew of the spacecraft Kosmokrator is dispatched to the yellow planet to solve its mysteries.

In Signals: A Space Adventure (1970) (Signale - Ein Weltaumabenteuer), the Laika and its crew are sent to find a lost research vessel, the Ikaros. But as they draw nearer to the missing craft, they begin to intercept a series of strange radio transmissions.

Then, Eolomea (1972) sees several ships dispatched from the space station Margot disappear without trace – and it’s down to science officer Maria Scholl (Cox Habbema) to find out what happened to them.

Finally, In the Dust of the Stars (1976) (Im Staub der Sterne) follows the crew of the Cynro as they land on the planet TEM 4 to investigate a distress signal – and find themselves under the psychedelic influence of its bizarre inhabitants.

Pitched somewhere between Forbidden Planet, Star Trek, Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey, DEFA’s science fiction films are marvels of production design and practical effects work – as well as poignant commentaries on the central issues of the atomic age, including nuclear warfare, rapid technological advancement and capitalist expansion.

SPECIAL FEATURES

All four films presented in 1080p HD from restorations by the DEFA Foundation
Optional English subtitles on all features and shorts, newly revised for this release
Signals: A Space Adventure presented from a new 6K scan of the original 70mm camera negative
Eolomea presented from a 4K scan of the original 70mm camera negative
The Silent Star and In the Dust of the Stars presented from 2K scans of the original 35mm camera negatives
The Robot (Klaus Georgi, 1968) – animated short produced by the DEFA Studio for Animation Film
Jana and the Little Star (Christl Wiemer, 1971) – animated short produced by the DEFA Studio for Animation Film
Love 2002 (Joachim Hellwig, 1972) – documentary short on the future of love in East Germany produced by the DEFA Studio for Newsreels and Documentary Films
Audio commentaries on all four features by Rolland Man and presented by David Melville Wingrove
Blast Off – interview with science fiction scholar Mark Bould
Red Skies – interview with Soviet cinema expert Claire Knight
Marx Attacks – video essay by Daniel Jonah Wolpert on In the Dust of the Stars
British Filmmaker Visits DEFA (1959) – archival newsreel documenting Anthony Asquith’s visit to the set of The Silent Star
A Rocket in the Soviet Zone (1959) – archival newsreel covering the making of The Silent Star
Cosmonaut Dreams – archival featurette on the making of Eolomea, featuring special-effects cameraman Kurt Marks, costume designer Barbara Müller-Braumann and technician Jan-Peter Schmarje
Dusting Off After 30 Years – archival interview with Peter Suring, director of photography on In the Dust of the Stars
Original theatrical trailers