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The DEFA Sci-Fi Collection

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

The East German-based DEFA film studio produced three great sci-fi films in the 1970s, which are collected on this set.

THE SILENT STAR: Eight curious scientists in the far-future year 1985 try to find the source and meaning of a message disc from the planet Venus. Based on "The Astronauts" by the great Stanislaw Lem (SOLARIS), this SF curio also boasts a multinational cast, as well as beautiful photography and production design. Though Lem disowned the film, it stands on its own rather well and is probably one of the best SF films from the fifties.

EOLOMEA: A thoughtful science-fiction film that springs from the infamous DEFA studio, EOLOMEA was filmed just a few years after Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY captured cinemagoers imaginations. The title refers to a message received from space by citizens still on earth. As they puzzle over what "eolomea" could mean, eight space craft go missing and a vast space station breaks off all communication. Although the special effects are a little creaky, the search for the missing vessels makes for absorbing viewing, and encompasses a broad range of familiar sci-fi themes; fans of genre classics such as Tarkovsky's SOLARIS and Douglas Trumbull's SILENT RUNNING should find much to love here.

IN THE DUST OF THE STARS: A retro '70s vision of the future, IN THE DUST OF THE STARS was made by the DEFA film studio. A radio signal attracts a team of astronauts to a mysterious planet. Once there, they are warmly welcomed by an alien race, but are soon suspicious of what is really occurring on this strange land. Although it looks dated now, IN THE DUST OF THE STARS carries a certain period charm, with the bearded space explorers resembling those in John Carpenter's amusing 1974 space romp DARK STAR.
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): FRF911733D
Credits

Yoko Tani, Aldrick Lukes, Cox Habbema, Ivan Andonov, Vsevolod Sanayev, Rolf Hoppe
Critic Reviews

"It's an interesting and entertaining lot, ranging from the relative sobriety of the 1960 Polish co-production THE SILENT STAR...to the screaming camp of IN THE DUST OF THE STARS."
New York Times