Moonwolf

Moonwolf (known in German as *Zurück aus dem Weltall* and in Finnish as *Avaruusraketilla rakkauteen*) is a 1959 science fiction film co-produced by West Germany and Finland. It was directed by Georges Friedland and Martin Nosseck, and is an original story, not based on any novel.

The story begins when the West German government decides to launch a wolf dog named Wolff into space aboard a rocket. Feeding the animal in orbit proves difficult, so the mission is aborted and the rocket returns to Earth, landing in Finnish Lapland. Two scientists, Dr. Holm (Carl Möhner) and Professor Robert (Richard Häussler), travel to Finland to locate the rocket. Along the way, Holm recounts a previous research trip to Finland, where he met Ara (Anneli Sauli), the daughter of a weather station owner, and where he originally acquired Wolff.

The cast also includes Helmut Schmid as Johann, Paul Dahlke as Ara’s father, Ingrid Lutz as Ilona, Horst Gentzen as Professor Robert’s assistant, and Åke Lindman as a lumberjack.

Most exterior scenes were filmed in Finnish Lapland, while interior shots were captured partly at Suomen Filmiteollisuus (SF) studios in Helsinki during April–May 1958, and partly at CCC Film studios in West Berlin. Cinematographer Esko Töyri noted that SF provided about 80% of the film’s financing, and he handled roughly 70–75% of the cinematography.

In the United States, an English-dubbed version was distributed by Allied Artists Pictures in 1966. The film later became available on video through Sinister Cinema.