The Silent Star
A Cold War sci-fi film warning of nuclear annihilation.
The Silent Star (German: Der schweigende Stern) is a 1960 East German/Polish color science fiction film directed by Kurt Maetzig. Based on Stanisław Lem's 1951 novel The Astronauts, it was the first science fiction film released by both East Germany and Poland. The film is notable for its international cast, early use of electronic music, and its cautionary tale about nuclear war.
Quick Facts
- Native Name
- de · Der schweigende Stern / pl · Milcząca Gwiazda
- Director
- Kurt Maetzig
- Screenplay
- Kurt Maetzig · J. Barkhauer (uncredited)
- Story
- J. Fethke · W. Kohlhasse · G. Reisch · G. Rücker · A. Stenbock-Fermor
- Based On
- The Astronauts · Stanisław Lem
- Starring
- Günther Simon · Julius Ongewe · Yoko Tani
- Music
- Andrzej Markowski
- Cinematography
- Joachim Hasler
- Editing
- Lena Neumann
- Studio
- Roter Kreis group of DEFA / Filmowe Iluzjon film studio
- Distributor
- Progress Film (East Germany) / Crown International Pictures (US)
- Released
- 26 February 1960 · East Germany · 1960 · 03 · 07 · Poland · 1962 · 10 · 31 · United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film follows an international crew aboard the spaceship Kosmoskrator, sent to Venus after a flight recorder from that planet is unearthed in the Gobi Desert. The crew discovers that the Venusians had planned to irradiate Earth and invade, but perished in their own global nuclear war. The crew must disarm a still-functioning weapon, leading to a tragic conclusion.
Reader's Guide
The Silent Star is significant as an early East German-Polish co-production and a rare socialist-bloc science fiction film. It reflects Cold War anxieties about nuclear war and features a diverse cast, including Julius Ongewe as the first black actor portrayed in space. The film's electronic soundtrack and visual effects were innovative for its time. Its US release as First Spaceship on Venus was shortened and re-dubbed. The film sold about 4.3 million tickets in Europe, making it one of the most successful DEFA films.
Did You Know?
- Julius Ongewe, a medical student from Nigeria or Kenya, was the first black actor portrayed travelling in space.
- The spaceship mock-up at Berlin-Johannisthal airfield was the subject of a hoax newspaper article claiming it was a failed Soviet spaceflight.
- The film's electronic sounds were produced with help from the Experimental Studio of Polish Radio.
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