"A Brief History of Soviet Sci-fi" Topic

"While they are now regarded as singular masterpieces of world cinema, Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris and Stalker descended from a long tradition of science-fiction filmmaking from behind the Iron Curtain — one that was heralded by the visually dazzling epic Aelita – Queen of Mars in the silent era. In the notes below (originally written for a 2012 TIFF Cinematheque retrospective), cult-film aficionado Todd Brown offers a tour of some of the less-famed but no less fascinating examples of Soviet sci-fi.

The science-fiction tradition in the one-time Eastern Bloc was as rich and varied as anywhere in the Western world, and the region's film output is every bit as diverse as our own, ranging from art-house fare to populist comedies, hilariously cheesy space operas and grand adventures. And while there are some instances of open propaganda, there are also strains of sly satire — as well as evidence that the camp and excess of the swinging '60s didn't completely pass the Soviet world by. We present below a broad range of Soviet-era science fiction, a mix of acknowledged classics and outright pulp from Russia, the former Czechoslovakia, Poland and Estonia. Bearded ladies, post-apocalyptic wastelands, robot companions, vampire cars and outbursts of random dancing await — join us, comrades!…"
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Armand

Ferat's much-hyped new sports car is fuelled by the blood of its driver

This technology could solve a lot of problems in the world, notably reducing both carbon emissions and the involvement of major powers in the Middle East.

(smile)

Armand

"Ferat's much-hyped new sports car is fuelled by the blood of its driver"

Which is only one step away from collecting 'fuel' from unwary pedestrians ala Grand Theft: Auto… :-o

There is a lot of good and clever Russian SF especially in short stories; One that sticks in my mind is the one abut two alien explorers who land on a planet, find a wrecked vehicle and examine the photographs and skeletons to make educated guesses about the alien s who once lived there.

They then speculate why they never find signs of existing intelligent life; they conclude that firstly, most intelligent life kills itself off before it gets past a certain level of technology, and secondly, it's difficult for intelligent life to evolve. One of the explorer's wonders if it's possible for any intelligent creature to exist on the small parts of liveable planets that exists above the surface of the ocean, and their companion dismisses it, saying that life able to withstand the constant bombardment of DNA destroying Ultraviolet light =wouldn't be able to develop much farther than single cells
.

Thanks.

Armand