 |
On the Silver Globe (Na Srebrnym Globie) is a remarkable science fiction epic by Andrzej Zulawski. The movie begins with primitives trading a recording device to astronauts. The tapes chronicle the history of four earlier astronauts that crashed and began a civilization on the planet they are on. A man is wounded from the crash and dies shortly later. The rest, two men and a woman, explore this world and have a lot of children. In a few decades there are now hundreds of people with their own culture. The children consider the last surviving male astronaut an all-knowing god. The new astronauts enter this strange culture with a cult-like religion that considers them gods.
On the Silver Globe got into trouble with communist censors who halted its production. Parts of the movie were unfinished so they are filled in with the director telling us what should have been there while we see filler footage of landscapes or city scenes. It is unfortunate that Zulawski wasn't able to finish it as he intended but we are fortunate enough it wasn't completely lost (about 1/5 of the film is missing). Why the censor halted production is unknown as there really isn't anything political in the film (although a reoccurring philosophical theme concerns if we are more than just animals, that is to say, if we are a soul in a body).
I would give On the Silver Globe high grades for being original. The film is based on the Lunar Trilogy books written by the director's granduncle Jerzy Zulawski in the early 1900s. Although aspects of this movie can be compared to others, its innovativeness is impressive. The bizarre world we see in On the Silver Globe is like seeing another culture that is foreign to us.
I haven't seen too many of Andrzej Zulawski's films but the one's I did left me with a great impression of his ability; he is a brilliant director. I only wish he had more Polish films (he has more in French than in Polish). Besides Zulawski fans, those that enjoy serious science fiction and Polish films buffs may enjoy this movie (as science fiction is a relatievly rare genra in Polish cinema). I would defiantly call On the Silver Globe an art film so those who appreciate this type of cinema should also check it out.
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
|
|
