Search - The DEFA Sci-Fi Collection on DVD

The DEFA Sci-Fi Collection
Actors: Yoko Tani, Oldrich Lukes, Ignacy Machowski, Julius Ongewe, Michail N. Postnikow
Genres: Indie & Art House, Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense

UR 2005 4hr 30min

Newly re-mastered and packed with fascinating bonus materials, THE DEFA SCI-FI COLLECTION features three seminal works from the legendary DEFA film studio: — The Silent Star, Eolomea and In the Dust of the Stars. Always pro... more »vocative, hugely influential and highly entertaining, these mind-bending stories of space exploration, alien races and utopian dreams (or nightmares) are finally available, unaltered and unedited, in all their space-age glory.

DEFA (Deutsche Filmaktiengesellschaft) was made up of the state-run studios of the former German Democratic Republic or East Germany. DEFA was headquartered in the legendary UFA Studios of the "film city" of Babelsberg near Berlin and was famous for the work of such artists as Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder and Marlene Dietrich. Spanning from 1946 to the 1990s, this body of films represents Europe's largest cohesive national cinema collection.

THE SILENT STAR

A film by Kurt Maetzig, based on Stanislaw Lem's novel The Astronauts. In this celebrated sci-fi classic, a mysterious object from outer space is found in the Gobi desert. An international expedition, dispatched to Venus to decipher the message it contains, discovers it is a declaration of war - on Earth!

The first sci-fi film made in East Germany by the legendary DEFA film studio, The Silent Star is a masterpiece in story, art and set design, and technology and was the forerunner of 2001: A Space Odyssey and, later, Contact. Based on the novel by Stanislaw Lem (who also wrote Solaris) and made during the U.S./U.S.S.R. space race set off by the Sputnik launch, The Silent Star is now finally available unedited and unaltered in this digitally remastered version.

IN THE DUST OF THE STARS

A film by Gottfried Kolditz. After a six year voyage from Earth provoked by an urgent message for help, the spaceship Cyrno and her crew arrive on the planet TEM 4 ready for action. But the "Temers" deny having sent the message. Before departing, one of the crewman discovers something mysterious going on under the surface of TEM 4. This groovy 70's sci-fi classic, replete with space age costumes, liberal social mores, and a socialist utopian undercurrent, is an enjoyable gem from the legendary DEFA East German film studio. Newly remastered, this version presents the original, unedited film in all its glory.

EOLOMEA

A film by Hermann Zschoche. A mysterious message - "Eolomea" - is received on Earth from a sector of space. Within three days, eight cargo ships disappear from the sector, and a space station goes silent. What is Eolomea - and who on Earth knows about it?

With shades of Tarkovsky, Kubrick, and even Jess Franco, this striking sci-fi classic from the legendary DEFA film studio features a spectacular space exploration plot grounded in realism the scientists drink and swear, the bureaucrats get in the way, and the space stations are reminiscent of MIR.

Larger Image

Movie Details

Actors: Yoko Tani, Oldrich Lukes, Ignacy Machowski, Julius Ongewe, Michail N. Postnikow
Genres: Indie & Art House, Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Love & Romance, Classics, Mystery & Suspense
Studio: First Run Features
Format: DVD - Color - Closed-captioned,Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 08/23/2005
Original Release Date: 10/31/1962
Theatrical Release Date: 10/31/1962
Release Year: 2005
Run Time: 4hr 30min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 3
SwapaDVD Credits: 3
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 5
Edition: Box set,Special Edition
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Languages: German
Subtitles: English

Similar Movies

The Silent Star
Director: Kurt Maetzig

UR 2005 1hr 35min

Westerns with a Twist
Apaches / Chingachgook - The Great Snake / The Sons of the Great Bear

NR 2006 4hr 33min

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun

G 2008 1hr 41min

Icons of Sci-Fi Toho Collection
Director: Ishirô Honda

UR 2009

Movie Reviews

Nice

jrc | Jonesboro, AR USA | 08/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Just reviewed my DEFA SCI FI collection. There are a few minor points about the Amazon listing for this collection. Note that it only contains 3 discs, not the 5 as listed. All of the features are presented in anamorphic widescreen in the proper ARs.

All three films are presented in German with English subtitles. The quality is quite good overall. The weakest transfer is the earliest, SILENT STAR (aka FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS). The transfer is a bit soft and there are some occasional minor color fluctuations around reel changes. It still looks much better than Image's DVD of FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS (the only other 2.35:1 transfer of this title on DVD).

The other two films were released in 1972 and 1976. I had never seen them before and found them interesting.

The SILENT STAR disc was obviously made in cooperation with UMASS, and probably contains most of the same extras that their $185 disc contains!

For fans of Euro Sci-Fi, this is a very interesting collection that I highly recommend.

"

Shame about the letterboxing

Shugg | UK | 01/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While it is wonderful to have these very interesting films available, it is a terrible shame that they are not presented anamorphically, but letterboxed. The subtitles are also infuriating - if you zoom the picture in, the subtitles on the 2 newer films lose their second line as they are not in the picture frame. Excellent prints and extras however. It's good to see a SF perspective that is completely out of the Hollywood zone."

Eine richtige Schande!

J. MOLDOVAN | 06/14/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The subtitles are almost completely useless. A shame if you don't speak German because the films are OK. With this fault in mind, the disks are a bit pricey."