On the Silver Globe

(Na srebrnym globie, Andrzej Żuławski, Poland 1987, 157 min., DCP, Polish w/subtitles)

Andrzej Żuławski. Four astronauts settle on an alien planet in an attempt to create their own paradise, free of the weaknesses and vices of modern civilization. The ambitious concept is quickly warped by their degenerate descendants who unknowingly repeat all the errors made by the human race already: establishing hierarchical society, revering false gods, striving for expansion, and entering conflict with neighbors. A liberal adaptation of the first two tomes of the Lunar Trilogy by Polish modernist writer Jerzy Żuławski (incidentally also the director’s great-uncle), On the Silver Globe is one of the most innovative and philosophical science-fiction films of all time, comparable to such classics as Tarkovsky’s Solaris, Lang’s Metropolis, or Kubrick’s 2001.