DEFA's Sci-fi films

Spotlight on 4 DEFA Sci-Fi Films

The Silent Star (1960, Kurt Maetzig)

Signals (1970, Gottfried Kolditz)

Eolomea (1972, Herrmann Zschoche)

In the Dust of the Stars (1976, Gottfried Kolditz)

The recent release of these four sci-fi films produced by DEFA (Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft) , East Germany’s film studio, is a significant recalibration of sci-fi film lists. When it comes to sci-fi movies set in space, the lists are dominated by American studio productions with the few exceptions being Tarkovsky’s Solaris (1972), the Czech Ikarie XB-1 (1963) and the French film Fantastic Planet (1973). These four films provide a significantly different viewpoint from the American entries and highlight the differing thought around space exploration race between East and West.

The Silent Star shows an international team of men and women from different parts of the world who travel to Venus to make sense of a message they uncovered on Earth. The crew features scientists from Europe, Africa, Asia (China, India) and includes an American, who joins the crew despite having no support from his American counterparts. The film is far more inclusive of different cultures than the average Hollywood film is even today. The Silent Star was released before Star Trek (1966), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and even Ikarie XB-1 (1963). Therefore, it deserves credit as showcasing the space deck and crews working on their stations long before Star Trek and Ikarie XB-1 made it commonplace. The film is based on Stanislaw Lem’s novel The Astronauts so like with many things associated in sci-fi, Lem set the stage for our perception of things. The special effects are impressive for what one would expect of a 1960 film, and especially at a time when alien monsters weren’t regularly depicted on screen. The only reference point for this film would have been Forbidden Planet (1956).

As the title indicates, Signals is about radio messages received from space. This film stands apart from others in this four-film set and is more focused on theory than action. It is akin to seeing a cinematic version of a Carl Sagan book bursting with ideas. Signals came out after 2001 and one can see the influence of Kubrick’s film on this.

Eolomea is about space expedition and some of the space travel sequences shown is echoed by Interstellar. The film features an exploration mission to determine the multiple spaceships that have gone missing. The film continues the theoretical debate about space travel, ethics that Signals featured, and even highlights a scientist’s efforts to fund projects in an unorthodox manner.

In the Dust of the Stars is more closely aligned to what we now expect from space films: battle between humans and aliens, although in the film the aliens are in human form. In the film, a crew goes to an alien planet to respond to a distress call they receive. When they arrive on the planet, the aliens that live there mention the call was likely a mistake as everything is fine and they don’t need any help. Instead, the crew is invited to a feast and alien dance party that Captain Kirk would have loved (the alluring female aliens clearly a nod to Kirk and Star Trek). However, the crew eventually realize something isn’t right. The core story features captured locals who are slaving away to mine rare minerals. The crew then has to decide to help the locals fight the aliens. The rare minerals and planetary struggle has echoes of Dune which was written in 1965. If Dune wasn’t the reference, then the other obvious inspiration could be the capitalist / imperialist model of exploiting locals for resources.

Vital Sci-fi films

The four films in this set aren’t going to change the top Sci-fi films canon lists nor will they change my Top10. However, the films are vital to the overall sci-fi films discussion not only in terms of content but also context. The film features far more theoretical discussion about space travel than Hollywood films do as Hollywood is more interested in explosions and fights with aliens. Aliens are featured in The Silent Star and In the Dust of Stars but in a much different manner than Hollywood cinema. In terms of context, the films highlight the space race between East (USSR) and West (America). The messaging in the film shows far more collaboration than what one expects from American films. The multi-national crew in The Silent Star have a sense of unity and working together to save the planet. Given the film’s origin in East Germany, such messages would be dismissed as socialist propaganda. However, in our current divisive world, such words are actually refreshing instead of the isolationist messages and hatred towards foreigners that is taking hold across the planet.