Presented from the new 4K restoration of the film which premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Second Run present a new Blu-ray Special Edition of Jindřich Polák’s seminal work of fantasy cinema: IKARIE XB 1.
Polák’s pioneering and much-imitated feature IKARIE XB 1 is one of the cornerstones of contemporary sci-fi cinema. It predates Star Trek and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and was clearly a pronounced influence on both - and on countless other science-fiction films and TV shows that followed.
Adapted from Stanisław Lem's novel The Magellanic Cloud, the film is set in 2163 and follows a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity. With outstanding design, a wonderful score by the great Zdeněk Liška and glorious monochrome cinematography, IKARIE XB 1 is imbued with a seriousness, intelligence and attention to detail rarely seen in science-fiction cinema of the period.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• Presented from a new 4K restoration of the film from original materials by the Czech National Film Archive.
• An appreciation by author and critic Kim Newman.
• The Most Ordinary of Occupations (Nejvšednější povolání, 1963) – a short film about science and mathematics by Josef Kořán.
• US version Voyage to the End of the Universe alternative opening credits and end scene.
• Booklet featuring a substantial essay by writer and film historian Michael Brooke.
• Trailer.
• Voyage to the End of the Universe trailer.
• Image gallery
• Region Free Blu-ray (A/B/C)
• Easter egg
