Ikarie XB 1
Country
CzechoslovakiaCopyright
1963Production year
1962Premiere
26 July 1963Runtime
83 minDirector
Jindřich PolákCategory
filmGenre
adventure, drama, psychological, sci-fiTypology
featuretheatrical distributionlongOriginal title
Ikarie XB 1Czech title
Ikarie XB 1English title
Ikarie XB 1English parallel title
Icarus XB 1Working title
Stříbrná kometa / Za 200 let koncem červnaSummary
In 1963 Jindřich Polák expanded his filmography with his sci-fi feature Ikarie XB 1 (Icarus XB 1). Thanks to its motif, the film constitutes a unique piece of Czechoslovak cinematography. The screenplay – on which Pavel Juráček collaborated – is based on Stanisław Lem’s novel Obłok Magellana (The Magellanic Cloud). The humanistic narration set in the year 2163 tells the story of a spaceship with an international crew making a voyage to seek signs of life in the Alpha Centauri star system... The feature won an award at the Trieste International Science Fiction Film Festival and was subsequently sold to many countries including the USA. The American International Pictures company transformed it into the American B-movie Voyage to the End of the Universe with English dubbing and Anglicised names for both the actors and members of the production crew credited in the titles. The feature was also recut (an ideologically-coloured scene that depicts an encounter with a derelict spaceship from the era of capitalism was omitted, and a new ending was created).
Synopsis
It is year 2163 and the space ship Icarus XB 1 with the crew sets off to the Alfa Centauri planet system. Life on board has its firm rhythm, but after four months, the staff begins to display signs of boredom and annoyance. The celebration held on the occasion of the 110th birthday of the mathematician Anthony thus represents a welcome change. The entertainment is, however, interrupted by an alert - a mysterious space ship appears on the screen. In a rocket from 1987, the researchers Kubeš and Herold find the dead bodies of rich people who escaped from the endangered Earth long ago and later killed each other. Kubeš accidentally explodes an atomic weapon and both men die. Icarus continues on its way. Svenson and Michal have to step into outer space to mount a reserve motor. Shortly afterwards, Icarus falls under the influence of the Dark Star, whose radiation attenuates the biochemical reactions in all living organisms, and the whole crew thus falls asleep. Upon waking up they find out that a mysterious field of energy appeared between the space ship and the Dark Star and protected them. Michal and Svenson, who had been exposed to the radiation, however, fall ill. Fortunately, it proves possible to cure them. Icarus is getting close to the White Planet and the astronauts find out that the protective energy field was the work of the planet's inhabitants. They observe a fantastic city of the aliens on their screens. Yet before they land, the young astronaut Štefa delivers a baby.
Film online
Photos
Cast
Zdeněk Štěpánek
velitel Vladimír Abajev
Radovan Lukavský
zástupce velitele Mac Donald
Dana Medřická
socioložka Nina Kirová
Miroslav Macháček
astronaut Marcel Bernard
František Smolík
matematik Anthony Hopkins
Jiří Vršťala
pilot Erik Svenson
Svatava Hubeňáková
Rena, Mac Donaldova žena
Otto Lackovič
koordinátor Michal
Jaroslav Mareš
astronaut Milek Wertbowsky
Marcela Martínková
astronautka Štefa, Milkova žena
Martin Ťapák
Voice by Bohumil Bezouška
astrobiolog Petr Kubeš
Rudolf Deyl ml.
pilot Ervín Herold
Irena Kačírková
astronautka Brigita Wagnerová
Jozef Adamovič
Voice by Ivo Palec
koordinátor Zdeněk Lorenc
Růžena Urbanová
historička Eva
Jaroslav Rozsíval
lékař
Eva Cedlová
koordinátorka
Václav Irmanov
koordinátor
Zdenka Borovičková
koordinátorka
Vladimír Navrátil
koordinátor
V. Maláková
koordinátorka
J. Vicherková
koordinátorka
Ladislav Mrkvička
Romeo ve filmu
Hana Pražanová
Julie ve filmu
Jan Cmíral
člen posádky
Jiří Cejnek
člen posádky
Věra Křesadlová
členka posádky
Karel Duba
člen posádky
Gustav Voborník
člen posádky
Olga Navrátilová
členka posádky
Olga Schoberová
členka posádky
Vladimír Štúr
člen posádky
Miroslav Abrahám
člen posádky
L. Prokůpek
člen posádky
R. Junášková
členka posádky
Renáta Pospíšilová
členka posádky
Marcela Trsková
členka posádky
V. Urbánek
člen posádky
V. Hrabák
člen posádky
Naděžda Blažíčková
tanečnice
Alena Martinovská
tanečnice
František Halmazňa
tanečník
Bohumil Klika
tanečník
Věra Burešová
tanečnice
Jaguše Podešvová
tanečnice
L. Stejskalová
tanečnice
J. Januška
navigátor
J. Lacina
robot
Zdeněk Jelínek
klavírista
Jan S. Kolár
mrtvý muž
Marie Popelková
mrtvá žena
Josef Drbohlav
mrtvý muž
D. Kalibová
mrtvá žena
J. Sluštická
mrtvá žena
I. Sigrotová
mrtvá žena
V. Zítko
mrtvý muž
B. Kocian
mrtvý muž
V. Smolík
mrtvý muž
Commentary
Dubbing
Bohumil Švarc
hlas palubního počítače
Crew and creators
Director
Second Unit Director
Assistant Director
Continuity
Screenstory
Screenplay
Director of Photography
Second Unit Photography
Camera Operator
Production Designer
Assistent Production Designer
Set Designer
Jaroslav Ciboch, Karel Lukáš, Karel Smrž
Costume Designer
Costumes
Make-Up Artist
Rudolf Hammer, Karel Holek, Libuše Švejdová, František Klema
Film Editor
Assistant Film Editor
Sound Designer
Jaromír Svoboda, Bohumír Brunclík (zvukové efekty), Jaromír Svoboda (zvukové efekty)
Special Effects
Jan Kališ, Milan Nejedlý, Jiří Hlupý, Pavel Nečesal, Karel Císařovský, František Žemlička, Trikový ateliér FSB
Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
František Jaderník, Ludmila Tikovská
Unit Production Manager
Eliška Doubková, Ferdinand Zelenka
Consultant
inž. Milan Ledvina, prof. dr. inž. Rudolf Pešek, doc. dr. Vladimír Guth, Milan Morávek, pplk. MUDr. Jan Hospodář, kpt. Milan Kauders
Cooperation
Ladislava Boudová (klapka), Miroslav Pešan (fotograf)
Music
Music Composed by
Selected Music
Arthur Honegger (klavírní skladba)
Music Performed by
FISYO (Music Conducted by František Belfín)
Choreographer
František Halmazňa
Production info
Original Title
Ikarie XB 1
Czech Title
Ikarie XB 1
English Title
Ikarie XB 1
English Parallel Title
Icarus XB 1
Working Title
Stříbrná kometa / Za 200 let koncem června
Category
film
Typology
featuretheatrical distribution
Genre
adventure, drama, psychological, sci-fi
Origin country
Czechoslovakia
Copyright
1963
Production Year
1962
Production specifications
literary Screenplay approved 8 March 1961
technical Screenplay approved 16 January 1962
start of filming 13 February 1962
end of filming 20 December 1962
projection approval 1 April 1963
Premiere
premiere 26 July 1963 /suitable for youths/ (kino Blaník /3 týdny/, Praha)
premiere 26 July 1963 /suitable for youths/ (celostátní)
renewed premiere 1 April 1986 /suitable for youths/
renewed premiere 16 June 2016 /suitable for all ages without limit/
Distribution slogan
Digitally restored and back in cinemas.
Production
Copyright Holders
Studio
Distribution
Ústřední půjčovna filmů (původní 1963 a obnovená 1986), Národní filmový archiv (obnovená 2016)
Creative Group
Tvůrčí skupina Šebor – Bor, Vladimír Bor (vedoucí dramaturg tvůrčí skupiny), Jiří Šebor (vedoucí výroby tvůrčí skupiny)
Technical info
Duration typology
feature film
Duration in minutes
83 min
Original length in metres
2 359 meters
Distribution carrier
16mm, 35mm, DCP 2-D, BRD
Aspect ratio
1:1,66, 1:2,35
Colour
black & white
Sound
sound
Sound system/format
mono
Versions
Czech
Dialogue languages
Czech
Subtitles languages
without subtitles
Opening/End credits languages
Czech
Awards
Vítěz
Festival: 1. mezinárodní festival vědecko-fantastických filmů Terst
1963
Terst / Italy
Revue
Ikarie XB 1 in the West
The screening of Ikarie XB 1 as part of the Cannes Classic presentation was not the first opportunity foreign audiences ...
Czechoslovak science-fiction films
Only a handful of films which could be described as of the science fiction variety were made in Czechoslovakia prior to ...
