Though Andrei Tarkovsky is clearly the best known director in the ongoing ScreenAnarchy-curated Attack The Bloc series of Cold War era science fiction from the Eastern Bloc it is Russia's Richard Viktorov who boasts the most titles in the program. Three of Viktorov's films are included with two - Moscow Cassiopeia and Adolescents In The Universe - playing as a double bill on Thursday. Seldom seen on the big screen the pair of films chronicles the adventures of a space ship staffed entirely with teenagers on a mission to save a distant planet.
Check out a clip from Adolescents In The Universe below for a taste.
Bright and colorful bits of work these are a blast on the big screen. And you could see them for free, as I've got three pairs of tickets to give away. To claim a pair simply check out the Attack The Bloc lineup here and then email me the name of Viktorov's third film in the program.When radio signals reach Earth from a planet in a far distant star system, the starship Dawn is readied for immediate dispatch to search for signs of intelligent life. But as the ship will take decades to reach the planet, a young inventor proposes that a group of the best and brightest schoolchildren be sent in place of adult cosmonauts, as they will reach the planet in their prime of life. But naturally, things don't go quite as planned. . . . The first part of Richard Viktorov's "Kids in Space" epic (followed by Adolescents in the Universe) is pure adolescent wish-fulfillment, as the valiant young band of intergalactic explorers must prove that they are as tough, smart and resourceful as any grown-ups.
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In the second part of Richard Viktorov's "Kids in Space" diptych, the teenaged crew of the starship Dawn find themselves arriving at their destination in the distant star system Shedar twenty-seven years ahead of schedule due to a handy, if unintended, light-speed jump. Upon landing, they discover that the planet is now ruled by an army of disco-styled robots, who wish to bring about happiness by stripping their human creators of all emotions.
Check out a clip from Adolescents In The Universe below for a taste.