''The Andromeda Nebula'' (russian: Туманность Андромеды) is a 1967 Soviet

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

starring

Sergei Stolyarov Sergei Dmitrievich Stolyarov (russian: Серге́й Дми́триевич Столяро́в; – 9 December 1969) was a film and theater actor. The winner of the Stalin Prize of the first degree (1951). People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969). Mem ...

and directed by

Yevgeni Sherstobitov Yevgeni, Yevgeny, Yevgenii or Yevgeniy (russian: Евгений), also transliterated as Evgeni, Evgeny, Evgenii or Evgeniy, is the Russian form of the masculine given name Eugene. People with the name include: :''Note: Occasionally, a person may b ...

at the Dovzhenko Film Studios. The film was originally intended to be the first episode of a series of films, alternatively titled as ''The Andromeda Nebula: Episode I. Prisoners of the Iron Star'', but the remaining parts were never made due to Stolyarov's death.

Plot

The film is based upon the 1957 novel '' Andromeda Nebula'' by

Ivan Yefremov Ivan Antonovich (real patronymic Antipovich) Yefremov ( ru , Ива́н Анто́нович (Анти́пович) Ефре́мов; April 23, 1908 – October 5, 1972; last name sometimes transliterated as Efremov) was a Soviet paleonto ...

. It follows the story of a group of humans on the spaceship ''Tantra'' who are tasked with investigating the home planet of an alien race. They discover that artificial radioactivity has killed almost all life on that planet. During the voyage home the ship is trapped by the gravitational force of an

iron star In astronomy, an iron star is a hypothetical type of compact star. Unrelatedly, the term "iron star" is also used for blue supergiants which have a forest of forbidden FeII lines in their spectra. They are potentially quiescent hot luminous blue ...

and lands on a planet orbiting the star. Surrounded by predators who destroy human nervous system through space suits, the crew has to fight to see Earth again. The film was considered by some in the Soviet Union as being mildly pornographic at time of release and a review in the magazine of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

, ''

Marxism Today ''Marxism Today'', published between 1957 and 1991, was the theoretical magazine of the Communist Party of Great Britain. The magazine was headquartered in London. It was particularly important during the 1980s under the editorship of Martin Jacque ...

'', fifteen years later, noted the "Russian space tits controversy" as an example of "both increasing boundaries of the permissable as well as showing increased censorship in the early Brezhnev era".

Cast

References

* Wingrove, David.

Science Fiction Film Source Book ''The Science Fiction Film Source Book'' is a book by David Wingrove published in 1985. Plot summary ''The Science Fiction Film Source Book'' is a book consisting of list of science fiction film plot summaries, with information about producers, di ...

(Longman Group Limited, 1985)

External links

* 1967 films 1960s science fiction films Fiction set in the Andromeda Galaxy Films based on science fiction novels 1960s Russian-language films Soviet science fiction films Films set in the 31st century Films set on fictional planets {{1960s-sf-film-stub