Aelita, the Queen of Mars (Yakov Protazanov, 1924)
Directed by one of pre-Revolutionary Russia’s most prominent directors, Aelita is a science fiction film that tells the story of a young man living in Moscow who becomes infatuated with a Martian princess. After building a space ship, he travels to Mars and helps her lead an uprising against her totalitarian father who has enslaved his planet’s working class.
This film is notable for its constructivist costumes and sets, which were designed by renowned artists Aleksandra Exter and Isaak Rabinovich, respectively. Although the film is chiefly remembered for its elaborate Martian scenes, they actually constitute comparatively little of the film. Instead, the majority of Aelita takes place in Moscow and provides a glimpse of life during the New Economic Policy and the early days of the Soviet Union. This includes depictions of orphanages, shared apartments and the railway, as well as the inclusion of the character of Erlich, an opportunistic businessmen who represents what came to be known as NEPmen.[1]
Director: Yakov Protazanov
Writer: Fedor Otsep, adapted from a novel by Alexei Tolstoy
Cast: Yulia Solntseva, Igor Ilyinsky, Nikolai Tseretelli
Year: 1924
Production Studio: Mezhrabpom-Rus
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This film is notable for its constructivist costumes and sets, which were designed by renowned artists Aleksandra Exter and Isaak Rabinovich, respectively. Although the film is chiefly remembered for its elaborate Martian scenes, they actually constitute comparatively little of the film. Instead, the majority of Aelita takes place in Moscow and provides a glimpse of life during the New Economic Policy and the early days of the Soviet Union. This includes depictions of orphanages, shared apartments and the railway, as well as the inclusion of the character of Erlich, an opportunistic businessmen who represents what came to be known as NEPmen.[1]
Director: Yakov Protazanov
Writer: Fedor Otsep, adapted from a novel by Alexei Tolstoy
Cast: Yulia Solntseva, Igor Ilyinsky, Nikolai Tseretelli
Year: 1924
Production Studio: Mezhrabpom-Rus
Buy on Amazon.
WATCH AELITA HERE!
[1] Ian Christie. “Down to Earth: Aelita Relocated.” Inside the film factory: new approaches to Russian and Soviet cinema. Eds. Richard Taylor and Ian Christie. (London: Routledge, 1991) 81.