The Soviet Union's first science fiction spectacle, directed by
Yakov Protazanov for Mezhrabpom-Rus and adapted from Alexei Tolstoy's
novel. In post-revolutionary Moscow, engineer Los builds a rocket
and flies to Mars, where he falls for the planet's queen, Aelita
(Yuliya Solntseva), and helps spark a Martian proletarian uprising.
The film's lasting fame rests on its astonishing constructivist
design — Alexandra Exter's geometric Martian costumes and sets look
like nothing else in silent cinema — while its Earthbound scenes
offer a wry portrait of life under the New Economic Policy. Released
in the United States as Revolt of the Robots. A 1924 production, it
is in the public domain in the United States.
Science Fiction · Drama · Fantasy · Silent