A retelling of acclaimed Polish writer Stanisław Lem’s 1955 novel The Magellanic Cloud, Jindřich Polák’s Voyage to the End of the Universe (more commonly known by the Czech name Ikarie XB-1), is set in the year 2163 where a mission to deep space is searching for alien life. As the crew travel further and further away from civilisation they are confronted with the hazards of space – and their own minds.
A seminal piece of work, Ikarie XB-1’s influence can be seen throughout sci-fi cinema and TV history from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey to Star Trek. With stylised design and cinematography, the visuals are aided by a strong cast and the stunning score by Zdeněk Liška. This copy comes to us digitally restored from the National Film Archive in Prague.
