directed by Yakov Protazanov

USSR 1924, b/w, silent, 100 min

The Marxist struggle reaches outer space in this fanciful Russian science fiction film from the silent period. Los (Nikolai Tsereteli) is an engineer who dreams of traveling to other worlds and imagines that a beautiful woman named Aelita (Yuliya Solntseva) lives on the planet Mars. Frustrated with the petty political conflicts that are a big part of life on Earth, Los builds a spaceship and travels to Mars, where he discovers that the lovely Aelita really does exist and is Queen of the Planet. However, the realities of political struggle do not escape him; it seems that the Martian proletariat are attempting to rise up and take power just as the Russian rank and file did, and Los once again finds himself standing between the ruling leadership and the workers attempting to take control of their own lives. (Mark Deming, All Movie Guide)

Loosely based upon a novella by Alexei Tolstoy - Aelita, The Queen of Mars.

images journal » stills, promotional review » http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue08/reviews/aelita/