settima

SciFi

Test pilota Pirxa [Pilot Pirx's Inquest] (Marek Piestrak, 1979)

Apr

12

International Day of Human Space Flight

Test pilota Pirxa (1979)

Men and nonlinears to board the ship set for Saturn's Cassini Division. DP: Janusz Pawłowski.

A manned spaceship for the International Day of Human Space Flight

“He began thinking about the innocence of machines, about how man had endowed them with intelligence and, in doing so, had made them an accomplice of his mad adventures. About how the myth of the golem — the machine that rebelled against its creator — was a lie, a fiction invented by the guilty for the sake of self-exoneration.”

– Stanisław Lem, Opowieści o pilocie Pirxie (1968)

Commander Pirx is sent out on a secret mission to evaluate “nonlinears” – androids – to determine if they can be used for future space flights. In a blind test, androids and humans form a crew for Pirx to investigate and identify.

1. April 2000 [April 1, 2000] (Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1952)

Apr

1

2000

1. April 2000 (1952)

The President of the Global Union (Hilde Krahl) stepping out of her spaceship. DPs: Sepp Ketterer, Karl Löb & Fritz Arno Wagner.

The Bed Sitting Room (Richard Lester, 1969)

Mar

22

National Goof-off Day

The Bed Sitting Room (1969)

The BBC (Frank Thornton) bringing you the news (still via). DP: David Watkin.

A truly silly film for National Goof-off Day (USA)

“I am the BBC as you can see, and here was the last news.”

– The BBC

Grauzone [Zones] (Fredi M. Murer, 1979)

Mar

21

1976

Grauzone (1979)

The anonymous, urgent newspaper announcement referencing the oath of secrecy considering a mysterious epidemic, starting March 21, 1976. It lists all the symptoms. DP: Hans Liechti.

Eine mysteriöse EPIDEMIE ist ausgebrochen.

Baron Prášil [The Fabulous Baron Munchausen] (Karel Zeman, 1962)

Mar

14

Under the Skin – 2013

Baron Prášil (1962)

A weird of quirky sci-fi film on the date Under the Skin (2013) was released in the UK.

“I cast my hat out into the universe, let it greet those who are on their way from Earth. From this day forward, the Moon is no longer a dream.”

– Cyrano de Bergerac

Invasión [Invasion] (Hugo Santiago, 1969)

Mar

9

Bobby Fischer – 1943

Invasión (1969)

Don Porfirio (Juan Carlos Paz) in front of a map of Aquileia. DP: Ricardo Aronovich.

Strategy for Bobby Fischer's birthday (1943).

 

People meticulously plan, move, and countermove in response to an invasion.

Fata/Morgana [Left-Handed Fate / Panik 75] (Vicente Aranda, 1966)

Mar

9

Fata/Morgana (1966)

Gim (Teresa Gimpera) modelling in a photo studio. The photographer, another woman in silhouette, has an identical hairstyle and outfit. DP: Aurelio G. Larraya.

The Falls (Peter Greenaway, 1980)

Mar

1

US Constitution – 1781

The Falls (1980)

A blonde wearing a floppy hat with peach-coloured ribbons and bird feathers attached to it, sits in front of three small whiteboards with study material such as pictures of waterfalls and pilots. Next to her a little fuse box, and on it a small, white fake bird and an orange-yellow egg. DPs: Mike Coles & John Rosenberg.

An important list in remembrance of the ratification of the Constitution of the United States on March 1, 1781.

“I have often thought it was very arrogant to suppose you could make a film for anybody but yourself… I like to think of The Falls as my own personal encyclopaedia Greenaway-ensis.”

– Peter Greenaway, via

Ninety-two people, all with a surname starting with f-a-l-l, survive unexpected catastrophes known as VUEs (Violent Unknown Events). These individuals experienced curious ailments, such as mutations of evolving into a bird-like form, speaking new languages, and becoming immortal.

 

This film, a list, describes them all.

First Man Into Space [Satellite of Blood] (Robert Day, 1959)

Feb

28

1958

First Man Into Space (1959)

A newspaper headline for February 28, 1958 reading THE HIGHEST MAN IN THE WORLD. DP: Geoffrey Faithfull.

“The conquest of new worlds always makes demands of human life. And there will always be men who will accept the risk.”

Der große Verhau [The Big Mess] (Alexander Kluge, 1971)

Feb

19

Copernicus born

Der große Verhau (1971)

Space ships made out of all sorts of junk pass a moon. DPs: Thomas Mauch & Alfred Tichawsky.

A film about outer space for Nicolaus Copernicus' birthday (1473).

 

In a galaxy far far away, the opening scroll informs us, a civil war rages between governments, greedy conglomerates, and rebels. Only a few scrap-dealing space pirates can save the day!