One of the most remarkable discoveries of the Soviet silent cinema, Aelita is a stunning big-budget science fiction spectacle. Enormous futuristic sets and radical constructionist costumes were designed by Alexandra Exter to enhance this story of romance, comedy and danger. A Moscow engineer designs a spaceship and travels to Mars to meet the woman who haunts his dreams. He succeeds but finds himself embroiled in a Martian proletarian uprising. Aelita, with its exaggerated production design and political undertones, was a profound influence on Fritz Lang's Metropolis three years later. Silent, with orchestral score.

Yakov Protazanov---USSR---1924---113 mins.

• Image Entertainment