Presented from the new 4K restoration of the film which premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Second Run present a new Blu-ray Special Edition of Jindřich Polák’s seminal work of fantasy cinema: Ikarie XB 1.
Polák’s pioneering and much-imitated feature Ikarie XB 1 is one of the cornerstones of contemporary science fiction cinema. It predates Star Trek and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and was clearly a pronounced influence on both - and on countless other sci-fi films and TV shows that followed.
Adapted from Stanisław Lem's novel The Magellanic Cloud, the film is set in 2163 and follows a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity. With outstanding design and cinematography, and a superb score by Zdeněk Liška,Ikarie XB 1 is imbued with a seriousness, intelligence and attention to detail rarely seen in science-fiction cinema of the period.
Extras
Ikarie XB 1 presented from a new 4K restoration from original materials by the Czech National Film Archive
Short film The Most Ordinary of Occupations (Nejv edn j í povolání, 1963)
A filmed appreciation by Kim Newman.
Alternative US version Voyage to the End of the Universe opening and end scene
Booklet featuring a substantial essay by writer and film historian Michael Brooke.
Trailer.
Voyage to the End of the Universe trailer.
Photo gallery
New and improved English subtitle translation.
Region Free Blu-ray (A/B/C)
Original soundtrack in Dual Mono 24-bit LPCM audio.
