Ikarie XB 1 Blu-ray

'Ikarie XB 1' Director: Jindřich Polák (1963) Second Run Blu-ray | 4K restoration | Region Free |  Staff Pick  | Czech w/ English subtitles

A mission into deep space results in the crew confronting dark forces both in the cosmos and in their own minds.

Polák’s pioneering and much-imitated feature Ikarie XB 1 is one of the cornerstones of contemporary sci-fi cinema. It predates Star Trek, Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Tarkovsky's Solaris, and comes from the same author of the latter - Polish science fiction heavyweight Stanisław Lem. With a wonderful score from Zdeněk Liška.

Special features include:
- A filmed appreciation by author and critic Kim Newman
-  The Most Ordinary of Occupations (Nejvšednější povolání, 1963) – a short film about science and mathematics by Josef Kořán
- Voyage to the End of the Universe - opening credits and end-sequence from the alternative, dubbed US version.
- Booklet featuring a substantial essay by writer and film historian Michael Brooke