European (or non-Western) Sci Fi movies

[The Ferret]

Recommendations on European (or non-Western) Sci Fi that are bizarre, futuristic, or strange:

Solyaris (1972)
Directed by
Andrei Tarkovsky

The Days of Eclipse (Dni zatmeniya) (1988)
Directed by
Aleksandr Sokurov

The Amphibian Man (1962)
Directed by
Vladimir Chebotaryov
Gennadi Kazansky

Tears of Kali (2004)
Directed by
Andreas Marschall

In the Dust of the Stars (1976)
Directed by
Gottfried Kolditz

Test pilota Pirxa (1978)
Directed by
Marek Piestrak

First Spaceship on Venus (1960)
Directed by
Kurt Maetzig

Eolomea (1972)
Directed by
Herrmann Zschoche

Planeta Bur (1962)
Directed by
Pavel Klushantsev

The Heavens Call (1960)
Directed by
Mikhail Karzhukov
Aleksandr Kozyr

A Dream Come True (1963)
Directed by
Mikhail Karzhukov
Otar Koberidze

Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924)
Directed by
Yakov Protazanov

Humanoid Woman - To the Stars by Hard Ways (USA)
(1981)
Directed by
Richard Viktorov
Nikolai Viktorov

Cosmic Journey (International: English title) (informal title)
The Space Ship
The Space Voyage (International: English title) (DVD title)
(1936)
Directed by
Vasili Zhuravlyov

First on the Moon (Pervye na lune) (2005)
Directed by
Aleksey Fedorchenko

Zero City (Gorod Zero) (1988)
Directed by
Karen Shakhnazarov

[saavik256]

Tears of Kali (2004)
Directed by
Andreas Marschall

This most definitely has to be some odd, dark, macabre movie since Kali is a not-so-friendly deity in Hinduism..

[Pauk]

Yes, Test Pilota Pirxa - with "our" Alexander Kaidanovsky. I've seen it once, wondering ever since how to get hold of it again. One DVD I know is in Polish.
And "Man-amphibian" - the movie of my childhood. Super.

[The Ferret]

malishas said:

And "Man-amphibian" - the movie of my childhood. Super.

It sounds like an ancestor of the fantastic 'Man From Atlantis', starring Patrick Duffy. One of my childhood heroes, maybe the best!

[MaKS]

Someone should review eastern cinema - china, japan, korea - i think there are many interesting works. I'll speak for russian.

First of all, here must be mentioned:
Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986)
Directed by
Georgi Daneliya
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin-dza-dza!
Bizarre, futuristic and strange indeed. Go read about it.
(As far as i know this film has notable japanese fanbase. From time to time they invade russian imageboards.)

Also, my film of choice:
Dom, kotoryy postroil Svift (1983) - The House That Swift Built
Directed by
Mark Zakharov
A doctor of medicine arrives in Dublin to look after famous writer Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels), who fell into insanity. But it turns out, of all the weird people who surround deacon Swift the only insane one is doctor himself...

I highly recommend Mark Zakharov's films, they're clever, humorous and masterfully directed (he's no less known as theater director).

Tot samyy Myunkhgauzen (1979) - That Munchhausen
Directed by
Mark Zakharov
That well-known baron Munchhausen... was he really a liar? Even if everyone around thinks so?

Formula lyubvi (1984) - Formula of Love
Directed by
Mark Zakharov
In 16th century a famous magician, count Cagliostro, visits Russia, where a young aristocrate begs him to animate a greek statue of beautiful maiden.

Ubit' drakona (1988) - To Kill The Dragon
Directed by
Mark Zakharov
A traveller who happend to be the famous knight Lancelot comes into a city under facist-like tyranny of the Dragon. He's bound to fight the monster... But does the city want to be freed?

(But be warned, Zakharov's films are not sci-fi like, they're closer to fantasy tales.)

Some other films i can remember right now that seem fit.
Parad planet (1984) - Parade of the Planets
Directed by
Vadim Abdrash itov
A roadmovie-like story, a group of men travels through strange places like the women only city or lost in the woods elderly almshouse. Lifelike; not much action, expect to be bored.

Dukhov den' (1990) - The Day of Spirits (Whit Monday)
Directed by
Sergei Selyanov
After an interview with Ivan Khristoforov, who seem to have psy powers (pyrokinesis), KGB takes him into secret facility to other psy users. Recalling childhood memories, Ivan escapes and tries to find other Khristoforovs.
(It worth mentioning that the main hero's part is played by one of the most popular russian rock artists, Yuriy Shevchuk.)

[blue]

Lists as these in this thread are precisely what are needed. How many new interesting films to explore! I’m sorry I haven’t much to contribute since I must confess I don’t know very much about sci-fi. But I certainly think sci-fi of this kind is much more interesting than the western one, that it has something to say. The only problem with these films is to get hold of them, I guess.

Wow, I didn’t know that Sokurov made sci-fi! I watched his 'Mother and Son' a week ago. It’s a dark film but poignant. And very different.

[MaKS]

Hmm, it's hard to say if that's even sci-fi... The film seems completely realistic, if you won't notice it's (very loosely) based upon "A Billion Years Before The End Of The World" a.k.a. "Definetly Maybe" (Strugatskie brothers once again).
Brief review here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitely_Maybe_novel (the correct URL seem to be inappropriate for the board system, perform the search there)

[The Ferret]

MaKS,

Among all these movies, what's the most similar to 'STALKER'? 'PARAD PLANET'?

[MaKS]

Noone. "Stalker" is unique. Sorry.

Sort of fit, maybe, "Dom, kotoryy postroil Svift (1983)" and "Zero City (Gorod Zero) (1988)", but only sort of, you see...

The better resemblance i can think of lies not in the sci-fi cinema area, but in short animation. Someone mentioned it in imdb.com Tarkovskiy board - Yuri Norshtein's "Hedgehog in the Fog", i think, shares bits of same vision as Tarkovskiy's, and his (Y. N.) "Tale of tales" is often associated with "Zerkalo".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_in_the_Fog
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tale_of_Tales

[The Ferret]

Can you tell more about 'Tale of tales' ? ... out of the two you mentioned, it seems to me the "most" inspirational; but you're d**n right, 'STALKER' is unique.

"Dom, kotoryy postroil Svift (1983)" and "Zero City (Gorod Zero) (1988)" Tell me more, please.

[MaKS]

It's difficult to describe the "Tale of tales" just like it's difficult with "Zerkalo"... The scenes follow each other for no obvious reason. There's that little wolf with sad eyes doing things, but why - to me it's all very unclear. Also, in this particular work, Yuriy Norshtein seem to play with symbolism more willingly than A. T. ever - from obvious, like disappearing dancers (WWII), to confusing, like the manuscript the little wolf stole... (Unlike the "Hedgehog", where's nothing symbolic or confusing at all.) Made in Norshtein's touching and fragile manner, the film has its special charm and aftertaste.

"The House that Swift Built" makes use of J. Swift's biography and fiction to tell a new story. I'd call it a fantasia about J. Swift's life and death. The main character, though, is a doctor of medicine who came to treat deacon Swift (who's considered to be mentally deceased and juridically is already dead); highly practical, rationalistic and culturully illitirate fellow ("Who is this Hamlet guy? I don't have time to read fiction!"). He enters the house, occupied by Swift's household and crowded with insane people who pretend to be characters from the "Gulliver's Travels" - giants and lilliputs, immortals, talking horses etc. Soon the doctor learnes about the little miracles and big mysteries of the house.
It's rather hard or even useless to describe the whole story, because it's rather complicated and sometimes just needs to be seen. Where is it Stalker-like, you might ask. There is something about the aura of unspoken mystery of the house; and the doctor enters it like the Zone - if the Zone could be so populated, noisy and scandalous. Then again, the film is not Stalker-like, it's rather theatrical, ironic, often ludicrous.

"Zero City" is more serious, leaning to disturbing absurd. Engeneer Varakin comes into a provincial city, to a factory his organization has a contract with. He gots involved into a handful of absurd situations. When he comes to the factory director, he sees completely nude secretary - but noone else seem to notice that... He says to the director "She's nude!"; the director looks out, answers "You know, you're right, she's nude... What was your business again?" In a restaurant the cook presents him a cake shaped in form of Varakin's head. When the engeneer rejects to eat it, the cook immediately commits suicide. Varakin tryes to get out of the city, but fails all the time; not even trains come to the station, although he came on one.
The film is often seen as a soviet system satire and/or an absurd comedy; but it overgrown those intentions and soon became cult. I'm not sure why, but maybe it's because Varakin who reminds me a stalker tired of the "normal" people's world. The film's rather pessimistic, even tragic.

[blue]

maks said:

Hmm, it's hard to say if that's even sci-fi... The film seems completely realistic, if you won't notice it's (very loosely) based upon "A Billion Years Before The End Of The World" a.k.a. "Definetly Maybe" (Strugatskie brothers once again).
Brief review here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitely_Maybe_novel (the correct URL seem to be inappropriate for the board system, perform the search there)

Hmmm… interesting. But there doesn’t seem to be any dvd/vhs with English subtitles. Would the imagery be worthwhile in itself maybe?

[MaKS]

blue said:

maks said:

Hmm, it's hard to say if that's even sci-fi... The film seems completely realistic, if you won't notice it's (very loosely) based upon "A Billion Years Before The End Of The World" a.k.a. "Definetly Maybe" (Strugatskie brothers once again).
Brief review here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitely_Maybe_novel (the correct URL seem to be inappropriate for the board system, perform the search there)

Hmmm… interesting. But there doesn’t seem to be any dvd/vhs with English subtitles. Would the imagery be worthwhile in itself maybe?

I honestly do not think so. The film probably worth watching, but be sure you'll understand what they say in it. The film is very different from the original novel.

[The Ferret]

'ZERO CITY' looks like a very worthwile "Stalker-reminder" movie if you ask me... It's genius! I've to research more about this flick. I love when absurdity becomes science, and when movies try to depict absurdity as a law of physics or a state of "reality".

www.imdb.com/title/tt0095244/

There is no DVD release yet. Which is a real shame.

[cementimental]

I can't think of many european ones not already mentioned, but of course there's a whole world of Japanese Sci-fi films.... the best and most truly 'SF' of which are animated.

One particular recommendation I do have, which covers all this thread's bases (europe, japan and Stalker,) is Mamoru Oshii's feature "Avalon."

It's a japanese film, shot in poland with polish dialogue, and I think owes a great deal to Stalker visually and conceptually. Even the soundtrack seems somewhat in a similar vein.

Not to say it's derivative at all, but you can really see a Stalker influence. At least, i can! ^_^

Also on a different level you can see it as Oshii showing the Wachowski's how it's REALLY done...

All Oshii's films are pretty great/interesting... his earlier live action stuff is much more french new wave influenced... his anime are all worth a look. Most of his work has a dreamlike pace and philosophical tone that I think would be appreciated by most fans of stalker. Particularly recommended are his "Angel's Egg" and the much easier to find "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" (the first one is good but the sequel is really amazing) and "Urusei Yatsura Movie 2" (tho you really need to have seen at least some of the Urusei Yatsura tv series to fully appreciate the genius of this one)