Synopsis:
The original and unedited version available for the very first time on the North American market!

The first science fiction film made in East Germany, The Silent Star is based on Stanislaw Lem's mysterious novel, The Astronauts (1951). An international expedition is sent to Venus to decipher a message found in the Gobi desert: a declaration of war on the Earth.

The movie was praised as a technical masterpiece and hit theaters during the U.S. / U.S.S.R. space race set off by the Sputnik launch.

An abridged and altered version of The Silent Star was released in the U.S. in 1962 as First Spaceship on Venus. Dubbed and 15 minutes shorter, that version introduced new names, changed the dialogue and deleted important scenes.

DVD release is supported by Film Polski, the DEFA Foundation and the Filmmuseum Potsdam.

Press Comments:
"The first influential post-war space opera from Eastern Europe." -- Aurum Film Encyclopedia

"A critically acclaimed serious space film with good special effects ... Try and imagine a 1960 American movie with a black astronaut." -- Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film

"A critically acclaimed science fiction film with a clear anti-nuclear statement and superb special effects." -- Motion Pictures Guide

Listed in The New York Times feature, “Hailing the DVD Distributors: The Best Vault Raiders of 2005.”

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