12. november 18:00
Sted: Cinemateket Trondheim
Polsk tale, engelsk tekst, 2t45m
Andrzej Żuławski's On the Silver Globe is a tapestry of contradictions: a science fiction film, an audacious philosophical allegory, and an aesthetic opera crafted by one of cinema's true visionaries.
Telling the story of a team of astronauts who travel to a desolate planet and form a new society, Żuławski (Possession) fuses stunning technical achievements with his own electrifying, relentless style, charging the film with a frenetic energy that forces the audience to confront its complex metaphors. His signature motifs—haunting, mirrored characters and visceral, hallucinatory performances—transform the film into a visual odyssey unlike any other.
Banned, and nearly obliterated, On the Silver Globe is the product of a harrowing, tumultuous production. In 1977, political authorities halted filming, and with brutal efficiency, the sets and costumes were destroyed. Yet in 1987, as Gorbachev's winds of change swept through Eastern Europe, Polish authorities relented, granting Żuławski the rare privilege to complete his work.
But instead of attempting to reconstruct the lost footage, Żuławski chose to embrace its absence, weaving together the raw, fragmented images of a contemporary Poland into a shattered epic. The result is a self-portrait of a filmmaker caught in the chaos of history, with the missing pieces of his film telling their own tragic story.
Even in its unfinished form, On the Silver Globe remains an indelible, haunting experience—an unparalleled vision that cannot be forgotten.
ab