Movielogr
To the Stars by Hard Ways (1981)
Directed by Richard Viktorov
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
In the 23rd century, a reconnaissance craft discovers an unknown destroyed spaceship in deep recesses of space. The crew discovers the sole survivor - the mysterious Niya, an artificial being who appears to be the last of her kind, who possesses unique and unimaginable powers. Taken in by a family of scientists to unlock her memories and harness her abilities, a journey to discover Niya’s origins begins - taking us through the stars from Earth, to a dying planet light years away in need of help…
Length 148 minutes
Actors
Yelena Metyolkina | Vadim Ledogorov | Uldis Lieldidžs | Yelena Fadeyeva | Vatslav Dvorzhetsky | Nadezhda Sementsova | Aleksandr Lazarev | Aleksandr Mikhaylov | Boris Shcherbakov | Igor Ledogorov | Igor Yasulovich | Vladimir Fyodorov | Gleb Strizhenov | Lyudmila Nilskaya | Valeriy Nosik
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/23/2020 | TV | Broadcast | Other | 6 stars |
| (Average) 6 stars |
Viewing Notes
Really has a Alfonso Brescia vibe but a slower burn. Maybe it’s just the period and the harpsichord in the score that gives it the same mood. Also this story is way more heady than anything sci-fi Brescia has done. The main thru line seems easy enough to understand but there’s a lot going on around it that feels a tad overwrought. If this could be expertly edited down to an hour 45 min I bet it would be nice compact story about an alien saving her race.
Still this is a fascinating film that swings big with some wild Cold War allegories from the Soviet POV. Glad DKUTV programmed this as I’m not sure how else I would be able to view it. I hadn’t even heard of it until today.
4 years ago
Damnit, I meant to watch this too and completely forgot about it! Glad you caught it. I’m fascinated by Soviet era sci-fi films but I’ve only seen a few of the East German ones.
4 years ago
Yeah this is right up your alley. A movie like this is ripe for rediscovery. Maybe it will get a decent home video release one of these days, assuming one doesn’t already exist. If it wasn’t so long I would’ve watched it again on the rebroadcast.