Aelita: Queen of Mars
29 October 2021
‘Reality and fantasy, revolutionary zeal, and bitter jealousy mix in Yakov Protazanov’s hugely influential yet rarely screened drama, whose impressive constructivist production design by Aleksandra Ekster has been a reference point for countless sci-fi films since. Tormented by a cryptic wireless message from Mars, engineer Los embarks on a journey into the unknown that sees him woo the Martian queen Aelita – fiercely portrayed by iconic actress and director Yuliya Solntseva – and lead an uprising against the planet’s corrupt rulers.’
I’ve long been aware of this silent film, made in 1924 in the newly formed Soviet Union, because its avant garde designs appear in several books I have about Russian and Soviet art and dress, notably the costumes by Aleksandra Ekster. But I only watched the whole film recently when it was Klassiki’s ‘pick of the week’. I’d previously just seen stills of the extraordinary Constructivist Martian palace and its inhabitants, and hadn’t realised that these scenes are juxtaposed with others of present-day (ie 1920s) Moscow, which are equally fascinating.
The Klassiki page for this film, as for all its weekly featured and library films, has lots of back-up material, such as articles from other sources and a live interview – in the case of Aelita, with Juliet Merchant, who was commissioned to write a new score for the film.
There will be a screening of Aelita: Queen of Mars at Ciné Lumière in Kensington on Thursday 25 November, including a live performance of the music. I have my ticket already.
Designs by Aleksandra Ekster for Aelita and other projects:
