Presented from the new 4K restoration of the film which premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Second Run are delighted to present a new Blu-ray Special Edition of Jind ich Polák s seminal work of fantasy cinema IKARIE XB 1.

Polák s pioneering and much-imitated feature IKARIE XB 1 is one of the cornerstones of contemporary sci-fi cinema. It predates Star Trek and Kubrick s 2001: A Space Odyssey and was clearly an influence on both - and on almost every other science-fiction vehicle that followed.

Adapted from Stanis aw Lem's novel The Magellanic Cloud , the film is set in 2163 and follows a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity. With outstanding design and cinematography, IKARIE XB 1 is imbued with a seriousness, intelligence and attention to detail rarely seen in science-fiction cinema of the period.

Special Contents:

• Ikarie XB 1 presented from a new 4K restoration from original materials by the Czech National Film Archive
• Short film The Most Ordinary of Occupations (Nejv edn j í povolání, 1963)
• A filmed appreciation by Kim Newman.
• Alternative US version Voyage to the End of the Universe opening and end scene
• Booklet featuring a substantial essay by writer and film historian Michael Brooke.
• Trailer.
• Voyage to the End of the Universe trailer.
• Photo gallery
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Region Free Blu-ray (A/B/C)
• Original soundtrack in Dual Mono 24-bit LPCM audio.
• ...and more TBC.