Based on the best-selling novel The Astronauts, by Poland's most famous science-fiction writer, Stanislaw Lem, First Spaceship on Venus has been called "the first influential post-war space opera from Eastern Europe" (Aurum Film Encyclopedia). After discovering a communications device from Venus containing a message of the impending attack of Earth, an international crew of astronauts and scientists embark on the first manned expedition of the mystery-shrouded planet. Upon arrival, they discover the ruins of an advanced civilization that destroyed itself in its zealous quest to master atomic energy. In Technicolor. The original European release version was a full hour longer than this American version. Dubbed in English. Kurt Maetzig East Germany/Poland 1959 Runtime: 78 mins.
