Oct. 09, 1988|Poland|165 Min.|R
Genre: Adventure;Drama;Fantasy;Mystery;Science;Fiction;Thriller
Description: A group of astronauts departs Earth in search of freedom, but their spaceship crashes on an unnamed Earth-like planet. Equipped with video recorders, the astronauts reach a seashore and establish a village. Over time, only one crew member, Jerzy, survives, witnessing the emergence of a new society. This society’s religion is rooted in myths about the expedition from Earth. The first off-Earth generation refers to Jerzy as “The Old Man,” treating him as a semi-divine figure. Before his death, Jerzy sends his video diary back to Earth via a rocket. A planetary scientist named Marek receives the diary and travels to the planet.
Upon arrival, Marek is hailed as the Messiah by the priestly caste, who believe he will liberate them from the Szerns, the planet’s indigenous inhabitants. Marek quickly organizes an army and leads an assault on the Szerns’ city. However, the priests begin to doubt his divine mission, suspecting he is an outcast from Earth rather than the prophesied savior.
The film *On the Silver Globe* (1988) is based on a novel by Jerzy Żuławski, part of *The Lunar Trilogy*, written around 1900. Żuławski was the granduncle of director Andrzej Żuławski. In 1972, Andrzej Żuławski left Poland for France to escape censorship by the Polish communist government. After his critical success with the 1975 film *L’important c’est d’aimer*, Polish cultural authorities reconsidered their stance and invited him to return to Poland to undertake a project of his choice. Żuławski seized this opportunity to adapt his granduncle’s novel into a film.
Between 1975 and 1977, Żuławski developed the screenplay and shot the film in diverse locations, including the Baltic seashore, the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the Tatra Mountains, the Caucasus in Georgia, the Crimea, and the Gobi Desert. However, production was abruptly halted in late 1977 when Janusz Wilhelmi assumed the role of vice-minister of cultural affairs. The film remained unfinished for years before its eventual release in 1988.
Cast director: Andrzej Żuławski
Cast actor: Andrzej Seweryn, Grażyna Dyląg, Jerzy Trela, Waldemar Kownacki, Iwona Bielska, Jerzy Grałek, Elżbieta Karkoszka, Krystyna Janda, Leszek Długosz, Jan Frycz
Original name: Na srebrnym globie