‘Interplanetary Revolution’: political sci-fi from the Soviet Union
Since the early days of cinema, many political figures recognised that the medium is incredibly powerful because it truly is art for the masses. Due to the universal visual language that dominated the silent film era, early pioneers weren’t just working on the evolution of the art form but also on its potential as a propaganda tool. One of the finest examples of the latter is the extensive body of work that emerged from the Soviet Union.
While Soviet cinema is primarily remembered for the revolutionary innovations of visionaries like Sergei Eisenstein, it also paved the way for modern political propaganda. Vladimir Lenin rightly observed that movies had the potential to completely capture the attention of unprecedented amounts of people, making the dissemination of political information pretty effective. However, he insisted that he was only interested in educating people rather than manipulating them.
Of course, manipulation is at the core of all propaganda which is why early political films from the Soviet Union provide fascinating insights into mass psychology and the relationship between fact and fiction. In addition to the garden variety propaganda works that were mostly designed to solidify the reputation of the Communist Party and to spread party values among the working population, there were some hybrid projects that played around with genre frameworks.
One such example is the 1924 gem Interplanetary Revolution. Directed by the trio of Zenon Komissarenko, Nikolai Khodataev and Yuri Merkulov, it imagines a future where Mars has been colonised by wealthy capitalists from Earth. The film revolves around the valiant efforts of Comrade Coninternov, a member of the Red Army who travels to Mars in order to liberate the workers there from the oppressive living conditions created by the capitalists.
Filled with bizarre imagery that emphasises the grotesque nature of capitalist exploitation, Interplanetary Revolution is an imaginative portrait of a future that doesn’t seem nearly as absurd as it did to audiences in 1924. Fuelled by the trademark romanticism that is the foundation for most Communist propaganda, it is an astounding work of animation that creates an interesting intersection between political filmmaking and proto-sci-fi tropes.
As the rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions continue to threaten our planet, billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have been routinely talking about venturing out into space. Musk, in particular, has spoken at length about his desire to establish population hubs on Mars to ensure the survival of our species. While Interplanetary Revolution is an admittedly silly piece, it will inevitably urge modern audiences to think about the life that lies ahead of us.
Watch the film below.
