Just saw this amazing documentary on australia's SBS network. I'm glad I did because I had not heard of this director before. Goes to show how unrecognised his life has been as I am in the film business and unless I had seen this doco his story would have perhaps escaped me. It is a sad indictment of the soviet era where political motivation was more important than the individual. This ideology is more suited to ants than humans. Klushantsev's work was embraced in the height of the space race where it was seen as a valuable propaganda tool. When the usefulness of this concept faded he was summarily dismissed from the studio he helped make a success and died in 1999, blind, penniless and virtually forgotten. He had developed many key, innovative technical and visual concepts that were totally original in scope and execution, many of which were subsequently used, or stolen, by future film-makers. There are some startling similarities with ideas embraced in such landmark western films as "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Aliens", "Terminator" and many others. Klushantsev's amazing "Planeta Bur" - 1962 (aka "Planet Of Storms")was literally ripped to pieces and used in two C-Grade US productions, "Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet" - 1965 - directed by Peter Bogdonovich and the other "Voyage To The Planet of Prehistoric Women" - 1968 - directed by Roger Corman. Klushantsev was uncredited in both these films. All sci-fi fans should see this doco and find a way to view Klushantsev's main films.
Review of The Star Dreamer
The Star Dreamer
(2002)
An extraordinary documentary about an extraordinary, unsung talent.
28 January 2004