简介：Sovieterascience-fictionissomethingthatholdsagreatfascinationasanx-rayofthezeitgeistofitstimesinexactlythesamewaythat1950sHollywoodBmoviesarefascinatinghistoricalartefactsforthewaythattheyamplifyfearsoftheAtomicAgeandoftheCommunistthreat.TheSovietfilmsarefascinatinginverydifferentwaystotheirAmericancounterparts–youcan,forexample,lookthroughanyoftheEasternBlocscience-fictionfilmsofthiserainvaininsearchofaworkwheretheyfearaninvasionoftheUSSRbyaliensthatareathinlydisguisedallegoryfortheUnitedStates.Moreover,therewasonlyasingleSovietfilm,LettersfromaDeadMan(1986)–whichwasmadewellintotheeraofperestroika–thatdealswiththeissueofnuclearwarandnoneatallthatfeatureatomicmonsters.RathermostoftheSovietscience-fictionfilmsofthe1950sand60sseempolitical/ideologicallydrivenworksthatfeaturenoblescientistsandengineersoftheregimeastheyboldlycarrytheCommunistcausetothestars.SeeeffortssuchasTheHeavensCall(1959),StormPlanet(1962),AndromedaNebula(1967),Moscow-Cassiopeia(1973),andworksfromnon-RussiancountriessuchasFirstSpaceshiponVenus(1959)andIkarieXB-1/VoyagetotheEndoftheUniverse(1963).MostofthesewerebroughtupbyRogerCormanandAIPandre-editedintotitleslikeBattleBeyondtheSun(1963),VoyagetothePrehistoricPlanet(1965),QueenofBlood(1966)andVoyagetothePlanetofPrehistoricWomen(1968).ThesearenotfearfulfilmsliketheirAmericancounterparts,rathertheyseemlitupbythegrandidealsofcolonisingtheuniversethatcaughttheSovietimaginationduringtheSpaceAge. TheHyperboloidofEngineerGarinisbasedonTheHyperboloidofEngineerGarin/TheGarinDeathRay(1927),anovelbyAlexeiTolstoy,thewriterwhoseoriginalworkalsobecamethebasisoftheveryfirstSovietscience-fictionfilm,thesilentclassicAelita(1924).ThefilmwouldappeartobeafairlyaccuratetranslationofthebookfromwhatIcangather,evenretainingthe1920ssettingofitsoriginalpublication.Theonethingthatleftmepuzzledwasthereferencetothedeathrayasanhyperboloid.Myimmediatethoughtwastothinkoftheliteraryterm‘hyperbole’,whichmeansaformofexaggerationthatisnotmeanttobetakenliterally,butapparentlyanhyperboloidisacurvedthree-dimensionalsurface. ThefirsthalfofTheHyperboloidofEngineerGarintakesplaceasaspythriller.ItisfascinatingtoseeasacounterpointtothenumerousEnglish-languagespyfilmsthatwerebeingmadearoundthiserasuchastheJamesBondandHarryPalmerfilmsormoreseriousworkslikeTheSpyWhoCameinfromtheCold(1965).TheseoftenfeaturedtheSovietsasvillainsbuthereweareseeingaspyfilmfromtheoppositesideofthepoliticalfence.Likemanyoftheseothers,TheHyperboloidofEngineerGarintakesplaceinaseriesoffreewheelinginternationallocations,whichareoftenlavishlypresented.Ibegantogetintothefilm,impressedbythedirectorialstylethatAlexanderGintsburgwasshowingwheremanyofthescenesareshotinanexaggeratedlyheavycontrastoflightandshadowthatimmediatelyrecallstheworldofTheThirdMan(1949).Ontheminusside,yougetthefeelingthatthefilmiscompactingdownthecomplicatedplottingthattakesplaceinthebook.WhatweendupwithisamurkilyincomprehensibleplotthatinvolvesthemurderofadoubleofGarin,internationalblackmailandsabotage,multiplemurderplotsandanumberoffactionsrunningaroundallseekingtoeitherkillGarinorgettheirhandsonhisdiscovery,atthesametimeashetriestofindacolleaguewhohasgoneintohidinginaremotepartoftheworld. ItiswhenitunveilsitshyperboloidabouthalfwaythroughthatTheHyperboloidofEngineerGarinstartstocometolifeasascience-fictionfilm.ThereisthefascinatingscenewhereYevgenyYevstigneyev’sGarinisholedupinavillaasseveralpeoplecomeafterhimandsoswitchesthehyperboloidonandeliminatesallhisopponentsbysweepingtheheatrayacrossthedoor.Thereafterthefilmabandonsthespythrilleraspectandbecomesafilmaboutanamazingdiscovery.HereitstartstoresembleoneoftheGermanclassicsoftheearlysoundera–thelikesofF.P.1DoesNotAnswer(1932),TheTunnel(1933)andGold(1934),whichwerefilmsmadeaboutscientificdiscoveriesthatmarvelledinthesheerpowerofengineeringprojects.ThereisagreatfascinationtothescenesofthemachinedrillingthroughtheEarthtoreachtheolivinelayer,thevastprojectbuiltontheislandandespeciallythesceneswhereYevgenyYevstigne…