In the Dust of the Stars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

In the Dust of the Stars Blu-ray Movie Review

In the Dust of the Stars is a compelling science-fiction classic. A DEFA Film Library Classic preserved by Deaf Crocodile. The classic genre feature is a wonderful addition to the growing library of films from distributor Deaf Crocodile. Starring Jana Brejchová, Alfred Struwe, Ekkehard Schall, Milan Beli, Silvia Popovici, Violeta Andrei, and Leon Niemczyk.

A space adventure. A crew of space travelers discovers Temers while landing on the mysterious TEM 4. The crew find themselves meeting a strange ruler of a new land.

The land has riches of food and also celebrations extended beyond the spaceship. Can the mission crew survive the new land of hippie space cadets? The journey has begun.

The supporting cast of characters includes Akala (Jana Brejchová), Suko (Alfred Struwe), Chief (Ekkehard Schall), Ronk (Milan Beli), Illik (Silvia Popovici), Rall (Violeta Andrei), and Thob (Leon Niemczyk). A nice lead and supporting cast. The ensemble does solid work with the production. The end result is an impressive assemblage of actors for the science-fiction classic.

The film features a lot of impressive design merits. The production designs by Gerhard Helwig (The Best Years, Till Eulenspiegel) are well-done. The designs manage to add a lot of creativity and style to the production. There is a lot to cherish about these efforts and the end results work wonders for the filmmaking.

The costume designs by Katrin Johnsen (The Thing in the Castle, Rapunzel or the Magic of Tears) are well-done and add to the majesty of the film. The costumes by Johnsen are top-notch and provide wonderful gravitas to the filmmaking. The overall effort feels surprisingly grounded and also quite experimental for the science-fiction genre elements – the kitschy aspect of the designs still work exceptionally well.

Choreographed by Cornel Patrichi (The Actor and the Savages, In fiecare zi mi-e dor de tine) and Inka Unverzagt (Till Eulenspiegel, Trail of the Falcon), In the Dust of the Stars is a well-done feature with excellent choreography. There are several scenes in the film that utilize the choreography well. A fantastic effort by Patrichi and it adds so much to the production, too.

Composed by Karl-Ernst Sasse (The Last Laugh, Asphalt), In the Dust of the Stars features an excellent score. The score by Sasse is engaging fun and adds a lot of excitement to the science-fiction film. The results impress in spades. The score a vibrant and warm one and it is certainly highly commendable.

The cinematography by Peter Süring (The Thing in the Castle, Spuk von draußen) is lush and visually gorgeous throughout. The cinematographic style does a superb job showcasing all of the subtle elements in the feature. The scope and scale of the film are impressive: a beautifully lensed film.

Edited by Christa Helwig (Frau Venus und ihr Teufel, The Thing in the Castle), In the Dust of the Stars flows well and has a nice sense of pace throughout. The rhythm and flow are effective. There is a lot worth appreciating about the editing style. The vision of Helwig allows for the storytelling to be all the better.

Written and directed by Gottfried Kolditz (Signals: A Space Adventure, The Small White Mouse), In the Dust of the Stars is a must-see for genre enthusiasts. The filmmaking is exciting and engaging. The screenplay full of vibrancy with a good cast of characters. The filmmaking is often silly and a bit exaggerated at times but it works wonders as a kitschy science-fiction throwback. A must-see.

In the Dust of the Stars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Deaf Crocodile, In the Dust of the Stars is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1 widescreen. An impressive presentation with good clarity and detail in the transfer. The high-definition video looks engaging overall.

Comparatively, In the Dust of the Stars is not quite as well restored as Signals – A Space Adventure. Signals – A Space Adventure featured a 6K scan and a 4K restoration whereas the presentation for In the Dust of the Stars is not noted as being a 4K scan of elements. Even so, restoration efforts were decent and were handled by the DEFA Film Library in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Color reproduction is solid and there is good detail visible in the image. It is still not as pristine a transfer as a newer 4K scan of better elements would have provided, though.

In the Dust of the Stars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in German DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. The lossless audio soundtrack is crisp and engaging. The audio soundtrack provides crisp dialogue and the score is well integrated into the sound presentation. The sound mixing is well done, too.

In the Dust of the Stars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Stephen Bissette

"Other Worlds, Strange Dreams: The East German space operas of Director Gottfried Kolditz" (HD, 17:43)

Original 1976 Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3:02)

In the Dust of the Stars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the Dust of the Stars is an entertaining science-fiction classic. In the Dust of the Stars offers up plenty of camp goodness and over-the-top elements to keep audiences entertained. While In the Dust of the Stars is far from perfect it is still a solid feature-film and one with good performances and production merits. The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high-definition transfer and lossless audio encoding. The release also comes with a nice assortment of bonus features. Recommended.