Interesting from a historical perspective but (sadly) dated and incorrect

Similar to his earlier speculative documentary 'Luna' (1965), Pavel Klushantsev's 'Mars' explores (then) current planetary science (greatly simplified and illustrated with cartoon imagery) and offers a look at what a possible future might hold when humans, or at least our machines, finally make the journey to the red planet. Unfortunately, by the time the film was released, the photographs from Mariner 4's flyby dispelled the evocative visions of Martian vegetation slowly spreading as the summer released moisture from the frozen poles or of the great canals, presumably built by a long dead civilisation in a desperate attempt to save their dying world. Too bad, I prefer E. R. B.'s 'Barsoom' to the real thing. Like 'Luna', the film will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Soviet space-science but the depictions of the 'future' (i.e. Moon exploration and colonisation) in the older film are much more detailed and entertaining. Amusingly, when commenting on life on Mars, both films refer to the first Russian science-fiction feature: the silent 'Aelita, Queen of Mars' (1924).

Russian cinema is distinguished by its epic scale, philosophical depth, and innovative visual language. It often explores history, ideology, and the human psyche, with a tradition of psychological realism and artistic experimentation. Russian cinema contributed revolutionary theories of editing and later a spiritual approach to film language. It remains known for combining formal experimentation with profound explorations of endurance and belief.

Nikolay Grinko, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, and Anatoliy Solonitsyn in Stalker (1979)

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The sci-fi genre, short for science fiction, features imaginative and futuristic concepts that are often rooted in scientific principles, technology, and possibilities. These stories delve into "what if" questions and can serve as a platform to address contemporary social, political, and ethical issues by projecting them onto future or alternate settings.

James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

In the movie it is told (on the basis of scientific these 1960th years) about physical conditions on the planet Mars, a possibility of life and hypothetical forms of vegetation on her, about "canals" and "seas" of the red planet. The director has tried to recreate environment of one of the most mysterious planet of solar system.

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Oleg Borisov, Nikolay Burlyaev, Rolan Bykov, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, and Vladimir Zamanskiy in Trial on the Road (1986)

Georgiy Daneliya, Aleksandra Dorokhina, Levan Gabriadze, Revaz Gabriadze, Giya Kancheli, Pavel Lebeshev, Evgeniy Leonov, Stanislav Lyubshin, Olga Mashnaya, Tatyana Novitskaya, Lev Perfilov, Aleksandr Samulekin, Irina Shmelyova, Anatoliy Serenko, Teodor Tezhik, and Yuriy Yakovlev in Kin-dza-dza! (1986)

Mars

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