On the Silver Globe

A haunting journey through the cosmos reveals the fragility of human dreams and civilization.

Critics broadly regard it as an exceptionally original and ambitious work of arthouse science fiction, though its bizarre storytelling and demanding length require considerable patience.

• The colonizers' descendants create new myths and a god after their society reverts to primitive culture.
• The explorers leave Earth to establish freedom, but their civilization disintegrates and produces hierarchy and enslavement.
• The film combines peculiar cinematography, surreal environments, bird-monsters, and highly physical monologues.
• Space travel, human evolution, nihilism, chaos, and the emergence of a messiah dominate the film's speculative framework.

• Solarisshares radical arthouse science fiction, cosmic isolation, philosophical speculation, and surreal world-building
• Stalkershares dystopian science fiction, metaphysical inquiry, dense symbolism, and austere futurist atmosphere
• The Holy Mountainshares surreal science fiction, civilizational collapse, grotesque imagery, and anti-utopian themes
• 2001: A Space Odysseyshares experimental space travel, mythic transformation, alien environments, and challenging philosophical ambition

Director

Andrzej Żuławski

Release Date

1989-02-10

Runtime

165 min

Rating

7.6 / 10 (192)

What is On the Silver Globe about?

A radical Polish space epic turns a failed colony, alien monsters, and messianic belief into a surreal meditation on civilization’s self-destruction.

What is On the Silver Globe like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of On the Silver Globe as glacial, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as labyrinthine.

Is On the Silver Globe violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in On the Silver Globe as brutal.

What did critics think of On the Silver Globe?

Critics broadly regard it as an exceptionally original and ambitious work of arthouse science fiction, though its bizarre storytelling and demanding length require considerable patience.

Which films are like On the Silver Globe?

Films with a similar feel include Solaris, Stalker, The Holy Mountain, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

How long is On the Silver Globe?

On the Silver Globe runs 165 minutes.

Where can I watch On the Silver Globe?

In United States, On the Silver Globe streams on Eternal Family.