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On the Silver Globe was never meant to be a quiet film. Polish director Andrzej Żuławski started the project sometime in the late 1970s as an ambitious sci-fi vision based on a trilogy of novels by Żuławski’s great-uncle. When Star Wars was transforming Hollywood, Żuławski was creating his own galaxy, in this case, on the moon as astronauts flee from Earth to create a new civilization.
On the Silver Globe (1988)
Director: Andrzej Żuławski pic.twitter.com/huzzimT9EX— DepressedBergman (@DannyDrinksWine) September 20, 2024
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The story follows a group of astronauts who land on the moon and form a new society, per Unilad. Over time, they have children who age much faster than humans on Earth, and before the last original astronaut dies, he records everything and sends the footage back home.
A lonely scientist named Marek watches the recordings and decides to travel to the moon. When he arrives, the moon-born people treat him like a savior. What unfolds is less about space battles and more about belief and what happens when myth takes over history.
The movie could’ve been a milestone in sci-fi cinema, but it never made it to theaters. It is not because of poor reviews or bad luck, but because the Polish government pulled the plug mid-production. Żuławski’s creative choices, including his bold commentary on power and society, didn’t sit well with the communist regime.
State cinema meant state control, and Żuławski’s vision was considered dangerous. Besides, the government labeled the film too risky, leading to the production’s end. Some of the footage was even destroyed, and finally, Żuławski was forced to abandon his vision before it could fully take shape.
A movie so disturbing it nearly wasn’t released.
The film explores how myths and some religions are born from trauma and manipulation.
“On the Silver Globe” follows astronauts who crash-land on a planet, they witness rise of a ritualistic civilization. pic.twitter.com/joxY0Zp8oz
— Emir Han (@RealEmirHan) June 26, 2025
Żuławski returned to what remained of the project years later in 1988. To patch the holes, he inserted real-life footage from Poland and narrated over the missing scenes himself. That’s how On the Silver Globe was shown at Cannes. It was incomplete, no doubt, but far from forgotten.
Despite everything, the film still earned admiration. Those who’ve seen it talk about its raw originality and its strange beauty. Rotten Tomatoes holds it at a perfect 100% score, which is a rare thing for a film that never got to finish its own story. Żuławski didn’t get the ending he hoped for, but somehow, On the Silver Globe survived anyway.
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