Ikarie XB-1

The 1963 Czech movie "Ikarie XB-1" was a revelation to me..i can't believe I'd never heard of it, because I love "2001," which was influenced by Ikarie. It has a smartly told story with suspense and tension, and good characters, which already puts it above a lot of modern sci-fi. It was filmed in ravishing black and white and has an incredible sense of style (you can see why Kubrick would have liked it). This is no gritty, industrial Star Wars ship. It's beautiful. You see things that don't typically appear on space fare: dogs, babies, an elegant chess set, a grand piano - which gets played.

Parts of it are certainly a scathing indictment of 20th century society, and it feels earned, not overwrought. 

I wondered if there was a practical as well as style reason for the black and white - like how current sci-fi so often leans on muddy CGI monsters and sets climactic sequences at night, so the black and white palette can make 1963 technology starker and more futuristic, and makes their set seem like a true, dark expanse of space. Either way, I like the black and white and practical effects a lot.

I feel like this movie should be on the watchlist of anyone who likes space movies or sci-fi. It deserves to be a classic everyone knows!