The Big Space Travel

From the same studio that produced Richard Viktorov’s diptych Moscow-Cassiopeia / Adolescents in the Universe comes this second teen-themed sci-fi adventure, in which three youngsters (one of them played by Mila Berlinskaya, who sings the film’s theme song and went on to become a world-famous classical pianist) have to take command of a space flight when their adult captain comes down sick and is forced to quarantine himself. What sets The Great Space Voyage apart, however, is its explicit propaganda content: if you set your mind to something and persist at it, the film solemnly and sincerely reminds us, you can succeed no matter what the difficulty. (Not too dissimilar from North American-style self-empowerment!) Make sure to stick around for the end, where an actual Russian cosmonaut is on hand to deliver an inspirational message of encouragement.