The first science-fiction film brought out in East Germany, The silent star is based on Stanislaw Lem's mysterious novel, The astronauts (1951). In it, an international expedition is sent to Venus to decipher a message found in the Gobi desert, and discovers it is a declaration of war on Earth. This original and unedited version of the film is here available for the first time with English subtitles. The silent star has its own unique Cold War history. When it hit theaters during the US/ USSR space race set off by the Sputnik launch, the movie was praised as a technical masterpiece. An altered version of the Polish/East German co-production then appeared in the US in 1962, under the title First Spaceship on Venus; dubbed and 15 minutes shorter, this version introduced new names, changed the dialogue and deleted important scenes and characters. Special features include designs for Alfred Hirschmeier's sets and trailers for other East German sci-fi films; see the DEFA Film Library website for other interesting articles and educational materials about the film.