Russian influence on Prometheus

@ Deckard_B26354 Sparty is pulling your leg here, but only a little. (hey, btw Sparty, where did you find that laser-eyes-Shoshanna pic - lol vow!). The article starts from some interesting things, and then pulls out all the stops, eventually (and unfortunately) it does build it into a promotion for all things Russian. It finds Prometheus parallels when they are there, and also when they are not. It is AN inspiration, but not THE inspiration for Prometheus. Some things are eerily similar, others not at all. You can find a trailer for the Russian movie (Planeta Bur - Planet of Storms) on YouTube, and see for yourself the similarities and the differences: [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTI70G9QaJI] as for a bio of the Russian director who did that movie, Alexander Kazantsev: [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Kazantsev] These can give you a more objective view of the similarities and differences than the article.

I disagree completely and think any resemblance is purely speculative and misguided speculation done with an agenda to promote all things Russia. Nice comparison though and just my humble opinion.

Seriously? "agenda to promote all things Russia"? You're joking, right? I understand the opinion that the similarities could be accidental but... I just edited the first post with some further thoughts.

I agree with Spartacus it is just plain coincidence but at the end of the day the prometheus suits just poo all over the russian one, come on, it doesn't even have 360 degree view!

[b]Seriously? "agenda to promote all things Russia"? You're joking, right? I understand the opinion that the similarities could be accidental but...[/b] no i'm not in fact I think it's a complete and deliberately fabricated pile of dung done by a Russian fan of the franchise.Hope that clears up any confusion.

Do you think the suits come with a custom nappie? Because with the things the crew of the prometheus encounter I would definitely recommend outfitting them with one lol

@Deckard I think you're on to something with that link. If it were just the suits, I'd be a little more wary...but once it was made clear that this Russian had a few big-name fans in the west, and that he also had transport designs nicked, and so on.... Well, what are the odds? Good catch, IMO.

Planet Bur is actually a pretty good film... It [i]was[/i] made in 1962 and it [i]does[/i] look like that - so, personally, I can't see how it can then be revisionist Communist propaganda in that light: it really was there first. That is the fact, it cannot be true that saying so is propaganda and there must be a type of humour in saying it. The similarities are so close I think the Production Designer must have drawn a little influence from it in the creative process I don't know why it would be a sensitive issue or somehow any insult to the Prometheus production to point this out....it seems quite normal. I'm sure Alien influenced many other films etc, etc, etc.

I could really care less about where the influence came from. It could be a Russian, African, American or alien film for all I care. I do think that the suits were influenced by the ones in that film. As far as everything else talked about ie the "godfather of Star Wars" quote or the similarities of the EEV, I could care less about. Now that I re-read it it does seem propaganda-ish. If you watch the making of featuretes and docs for RS films over and over again like I do ie Kingdom of Heaven, Body of Lies, and anything that he and Janty have collaborated on then you know that RS and Janty Yates steep themselves in everything from where real spacesuits have been and where they are going as well as the history of space suits in films as well as all other kinds of stuff I have no idea about. So it's not far fetched that RS saw these suits and said something like "See, that makes sense to have glass all the way around the helmet almost 360. Only lower the back part a little where they can see behind them better." Which looks exactly like what was done. There's even that round by the ears on both helmets. When the dvd hits and Charles de Lauzirika makes the making of doc I'm sure we will find out if the suits were in fact influenced by the films which I believe is the case.

No.....just...NO. There have been half a gazillion streamlined spacesuit iterations in sci-fi art, films, etc. over the last 50 years, any number of which would bear [i]some[/i] superficial resemblance to the form-fitting, fully-domed helmets of the Prometheus suits.

In all fairness, and with complete respect, does it really matter there is a coincidentiality between the suits? I mean the suits in Alien to me look very much like 1960's Moon spacesuits, with the colour scheme and overall blockiness, the only thing noticably different being the colour of the glass (Alien - translucent) (Moon-Gold).

Just FYI big "D" I got nothing but respect for Russia...what I do have though is first hand knowledge that Russians are every bit as enterprising and deep thinking as we North Americans are and they can Play Hockey which is big points in my book !!! I also know how extremely enterprising Russians are when it comes to ART/FILM and of course the Internet !!! That's part of my point too, it was enterprising and intelligent thought but it was "reaching big time "IMO" to put a Russian Stamp on this thing that will never ever belong on it. At the same time I think the subject of Space suits History in real life is a fascinating one!!!

Technically the suits from the Nostromo are almost the same, it's a classic sc-fi design so we can see the astronauts faces scream in terror! [img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LazaPBEV-1c/TM6NKE_2vTI/AAAAAAAACZU/ALwPxdUP4gc/s1600/Mindwarp.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.sfsite.com/grc/1204/alien1.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.xl-shop.com/xlshop/product_images/HOTTOYS/HT_ALIEN_OFFICER_KANE.jpg[/img] I really like this version of Kane with a mustache

Any one who is a true sci fi fan should be familiar with the russian sci fi of the 60's and 70's. dont dis em till you see em. esp planet of storms and solaris (not the one with george cloony. though it is good too) (the novel by stanislaw lem is brilliant). very thoughful movies from what i've seen. planet of storms has special effects that just pisses over everything till star wars came out. the only exception being 2001 (being directed by another englishmen).

I liked Solaris a lot, thought it was ahead of it's time.

  @ Ruhaniya: Great image. Space terror!    I for one am loving the whole 50's space adventure vibe I'm getting from the design and photography/cinematography. Heroic scientists in their cool space suits face unimaginable horror. And it's all consonant with the aesthetic established by Moebius and company in the original. For me that suggestion of innocence really amps up the dread.    

How about "[u]All[/u] spacesuits (Russian-inspired, or not) are 'cheesy' ’cause they're so [u]overused[/u] in so many SciFi films period." ?? Maybe Holloway is a visionary... ?? (Or maybe he just watched to many Star Trek episodes? M-class planets are incredibly convenient. You have to admit.)

I find Tarkovsky's Solaris (and Tarkovsky in general) too esoteric to follow, but have read all or Stanislaw Lem's output (mind you, he was Polish like Conrad, not Russian), and it is some of the greatest hard sci-fi ever. It wipes the floor with most SF other than Herbert and the better Clarke stuff. -His Master's Voice - greeeat! Like Sagan's Contact with a brain. -The Futurological Congress - very funny, very scary, very psychedelic, and very prophetic indeed -Fiasco - a First Contact exploration novel with some major unexpected stuff -Eden - a First Contact novel from a highly unexpected angle, also some very creatively imagined aliens -anything else as written by Lem Unrelated Fun Fact: Tarkovsky co-wrote the screenplay for Andrei Rublev with Andrei Konchalovski (Nutcracker 3D); Andrei Rublev was Ingmar Bergman's favorite movie, also very artsy. many years later, Konchalovski moved to hollywood, only to direct that supremo art classic (NOT) movie, Tango&Cash with Kurt Russell and Stallone. Reality always makes weird jokes.

USA USA USA USA!!!! [img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P_R0-gxaDXw/TcDDzdYcYtI/AAAAAAAAUu8/oT-p6UrqfPw/s1600/oly.bmp.jpg[/img]

I love Tartovsky's Solaris. Although I love his Stalker even better. Wow, what films. Both left me shaking for days. (The Solaris remake wasn't too bad, just unnecessary. It had more heart than brain. Viola Davis was spectacular in it, though. I wish she'd had more screen time!)