Planet of Storms

Planet of Storms by Pavel Klushanstev (Planeta Bur, 1961, 83 min.). Director Klushanstev transforms a novel by the eminent Soviet sci-fi writer Aleksandr Kazantsev, overpowering Kazantsev's party-line dialogue with excellent effects. Cosmonauts arriving on Venus find furious volcanoes and prehistoric beasts, including a memorable cackling pterodactyl. Preceded by The Cameraman's Revenge by Wladaslaw Starewicz (Mest kinematograficheskogo operatora, 1912, 12 min.), an early classic about adultery in the insect kingdom from the great animation pioneer: a married beetle is filmed in a compromising situation by a jealous grasshopper. MFA members, seniors, and students $8; general admission $9.