The Angry Red Planet
| The Angry Red Planet | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Ib Melchior |
| Produced by | Sidney W. Pink Norman Maurer |
| Screenplay by | Sidney W. Pink Ib Melchior |
| Story by | Sidney W. Pink |
| Starring | Gerald Mohr Naura Hayden Jack Kruschen Les Tremayne |
| Music by | Paul Dunlap |
| Cinematography | Stanley Cortez |
| Editing by | Ivan J. Hoffman |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$ 190,000 |
The Angry Red Planet (aka Invasion of Mars and Journey to Planet Four) is a 1959 science fiction film starring Gerald Mohr and directed by Ib Melchior. Melchior was only given 10 days and a budget of $200,000 to make the film.[1]
This necessitated the use of a CineMagic technique, which involved using hand drawn animations together with live action footage, and was used for all scenes on the surface of Mars. Although this process was largely unsuccessful, producer Norman Maurer would attempt the same technique again in The Three Stooges in Orbit.[2]
Contents |
Plot[edit]
The rocketship MR-1 (for "Mars Rocket 1"), returns to Earth after the first manned flight to Mars. At first thought to have been lost in space, the rocket reappears but mission control cannot raise the crew by radio. The ground crew land the rocket successfully by remote control. Two survivors are found aboard: Dr. Iris Ryan (Naura Hayden) and Col. Tom O'Bannion (Gerald Mohr), the latter's arm covered by a strange alien growth. The mission report is recounted by Dr. Ryan as she attempts to find a cure for Col. O'Bannion's arm.
While exploring Mars, Ryan was attacked by a carnivorous plant, which was killed by O'Bannion. They also discover, after mistaking its legs for trees, an immense bat-rat-spider creature, which is later repelled by a freeze ray fired by weapons officer Jacobs. When they return to their ship, the crew finds that their radio signals are being blocked and the MR-1 is grounded by a force field. O'Bannion leads the crew to a Martian lake with a city visible on the other side. They cross in an inflatable raft, only to be stopped by a giant amoeba-like creature with a single spinning eye. The creature kills Jacobs and infects O'Bannon's arm. The survivors escape to the MR-1 and commence liftoff. The survivors then return to Earth, where O'Bannon's infected arm is cured using electric shocks.
When all of the data brought back by the expedition is examined, the mission scientists find a recorded message. An alien voice announces that the MR-1 crew were allowed to leave so they can deliver a message to Earth. The Martians are watching human development and believe its technology has outpaced cultural advancement. They warn humanity to never return to Mars or Earth will be destroyed in retaliation.
Cast[edit]
- Gerald Mohr as Col. Thomas O'Bannion
- Naura Hayden as Dr. Iris 'Irish' Ryan
- Les Tremayne as Prof. Theodore Gettell
- Jack Kruschen as CWO Sam Jacobs
- Paul Hahn as Maj. Gen. George Treegar
- J. Edward McKinley as Prof. Paul Weiner
- Tom Daly as Dr. Frank Gordon
- Don Lamond as TV Newscaster/Martian Voice
- Edward Innes as Brig. Gen. Alan Prescott
- Gordon Barnes as Maj. Lyman Ross
- Jack Haddock a Lt. Col. Davis
- Brandy Bryan as Nurse Hayes
- Joan Fitzpatrick as Nurse Dixon
- Arline Hunter as Joan
- Alean Hamilton as Joan's Friend
Release[edit]
Home media[edit]
The Angry Red Planet was released by MGM in Region 1 DVD on April 1, 2003.
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
When the film was released, Eugene Archer, film critic for The New York Times, critiqued the film's special effects, writing, "... The Angry Red Planet, solemnly warns its audiences not to go to Mars. Stubborn patrons who ignore the advice will discover that the planet looks like a cardboard illustration from Flash Gordon and is inhabited by carnivorous plants, a giant amoeba and a species resembling a three-eyed green ant."[3]
Recently film critic Bruce Eder, with a lighter touch, praised the film, writing, "The effects are a combination of costuming, model work, and puppets, with Bob Baker's giant (puppet) bat-rat-spider moving off in the distance perhaps the best shot in the movie. Danish-born director/screenwriter Ib Melchior brings a surprisingly light, deft touch to the proceedings, allowing the actors a chance to have fun with their roles -- especially Gerald Mohr, still looking and sounding a bit like Humphrey Bogart, as the stalwart mission commander, and Jack Kruschen as the good-humored technician in the crew -- without losing sight of the adventure and the story line, and meshing it all seamlessly with the special effects-driven sequences."[4]
Critic Glenn Erickson recently echoed the New York Times review, writing, "Although biographies on both Ib Melchior and Sid Pink would have you believe that The Angry Red Planet is an outer-space classic, it simply isn't so. The direction is woefully flat, and the script is dull even by low-budget standards. Too much of the Earthbound part of the show is comprised of stock footage material, and the sets are cheap and flat-lit. A good music track has animated many a genre picture worse than this one, but The Angry Red Planet gets shortchanged in that department too. A rough music edit at the end makes it seem as if an upbeat cue for the credits was imposed after the final mix."[5]
References[edit]
- ^ The Angry Red Planet at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Wingrove, David. Science Fiction Film Source Book (Longman Group Limited, 1985).
- ^ Archer, Eugene. The New York Times, film review, May 5, 1960. Last accessed: February 21, 2011.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. The Angry Red Planet at AllRovi. Last accessed: February 21, 2011.
- ^ Erickson, Glenn. DVD Savant, film and DVD review, December 8, 2001. Last accessed: February 21, 2011.
External links[edit]
- The Angry Red Planet at the Internet Movie Database
- The Angry Red Planet at the TCM Movie Database
- The Angry Red Planet film trailer at YouTube
