Page 53 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 135

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #135 April 2024 53

In Reel Time

Monkeying Around on Mars

By Nikolai Adams

n intriguing reworking of
ADaniel Defoe’s classic 1719
novel “Robinson Crusoe”, director
Byron Haskin, who in 1953 brought
aliens from Mars to Earth with the
epic The War of the Worlds, this time
flips the script and takes us to the
red planet with the sci-fi cult classic
Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964).

Though falling comfortably
within the sci-fi genre, Paramount’s
promotional team clearly reveled
Photo Submitted
in the movie’s attempted accuracy
– the trailer and advertising posters Unluckily, they find themselves on learns that some alien life form does Yet, these simple tricks are very
reading: “This film is scientifically an unexpected collision course with a visit the planet, mining it by way of effective, as are the impressive matte
authentic. It is only one step ahead of meteoroid. . . they are forced to burn slaves. A cool connection finds the background paintings (including
present reality”. And, in many ways, the rest of their fuel to avoid contact. alien crafts looking an awful lot like an eerily blood red sky), hand
it was impressively accurate for what Descending separately on their the weapons used by the Martians in animation, miniatures, and other
was known at that moment. Released lifeboat pods, they are separated, The War of the Worlds. Draper is able visual trickery. It is topped off with
at the perfect time in history, 1964 leaving Draper stranded from his to rescue one of the slaves, drawing Technicolor and Techniscope majesty
was just one year prior to the first mate on this inhospitable planet – one the ire of the superior aliens. Calling by cinematographer Winton H. Hoch
spacecraft fly by of Mars. . . before inaccurate detail finds fire frequently him Friday (Victor Lundin) – like (The Quiet Man; The Searchers) –
that, all that we knew was by way burning in certain locations. . . while Crusoe’s companion in the novel, he aurora-like reds, purples, and greens
of observation through telescope. random fireballs can come zooming attempts to teach him English and bring an uncanny otherworldly
What would be found was much by from time to time. After finding keep him alive as the aliens return essence to this astronaut’s new
less promising than expected – hope Mona hidden in the wreckage, he to the planet every eight weeks to barren home.
that there were canals of water and then turns his attention to figuring out gather more of whatever resource Sadly, despite its amazing posters,
enough oxygen to breathe for a how to survive with limited oxygen they’re collecting. Robinson Crusoe on Mars was poorly
couple of minutes without aid were tanks, no heat source, a few tubes of A kitschy cool vision of Mars, pushed by Paramount and floundered
dashed just a year later. . . but this food, and the solitude of what seems the combination of fact and at the box office, putting an end to the
1964 vision is what astronomers, like an uninhabited Mars. fiction makes it rather intriguing. already talked about sequel. Some
scientists, and dreamers hoped Mars
Filmed in the equally inhospitable Transforming from a battle of man also blamed the title for failing to
to be.
Death Valley, California, the locale versus nature into one of man versus draw interest. . . its original name was
Following the first manned quite accurately depicts what we’ve technologically superior man, we Gravity Probe One: Mars – though
mission to the red planet, the small seen of the red planet’s surface. . . get to see both the science and the that was deemed too documentary-
crew consists of Cmdr. Christopher sandy dunes, craggy rock formations fiction. Air pills are one like. Nonetheless, over the decades,
Draper (Paul Mantee) and Col. and mountains, as well as frigid polar thought provoking concept it has garnered a robust fan base that
Dan McReady (Adam West – two icecaps. By way of luck and smarts, explored – don’t get too excited, have fallen prey to its combination of
years prior to his most iconic role Draper figures out a way to extend M&Ms were actually used by the space adventure, science fiction, and
as tv’s Batman). . . as well as their his future. . . though that doesn’t prop department. And, while we’re novel ingenuity. So, don’t monkey
helpful monkey Mona (The Woolly make his isolation any easier. at it, the poi sausages discovered as around, discover Mars like you’ve
Monkey). never seen it before, circa 1964.
As this is science fiction, he soon a food source are simply pepperoni.