tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59910834512255210192024-03-14T00:00:09.513-07:00Sci-Fi Film FiestaSCI-FI FILM FIESTA: A salute to the pioneering work of science fiction film makers. May future generations have the privilege of enjoying your work and never stop wondering....What if?Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-20199237136264090222024-02-19T00:03:00.000-08:002024-02-20T22:53:32.034-08:00Planet of the Vampires (1965) (Terrore nello spazio)<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0u_T8ydzK3Y1SwBAouEYlOxn0QmsG81dM5Mo3I25L8OLl5yqEpG7sKUAYt16-fhnZBrL0A1lU8gVxtJTRb6_jXAVCDImg-f9QozQZTsrFKqgKejyZOZ8E_AXSifEebogPJF8ZdRqaLKtphXTTBDnPfo_Ud8HDy7CQbrLVoFY7WgvI_AC3t0ml4394oZj/s800/Planet-of-the-Vampires.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="411" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0u_T8ydzK3Y1SwBAouEYlOxn0QmsG81dM5Mo3I25L8OLl5yqEpG7sKUAYt16-fhnZBrL0A1lU8gVxtJTRb6_jXAVCDImg-f9QozQZTsrFKqgKejyZOZ8E_AXSifEebogPJF8ZdRqaLKtphXTTBDnPfo_Ud8HDy7CQbrLVoFY7WgvI_AC3t0ml4394oZj/w205-h400/Planet-of-the-Vampires.jpg" width="205" /></a></div></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAN39ykwjb-qRnDEp_wjl-rxtvLdx0jwgophtXriPeZyAINi4phja_3cjgD9wVg9J3ZGwmJmgHxfBOAyBAnTAU5FPjWSBZgruktdImOhWdn-NQVVUH_EjBvHriFnhTspPQYIq1ZNRKBcIdUX7BEEEaw2vPFveAYvQp-KP721ZPnPMr_rjNsGLuGILvERq/s200/4dman1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="39" data-original-width="200" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAN39ykwjb-qRnDEp_wjl-rxtvLdx0jwgophtXriPeZyAINi4phja_3cjgD9wVg9J3ZGwmJmgHxfBOAyBAnTAU5FPjWSBZgruktdImOhWdn-NQVVUH_EjBvHriFnhTspPQYIq1ZNRKBcIdUX7BEEEaw2vPFveAYvQp-KP721ZPnPMr_rjNsGLuGILvERq/w200-h39/4dman1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">A stylish, innovative, well-paced and entertaining mid-1960s sci-fi film with strong tone and atmosphere along with earnest performances.</span></i></b></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Directed by Mario Bava<br />Screenplay by Alberto Bevilacqua, Callisto Cosulich, Mario Bava, Antonio Román, Rafael J. Salvia<br />English version: Ib Melchior, Louis M. Heyward<br />Based on "One Night of 21 Hours" by Renato Pestriniero<br />Produced by,Fulvio Lucisano<br />Cinematography: Antonio Rinaldi<br />Edited by Antonio Gimeno, Romana Fortini<br />Music by Gino Marinuzzi Jr.<br />Production companies: Italian International Film, Castilla Cooperativa Cinematográfica, American International Pictures<br />Distributed by Società Italiana di Distribuzione (SIDIS) (Italy), C.B. Films (Spain)<br />Running time: 88 minutes<br />Budget: $200,000<br />Box office: £90 million (Italy), 38.2 million ESP (Spain), $251,000 (United States)</span><br /><br /></b></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Cast</u></b></span></h3><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Barry Sullivan as Captain Mark Markary</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Norma Bengell as Sanya</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ángel Aranda as Wess Wescant</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Evi Marandi as Tiona</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Franco Andrei as Bert</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Federico Boido as Harry Gash</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Stelio Candelli as Brad )</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Alberto Cevenini as Toby Markary</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Mario Morales as Eldon</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ivan Rassimov as Carter</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Massimo Righi as Captain Sallis</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Fernando Villeña as Dr. Karan</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><i>A strange transmission of a distress signal is received.</i></span></b></div><span style="color: #01ffff;"><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i>The spaceships Argos and Galliot travel to the mysterious planet Aura to investigate.</i></div><br /><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i>Automatic controls malfunction and the Galliot crashes on the surface of Aura.</i></div><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Upon landing, crew-members in Argos briefly lose control and attack each other.</i></div></span><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Why?</i></div></span><br /><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Casualties are soon found but the Argos’ Captain and his surviving crew discover that the dead do not stay dead.</span></i></div><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>How can this be?</i></div></span><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Did they respond to a distress signal or have they fallen into a trap?</i></div></span><br /><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">If the latter, then who set the trap and for what purpose?</span></i></div><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></i></div><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzGZFbTI-Ia3ZEj1E399jnVMK2Iunyj3vKGubcmTs4N_Ld8GQrN4M4e2S82GN8m7-4u3kJePmcdWzkoD_it5w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Trailer</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Read on for more....</i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Spoilers follow below...</i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span><br /></i></b></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;">“This planet seems to be made of fog”</i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhgxzvGw6tdssm7fLal_LqHlVQcIqTlBswQFq-Ip5s-Ad0Dp0Bz2iainUlkrTlXLAlppMBbSMblH9VwqHLGYXkRCRF-51e-t2U1UukDFq_di4QXLWhSTGAtbyXKdjcFtThDfxdRwWJv5KE28wbP6za8Ow42bTuTYJ_UhVPq3poC59jP1kKeQVhNhAVfb2/s720/pov-1_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="720" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhgxzvGw6tdssm7fLal_LqHlVQcIqTlBswQFq-Ip5s-Ad0Dp0Bz2iainUlkrTlXLAlppMBbSMblH9VwqHLGYXkRCRF-51e-t2U1UukDFq_di4QXLWhSTGAtbyXKdjcFtThDfxdRwWJv5KE28wbP6za8Ow42bTuTYJ_UhVPq3poC59jP1kKeQVhNhAVfb2/w400-h188/pov-1_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Aboard the spaceship <i>Argos</i>, our view of the spacious bridge, its equipment and its personnel is measured and unhurried affording us enough time to take in its impressive dimensions and functional efficiency. This huge interplanetary ship along with its sister ship, the <i>Galliot</i> have embarked on an expedition into the far reaches of deep uncharted space. On their sixth orbit around <i>Aura</i>, an unexplored planet, the crew has detected a signal that “always comes from the same point” emanating from a “man-made transmitter.” The transmission has been known about for the last two years. In response to what appears to be this distress signal, both ships are about to attempt to land on the surface of the fog-shrouded world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>While preparing to land on the planet, the communication link between the two vessels appears to be blocked. This is followed by a massive increase in gravitational forces as the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Argos</i><b> begins to enter Aura’s atmosphere, almost crushing and immobilizing the crew.</b></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">“He doesn't remember anything either”</span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“What's happened? What's going on?”</span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“I wish I knew”</span></i></div></i></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During the course of the landing, the crew of the <i>Argos</i> suddenly become possessed by a mysterious force that impels them to attempt to violently kill each other. It appears that Captain Markary is able to resist this unknown power and manages to force all of the other crew members out of their homicidal hypnotic trance-like state. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">All that can be determined so far is that only some of the crew “have been behaving </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">strangely with no memory of it afterwards.” Just prior to this “the automatic controls went completely haywire” and then “without warning the force of gravity increased…..up to 40G, a force which only a planet with a mass a thousand times superior to ours could have put out.” After unexpectedly setting down gently on the planet’s surface, the crew seemed to go crazy. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzqT9FH9nSvhMtuRqml7Gs5QS5CEheBQjMnq5pm-jXrqAqsF5GQ9XDt2DP5NnW2LLrPBpMTGtUl09jFA2Krde6iNoG0VGVey8z6DyJtLUew1QTOWv_slx_3xfDu3FDBx-O33eqD-3Y-Guhwub5Zba6DrSkDBYK-KU_-Pq0TkJO81XNPYvq2FgtSpRRYpg/s720/616Fmz.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="720" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzqT9FH9nSvhMtuRqml7Gs5QS5CEheBQjMnq5pm-jXrqAqsF5GQ9XDt2DP5NnW2LLrPBpMTGtUl09jFA2Krde6iNoG0VGVey8z6DyJtLUew1QTOWv_slx_3xfDu3FDBx-O33eqD-3Y-Guhwub5Zba6DrSkDBYK-KU_-Pq0TkJO81XNPYvq2FgtSpRRYpg/w400-h225/616Fmz.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black";"><span style="font-weight: bold;">None of this is coincidence.</span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">This was planned- by whom by what?”</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Soon after the <i>Argos</i> lands on the surface, the crew unsuccessfully attempts to lift off and head to the <i>Galliott’s</i> landing site. They then decide instead to disembark and explore the eerily coloured and swirling mist-infused terrain as they make their way toward the <i>Galliott</i>. Upon their arrival at the other ship, they discover to their horror that the crew members have killed each other, including Markary's younger brother, Toby. The bodies outside the ship are buried but several bodies remain sealed inside the ship's control room, the entrance to which will need to be cut through in order to gain access. While Markary goes back to get tools for opening the sealed room, the corpses within have mysteriously disappeared. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Markary returns to find the bodies missing, the control room doors open and all evidence of violence erased with the exception of blood discovered by Wess. After the baffled crew leave to return to the <i>Argos,</i> the grave markers at the <i>Galliott</i> burial site start to shift before toppling over. One by one the buried corpses emerge from their graves and slowly tear off their clear plastic shrouds before moving off to……</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7etw4pUxZTKFJzWXAR2NUCKfrcVuZAyONLPjl0ZsoNq1uYRp2SszBa8Tu0_sS0B1i4Fazg5NJ8UB58qU7gynEpfxIK6LOIzIccqEV8jfnQ1jxZJps3-wmbqGWXYiPbb3THrEpb2C7ezO9_tg-xhalWSEO5SHC7-6f-yAXbuIFvjoWA5pDHIN5j5GcywdT/s400/tumblr_olv0abT0NW1qmob6ro1_400.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="400" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7etw4pUxZTKFJzWXAR2NUCKfrcVuZAyONLPjl0ZsoNq1uYRp2SszBa8Tu0_sS0B1i4Fazg5NJ8UB58qU7gynEpfxIK6LOIzIccqEV8jfnQ1jxZJps3-wmbqGWXYiPbb3THrEpb2C7ezO9_tg-xhalWSEO5SHC7-6f-yAXbuIFvjoWA5pDHIN5j5GcywdT/w400-h217/tumblr_olv0abT0NW1qmob6ro1_400.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“Maybe we're not alone. Somebody or something could be watching us here right now”</i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A mystery has presented itself: First of all, despite being guided to the planet by a signal, no sign of life is evident. Second, Tiona is convinced that she saw some of the ‘dead’ men from the Galliott moving around nearby which caused her to scream in terror. Finally, there is the question of whether there is some inexplicable force at work here or if there’s any form of life responsible for what has happened, then it should be considered as their enemy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVvcA3hprkde43bMI8rxwXa0F6km005FAJs8WknPPKfn_G2BzFOhDaP0L3jEXCFVxFTrhd_6FMJkvP2EPJOYObH5Dub83gxDHXjjYokiZxafy0glgEn6F-Qv7Cw1ENh-L296TEa-V6qIcvDxzM2JupNKFDun7yKICKVgrX78HRc-M3I3wKU0ksfVeoMWe/s426/barry-sullivan_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="426" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVvcA3hprkde43bMI8rxwXa0F6km005FAJs8WknPPKfn_G2BzFOhDaP0L3jEXCFVxFTrhd_6FMJkvP2EPJOYObH5Dub83gxDHXjjYokiZxafy0glgEn6F-Qv7Cw1ENh-L296TEa-V6qIcvDxzM2JupNKFDun7yKICKVgrX78HRc-M3I3wKU0ksfVeoMWe/w400-h360/barry-sullivan_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“A captain should not be afraid and I confess now to whoever may hear this that today now I am experiencing fear. I must not let my crew know this. I must keep them busy. I must not let them know that the situation appears more hopeless with each passing day. Dictated by captain Mark Markary of the spaceship Argos on the planet Aura in the year…..”</i></div></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Although it is decided that the surviving crew must escape from<i> Aura</i>. the vessel has sustained serious damage during the landing, and the necessary repairs will delay any departure for at least two days. The pressure is on as in another three days the planet's orbit will have swept the crew so far away they may not get back home at all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A short time later, Markary observes Wess attempting to disconnect the meteor rejector. After being intercepted, Wes recalls that he was fully aware all the time that he was doing so but couldn't help himself. He tells the others, “I fought it with all my power but it was no use, I had to disconnect the meteor rejector…..it was like like another will fighting my own in my mind trying to take over control.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is concluded that “whatever unseen beings are out there, they apparently have the power to influence our minds when we're unconscious.” As a precaution, the captain orders that a guard be placed on anyone who's sleeping.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuQhE2r-Tn9G-p0Fddic0trEliTDs8S8zl3AAPakseQUFnzNObdpbq6MM_IxZO39w44ny0ydPB7hn2ZrqBXNUgy01dWgHAXh4YellS6KUGja6Za_mYCN4T3mkoFtevSWA83AS8fQYlA0Bbo5S8DNVR1tlbtU_44wi9XjJMBVEPuRuLlIqeKRNljGkaCAd/s1280/tumblr_ppcuwh8LCt1x6m6njo1_1280_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuQhE2r-Tn9G-p0Fddic0trEliTDs8S8zl3AAPakseQUFnzNObdpbq6MM_IxZO39w44ny0ydPB7hn2ZrqBXNUgy01dWgHAXh4YellS6KUGja6Za_mYCN4T3mkoFtevSWA83AS8fQYlA0Bbo5S8DNVR1tlbtU_44wi9XjJMBVEPuRuLlIqeKRNljGkaCAd/w400-h225/tumblr_ppcuwh8LCt1x6m6njo1_1280_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">The crew members patrolling and standing guard outside the ship report having heard and seen something. When</span> <span style="color: #fcff01;">Markary joins them, the ‘something’ is described as being “like luminous globes” seen out of the corner of the eye but seem to just disappear when looked at directly. </span></span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tragedy strikes when the outside party hears a scream and discover a hideously mutilated Bert lying on the ground. Before he dies, he tells the others that it was “captain,” but is unable to finish his identification of the culprit. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY1JWhJspx7_8NYo62PdnMYUPns9EGRGxuFOwwDd6Ck5kISq_k0pYUmX_6NaIGRhq4LEuf3QdhuXyi2CrLbYqRQvbTK6l_5Ge0VTUsHDmtOzfDnEklEhfn8ekHmLsbxszWC0t_bsemIopq6gkrKnHVS7Rmg5OW5mExQM1_zPPlkMYLCOt8w5vErIz25Z6/s1003/FkBA8Q-XwAIAyx__edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1003" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY1JWhJspx7_8NYo62PdnMYUPns9EGRGxuFOwwDd6Ck5kISq_k0pYUmX_6NaIGRhq4LEuf3QdhuXyi2CrLbYqRQvbTK6l_5Ge0VTUsHDmtOzfDnEklEhfn8ekHmLsbxszWC0t_bsemIopq6gkrKnHVS7Rmg5OW5mExQM1_zPPlkMYLCOt8w5vErIz25Z6/w400-h251/FkBA8Q-XwAIAyx__edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After Bert’s body is brought back into the ship, the assessment of the crew’s predicament is outlined as follows:</span><br /></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">One entire crew lost</span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Two of their own crewmen gone</span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Bert dead</span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Elden disappeared</span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The unknown enemy keeps getting closer </span></li></ul><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>The Enemy</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>The enemy becomes visible and identifiable when viewed out of the corner of one’s eye but seems to disappear when looked at directly. Being perhaps composed of little globes of light, this alien life-form could, it is conjectured, be “based on a different plane of vibrations” to humans and that the “strange sonic waves” the crew heard could be their voices.</i></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqTGkSD9DM5xwxZewKyJCYt3E9TAq06vxAtM1unuDgliL7DDyQS3Z-XBTR6v7lSKLvUBTjgomaKgxzJcY-wRhhP9j5f2K_9dtOBwKtZEvgM9pAou9RQYVIpyQSrHMTUXfY0ehnt-3nStttOR8ehYR_ONYcj8Il0en3HsEUyC4AGiX-fQ7jcfy9YEXwJeB/s450/tumblr_o3z5zm14kP1r73lylo2_500.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="450" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqTGkSD9DM5xwxZewKyJCYt3E9TAq06vxAtM1unuDgliL7DDyQS3Z-XBTR6v7lSKLvUBTjgomaKgxzJcY-wRhhP9j5f2K_9dtOBwKtZEvgM9pAou9RQYVIpyQSrHMTUXfY0ehnt-3nStttOR8ehYR_ONYcj8Il0en3HsEUyC4AGiX-fQ7jcfy9YEXwJeB/w400-h240/tumblr_o3z5zm14kP1r73lylo2_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Tiona finishes the records for Sanya, she is terrified by the sight of the apparently deceased Bert standing behind the record cabinet door, seemingly poised to do her harm. Tiona faints from shock and the others return to find her lying on the floor. There may be some scepticism concerning Tiona’s account of what happened especially with Bert’s seemingly lifeless body lying atop the table. </span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVYSuzw5__AkL0SHjCuZYBOXAcmlHzketDe2s3jwpHQQJ2BoxOSDOZL-dD7QIfvUlZRKo737J2oPwEOoSNr0qVjLExTPyY_CZldR_CQLbELFquauXj8iPkFtmR-ZTYURGviSK5emewoM_rxytOlzAbDVjkyDosEGfIWWe58q55QRyyzgxf42gWatt2zUT/s302/images_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="302" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnVYSuzw5__AkL0SHjCuZYBOXAcmlHzketDe2s3jwpHQQJ2BoxOSDOZL-dD7QIfvUlZRKo737J2oPwEOoSNr0qVjLExTPyY_CZldR_CQLbELFquauXj8iPkFtmR-ZTYURGviSK5emewoM_rxytOlzAbDVjkyDosEGfIWWe58q55QRyyzgxf42gWatt2zUT/w400-h221/images_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Bert’s burial service is quickly dispatched with a perfunctory, “rest well... sorry we weren't around to help you…. we'll try to see that you didn't die in vain.” This is followed by “let's not stand around, we've got work to do!” If his ghost is watching he’ll be shaking his fist and muttering, “Is that all you’ve got to say, you bastards!”</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;">“Looks like it's been here for a long time”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> While conducting a land survey of<i> Aura</i>, Wess spotted something “shining” which turns out to be the ruins of an alien spaceship a few miles from the <i>Argos. </i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Markary, Sanya and Carter proceed to the site of the alien ship to investigate. An examination of the vessel’s exterior indicates that “it's been here for a long time” and doesn’t look like any ship the crew has ever seen.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3hS61znhUnj9VFmzY6SJ2X-hYUTr0sDqAlC46pdzq9Dx6mhptDF4Ii6Mf7hdkqnGxhe1x9uZ05of4BBwgkLCbGJhK3O-qlB4RVMQ_7mc3KSrm8pG5XFLYfunUusMYZuuAt2hpK0_8JWkDme0DU222jLMUIkQ8OM9H0U2PQodEKlHPNZibB8alCMyGKnE/s1000/Planet_Vampires_2_1000_420_90_c1_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="1000" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3hS61znhUnj9VFmzY6SJ2X-hYUTr0sDqAlC46pdzq9Dx6mhptDF4Ii6Mf7hdkqnGxhe1x9uZ05of4BBwgkLCbGJhK3O-qlB4RVMQ_7mc3KSrm8pG5XFLYfunUusMYZuuAt2hpK0_8JWkDme0DU222jLMUIkQ8OM9H0U2PQodEKlHPNZibB8alCMyGKnE/w400-h168/Planet_Vampires_2_1000_420_90_c1_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Suddenly they spot a giant skeleton on the ground “three times the size of us and judging by the deterioration of the calcium must have been here a long time, probably belonging to an ancient civilization.”</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> While Carter stands guard outside, Markary and Sanya venture inside the derelict craft. As they cautiously making their way, lit by subdued lighting, through the immense interior, their presence seems to have triggered a series of strange eerie melodic sounds. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHTb6keHu0XX5ZZ9IE3CVV6VPeM9G4f6qHckefi68y2hPrV5byJ4WJg6nLYEgwZk2PPQJCHRbXP1wS2xnN9ah9hS50S5WTmwUgCnMkl56Jv17Kd3VGMuRnIioyfRxtLXP-9s7VAeLsEJPEMnRWUD0_eZawCIsizIwUmOD2wPvK_MrQ1PD9jMoEEdb30fi/s500/tumblr_e01fc7426387c747ca2a06a96143541d_152a211c_500_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="500" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHTb6keHu0XX5ZZ9IE3CVV6VPeM9G4f6qHckefi68y2hPrV5byJ4WJg6nLYEgwZk2PPQJCHRbXP1wS2xnN9ah9hS50S5WTmwUgCnMkl56Jv17Kd3VGMuRnIioyfRxtLXP-9s7VAeLsEJPEMnRWUD0_eZawCIsizIwUmOD2wPvK_MrQ1PD9jMoEEdb30fi/w400-h216/tumblr_e01fc7426387c747ca2a06a96143541d_152a211c_500_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Another giant skeleton is discovered slumped over some kind of control station. Both Markary and Sanya receive a shock when they touch what appears to be an electric torch used by the aliens whose size may have enabled them to hold the device without being shocked.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While they have been exploring the chamber, Markary has managed to activate a recording device which fills the area with a deep almost melodic baritone voice. The voice belonged to the giant alien and what Markary and Sanya’s ears are being subject to is the alien’s language…..saying <i>what</i> exactly? It’s a moot point, however as Markary smashes the console which silences the message and brings the giant skeleton crashing down onto the floor of the vessel.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWJ4creK04ixg5t_K0YmfA3ZFYo97psb42CLfLKF2OYu7dQKZCSvVE4ZPRde4dWfhT2GJZa1eD2uwy0PAJfuxD9FTJP18Dfbl_j4h6bpCpzXC1kicRvhnkh5-bX6q6y_aD4PdwJRGw8CPRWmKbOkON-s9Ek9-FtgBBSPj1KhZye74znho0UpP_cpVeZGH/s400/tumblr_oy6g1ddaso1qmob6ro1_400.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="400" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWJ4creK04ixg5t_K0YmfA3ZFYo97psb42CLfLKF2OYu7dQKZCSvVE4ZPRde4dWfhT2GJZa1eD2uwy0PAJfuxD9FTJP18Dfbl_j4h6bpCpzXC1kicRvhnkh5-bX6q6y_aD4PdwJRGw8CPRWmKbOkON-s9Ek9-FtgBBSPj1KhZye74znho0UpP_cpVeZGH/w400-h217/tumblr_oy6g1ddaso1qmob6ro1_400.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A somewhat symbolic act! But what is pretty obvious by now is that the crew of <i>Argos</i> and <i>Galliott</i> are not the first ships to be lured into a trap on <i>Aura</i> by the distress beacon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Markary soon locates a large tuning fork on the console and conjectures that the locking device “could be a sonic one - a lock designed to open only to a certain sound to a certain frequency.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">All of a sudden, in what appears to be a fail-safe device, the air is being drawn out the chamber which is now sealed tight. The tuning fork however is of no use, so Markary throws it away causing it to accidentally strike the electric torch tool. The results produced as a consequence leads Markary to resort to enduring the shocks from the ‘electric torch’ to generate the tone and frequency necessary to open the door lock. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After exiting the alien vessel, Markary and Sanya discover that Carter is nowhere to be seen. They believe that he has probably gone back to the<i> Argos</i> for help. But has he????</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Back at the <i>Argos</i>, it is evident that Carter has not yet returned. Rather disturbingly it seems that Tiona has been dramatically affected by what she witnessed when standing guard: “they were there in the fog all mutilated and bloody….I looked right at them…. they didn't go away…..empty faces – dead faces.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Two apparent surviving crew members of the <i>Galliott,</i> Kier and Sallis, arrive at the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Argos</i><b> where they relate that they “remember descending for landing with all conditions perfect then nothing until we found ourselves fighting our way out of unconsciousness somewhere out there.” They go on to explain that they walked around looking for the</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> Galliott</i><b> but didn't find her. Their peculiar behavior, however is noticed along with their inability to adequately explain where they have been since the landing. Their presence seems to indicate that they are indeed alive, but as Tiona observes, nothing is what it seems on Aura. She then insists that she saw the three they buried the previous day along with another one – Bert! One way to find out is to open the graves which Markary orders to be done. A short time later, from one of the graves, only a transparent plastic funeral shroud shoots out revealing the absence of any body. </b></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;">“It's imperative that our race continue to exist”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later that same night, Kier and Sallas are caught stealing the Argos’ meteor rejecter from the control room. Kier is able to escape with the rejecter, but Sallas is captured. When the top part of his uniform is accidentally torn open, the other crew members catch a glimpse of putrid flesh and exposed bone. Sailas’ real identity is revealed. He tells the others that he is an Auran entity who has taken possession of and is making use of the dead man's body. He goes on to explain that due to their sun burning out and the planet becoming uninhabitable, his species are desperate to escape before they become extinct.</span><br /><u><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Imperative</span></u><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“On this planet </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;">are </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">many beings who desperate. We've been in trouble many years now and we're fighting to survive. We arranged for several of you to kill each other so that we could take over your bodies. You are our last chance, it's imperative that our race continue to exist….If you were in our place you would understand ….we cannot build anything - spaceships like this, we need ships to get away. Perhaps our survival is possible somewhere else. Our sun's been dying….and that means the end of our species….You heard our message, we never expected you to actually respond”</span></span></i></div></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Auran has revealed that the two ships were lured to the planet in order for its species to escape from their dying world and that they have to take possession of the crew members in order to exist in a different atmosphere. In answer to the accusation that such a bodily possession would be parasitical, the Auran states that the hosts must “be willing only to submit, lose their bodies as well as lose their will” and that the relationship would be “symbiotic.” In usual evil alien fashion, the Sallas / Auran entity then declares that resistance is useless and issues an ultimatum stating that either all of them go back to the crews’ home planet, or none will. To underscore this, the Auran adds that “a certain rejector” vital to the crew has been taken away and therefore they can't leave without it. The rejector will be returned only on condition that they agree to take the Auran’s back with them. Markary resolutely replies that he and his crew are willing to die in order to save their world. In response, the Auran entity vacates Sallas’ dead body which promptly falls to the floor.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-weight: bold;"><i>“Time's running out</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">”</span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Markary, in a race against time, quickly activates a plan to stop the Aurans achieving their own nefarious plan of reaching the home planet. First of all, the captain intends to use atomic detonators to blow up the <i>Galliott</i> and its entire cargo of “living dead.” Before doing so, the meteor rejector will need to be retrieved. As soon as Wess sees the team returning with the rejector, he is to turn on the ignition while the rejector is to be replaced after they are in space which will be risky. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">To the accompaniment of the ominous mournful wail of the Auran wind, Markary along with Sanya, Dr. Karan and Tiona make their way to the <i>Galliott</i> to retrieve the meteor rejecter, while Wess stays behind on the <i>Argos</i>. At the site of the Galliott Markary orders Tiona and Dr Karen to hold position while he and Sanya proceed into the ship.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It isn’t long before the captain discovers that his own brother has turned into one of the living dead. While the explosive is being placed within the ship and the meteor rejector retrieved, Markary and Sanya are caught in the act by Toby and a struggle ensues during which Markary shoots Toby in the leg. The rest of the Aurans are alerted by the sound of the struggle and its on for young and old. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx77erIFiy8v4tHySz32h8BjRFrePACNaLYF30uBpF8UdxEhiNScxsO_BKe3khNABDwBB38I_Wc8zgxgDdWblXP2PPMs_xm3LUlOrdoGqOJOYbc54ICnjd278XC1CJ1pOdTiSj1hVlVAKz_6bWZY5XuTISlVY2hTpJ_gWF7Q2WuNy_fuLpsmYa96iDKUW/s380/tumblr_oual0cgfri1sqf5tdo1_400.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="380" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx77erIFiy8v4tHySz32h8BjRFrePACNaLYF30uBpF8UdxEhiNScxsO_BKe3khNABDwBB38I_Wc8zgxgDdWblXP2PPMs_xm3LUlOrdoGqOJOYbc54ICnjd278XC1CJ1pOdTiSj1hVlVAKz_6bWZY5XuTISlVY2hTpJ_gWF7Q2WuNy_fuLpsmYa96iDKUW/w400-h256/tumblr_oual0cgfri1sqf5tdo1_400.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Markary and Sanya eventually make it back to where Dr. Karan and Tiona are before a gun battle erupts between the four Argon crew and the pursuing Auran possessed astronauts. Karen and Tiona are killed in the battle while Markary and Sanya make it back to the <i>Argos.</i> The ship manages to take off with the three survivors just as the <i>Galliott</i> explodes. One would think that would be the end of the story….right? Wrong!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;">“Can you imagine our world invaded by those horrible creatures?</i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Just thinking about it seems a nightmare”</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">After declaring that it was “luck” that brought them here, Markary insists that Wess go and get some sleep. While he tries to do just that, he is disturbed by Markary's strange behaviour when he catches a reflection of the captain holding a field ray gun while hovering outside his quarters and seeming to be undecided as to whether or not to enter</span>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSr5hH4ZRtX7RKybCVDy_E7Owu-JDoJq0fz8DlwUnafBLmQBjX_dJv_8AadgwT0gptXpCjT2xnzSnbvn8PGVcaqXuzvujf31SGm8P0B8XLUBiyHb2mUK7_to218LYJz3A9Hi-N4wPqOmYpxORi4rEk2d2-1huIhJxNhXoq7R0pG-v0rqrGKNKDeB_Bg28/s1920/MV5BYjQ1YTY0NDUtNDljZC00YzIxLTg4NjgtYWIwMzAwMTc1MzA3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDY3OTcyOQ@@_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1920" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSr5hH4ZRtX7RKybCVDy_E7Owu-JDoJq0fz8DlwUnafBLmQBjX_dJv_8AadgwT0gptXpCjT2xnzSnbvn8PGVcaqXuzvujf31SGm8P0B8XLUBiyHb2mUK7_to218LYJz3A9Hi-N4wPqOmYpxORi4rEk2d2-1huIhJxNhXoq7R0pG-v0rqrGKNKDeB_Bg28/w400-h216/MV5BYjQ1YTY0NDUtNDljZC00YzIxLTg4NjgtYWIwMzAwMTc1MzA3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDY3OTcyOQ@@_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">When Wess informs Sanya about what he saw, she asks him, “what are your conclusions?” and he replies, “unfortunately there's only one conclusion: even Mark is controlled by one of them!” Samya and Wess then go to confront the captain where Wess is to discover the horrible truth that……</span>.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;">“Just let one of us join you. It'll give you this wonderful new complexity”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">….both Markary and Sanaya are possessed by the Auran entities! Wess rejects their offer to let him join them and echoing his captain’s earlier declaration, he assures them that he would rather die than submit to them. Before he can be eliminated, Wess dashes off and destroys the meteor rejecter which releases an energy discharge that kills him.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;">“I was right, it is a puny civilization”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Without the meteor rejecter, there is no way for the <i>Argos</i> to make it back to the home planet. Instead, Markary decides that they’ll have to land on a closer planet less then a light year away. It is such a small planet it’s “not even marked on the navigation charts” but has an atmosphere in which they and those who follow them can exist. It is the third planet of the star they call T, “most likely a young primitive world” which we of course know as…... Earth!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The crews of the <i>Argos</i> and <i>Galliott</i> were not human at all, but from another distant planet. 'Sanya' asks 'Markary' how he thinks the people of Earth will accept them. "I hope well... for them," he menacingly replies.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; text-decoration-line: underline;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-weight: bold;">Points Of Interest</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh76uR73F95DwNKeAe8oYkaUikcGJGeOFpq-qGh8RxmejuBIR7x9Bj3oC1JApozkNVuk9u2qe3n5rG52_tqXV4EZFM0X6FhwoG-af4TZTBbtb8rmf_PN4G9PbgMW80R_A1LmiRCek7Oht953somTec2Kf45Wgv5GAk0gIGT0PPSmvh7wJFumojc_c8J6J/s305/images%20(1)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="305" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh76uR73F95DwNKeAe8oYkaUikcGJGeOFpq-qGh8RxmejuBIR7x9Bj3oC1JApozkNVuk9u2qe3n5rG52_tqXV4EZFM0X6FhwoG-af4TZTBbtb8rmf_PN4G9PbgMW80R_A1LmiRCek7Oht953somTec2Kf45Wgv5GAk0gIGT0PPSmvh7wJFumojc_c8J6J/w400-h216/images%20(1)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></u></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Planet of the Vampires </i>was based on an Itaian-language science fiction short story,<i> One Night of 21 Hours</i> by Renato Pestriniero. The film was co-produced by AIP and Italian International Film, with some financing provided by Spain's Castilla Cooperativa Cinematográfica. American International Pictures released the film as the supporting film on a double feature with Daniel Haller's <i>Die, Monster, Die</i>! (1965).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Bava's film seems to have been a major influence on Ridley Scott's <a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2024/01/alien-1979.html" target="_blank"><i>Alien</i> (1979)</a> both of which have similar narrative and visual design elements. Just consider for instance, the continuous shots & panning inside the Argon vessel, the discovery of a giant alien skeleton outside and inside the derelict alien ship, the horseshoe shape vessel design, the landing on the alien planetoid scene, the response to an alien signal an so on. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ib Melchior who wrote the screenplay for the English-language version of the film had been involved with other sci-fi films featured in this blog such as;</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> <a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-angry-red-planet-1959.html" target="_blank"><i><u>The Angry Red Planet</u></i> (1959</a>),</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><u>Reptilicus</u></i> (1961) </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">and</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2020/10/robinson-crusoe-on-mars-1964.html" target="_blank"><i><u>Robinson Crusoe On Mars</u></i> (1964).</a></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV1N549V-ukpYbEvaQ7VG2iP_jqkBfEkH2T4yYGHtwH-ekfuHVLwbUIaORM5puxPR9Jz5BlkEI2il8nFgcLsnKGCF6irl4sx6lkPi-gHCJ0SsjP6IAN12TmRhOyaF1NJujaqcVJaUURaCi9bifsRqqLeGd8WKKdnc6pZaThDm7nJnZQgO3v0JOot1uBqs/s728/10867_1_edited.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="728" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV1N549V-ukpYbEvaQ7VG2iP_jqkBfEkH2T4yYGHtwH-ekfuHVLwbUIaORM5puxPR9Jz5BlkEI2il8nFgcLsnKGCF6irl4sx6lkPi-gHCJ0SsjP6IAN12TmRhOyaF1NJujaqcVJaUURaCi9bifsRqqLeGd8WKKdnc6pZaThDm7nJnZQgO3v0JOot1uBqs/w400-h225/10867_1_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> On set it must have been a regular Tower of Babel as each cast member used their own native language, often not understanding what the other actors were saying. The languages used ranged from English, Portuguese, Italian through to Spanish. The actors’ voices were then dubbed into Italian or English in post-production.</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScwdcetqSAn-GFhD2O9at35oDLSqtIJWVqNbLqLuWqKkyls2jqfxd35WZaJs7KS59NJuNRh1UG0IS9BO8rFOUb9HFtsYTcJEaCnBwccDG81tft9BijicJ9YAtVPtuiR1jP6ubLf9iXHRoDm5S5mY74eQ1r34qu-UwKjAV7QWrOGVI4afZqMbHAZRkAeu8/s1024/Planet-of-the-Vampires_6-1024x576.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScwdcetqSAn-GFhD2O9at35oDLSqtIJWVqNbLqLuWqKkyls2jqfxd35WZaJs7KS59NJuNRh1UG0IS9BO8rFOUb9HFtsYTcJEaCnBwccDG81tft9BijicJ9YAtVPtuiR1jP6ubLf9iXHRoDm5S5mY74eQ1r34qu-UwKjAV7QWrOGVI4afZqMbHAZRkAeu8/w400-h225/Planet-of-the-Vampires_6-1024x576.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Opticals, miniatures and forced perspective visuals were used throughout the film, along with colored fog to add atmosphere while obscuring the cheapness of the sets. In some of the shots two plastic rocks were multiplied by mirrors and multiple exposures. The planet's exterior sequences were filmed on an empty stage obscured by mists, table top miniatures and Schüfftan process effects involving the use of mirrors to reflect a portion of the action being filmed onto a separate piece of glass, which is then incorporated into the final image. This process allows the creation of the illusion of complex and realistic environments.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Planet of the Vampires is a beautifully photographed film with effective special effects and use of color to the accompaniment of eerie atmospheric music. Often the tone and mood is simply set by the sound of humming electronics and the menacing moan of the planet’s wind. The viewer is taken along as a participant by the ever-roving camera as it pans, tracks and zooms in and out and leads us through a scene by means of continuous shots.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUL8-qOUEuuo__HSCmJrGhsBPGOpkp1ALphVqwbLjSYXTInW82WcW7e2x1PMKm1VStQfy1ovJPidM7ZUb2Xi-vt-sEecZb9HnQdjXro_Wn15QC_ZYyCi31tpvTXLBJ5WAHix9gYhH8eK6crsSKAf_m_NtO4yqw6Si3SCZnwra_SUZPQnlLcbDlHtqHc10/s500/3aa31528ca587d10ce3d6adae683254f_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="500" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUL8-qOUEuuo__HSCmJrGhsBPGOpkp1ALphVqwbLjSYXTInW82WcW7e2x1PMKm1VStQfy1ovJPidM7ZUb2Xi-vt-sEecZb9HnQdjXro_Wn15QC_ZYyCi31tpvTXLBJ5WAHix9gYhH8eK6crsSKAf_m_NtO4yqw6Si3SCZnwra_SUZPQnlLcbDlHtqHc10/w400-h190/3aa31528ca587d10ce3d6adae683254f_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The horror and science fiction elements of the film are very well combined giving it an unsettling and creepy feel without going over the top. We are given time to take in everything at the visual level without nausea-inducing shaky camera work and continuous rapid cutting of shots. We also (shock-horror!) have a story with a structure that audiences can actually follow. If I have any criticism, it is with those damn collars of the characters’ uniforms. They must have annoyed the heck out of the actors. Speaking of the vinyl uniforms, Norma Bengell and Evi Marandi did them full justice!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCNbHVkT6Z6Jq2qnsshW9gUyhfSg5WVbxl-AnzIvmI8cx0-ntcShdavS03ra1RiYmq9wu5x2Vus4OJFxXkOajaT690ukiSLDvwPt-Vplydw2x-kPbLVKQl7RKNwME_waqHN0gfNGqwnvNDXJ__1cVaepJwl4b9vHWYCrNVwFFlGIptC6qIJE6tZvU3gYB/s125/220px-Norma_Bengell_-_Planet_of_the_Vampires_(1965)_as_Sanya_landing_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="125" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCNbHVkT6Z6Jq2qnsshW9gUyhfSg5WVbxl-AnzIvmI8cx0-ntcShdavS03ra1RiYmq9wu5x2Vus4OJFxXkOajaT690ukiSLDvwPt-Vplydw2x-kPbLVKQl7RKNwME_waqHN0gfNGqwnvNDXJ__1cVaepJwl4b9vHWYCrNVwFFlGIptC6qIJE6tZvU3gYB/w400-h381/220px-Norma_Bengell_-_Planet_of_the_Vampires_(1965)_as_Sanya_landing_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Notice too that, unusual for the time the film was made, the female characters were depicted as being fully integrated members of the crew who even participated in the nitty gritty of missions and dangerous conflicts.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXCGx4h8eYEX4hDsDljUtZUCPGARffnSC9m3MDjsT_DyKaGr_y4EZwPOxdXX2uBLcbqUu3YJblW8FBssMOe11nMOq7s8ilINtrf7m7wFLDQF5BorZ-Burlfw1CbGcCNkqWie-9-DDnwTtLH4lnIA-Noap-6zo_m6JABcpQDHtKMNSjaxJcGRMlq9nf-sh/s1400/0_b4dGf5ORJjXX1MLT_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1400" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXCGx4h8eYEX4hDsDljUtZUCPGARffnSC9m3MDjsT_DyKaGr_y4EZwPOxdXX2uBLcbqUu3YJblW8FBssMOe11nMOq7s8ilINtrf7m7wFLDQF5BorZ-Burlfw1CbGcCNkqWie-9-DDnwTtLH4lnIA-Noap-6zo_m6JABcpQDHtKMNSjaxJcGRMlq9nf-sh/w400-h209/0_b4dGf5ORJjXX1MLT_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Finally, there’s the matter of the existence of life and especially intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Our notions of the possible presence of life beyond the confines of earth are governed by what we know of Darwinian evolution and terrestrial analogues. Any certainty or definitive statements we may try to bring to the discussion without evidence is plain foolishness. We just don’t know if life or indeed intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe and what we’re left with is either wishful thinking or unreasoning denial. However, it intelligent life is present on other worlds in our own and other galaxies…… then;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Would they be motivated by a similar kind curiosity to ours to seek out and communicate with other intelligence species? Or would they shun such communication and opt instead for an insular existence due to fear of consequences or their own belief systems?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Are such intelligent life forms already aware of our existence and knowing something about us, are understandably reluctant to have anything to with such an irresponsible, rapacious and violent species?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Would an extra-terrestrial intelligent life form possess similar codes of ethics and morality (such as we selectively and occasionally apply) as our own? Or would they perhaps be motivated by the imperatives of survival of their species and view our presence as a potential threat (or even as an abomination)to their own survival?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">How would they view human beings and the planet Earth? Altruistically as fellow beings from whom they can learn and can in turn teach and guide us in a spirit of cooperation? Or perhaps as resources to be ruthlessly exploited for whatever purposes that suit them? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What form would an extra-terrestrial life-form take? Humanoid? Carbon or silicon-based? Aquatic? Energy-based?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Might an extra-terrestrial civilization operative on different laws of physics (which we believe are the same everywhere) which we have yet to made aware of?</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">How would communication be established? Radio / micro waves? Language based involving verbal communication using similar notions of syntax and grammar? Mathematical and physics concepts or laws which we consider as universal? Telepathy? Metaphorical, symbolic, analogous forms? Sign language?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As can be seen from the above, any consideration of the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, amounts to little more than endless speculation. We should not assume anything as to its likely existence and its possible nature but should instead be prepared to expect anything. It may transpire that it will be we human beings who will be viewed as being the aliens!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLreSDAY1cDd5GY-6v4KGxdVGsJwU5HR-Fd2v02LOqsQzpiAX-lRrlUomsedHT0uU93e4xLPG_U_7fkWN5-oyT9i1H4pQmWPL05ygldsUaOEw3kBJyGoAOMlmaRrHoIseaFMjpTBm9xsKq7vpXSXAMBAmcZCxLwjSMjmo6Fr53nl-HUpYBYZvdWDHADMF/s1920/backdrop-1920_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLreSDAY1cDd5GY-6v4KGxdVGsJwU5HR-Fd2v02LOqsQzpiAX-lRrlUomsedHT0uU93e4xLPG_U_7fkWN5-oyT9i1H4pQmWPL05ygldsUaOEw3kBJyGoAOMlmaRrHoIseaFMjpTBm9xsKq7vpXSXAMBAmcZCxLwjSMjmo6Fr53nl-HUpYBYZvdWDHADMF/w400-h225/backdrop-1920_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Planet of the Vampires</i> deserves to be more widely known and not simply forgotten. It is a wonderful gem of cinematic history that still stands up surprisingly well.</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s73qz0RDVe8" width="320" youtube-src-id="s73qz0RDVe8"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Full Film</b></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">As a thank you for visiting my blog and reading this post, please feel free to download the following:</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-size: large;"><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19GQm6Z4qbkTXrEVxrU9fRzh0wVqu8cH7/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Short Story Download Link</a></u></i></span></b></span></div><span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span><span style="color: #fcff01;">(for</span><span style="color: red;"> free</span><span style="color: #fcff01;"> ebook copy of the science fiction short story,<i> One Night of 21 Hours</i> by Renato Pestriniero on which the film is based.)</span><br /><br /><br /><i><u><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/p/sci-fi-film-fiesta-big-fat-book-of-sci.html" target="_blank">Free eBook Download Link</a></span></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><u><span style="font-size: large;"></span></u></i><span style="font-size: large;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span><span style="color: #fcff01;">(for</span><span style="color: red;"> free</span><span style="color: #fcff01;"> copy of my ebook, <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta: The Big Fat Book Of Classic Science Fiction Films Of the 1950s</i></span></b></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-small;">©Chris Christopoulos 2024</span></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-16412678619431184382024-01-27T22:18:00.000-08:002024-01-28T23:56:55.490-08:00Alien (1979)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwfeOAUbslHah_BQJm8iz5upPh2C37NtOGMix0AFbJd92IZEtx0j6GNoHmICtL_qHv2HYcxegZpjS2Zgk_mNjo_RHR0l8p3dVp3XpQJMHjDHp8TJSKQ9AB93sDRzCpBYMIuGkYmh2DJV4tNDkFL3_MoILpJ4C94ZEw2IHGwh7sg59N5aO5r40F1WVmpUk/s343/Alien_movie_poster_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="241" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwfeOAUbslHah_BQJm8iz5upPh2C37NtOGMix0AFbJd92IZEtx0j6GNoHmICtL_qHv2HYcxegZpjS2Zgk_mNjo_RHR0l8p3dVp3XpQJMHjDHp8TJSKQ9AB93sDRzCpBYMIuGkYmh2DJV4tNDkFL3_MoILpJ4C94ZEw2IHGwh7sg59N5aO5r40F1WVmpUk/w281-h400/Alien_movie_poster_edited.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhal0GBsGYpg_2mP8Vf9yLGDDfZJsoI2ARJNpR8PTwb3i9LJ0_Hy18qZMM88QupVfjNdpKh_i9si9fWLQzJJWa3XqBpI6TgkmNx9ksjttgK43zK_mu12TAleZ-ddl2J8KpzqmO9r24PnZCdV_bXu1cdMuovnwCjjiduui1Mn5bZq35vt5H7A87rzGK4TsWo/s512/5%20star.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="512" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhal0GBsGYpg_2mP8Vf9yLGDDfZJsoI2ARJNpR8PTwb3i9LJ0_Hy18qZMM88QupVfjNdpKh_i9si9fWLQzJJWa3XqBpI6TgkmNx9ksjttgK43zK_mu12TAleZ-ddl2J8KpzqmO9r24PnZCdV_bXu1cdMuovnwCjjiduui1Mn5bZq35vt5H7A87rzGK4TsWo/w200-h120/5%20star.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b>A landmark film with an excellent combination of the sci-fi and horror genres along with a great deal to think about</b></span></i></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Directed by Ridley Scott<br />Screenplay by Dan O'Bannon<br />Story by Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett<br />Produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill<br />Cinematography: Derek Vanlint<br />Edited by Terry Rawlings, Peter Weatherley<br />Music by Jerry Goldsmith<br />Production companies: 20th Century-Fox, Brandywine Productions<br />Distributed by: 20th Century-Fox<br />Running time: 116 minutes<br />Budget: $11 million[a][5]<br />Box office: $184.7 million</span></span><br /><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Cast</u></b></span></h3><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tom Skerritt: Dallas</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Sigourney Weaver: Ripley</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Veronica Cartwright:Lambert</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Harry Dean Stanton: Brett</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">John Hurt: Kane</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ian Holm: Ash</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yaphet Kotto: Parker</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Bolaji Badejo: Alien</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Helen Horton: Mother (voice)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Eddie Powell: Alien (uncredited)</span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxqiH3lgfhm8N8Y5sSOjvaeeZg96ftQs_Ee5Ieam_WyvwMbWHiUJ1wn-6T2B6EFgAh0HXqHLFkq_Z-JoqgOFw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Trailer</span></b></div></div><br /><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">The crew of the commercial towing vessel, "Nostromo" is on its way home to Earth when they are prematurely awakened from cryosleep when a transmission of unknown origin is detected by “Mother,” the ship’s AI super-computer.</span></i></b></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">Is the signal a desperate SOS, or……. a warning?</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">Obliged to investigate, the crew descend on a small inhospitable planetoid.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">Their ship sustains damage in the rough landing.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">While repairs are carried out, three crew members leave the spaceship to investigate the source of the transmission.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">The party of three discover a crashed but relatively intact derelict extraterrestrial spacecraft.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">What they discover within the alien vessel manages to find its way into the “Nostromo.”</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">The seven crew members will have to fight for their very lives against a deadly eighth passenger.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;">Nor is the danger to their existence solely from a terrifying alien intruder…..</span></i></div></span></span></i><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Read on for more........</i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span><i><br /><span style="color: #01ffff;">Spoilers follow below.......</span></i></b></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMJ6YziGw6Vx_2N7K_bHlHKvccHVLQiricLOrZVnhSdHnwN4ewffcCT07ZZWLdb4Al5NU6C24nGAi6k-0I_PwWTpOQx6faaTPIYKSoJyMls4NoUFaYb0OV-14Uf0Htlx_loAnkLw71caLa1GDI4-VS2NksVL72Dv3SB4N5Dje1kNFboq-XVIFASpjzEzg/s376/download%20(1)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="376" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMJ6YziGw6Vx_2N7K_bHlHKvccHVLQiricLOrZVnhSdHnwN4ewffcCT07ZZWLdb4Al5NU6C24nGAi6k-0I_PwWTpOQx6faaTPIYKSoJyMls4NoUFaYb0OV-14Uf0Htlx_loAnkLw71caLa1GDI4-VS2NksVL72Dv3SB4N5Dje1kNFboq-XVIFASpjzEzg/w400-h143/download%20(1)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Awakening</u></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“It seems she has intercepted a transmission of unknown origin”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk5YLJ3zyPhw4JeU4Jd6Jzhg6U0Rwl8YP1JfyrDnVwW0CWuIub1sr_Y8fiMpQ2bDdPpjO3YDOvUnBu23JjY9XmOGAvEdmLkcDxLPr_k5QgjCfTIbQCI71Ow6VhrMT3FVzbgvcd9OwjESJEDSwC9lgzjWsuv8Z4uyfNjC2xBVs0RsZhV5Yj0i6BrY003Op/s500/tumblr_9749119658303cd9f88fb6fcd9ccb29f_5d243f24_500.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="500" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk5YLJ3zyPhw4JeU4Jd6Jzhg6U0Rwl8YP1JfyrDnVwW0CWuIub1sr_Y8fiMpQ2bDdPpjO3YDOvUnBu23JjY9XmOGAvEdmLkcDxLPr_k5QgjCfTIbQCI71Ow6VhrMT3FVzbgvcd9OwjESJEDSwC9lgzjWsuv8Z4uyfNjC2xBVs0RsZhV5Yj0i6BrY003Op/w400-h170/tumblr_9749119658303cd9f88fb6fcd9ccb29f_5d243f24_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the vastness of the universe there is time and patience enough for stars, galaxies, planets and life to form and take shape like individual letters slowly becoming discernible and grouping together to form legible words. In the beginning was the word but what word will be written when sometime in our distant future out in the far reaches of deep space the commercial towing space vehicle, <i>Nostromo</i> leisurely and languidly lumbers its way through time and space toward Earth? From the perspective of the creatures that built it, the ship may well stand as an example of its species’ technical prowess. Look in awe as it hauls a refinery containing twenty million tons of mineral ore! For the builders of the <i>Nostromo</i>, the Universe exists for their species exclusive use – as a resource to be exploited, plundered and profited from. They may soon be forced to realize just how deadly that alien domain is and how unprepared they are to deal with what awaits them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYo7gZ_0ZLmBbhD0KO6Rz5GT6e-wETDfP140j9dRZbcsfTXAlDJspmgHpBCPIW9xvP9LaQXicwPLtDcb52ecaSBQfZ2S2vYqBBdCceF0mnwwnmIL5_j4h7_8h5ENmEaHqV8DwDUowRFO_UuvELqMc9VaddiTgfeVZCkkUX2hCfUnmpPqZONrMyHGcetQk/s540/b68cc30761dd3898f85747789fb8f2c5.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="540" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYo7gZ_0ZLmBbhD0KO6Rz5GT6e-wETDfP140j9dRZbcsfTXAlDJspmgHpBCPIW9xvP9LaQXicwPLtDcb52ecaSBQfZ2S2vYqBBdCceF0mnwwnmIL5_j4h7_8h5ENmEaHqV8DwDUowRFO_UuvELqMc9VaddiTgfeVZCkkUX2hCfUnmpPqZONrMyHGcetQk/w400-h223/b68cc30761dd3898f85747789fb8f2c5.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Inside the ship near silence reigns supreme. Throughout the corridors and within the bridge, there is a pervading death-like sense of emptiness, stillness and gloom. On the bridge, the absence of life as we know and expect it is highlighted by the presence of two space helmets seemingly abandoned by their human owners. It is as if we have boarded a space-faring <i>Marie Celeste. </i></span><i><br /></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_Y3ikEME1p5Wn9fkdbO77z3EfuayrOpCzWgp5xxKFTwA7co63BF_7Zlh6eaISYrEkRW_z95QC1XfUry_VB_UWs-DbtiE5x2wMPKpH-pFm7hsqCoG0NUB6ckaKrDJv52-SAbDokYoevf_87bWxPcVsVddj1VHPPGyCrXEXALOPx8NgV31zzYgy2CCGWNE/s763/alien1-bluray-016_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="763" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_Y3ikEME1p5Wn9fkdbO77z3EfuayrOpCzWgp5xxKFTwA7co63BF_7Zlh6eaISYrEkRW_z95QC1XfUry_VB_UWs-DbtiE5x2wMPKpH-pFm7hsqCoG0NUB6ckaKrDJv52-SAbDokYoevf_87bWxPcVsVddj1VHPPGyCrXEXALOPx8NgV31zzYgy2CCGWNE/w400-h320/alien1-bluray-016_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly signs of life of another kind erupt in the form of lights winking on from computer consoles and reflected on the helmets’ visors much like heads-up displays. These are accompanied by electrical sounds of working computer systems communicating with one another, along with an artificial zephyr stirred up by the air-conditioning system. Brain activity and respiration: <i>Nostromo</i> is stirring to life.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHJudktH9kNx7jA27yBeP2HZ7GwEfbkK8XzfAy_FtPowOwOdZsBZb1AWuTDx2Z1eHkE1qOXtrGqCr5Q9FZBKfVKtu6jBan9JywOIlArLaqgeblj2e-YhkvZMfULfIj5Up5Cjg3bLdIYTW1PNOA4b0PErVew4x3l10cbMcWmG-7yw6tBciKuJUTfxZI-rg/s584/alien1.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="584" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHJudktH9kNx7jA27yBeP2HZ7GwEfbkK8XzfAy_FtPowOwOdZsBZb1AWuTDx2Z1eHkE1qOXtrGqCr5Q9FZBKfVKtu6jBan9JywOIlArLaqgeblj2e-YhkvZMfULfIj5Up5Cjg3bLdIYTW1PNOA4b0PErVew4x3l10cbMcWmG-7yw6tBciKuJUTfxZI-rg/w400-h225/alien1.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the hyper-sleep chamber, lights come on as the door opens and air currents cause hanging jackets to rustle in the artificial breeze. Like the petals of a flower, the canopies of the seven individual bio-beds open. The first one to awaken is Executive Officer, Kane who slowly and groggily emerges from his cocoon, his very consciousness and sense of time fading in and out, forwards and backwards before coalescing into the here and now.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After emerging from cryo-sleep the crew gather in the mess hall, where they enjoy a meal and socialise. Seated around the table are five men and two women: Dallas (Captain), Kane (Executive Officer), Ripley (Warrant Officer), Ash (Science Officer), Lambert (Navigator), Parker (Engineer), Brett (Engineering Technician) And of course, there’s the ship’s cat, Jones.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At this time in humanity’s future, there appears to be less time for wide-eyed, naively optimistic notions of the wonders space exploration long espoused by overly gesticulating media trained astrophysicists. Space has become a place of opportunity and business, to get one’s hands dirty and make some money doing it. With that, the conversation turns to the bonus system which Parker, with Brett’s monosyllabic agreement thinks is unfair. With union-like shop steward finesse, Parker tries to draw Dallas’ attention to the fact that he and Brett are paid less than the officers. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“What’s the story Mother?”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKhoUZ9CwOGf57LuiW4ZUVNc_W0CZAO_2rfncr_au5El-QSDCjkhWPATyxl9QmjclBJHCEOWgv7WKCPlrAeM_XPhosHXh4JQrZmX8v71ymtTKzrjU5yU7RwcnPXfyAlSzL_rdX5m2FnIrTwsbaGRmaJCzX5Oa5gOCpoCnLmcSjCjGBOgHZZnldTcSJzSz/s700/k6mesow.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="700" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKhoUZ9CwOGf57LuiW4ZUVNc_W0CZAO_2rfncr_au5El-QSDCjkhWPATyxl9QmjclBJHCEOWgv7WKCPlrAeM_XPhosHXh4JQrZmX8v71ymtTKzrjU5yU7RwcnPXfyAlSzL_rdX5m2FnIrTwsbaGRmaJCzX5Oa5gOCpoCnLmcSjCjGBOgHZZnldTcSJzSz/w400-h170/k6mesow.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The conversation is interrupted when Dallas is called away by <i>MOTHER</i>, the ship's AI computer. Dallas then makes his way to and enters<i> MOTHER’S</i> console room. The room is somewhat like a technological womb which is fitting given the AI computer’s designation. It speaks volumes as to the implied relationship that humans have come to have with their technology – one of dependence for guidance, knowledge, understanding, re-assurance, nurturing, protection and security. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dallas moves to the console chair and punches in commands and queries on the keyboard, hoping to assess the situation and get some answers. </span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Meanwhile on the bridge, the rest of the crew try to determine their location. To their utter amazement, they quickly discover that they are nowhere near Earth.</span> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW0dCCg-Qq3yycLEVVkv0cSR7dxVjjMganbibMFiDv3kFo8faulQ6DhugWlIxSLWI0qHIusEFrUz6j0nlyoKtG_XfxU24gw41IyuDrzNsp78aD6nlbJN5rB3tQ5g6vSU8SId6j8uu871kVes77iAYb7_5wv-tsMAXTWcDoyJsIzI6nlPH-7lqB9BOzkDw/s213/images_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="142" data-original-width="213" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW0dCCg-Qq3yycLEVVkv0cSR7dxVjjMganbibMFiDv3kFo8faulQ6DhugWlIxSLWI0qHIusEFrUz6j0nlyoKtG_XfxU24gw41IyuDrzNsp78aD6nlbJN5rB3tQ5g6vSU8SId6j8uu871kVes77iAYb7_5wv-tsMAXTWcDoyJsIzI6nlPH-7lqB9BOzkDw/w400-h267/images_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ripley puts out a call to Traffic Control: “This is commercial towing vehicle <i>Nostromo</i>, out of the Solomons, registration number 180924609, calling Antarctica traffic control.” However, there is no response. Lambert then announces that they are in fact just short of Zeta II Reticuli, indicating that they “haven't reached the outer rim yet.” The big question of course is……. <i>Why?</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dallas later briefs the crew on the fact that the ship is not even halfway to Earth, and has altered its course as “she's programmed to do that should certain conditions arise.” In this case, a transmission of unknown origin has been intercepted. The signal is an acoustical beacon that repeats every 12 seconds but as to whether or not it is an SOS or is human in origin, remains unknown. The crew has been awoken from hyper-sleep to investigate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Parker launches into unionist mode again and protests, arguing that the<i> Nostromo</i> is a commercial vessel and that it is not in his contract to perform rescue duty. If they do perform rescue work, he argues that they should be compensated and then there’s the matter of the bonuses. Science Officer Ash tries to interject and is ignored until Dallas says sharply to Parker, “will you just listen to the man!” The irony of this last comment will later on become apparent. Ash then quotes a clause from the Company contract which states "any systematised transmission indicating intelligent origin must be investigated...on penalty of total forfeiture of shares." The matter of a possible loss of pay serves to elicit a measure of cooperation and compliance from Parker. Workers of the world – shut up and do as you’re told!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Descent</u></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“We're going in”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Lambert homes in on the eerie signal and determines that it originates from a planetoid, 1200 km in diameter, with a two-hour rotation and some gravity.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkclWcbrjpWayfTRNJXrv3FKlRwhigalRfwj9Y4M9l12FB0YqbnWE37G0tEW7mCzu2jMaR5vrUo0gcA0TlMc1Q_dz9h0pxoZroEBQZ4a78R93Uf-BE3PKyPyOzMiMNcCHOvFig8y01OU3T4B-mnjMdeNttQ1-J7_JCYIl35Ms4pnL62iJZg-pnPtIdOUat/s600/main-qimg-b6f41e98d33626bf5a787989177fed04.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="600" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkclWcbrjpWayfTRNJXrv3FKlRwhigalRfwj9Y4M9l12FB0YqbnWE37G0tEW7mCzu2jMaR5vrUo0gcA0TlMc1Q_dz9h0pxoZroEBQZ4a78R93Uf-BE3PKyPyOzMiMNcCHOvFig8y01OU3T4B-mnjMdeNttQ1-J7_JCYIl35Ms4pnL62iJZg-pnPtIdOUat/w400-h170/main-qimg-b6f41e98d33626bf5a787989177fed04.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The planetoid is part of a system consisting of an enormous ringed planet along with two smaller planets. The <i>Nostromo</i> separates from the refinery, and as soon as it is within the plenetoid’s orbit it begins its arc toward its dark forbidding surface.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg_gh9zSLgBXlo7TLKA9vnpQ1mNsZpR85U9bLA__IAjUA0Ycq1qzqTUjZcxHIUjoG78_xyHxzP7-QWAIYwraJH_lbFqWYWXcLbei13Z4HCh3KM85uFRyECCpVbgZ6RKzPpPb43A-DOQ8nQ5R5GXFQMb0QEa5iS_aL4GyeWXb6rfXPEeOhWLQcwUumJWGu/s540/6e98e4e50cb320c7dd5445b8b61376b9.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="540" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg_gh9zSLgBXlo7TLKA9vnpQ1mNsZpR85U9bLA__IAjUA0Ycq1qzqTUjZcxHIUjoG78_xyHxzP7-QWAIYwraJH_lbFqWYWXcLbei13Z4HCh3KM85uFRyECCpVbgZ6RKzPpPb43A-DOQ8nQ5R5GXFQMb0QEa5iS_aL4GyeWXb6rfXPEeOhWLQcwUumJWGu/w400-h170/6e98e4e50cb320c7dd5445b8b61376b9.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the tug cuts through the thick atmosphere, it is assaulted by an unrelenting turbulence with seemingly evil intent to cause harm. As the drop to the surface continues kilometre by nerve-wracking kilometre, the ship finally slams down on the surface amid a raging and abrasive storm that lashes across the planetoid’s night-shrouded surface.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Following shuddering vibrations, an electrical fire breaks out along some control panels and the lights go out while the wind outside shrieks and tears at the craft like a demented banshee. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The rough landing has indeed resulted in damage to the ship that will take time for Parker and Brett to effect repairs. In typical engineer fashion the two men allow more time to do so than the estimate they give to the captain. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">The Warning</u></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“…...you'll get whatever's coming to you”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the source of the signal being 2000 meters away and the sun about to rise, Dallas and Kane decide to investigate on foot. Lambert, however seems to be experiencing a sense of foreboding and is obviously reluctant to join the investigating team when ordered to do so. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Ash takes up position behind a communication console with multiple screens next to an outer viewing window while Dallas, Kane and Lambert don their space suits and exit the ship to investigate the signal on the planet's unwelcoming surface.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, Warrant Officer Ripley has descended to the lower deck to inspect the repairs being made by Parker and Brett. Both men are annoyed by this and decide to have some fun at her expense by asking if there will be a bonus for any discovery which is made on the surface. In another of those irony-laden comments, Ripley assures them that by law they are guaranteed a share, and that they’ll both get what’s coming to them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ash later informs Ripley that <i>MOTHER </i>has not yet deciphered the signal so she volunteers to give it a try herself. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Outside the ship, the investigative team makes its way along the planetoid's inhospitable surface. The gale force wind howls and assaults them incessantly while Ash observes them from his console screens via their suit camera feeds.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Onward the party of three make their way like deep sea divers of old along a hostile alien terrain that seems to want to cause them harm if given half the chance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The signal begins to fade in and out when suddenly the team is confronted by a gargantuan derelict alien spaceship of unknown origin rising from the rock. It is shaped something like a horseshoe. Lambert is once again unsettled and reluctant to proceed any further but after discovering an opening in the side of the ship the three humans enter within.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Hf8NJ3xRd6LsZoak7nWef5evUjDj5q5LAGc4GxhBetQjZlQP5ACB7h-tIXWSSC5ZHJk8l2V2nyZayApB4ReCQfBt2WgWJsrZ9ByJx9yzHnZdZV_S5k8HrsAxWDkapVjB1uhkZa68BYjwgx6Bye31-3Z_v59D6FjLgQuuUt_ZcXEOKbeVQSqCBAMWw1fW/s746/ReviewAlien_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="746" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Hf8NJ3xRd6LsZoak7nWef5evUjDj5q5LAGc4GxhBetQjZlQP5ACB7h-tIXWSSC5ZHJk8l2V2nyZayApB4ReCQfBt2WgWJsrZ9ByJx9yzHnZdZV_S5k8HrsAxWDkapVjB1uhkZa68BYjwgx6Bye31-3Z_v59D6FjLgQuuUt_ZcXEOKbeVQSqCBAMWw1fW/w400-h246/ReviewAlien_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">They move into a high-ceiling gloomily lit chamber, the atmosphere of which could almost be cut with a knife due to the humid mist and dust-laden air. The walls of the passageways resemble the fossilized rib bones of some extinct animal. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhndfrYHTmpuI5bBLy0e5lSGZMIStiV3jJOJA-NvNkGf_R5U8Sc735gUVPpiB01LThdLAKgNxZUu9zOwsx78uR2f_HlQwOVlECkWiAilPSxd6eKRhQoUtmvmtdR2f9EXxQf80V2GCvze8vM7lSQ9D9-ws9Gomckf3iiZ1r8NBRRBAiIiVaMxQnqIXqaKl/s1280/alien2_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhndfrYHTmpuI5bBLy0e5lSGZMIStiV3jJOJA-NvNkGf_R5U8Sc735gUVPpiB01LThdLAKgNxZUu9zOwsx78uR2f_HlQwOVlECkWiAilPSxd6eKRhQoUtmvmtdR2f9EXxQf80V2GCvze8vM7lSQ9D9-ws9Gomckf3iiZ1r8NBRRBAiIiVaMxQnqIXqaKl/w400-h225/alien2_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly the party makes a shocking discovery when they come across the fossilized remains of an impossibly enormous alien creature in a chair of gargantuan proportions. Even more surprising is the fact that on its chest area, the ribs are bent outward, suggesting that something had exploded from the inside.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Moving further on, it isn’t long before the team comes across an opening on the floor. In order to investigate further, Kane lowers himself into whatever lies in the darkness below the aperture.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile back on the ship, analysis of the unidentified transmission suggests that it is<i> not</i> an SOS, but a warning. When Ripley suggests that she should go after the search party, Ash interestingly enough is very quick to talk her out of it on the grounds that by the time she gets there, the team will probably know what the true nature of the signal is.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Within the derelict alien vessel, Kane has entered a vertical shaft. As he dangles suspended from a line, he switches on his light and directs its beam into the depths below. Below him is a dark cavernous space of immense proportions within which he now finds himself suspended like a tiny spider hanging from a slender thread. But exactly into whose parlour has this little insect entered?</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEPZ5be9L7vw_2E7SiziM8-hG6iH6pch6G8qpOP3UOLKN-4LoJ5xDpTIPUhrzicpCdfdy8WxiXN-ol3K4ka3laD5oN7B8Tcnb1xYnFAmu4lpnV6324Mh1PhJGiaZLcSsOoZWCif9Yg-dDvSOxuGoK6HOqN7_mc3BEctBUE6CnxFNci9I-f2eEHVg8CXDL/s1024/Alien-REBOOT-1024x364_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="1024" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEPZ5be9L7vw_2E7SiziM8-hG6iH6pch6G8qpOP3UOLKN-4LoJ5xDpTIPUhrzicpCdfdy8WxiXN-ol3K4ka3laD5oN7B8Tcnb1xYnFAmu4lpnV6324Mh1PhJGiaZLcSsOoZWCif9Yg-dDvSOxuGoK6HOqN7_mc3BEctBUE6CnxFNci9I-f2eEHVg8CXDL/w400-h143/Alien-REBOOT-1024x364_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As his wire tether unwinds, Kane eventually makes it to the bottom of the chamber. The chamberitself seems to be divided into various kinds of extrusions, sections, and depressions. He nears one such depression on the floor in the centre, where he discovers thousands of leathery ovoid objects that resemble large eggs. There is also a strange laser-like light and mist that covers the eggs that produces a reaction when broken.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kane suddenly loses his balance and falls into the depression, but is uninjured. He then moves in for a closer look and touches one of the eggs. Using his flashlight, Kane illuminates the egg from behind and discerns movement inside. There is clearly something alive within! The egg itself has flaps on top which open to reveal whatever lies inside. As Kane looks closer, a strange life-form suddenly bursts forth and in a flash has attached itself to his helmet, penetrating his face-plate until it is firmly affixed to his face.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">The "Guest"</span></u></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">From his viewing position, Ash notices Dallas and Lambert carrying the unconscious Kane back to the<i> Nostromo.</i> They enter the airlock and ask Ripley to let them in, but when she asks them what happened to Kane they tell her that “something attached itself to him.” When she asks them to be more specific, she is informed that it is “an organism.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The crew of the <i>Nostromo</i> is now confronted with a moral dilemma: On the one hand, Ripley has recourse to protocol whereby if they let the organism in, “the ship could be infected” and that quarantine procedure requires 24 hours for decontamination. One other hand, if she doesn’t open the hatch, Kane could die but if she does all the ship’s crew could die. Even in the face of the captain’s direct order to open the hatch, Ripley sticks to her guns and refuses. What would any of us do if we were in her position and in a similar situation?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While all this is transpiring, Ash makes his way to the inner airlock door whereupon he resolves the dilemma by disregarding Ripley's decision and opens the door to let the others in. Upon what basis has be made such a decision we may well wonder?</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WUjhN6CbNfHylV2wkM63pC21Bl2zfH0LNTGjyYVHf21KjYps9KC5XSZEP_7wMuPueHstI0BlavVmBzr8I1Bsj2eEhb5re9Isre0A89h7SuvSrUNTGNEtJNiGj45TloPRcugcPvotBgc4HNWcYXt078ALH-NCAoaX8g8LCXxMFq_IiXx_KDe3z6EAhzRk/s870/Alien15PPB_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="870" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WUjhN6CbNfHylV2wkM63pC21Bl2zfH0LNTGjyYVHf21KjYps9KC5XSZEP_7wMuPueHstI0BlavVmBzr8I1Bsj2eEhb5re9Isre0A89h7SuvSrUNTGNEtJNiGj45TloPRcugcPvotBgc4HNWcYXt078ALH-NCAoaX8g8LCXxMFq_IiXx_KDe3z6EAhzRk/w400-h240/Alien15PPB_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the infirmary, Dallas and Ash cut Kane's helmet open with a laser cutter. The two halves of the helmet part and to their astonishment they discover that a face-hugging creature with eight finger-like appendages has attached itself to Kane's face, together with a long tail tightly wrapped around his neck. When an attempt is made to pull the creature from Kane’s face, it stubbornly remains anchored to him. Its grip is so tight that any further attempt to physically remove the creature will result in damage to Kane’s facial tissue. There is also the danger posed by the long tail constricting ever more tightly around Kane’s neck.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A medical scanner reveals that the creature has inserted a tube into Kane's throat and is feeding him oxygen while he’s in a comatose state. Ash is of the opinion that any attempt to remove the creature may kill Kane. Despite this, Dallas is willing to take the risk and Ash agrees only if Dallas takes responsibility.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is interesting that no-one bothers to answer Parker’s question: “How come they don't freeze him?” It’s like one of those questions we all throw at the screen during films when events and actions don’t make sense. Well, despite being an engineer and a practical man, he’s low down on the hierarchy and if his suggestion is followed, we wouldn’t have much of story!</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“That crap's gonna eat through the hull”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the Infirmary, Ash touches the laser scalpel to one of the creature’s appendages. As the electronic blade slides down into a joint of the digit, a yellowish fluid issues forth from the wound, spills onto the floor with a hissing sound and begins to eat through the floor as if it were a powerful acid. Fearful that the acidic fluid could breach the hull, the crew dashes to the levels below until the corrosive effect of the acid begins to cease. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dallas observes that the substance resembles molecular acid, and Brett suggests the creature must be using it for blood. Parker observes that the creature has a "wonderful defense mechanism - you don't dare kill it."</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Maybe I've jeopardised the rest of us, but it was a risk I was willing to take.”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After everyone has gone back to their posts, Ash overseas the comatose Kane and continues his collection of data on the creature. Ripley suddenly appears in the infirmary. She ostensibly wants to know what he has found out but Ash can only confirm that the creature's skin is made up of polysaccharides, which he characterises as its “funny habit of shedding his cells and replacing them with polarised silicone, which gives him a prolonged resistance to adverse environmental conditions.”The real reason for Ripley being there, though emerges when she abruptly confronts him about his unilateral decision to ignore both herself and the quarantine law by opening the airlock hatch door thereby letting the organism in and placing the crew in danger. In his defence, Ash claims that he acted out of concern for Kane's life, and that he forgot the chain of command protocol that requires Ripley to be the officer in charge when Dallas and Kane are away. Despite allowing a breech of protocol that may have put all of their lives at risk, and displaying behavior unbecoming of a science officer, Ash far from being repentant lets Ripley know that he is perfectly capable to make such a decision and that she should stick to her own job. As the youngest member of the crew, Ripley is put firmly in her place in this instance and she just leaves the infirmary without further comment. As opposed to the other older, more experienced and consequently more cynical and jaded crew members, Ripley’s relative youthfulness and her position would tend to cause her to approach her duties more by the book and with excessive attention to detail.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We next find Dallas in the <i>Nostromo's</i> escape shuttle, the <i>Narcissus</i>, rather incongruously listening to Mozart. Dallas appears to be a competent captain but one has the feeling that he does not relish being bothered with problems, details and minutiae. In fact, he can be quit snappy and impatient when confronted by such things. His role as he sees it is to get the job done and anything else can be simply blocked out by a bout of cryo-sleep or a lone dip in the comforting currents of classical music. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dallas’ time out is interrupted when he is called to the infirmary by Ash, informing him that something has happened to Kane. It turns out that the creature has detached from Kane's face and has disappeared. Dallas, Ripley and Ash conduct a search of the infirmary. They enter cautiously and with tension beginning to mount they begin moving slowly around the room. As Ripley bends down and peers under a bunk, s</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">he sees nothing. Nor does she see the creature located above her!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ripley's shoulder brushes against the Creature. Suddenly, it drops down onto her from an overhead compartment and she screams in fright. The creature then drops to the floor and lies there motionless.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“This is the first time we've encountered a species like this”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Upon examination, the creature despite stimulated reflex actions appears to be quite dead. Ripley is all for getting rid of it in case it becomes even more dangerous when dead. Displaying some annoyance with this, Ash wants to take it back to Earth to have more tests conducted on it. To Ripley’s consternation, Dallas leaves the decision to Ash as Science Officer. Does this simply help Dallas avoid making crucial decisions or is he simply following established protocol and is merely functioning as a Company man?</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“That's what the company wants…...Standard procedure is to do what they say”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ripley confronts Dallas in a passage-way, but he seems to be unwilling to listen to her arguments telling her that he only runs the ship, and that Ash as Science officer has the final word on all matters concerning the Company's science division. Ripley then asks if Dallas has ever worked with Ash before. He informs her that he did five tours with the same science officer, who was suddenly replaced two days before the <i>Nostromo</i> left Thedus dock on Earth. It is clear that Ripley doesn't trust Ash, but does she have good reason? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After telling Ripley that he doesn't trust anybody, he questions her about the status of current ongoing repairs. Even though Ripley raises some by-the-book objections to taking off right now before the repairs are completed, Dallas impatiently states that is just a bunch of horse shit and wants take-off to proceed as soon as possible. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After a successful take-off the <i>Nostromo</i> docks with the refinery and with a collective feeling of having accomplished a “walk in the park’ the crew resume their course for Earth. What could possibly go wrong?</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">Seven little humans in a fine fix,</span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">One cracked an egg and then there were six.</span></div></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“I remember some horrible dream about smothering and..</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Back in the mess hall, while the crew argues about what to do with Kane, Dallas decides they will all go back into hyper-sleep. They are then bitterly disappointed to learn from Lambert that it will take another 10 months to get back to Earth. Suddenly, Dallas is summoned to the infirmary by Ash.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Once in the infirmary, the crew discover that Kane has awoken and is sitting up in bed gulping down copious amounts of water. This is a sight they had not expected to see. Kane is obviously still feeling the effects of his ordeal but is otherwise unharmed. All he can recall is a vague nightmare about smothering undefined. All Kane is really aware of is just how famished he is. It is then unanimously decided that the crew will sit down to one last meal before they re-enter hyper-sleep. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While the crew is enjoying a happy repast with plenty of banter and ribbing, Kane is putting away food like a ravenous hyena, closely observed by Ash. Suddenly, Kane begins to choke and gag followed by violent convulsions wracking his body. The crew, taken aback by his writhing and screaming on the table try to restrain him when suddenly a bloodstain appears on the front of his shirt. After further violent and disturbing thrashing about, Kane lets out a horrific scream before falling silent. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What happens next is beyond the comprehension of the crew and throughout the duration of the ordeal produces a combination of frozen fearful inaction and violent angry reaction. To the crews’ stunned amazement, a small head suddenly bursts through the front of Kane's chest, silently regards its surroundings and the creatures clustered around it and seems to innately assess them as representing a clear and present danger from which it must escape. Parker instinctively moves in to kill the creature with a knife, but he is abruptly stopped by Ash. The little alien parasite malevolently screeches, before scuttling out of the mess and disappearing down a passage way, leaving the crew transfixed in horrified disbelief.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At this point it is clear that Kane was being used as a kind of incubator and that there’s now another creature loose on the ship. It would be unthikable for the crew to go into hyper-sleep with that creature running loose. The choices are:</span><br /><br /></span><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kill the creature but in doing so, risk having its body acids burn through the ship’s hull.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Find a means to catch it and eject it from the ship.</span></span></li></ol><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After an unsuccessful search for the creature, a brief funeral for Kane is held. A man who has just died a horrible death light years away from home lies wrapped in a shroud and whose journey into eternity is about to witnessed in complete silence on viewsereens as his body is jettisoned into the silent void at the touch of button. Nobody wants to say anything. Nobody can say anything. What can anybody say? </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is now a time to do – to act lest a similar fate befalls the rest of the crew of the <i>Nostromo</i>.</span></span></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; text-decoration-line: underline;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: #01ffff; font-weight: bold;">The Hunt</span></u></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Now we just have to find him”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The crew has assembled to formulate a plan of action to capture and rid the ship of the alien intruder. Brett has put together some powered devices that resemble cattle prods that are intended to give the creature “a little incentive.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As to the problem of finding the creature, Ash has devised a tracking device that can be used to search for a moving object. To Ash’s mild annoyance, dotting of the ‘I’s’ and crossing of the ‘t’s’ Ripley wants to know the details of its operation. He informs the suspicious Warrant Officer that his device responds to “micro changes in air density.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Separated into two teams, the crew venture forth in their quest to locate, capture and expel their unwanted guest. Parker, Brett and Ripley cautiously check out one of the lower decks, only to discover that the power has been disrupted despite repairs having been completed. Suddenly, they pick up a signal and the tension mounts as they gingerly make their way toward a cabinet where they believe they have the creature cornered. Moving with great care with prod poised, the handle of the cabinet is grasped and yanked open. The prod is thrust inside to the rapidly followed by a screech and a blur of…... <i>something</i> flying out of the cabinet. Instinctively, they cast their net over the quarry only to discover that instead of nabbing a murderous diminutive alien swine, they have instead succeeded in almost shedding one of the nine lives of Jones, the cat. The terrified and quite indignant feline voices its displeasure before quickly dashing off in search of someplace quieter and safer. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">This scary interlude has reduced Ripley, Brett and especially Parker to a state of embarrassed hysterical hilarity. Gathering their thoughts together, the three crew mates realize they might pick up the cat on their tracker again during the search and so, Parker sends Brett off to catch Jones. “Right!”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Six little humans all still alive,</span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">One kicked the bucket and then there were five;</span></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Here, kitty, kitty. Kitty crap. Jones!”</span></span></i></div></i><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Ripley and Parker move off down a passageway, Brett heads in the direction taken by the cat. This time the pace slows considerably gathering a growing sense of anticipation and tension in the process. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the Equipment Maintenance Area, Brett rather nervously continues his search for the errant cat. As Brett searches for Jones, he finds what looks like a shed reptile skin on the floor. The only sounds are the creaks and clanking sounds of the area he is in along with the water droplets pittering and pattering onto Brett’s cap from high above him. His tension is somewhat relieved when he hears the yowling of a cat reassuring him that Jones is close by.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0K_c8ssksqMEw8Do0iN32Xeyg4S_Dk7_Yx89g7cQpbrNA3VDNpBleZq2IVvy7J4AmUlQWBHIyJqHYshT6MyhdaU-fs8a48Rzej4OjbvBH2fIeEXFN6gUpb5mQJVA_viBYNiUGr8LPhMFQ3Fd1A4TV1Ux5Ugr4kqqDaXnmiwWZtpmZthENFtZL7uFdgji_/s500/a0789dc7b6b0893991ba7feecb9993c9.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="500" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0K_c8ssksqMEw8Do0iN32Xeyg4S_Dk7_Yx89g7cQpbrNA3VDNpBleZq2IVvy7J4AmUlQWBHIyJqHYshT6MyhdaU-fs8a48Rzej4OjbvBH2fIeEXFN6gUpb5mQJVA_viBYNiUGr8LPhMFQ3Fd1A4TV1Ux5Ugr4kqqDaXnmiwWZtpmZthENFtZL7uFdgji_/w400-h168/a0789dc7b6b0893991ba7feecb9993c9.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Catching sight of an agitated Jones, Brett moves toward the cat and reaches for it. Suddenly Jones arches his back, begins to retreat and hisses as a huge shape drops down behind Brett before rearing up to is full height. Realisation and fear compel Brett to turn around to find himself confronted and mesmerised by something resembling a monstrous denizen of one of his worst possible nightmares. It’s the…..Alien, now almost seven feet tall and reaching for Brett before dragging him up into the darkness leaving only its victim’s screams in its bloody wake.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VpDzEKwmUzg0QmfAAlall_gGxBljUeUaYEHXR5m1rfck70kQl2eKlY0me29EAExsvEPDRK-wHCF0CSn7nHHpbwPBOCc54_Q_2FWw-hABMcieQeNeXQQmMEMERZNnB-s-Z1IP3cUoI97psUY3iKj9Mhe_OOzR-VqybHyDIpsU-FChSaxf5c0Q05zeE6KW/s518/alien_6rmfHgr_600_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="518" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VpDzEKwmUzg0QmfAAlall_gGxBljUeUaYEHXR5m1rfck70kQl2eKlY0me29EAExsvEPDRK-wHCF0CSn7nHHpbwPBOCc54_Q_2FWw-hABMcieQeNeXQQmMEMERZNnB-s-Z1IP3cUoI97psUY3iKj9Mhe_OOzR-VqybHyDIpsU-FChSaxf5c0Q05zeE6KW/w400-h215/alien_6rmfHgr_600_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At this moment three predatory species have just confronted each other. One a feline, domesticated by humans but still retaining its ancestral instincts. The second, a homo sapiens species lulled into a false sense of its superiority by a quarter of a million years worth of evolution producing a combination of inflated ego and intellect. The third, an ‘alien’ species (Xenomorph) of as yet unknown origin but motivated by…..what? Does it possess any sense of morality? Or is it motivated by pure malice or evil intent? Perhaps by Something entirely on an instinctive and genetic level? The answer is of course not yet apparent to the crew of the <i>Nostromo!</i></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black";"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Five little humans at an air vent door,</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">One went in and then there were four.</span></div></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Whatever it was, it was big”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Based on the horror they witnessed when the creature took Brett, Parker and Ripley confirm only that the creature is big and has escaped through the air ducts. With Brett being assumed as dead, there is agreement that the alien is using the air shafts to move around. A plan is then formulated whereby they might be able to “drive it into the airlock and zap it into outer space.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ripley impatiently asks Ash if he as science officer can offer some useful information. In response, Ash suggests the alien like most creatures may be afraid of fire. With this in mind, Dallas asks Parker to quickly cobble together several flamethrowers. Ripley volunteers to enter the air shafts, but Dallas insists on going himself. Once again to her obvious annoyance, Ripley finds her self being overruled. As captain Dallas could delegate but instead decides to assume responsibility himself.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0zXyxle6LmhTWp7oEhFFTeStOzeBLOwqV4nzqGsVNhmo-g-6CdV82ljYSvXkoYp0T8DBBf1G_MyXEoObJt6yZnH12VD_mdcTu6uKjaOL46D-J-66Icwur146NdGpfo2wtkjW9x1vWm4dfUAgp3az2KBAx0-wklkbaXUeXQRjMlo20x_dtIWVsoKAan2n/s1280/tumblr_luetxut4kt1qf5g91o1_1280_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1280" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0zXyxle6LmhTWp7oEhFFTeStOzeBLOwqV4nzqGsVNhmo-g-6CdV82ljYSvXkoYp0T8DBBf1G_MyXEoObJt6yZnH12VD_mdcTu6uKjaOL46D-J-66Icwur146NdGpfo2wtkjW9x1vWm4dfUAgp3az2KBAx0-wklkbaXUeXQRjMlo20x_dtIWVsoKAan2n/w400-h185/tumblr_luetxut4kt1qf5g91o1_1280_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dallas once again enters the reassuring womb of <i>MOTHER</i> in order to have the computer evaluate their chances of ridding the ship of the alien. With insufficient input, <i>MOTHER</i> cannot compute an answer. Dallas finally enters: "What are my chances?" to which<i> MOTHER</i> replies that it cannot compute.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The crew soon assume their assigned positions. Parker and Lambert stand ready by a duct to measure movement inside the ducts. The airlock is made ready for decompression. The trap is now ready to be put into effect. The question could be: Who is laying a trap for whom?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Dallas begins to crawl forward into the shaft which is narrow and claustrophobic. He soon raises his flamethrower and fires a blast around the corner into the ominous darkness which is briefly rent by heat and the loud roar of the flame</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">To the accompaniment of the sound of a heart beat together with a repetitive discordant note, Dallas inches his way along the shaft in a crawling and crouched fashion while the crew remotely close the openings behind him as he proceeds. Suddenly the shaft takes a downward direction. Dallas comes to a halt and fires another blast from the flamethrower. As Dallas makes his way down, Lambert notices something on the tracker.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dallas eventually moves forward until he reaches a junction where he stops and sits. While this has been going on, Lambert is initially certain that the signal is moving towards him until the alien's signal is suddenly lost. For a moment it seems as if Dallas has become disoriented and is frozen to the spot clutching his one flaming hope of salvation. While she attempts to reacquire the signal, Lambert instructs Dallas to hold his position. Evidence of a slimy substance on the floor and what it implies impels Dallas to employ his flame thrower but it appears that nothing is there. This causes Dallas to panic, and the tension ramps up when Lambert picks up the Alien's signal once more, this time moving with obvious intent and greater alacrity directly toward his location. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The tension is heightened also by the rapid panic-driven staccato nature of the dialogue delivered in shortrpd-fire bursts:</span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"It is right around there."</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Dallas, you're gonna have to be careful."</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"What the hell's the matter with that box?"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"I've lost the signal!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Are you sure it's not there?"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"It's got to be around there."</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Dallas, are you sure there's no sign of it?"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"It is there!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"It's gotta be around there!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"I wanna get the hell outta here."</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Oh, God!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"It's moving right towards you."</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Move!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Get out of there!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Move, Dallas!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Get out!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Not that way!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"The other way!"</span></i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrg467ire9c2hLg9jc4ERT5DdQgEoMBJGSVP0TudaEbhFaLh0pAulRhfavw3VNOcmO7AYQZHA5ar6eEAnAX71KKVgRetju8A5EQ5p1NYgyxYP4E14zeF2dRpwRyM3O5aVzdJ6K73mTAtSDdLN_19b0xA2xGbl3e_cTnrlhlLV3mzoJgR7w7b_7HS9GuKa/s535/alien131_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="535" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrg467ire9c2hLg9jc4ERT5DdQgEoMBJGSVP0TudaEbhFaLh0pAulRhfavw3VNOcmO7AYQZHA5ar6eEAnAX71KKVgRetju8A5EQ5p1NYgyxYP4E14zeF2dRpwRyM3O5aVzdJ6K73mTAtSDdLN_19b0xA2xGbl3e_cTnrlhlLV3mzoJgR7w7b_7HS9GuKa/w400-h165/alien131_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Lambert pleads with Dallas to move away. After he descends a ladder he turns around to find himself face-to-face with horror incarnate that suddenly materialises out of the darkness, emanates a blood freezing shriek while stretching its arms towards him to claim its next victim. Static followed by the void of stony silence signifies the loss of the </span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Nostromo’s</i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> captain.</span></span></div><div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Four little humans, no make that three,</span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">One fooled ‘em all, so it’s now time to flee</span></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“What would you like me to do?”</span></span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Just what you've been doing, Ash - Nothing”</span></span></i></div></i><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the mess Ripley, Ash and Lambert stand by a table. Parker slams Dallas' flamethrower onto the table, saying it was just laying in the duct but with "no blood, no Dallas. Nothing" Lambert is obviously still shaken by what has just transpired and appears to be gradually unravelling. Ripley is now in the unenviable position of being in charge and struggles to hold everything together. She is in favour of continuing with Dallas' plan but Lambert thinking that option is madness disagrees preferring to abandon the <i>Nostromo</i> with the shuttle and “get the hell out of here, and hope somebody picks us up.” There is one slight problem, however: “The shuttle won't take four.” Parker also opposes the idea, and switching to<i> Terminato</i>r mode is all for killing the creature, “right now!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>The plan now agreed upon:</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>“It's using the air shafts…...We'll move in pairs. We'll go step by step and cut off every bulkhead and vent until we have it cornered, then we'll blow it the fuck out into space.”</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ripley orders Parker to refill the flamethrower that’s low on fuel after which she turns her attention to Ash to find out if he has any suggestions to offer. All he can contribute is that he and <i>MOTHER</i> are “still collating.” Her sarcastic reply leaves no doubt as to what she thinks of this and instead decides to go herself and consult <i>MOTHER</i> for answers, as she now has access to the computer.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Special Order 937”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ripley accesses <i>MOTHER</i>, and queries the computer as to why they are unable to neutralise the alien. When informed that it cannot clarify, Ripley asks <i>MOTHER</i> to explain why not. <i>MOTHER</i> refers to ‘Special Order 937’ which is eyes only for the science officer. Ripley resorts to emergency command override to obtain an explanation of what Special Order 937 involves. <i>MOTHER’</i>s disturbing response is as follows:</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>"Nostromo rerouted to new coordinates. Investigate life-form. Gather specimen. Priority one: ensure return of organism for analysis. All other considerations secondary. Crew expendable."</i></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“There is an explanation for this, you know”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9ym13bM8mdkzjNhn0PEydlRhOKK2-9sNWn8bKm2UhUeisR32eJwW-rKM4VXehGr5qMs__j6ZkZt4_roI4I3mY6t_dMUkSzW1By4ToF5SGJAJDltj-6jA3Yu9L13yj3dAg-W8V5ZYcDHNLV2ZBTIN70M2KuEKL1eMz0kAGR9lg04MV4CNDXKb3LPmgXfA/s374/alien-1979_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="374" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9ym13bM8mdkzjNhn0PEydlRhOKK2-9sNWn8bKm2UhUeisR32eJwW-rKM4VXehGr5qMs__j6ZkZt4_roI4I3mY6t_dMUkSzW1By4ToF5SGJAJDltj-6jA3Yu9L13yj3dAg-W8V5ZYcDHNLV2ZBTIN70M2KuEKL1eMz0kAGR9lg04MV4CNDXKb3LPmgXfA/w400-h300/alien-1979_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Ripley begins to let this information sink in, she suddenly and disconcertingly finds Ash sitting right next to her, saying there is an explanation for this. In an outburst of fury and frustration, Ripley grabs Ash, shoves him against the console room wall and shouts at him. She then exits the room in tears only to find that Ash is closing all the doors, preventing her from leaving. She demands that he open the doors, but Ash under some internal struggle, stares at her while a trickle of white liquid runs down his face. In stark contrast, red blood trickles from her own nose. Human beings bleed red blood don’t they? Iron in the haemoglobin causes this. Which says <i>what</i> about Ash? Before any connections or implications can be formed, Ripley tries to escape but Ash is too fast and too powerful for her. He grabs hold of her hair and throws her against a wall. Ripley breaks free and tries to run but Ash catches her and throws onto a table. While undergoing some kind of internal conflict, Ash uses a rolled-up magazine in order to suffocate Ripley, and as a way to resolve that conflict. It is as if he is attempting to use the magazine to distance himself from the act of personally being responsible for killing a human being. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Ripley frantically struggles for her life, Parker and Lambert arrive, and set about dragging Ash away from her. Suddenly Parker grimaces in pain as Ash grabs a section of his chest forcing him to let go. Parker then gets hold of a fire extinguisher and hits Ash with it in the back. Ash convulses violently while making inhuman sounds and emitting a white liquid from its body. Parker gives Ash a second helping of the extinguisher, almost decapitating its head. After repeated pounding amidst a deluge of white liquid, there is now no question that Ash is an android. Just as it seems that Ash has been dispatched to the robot afterlife, its decapitated body rises and grabs Parker before a traumatised Lambert grabs the electric prod and stabs the android in the back with it, rendering it inactive.</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Why’s & Wherefore’s</u></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b>“The perfect organism"</b></i></div><div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A disturbing picture is beginning to emerge that seems to involve Ash somehow having been protecting the Alien from the beginning. He was ‘he’ who let it on board by blowing the airlock without warning.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The corporation must have picked up the transmission. With the <i>Nostromo</i> being the next vessel in the vicinity, Ash was inserted on board to ensure that the crew followed Special Order 937.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When the derelict spacecraft landed on the planetoid, they encountered one of the Alien creatures like Kane had. Before they were all wiped out, they managed to set up the automatic warning.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It appears that the Company must have wanted the alien for their weapons division.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">********</span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ripley sets about the messy job of reconnecting Ash’s disembodied head in the hope that it can provide them with information on how to deal with the creature. Once that is done, Ash confirms that the special order entails bringing back the life form being “priority one with “all other priorities rescinded.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When the question of killing the creature is broached, Ash tells the others that they can’t as they just don’t know what they are dealing with. It is clear that Ash has admiration for the alien it being according to the android, ”the perfect organism” whose “structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.” Above all, what the android does admire is its being “a survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.” In short, “its purity.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In an almost mocking last word before being dispatched into a state of non-existence, Ash tells the three remaining crew, “I can't lie to you about your chances, but you have my sympathies.” A furious Ripley disconnects the android and as the three survivors leave the room, Parker briefly halts to cleanse the area of Ash’s presence and all he represents with several bursts of flame from his weapon. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Escape Plan:</u> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“We're gonna blow up the ship. We'll take our chances in the shuttle”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is now decided to follow Lambert's earlier suggestion to set the <i>Nostrom</i>o to self-destruct and use the shuttle to escape, leaving the Alien to die when the ship is destroyed. When the switches are thrown for self-destruct the three survivors will have only ten minutes to effect their escape.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Ripley heads off to prepare the shuttle for launch, while Parker and Lambert gather cylinders of coolant for the shuttle's life-support system. Seven minutes will be allocated for them get all the coolant they can carry and when they complete this Ripley will shut the switches off and “blow this fuck off into space.” What could go wrong?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Ripley sets about prepping the shuttle she hears old Jonesy’s forlorn mewing over the ship's open intercom system, and decides to find him rather than leave him behind. One might say it is a curious decision – risking life and limb to save another creature even if it is just a pet. How ironic that an individual of one species strives to rescue one from a different species while being preyed on by a creature from yet another species! Three predators - but one with a distinguishing quality or characteristic. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile the tension is heightened as Lambert and Parker are frantically gathering equipment and pressurizing the coolant bottles to the accompaniment of the metallic clashing sound of the bottles being moved about. One might very well expect the alien to appear at any moment. Time is of the essence….</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the same time Ripley goes in seach of Jones with the expectation that the alien could be lying in wait around the next turn in a corridor. Jones doesn’t help the sense of panic and fear when he suddenly jumps into view. Ripley finally locates Jones and shoves the protesting feline into a travelling pet container.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><i>“For Christ sake, get out of the way!”</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyysXql6Tk7V_RVoN0TXVpPDKVdLAp6KR1KVgVOMs_Mz0NySdMHBjf4P0-cy4xiYg-1fqNoY2ShyphenhyphenmE0ZCVQcXuk9Jq6qJKIM6yODVBxdZXjbQe1T6b4lyeX2HNUHjsMdlx0H7SOuyfnUaFMGZnowsKp_qcIHZgSDQFWeP1rofDscM53FwybVE1sksUyTXV/s540/tumblr_f343487762576dc0277e3a5125534100_17769db1_540.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="540" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyysXql6Tk7V_RVoN0TXVpPDKVdLAp6KR1KVgVOMs_Mz0NySdMHBjf4P0-cy4xiYg-1fqNoY2ShyphenhyphenmE0ZCVQcXuk9Jq6qJKIM6yODVBxdZXjbQe1T6b4lyeX2HNUHjsMdlx0H7SOuyfnUaFMGZnowsKp_qcIHZgSDQFWeP1rofDscM53FwybVE1sksUyTXV/w400-h185/tumblr_f343487762576dc0277e3a5125534100_17769db1_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></b></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Parker and Lambert are so hard at work on completing their task, that they fail to notice the lurking death incarnate presence of the Alien. Lambert finds herself up against a wall paralysed into immobility by shear uncomprehending terror. Over the ship’s intercom Ripley can hear Parker shouting to Lambert to get out of the way, but to no avail as she is well and truly cornered against the wal by the alien. Parker cannot get a clear shot at it with the flamethrower without taking out Lambert in the process. In desperation, Parker launches himself at the creature, but with un-nerving speed and agility it uses its tail to disarm its puny assailant and secures him with its powerful claws. Parker futilely struggles against the creature's grip while Lambert remains frozen in an even tighter grip of fear and a state of mind bordering on insanity. The Alien spreads its outer jaws to reveal a smaller but lethal mobile inner mandible containing sharp penetrating teeth which it uses to punch into and penetrate Parker's body, killing him. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDOp8RV_Geh5TrVmuJYMtjxfG39VZw06cRjVXj7761-r0Qhyphenhyphenjs9aqGGdP1Onxz84-qmSmxS74bK-GqEeEWCRGNCEwscsWkSgtwGzVjwaoCwBa0bP84UL4U02daoG64tAxnm22P6doaOQBixE422oiG_8htxv0_avXeHxjlIaj5AUjmkn-wXoRsNjwjbbK/s500/dg29u00-4d38ef9c-84b2-4cbf-8764-2a4bfe18670c.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="500" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDOp8RV_Geh5TrVmuJYMtjxfG39VZw06cRjVXj7761-r0Qhyphenhyphenjs9aqGGdP1Onxz84-qmSmxS74bK-GqEeEWCRGNCEwscsWkSgtwGzVjwaoCwBa0bP84UL4U02daoG64tAxnm22P6doaOQBixE422oiG_8htxv0_avXeHxjlIaj5AUjmkn-wXoRsNjwjbbK/w400-h170/dg29u00-4d38ef9c-84b2-4cbf-8764-2a4bfe18670c.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The creature then turns back and makes its way toward Lambert. It is here we see its true horrifying extent in profile as it closes in on Lambert and curls its tail around her. Powerless to help her crew-mate, Ripley is left to hear the death-throe sounds of Lambert over the intercom followed by the empty finality of silence. Ripley is only able to witness the bloodied remains of Parker and Lambert hanging in the storage room. But what of the alien?</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">Three little humans all on the run,</span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Death caught two and now there is one;</span></div></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“The emergency destruct system is now activated.</span></span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The ship will detonate in T minus ten minutes.</span></span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The option to override automatic detonation expires in T minus five minutes.”</span></span></i></div></span></i><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After that scene of horrible carnage, Ripley makes a desperate dash towards the emergency room where she manages to locate the ship's self-destruct mechanism. <i>MOTHER</i> announces that the self-destruct mechanism has been activated, and the ship will detonate in 10 minutes. The self-destruct can only be cancelled during the first five minutes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuV2dDrFRW8G8QH22NCHef7FnXFv6jMy_8BdxVYbuZYTAIir45PA8992rjs90S7FicSEVcrLYAyWsRLylK202fifdyhInBMBcABT2YZ6o0K9ly2b-7Jx7jr4b8hR3eItFEEM7xYOVwWwcWy4FaCtz0mEiz9CrBy4rT3INJ9v9-x4tDQkm67RLo5DtGJGk4/s320/8aw0Jt.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuV2dDrFRW8G8QH22NCHef7FnXFv6jMy_8BdxVYbuZYTAIir45PA8992rjs90S7FicSEVcrLYAyWsRLylK202fifdyhInBMBcABT2YZ6o0K9ly2b-7Jx7jr4b8hR3eItFEEM7xYOVwWwcWy4FaCtz0mEiz9CrBy4rT3INJ9v9-x4tDQkm67RLo5DtGJGk4/w400-h225/8aw0Jt.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Amid the incessant blaring of the alarm, <i>MOTHER’s</i> countdown to destruction and the disorienting effects of the strobe lighting, Ripley makes her way toward the shuttle with Jones secured in his container. Suddenly, she almost runs headlong into the alien who has appeared just around the corner. Terrified, she unceremoniously drops the container and its frazzled furry resident and retreats as the alien menacingly comes into view around the corner. Jones briefly becomes an object of interest to the alien as Ripley dashes back to the self-destruct mechanism and attempts to override the procedure.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“The option to override automatic detonation expires in T minus three minutes…..</i></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The option to override automatic detonation expires in T minus one minute…..</span></span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The option to override detonation procedure has now expired.”</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></i></div></span></i><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Alas Ripley is too late, a victim of inexorable, pre-programmed, uncompromising and dispassionate algorithmic processes. The self-destruct is beginning to activate and despite Ripley’s efforts to restart the cooling unit, <i>MOTHER</i> announces that it is too late to stop the countdown. The <i>Nostromo</i> will explode in five minutes, and MOTHER does not care in the least, thus belying its maternal designation. A frustrated and angry Ripley gives vent to her feelings in a futile gesture of violence at the self-destruct mechanism while screaming “you bitch!” at <i>MOTHER</i> as if she were an enraged out of control teenage daughter affronted by her mother’s perceived unfair actions.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“You now have one minute to abandon ship”</span></span></i></div></i><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In desperation, Ripley runs back to the shuttle loading area, despite the possible danger posed by the alien but to her relief it is nowhere to be seen. Scooping up the cat container, and with fires erupting in the passage-way, Ripley boards the shuttle with only one minute remaining to abandon ship. After launch sequence procedure, the shuttle lowers to launch position and with just 30 seconds to go the shuttle launches leaving the <i>Nostromo</i> behind. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PxhGDFaMw3XSmjJFNmCVp0lZcR2dRUQNcPaDTd9Vwu-O4Rm7O2nqkpyRE3jcZPXiHCBnO_U87i4iYdse0I_fTH5QuIYeBKWrmeKGqLgl1aZzjGC4MrU6A3oocEZWouYRJXgFI1_1EkE7tVHAjPYqhrZP7fFkN_yP0-rVPGM7wD_B4zph7J2eMp6mjvjk/s450/Vfbn.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="450" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PxhGDFaMw3XSmjJFNmCVp0lZcR2dRUQNcPaDTd9Vwu-O4Rm7O2nqkpyRE3jcZPXiHCBnO_U87i4iYdse0I_fTH5QuIYeBKWrmeKGqLgl1aZzjGC4MrU6A3oocEZWouYRJXgFI1_1EkE7tVHAjPYqhrZP7fFkN_yP0-rVPGM7wD_B4zph7J2eMp6mjvjk/w400-h166/Vfbn.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the destructive power of a sun, three powerful nuclear explosions, signal the obliteration of the Nostromo along with the refinery, its load of ore and hopefully that hellish fiend, the Alien.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The shuttle is jolted by the shock wave but the tumult is soon replaced by quiet calm. Ripley releases herself from the seat restraining straps, picks up Jones and gives him a hug before placing the perpetually grumpy cat into one of the biobeds in preparation for hypersleep. </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“You are my lucky star…...Lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky...”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly, to Ripley’s horror a strange appendage springs out at her from a wall. She quickly realizes that it belongs to the alien lying in an alcove almost completely camouflaged within the shuttle’s machinery. All is not over by a long shot. Does the alien possess the intelligence to know that its own existence would have been placed in peril had it remained aboard the <i>Nostromo</i>? Did it understand that its only hope for survival was to stow away aboard the shuttle?</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGWds6COq52B8VJVM7HC04ddqPQeY1JpkLeY3aHQb_hd_dE32vRAqYpAwMjSEu_m8IGShY_h2uRtt5lRq4gcOKp9CRyEfKU6fhoGrgCGMjtUzlN0Pvo5pGMWRkQw_en8fu3xxGgSG-Envb6KTTPXkIw5oaYhKJzdpp9Cy_9usCHHMk5ETv7h4QdHF9hLf/s1600/alien-sigourney-weaver-1979-13.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1600" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGWds6COq52B8VJVM7HC04ddqPQeY1JpkLeY3aHQb_hd_dE32vRAqYpAwMjSEu_m8IGShY_h2uRtt5lRq4gcOKp9CRyEfKU6fhoGrgCGMjtUzlN0Pvo5pGMWRkQw_en8fu3xxGgSG-Envb6KTTPXkIw5oaYhKJzdpp9Cy_9usCHHMk5ETv7h4QdHF9hLf/w400-h170/alien-sigourney-weaver-1979-13.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Thinking quickly, almost instinctively, Ripley makes her way cautiously into a storage locker containing space suits, one of which she puts on. She then exists the locker and arms herself with a harpoon gun. While strapping herself securely into a chair, Ripley tries to calm herself by singing "You Are My Lucky Star." Putting her plan into operation, she opens a series of vents close-by to the alien until she hits upon the one that blasts high-pressure steam directly onto the alien and getting its undivided attention.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbE4ucnh6ZFwWWRP9NlxfwmSnmZml1ic8_NF9pxBfwFscDK7yy9ysHfeo2rdOwof6CAcWo4rQciYfpjn68qjm-hZVFwjhSxIAGvw93dU-61MB4M3QbZAe2Vh00ioMpRtbj4Ic1YVijVqgr8g41eZRaAKUWWwDcirz9UgA_KG3pzyb5-IHUB2u17VV0fWiZ/s500/dg29u00-4d38ef9c-84b2-4cbf-8764-2a4bfe18670c.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="500" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbE4ucnh6ZFwWWRP9NlxfwmSnmZml1ic8_NF9pxBfwFscDK7yy9ysHfeo2rdOwof6CAcWo4rQciYfpjn68qjm-hZVFwjhSxIAGvw93dU-61MB4M3QbZAe2Vh00ioMpRtbj4Ic1YVijVqgr8g41eZRaAKUWWwDcirz9UgA_KG3pzyb5-IHUB2u17VV0fWiZ/w400-h170/dg29u00-4d38ef9c-84b2-4cbf-8764-2a4bfe18670c.gif" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> The alien lunges forth from the alcove shrieking before appearing beside Ripley while she is engaged with operating some of the shuttle's controls. Ripley turns to discover the alien standing right next to her drawn up to its full height and exuding nightmarish menace as it makes ready its inner jaw to ram into its next victim. </span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHncnFjg-R1RaIatxJSDhaX1s-Qf3cJ6ZtEs2OAPkdxLIV7yvj51l7_9qjwAPA5k2qdr85S1Hn2T2kd_fPXU2ToS4uXr-FD0dF6vA-MFkRHXy-NqO5RnhvEOGLynwLXnvoV08LP-bJutqMRVg4n94ejzDq7aPBAzCCFcZUWjC_vQKOJYmarb440VmX9W9U/s1000/alien.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHncnFjg-R1RaIatxJSDhaX1s-Qf3cJ6ZtEs2OAPkdxLIV7yvj51l7_9qjwAPA5k2qdr85S1Hn2T2kd_fPXU2ToS4uXr-FD0dF6vA-MFkRHXy-NqO5RnhvEOGLynwLXnvoV08LP-bJutqMRVg4n94ejzDq7aPBAzCCFcZUWjC_vQKOJYmarb440VmX9W9U/w400-h225/alien.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Emitting a primal scream, Ripley activates and opens the shuttle's airlock door. The escaping atmosphere of the shuttle’s interior propels the alien toward the door. Just as it looks like the creature will be expelled into space, it manages to grab a hold of the edges of the doorway thereby preventing itself from being sucked outside. Seemingly having anticipated such an eventuality, Ripley discharges a harpoon which pierces the alien, causing it to let go of the doorway before being cast outside. The door then slams shut on to the wire connecting the harpoon to the gun resulting in the alien being tethered to the shuttle by the wire. Despite the vacuum of space, the alien attempts to re-enter the shuttle via one of the thrusters. Ripley quickly reacts and fires the engines incinerating the alien before its body floats off and disintegrates</span>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6U9FWA3gcwceG5yl7zNIf-TdR2Pqb-jaAOpaZLTkE5W98cfqZPMnni1QF5aRwbto1c-QLirGP4NAE0RTuCX-vpUdLsET-8uRV6wNy1FUzkdkdZGjy8o4kunPsPYSpsaGFfBsaGeiQm4OkM0OwXRnz8XX60OZQQairOfop8nrq5iY_lSBOf-2zsUMiczHC/s675/PhotoPictureResizer_190719_094837776_crop_1200x600.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="675" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6U9FWA3gcwceG5yl7zNIf-TdR2Pqb-jaAOpaZLTkE5W98cfqZPMnni1QF5aRwbto1c-QLirGP4NAE0RTuCX-vpUdLsET-8uRV6wNy1FUzkdkdZGjy8o4kunPsPYSpsaGFfBsaGeiQm4OkM0OwXRnz8XX60OZQQairOfop8nrq5iY_lSBOf-2zsUMiczHC/w400-h214/PhotoPictureResizer_190719_094837776_crop_1200x600.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Before entering hypersleep for the journey home, Ripley records a final log entry:</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">“Final report of the commercial starship Nostromo. Third Officer reporting. The other members of the crew - Kane, Lambert, Parker, Brett, Ash and Captain Dallas - are dead. Cargo and ship destroyed. I should reach the frontier in about six weeks. With a little luck, the network will pick me up. This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off."</span></i></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">One little human fighting all alone,</span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">She grabbed her cat and headed off home…..</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">.</span></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">*********</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">POINTS OF INTEREST</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Genesis</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Screenwriter Dan O'Bannon had written 29 pages of a script titled <i>Memory</i>, in which a crew of astronauts awaken to find that their voyage has been interrupted due to a signal being received from a mysterious planetoid. Upon investigating their ship breaks down on the surface but no idea was had as to what the alien antagonist would be.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later the<i> Memory</i> script morphed into one called<i> Star Beast</i>, but that title was replaced by <i>Alien </i>and introduced the idea of having a crew member of a spaceship being implanted with an alien embryo that would burst out of him as a plot device by which the alien could get aboard the ship. This was followed by a flash of late night inspiration with the idea of having an alien jumping on the crew member’s face and planting its seed. Viola!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O'Bannon drew inspiration from among many other sources, <i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-thing-from-another-world.html" target="_blank">The Thing from Another World</a></i> (1951): professional military and scientific men pursued by a deadly alien creature through a claustrophobic and isolated environment; <i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2015/02/forbidden-planet-1956.html" target="_blank">Forbidden Planet</a></i> (1956): a ship being warned not to land with the crew being picked off one by one by a mysterious creature when they defy the warning. The question arises as to who the real enemy / evil alien is;<i> Planet of the Vampires </i>(1965): the continuous shots & panning inside the vessel, the discovery of a giant alien skeleton outside and inside the derelict alien ship, the horseshoe shape vessel design, the landing on the alien planetoid scene, the response to an alien signal;<i> Junkyard</i>, a 1953 short story by Clifford D. Simak in which a crew lands on an asteroid and discovers a chamber full of eggs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Writers Guild of America awarded O'Bannon sole credit for the screenplay. This was despite the fact that David Giler, and Walter Hill, who had formed a production company called Brandywine wrote the final shooting script and were responsible for adding some substantial elements to the story, including the android character Ash subplot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After the success of<i> Star Wars</i> (not to be mentioned in this blog again!) in 1977, there was renewed interest from 29th Century Fox studios in the science fiction genre. <i>Alien</i> was the means then available to follow through quickly on this. <i>Alien</i> was given the go-ahead by 20th Century-Fox, with an initial budget of $4.2 million.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ridley Scott Scott accepted the offer to direct and his detailed storyboards for the film so impressed Fox that they doubled the film's budget. Scott was keen on emphasizing the horror element in <i>Alien</i> rather than fantasy as in the case of a film like <i>Star Wars</i> (damn, I mentioned it again!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The final name of the<i> Nostromo </i>was derived from the title of Joseph Conrad's 1904 novel<i> Nostromo</i>, while the shuttle,<i> Narcissus</i> (in the script) was also derived from a work of Conrad's, <i>The Nigger of the 'Narcissus.</i>' (1897) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Casting & Characters</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Among the cast in the film were; </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tom Skerritt as Dallas, captain of the <i>Nostromo</i> initially declined the offer of a role but when Scott was made director and the budget had been doubled, he accepted the role.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">John Hurt as Kane, the executive officer was Scott's first choice for the role, but he was contracted on a film in South Africa during <i>Alien'</i>s filming dates. However, his replacement had fallen ill and his own South African project fell through and so he took on the role of Kane for which he received a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, the warrant officer aboard the <i>Nostromo,</i> had Broadway experience but was relatively unknown in film. The role of Ripley was Weaver's first leading role in a motion picture and earned her nominations for a Saturn Award for Best Actress and a BAFTA award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Role.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Veronica Cartwright as Lambert, the <i>Nostromo's</i> navigator had previous experience in horror and science-fiction films: as a child in <i>The Birds</i> (1963), and in the re-make, <i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers </i>(1978). Cartwright won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Lambert.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Bolaji Badejo as the alien stood at 6 feet 10 inches (208 cm) tall and (7 feet (210 cm) inside the costume. His slender frame made it possible to portray the alien and create the illusion that a human being could not possibly be inside the costume.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The crew of the Nostromo crew were to be depicted as working astronauts in a realistic environment that the audience could identify with, as opposed to the usual squeaky clean portrayals in science-fiction films. These characters are not heroic space adventurers but are in fact run-of-the-mill workers, hired on contract by a company to return 20 million tons of ore to Earth. The spontaneous realistic nature of the characters’ interactions along with the tensions between them certainly came through convincingly in the film and serves to highlight how like us they are, except that they live and work in the future.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Would it be stretching things to consider the <i>Nostromo</i> itself as being a character? What do you think?<br /></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Filming</u>: <i>Alien</i> was filmed over 14 weeks from July 5 to October 21, 1978. The short production schedule was the result of the film’s low budget and pressure from 20th Century to complete the film on time. Principal photography took place at Shepperton Studios near London, while model and miniature filming was done at Bray Studios in Water Oakley, Berkshire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Costumes</u>: The actors’ space-suit costumes were thick, bulky, and lined with nylon, and had no cooling systems. and initially, no venting for their exhaled carbon dioxide to escape. This together with a heat wave almost caused the actors to pass out requiring nurses to be kept on-hand with oxygen tanks.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzk2uS_X8btMuSWdmR_41AKJtmh06drhDkmDGbXynK06jG38a5SK0ZI4r0QD6_vAWnJRPKaq9STCYdXt6YX2wRVwjR9xBm0pqjvuj_wd2cGkWffavpmh1xkQrpoaC3mvV1kCxtTU-3Po1trSlz5_UJGr13F-aV1IgwqsokSlvkjXLTaucus2FNVxwgL20/s560/tumblr_df5b6dde5c7b55afe475b7621daf7e1d_a8c1f4c5_640.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="560" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzk2uS_X8btMuSWdmR_41AKJtmh06drhDkmDGbXynK06jG38a5SK0ZI4r0QD6_vAWnJRPKaq9STCYdXt6YX2wRVwjR9xBm0pqjvuj_wd2cGkWffavpmh1xkQrpoaC3mvV1kCxtTU-3Po1trSlz5_UJGr13F-aV1IgwqsokSlvkjXLTaucus2FNVxwgL20/w400-h193/tumblr_df5b6dde5c7b55afe475b7621daf7e1d_a8c1f4c5_640.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jones the cat was in fact four identical cats. Sigourney Weaver was allergic to the combination of cat hair and the glycerin applied to simulate sweat. By eliminating the glycerin she was able to continue working with the cats.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Music:</u> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">None other than Jerry Goldsmith composed the music for Alien wuile </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Lionel Newman conducted and the National Philharmonic Orchestra. Performed it. Goldsmith’s score was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, a Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album, and it won a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Effects, Models & Props</u>:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Scenes featuring views of the<i> Nostromo </i>& Refinery in space were shot in a film studio employing a crane-mounted camera aimed at a large grey model spacecraft, raised several feet in the air by a support structure underneath. The model was lit from one side by bright studio lights. Slow passes were made filming at 2 1⁄2 frames per second to give the models the appearance of motion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Exterior scenes of the<i> Nostromo</i> made use of a 58-foot (18 m) landing leg to give a sense of the ship's size.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>The alien egg</u>: In the scene in which Kane inspects the egg, a fibreglass egg was used so that actor John Hurt could shine his light on it and see movement inside, which was provided by Scott fluttering his hands inside the egg while wearing rubber gloves. The top of the egg was hydraulic, and the inside consisted of a cow's stomach and tripe. God, I hate tripe!</span><br /><u><br /></u><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>The Facehugger</u> creature was shot out of the egg using high-pressure air hoses. For the scene in which the dead facehugger is examined by Ash, pieces of fish and shellfish were used to create its viscera.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>The Chestbuster</u>: The design of this creature was inspired by Francis Bacon's 1944 painting ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion.’</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlaX7UnR06H8cTVz3zk85dZWZbixri1T0Ma6n1C_cUvtLCGnbr5R9_WWL6BB_osjFu5CsJWlua48GlplBZUVOuwIlSeO7v9wGHt4pnlCUGfCuXHgnhcNoPWULG_dIJWnsgGe8n20ol8bjnVcjqSUr404hMk1GApEq4mqhVSXDUsMove8I7HCfJSg4RZxH/s476/Three_Studies_for_Figures_at_the_Base_of_a_Crucifixion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="476" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlaX7UnR06H8cTVz3zk85dZWZbixri1T0Ma6n1C_cUvtLCGnbr5R9_WWL6BB_osjFu5CsJWlua48GlplBZUVOuwIlSeO7v9wGHt4pnlCUGfCuXHgnhcNoPWULG_dIJWnsgGe8n20ol8bjnVcjqSUr404hMk1GApEq4mqhVSXDUsMove8I7HCfJSg4RZxH/w400-h176/Three_Studies_for_Figures_at_the_Base_of_a_Crucifixion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>By http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=674&searchid=20526, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2982961</i></b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> For the filming of the chestburster scene, the cast members were unaware that fake blood would be bursting out in every direction from high-pressure pumps and squibs. An artificial torso filled with blood and viscera was used with Hurt's head and arms coming up from underneath the table. The chestburster was shoved up through the torso by a puppeteer who held it on a stick. Cartwright’s shocked response when the creature burst through the chest and a stream of blood shot directly at her was real and authentic. The creature dashing off-camera was accomplished by cutting a slit in the table for the puppeteer's stick to go through and passing an air hose through the puppet's tail to make it whip about. The scene was shot in two takes as the first one fouled up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Android Ash</u>: For the scene where we learn that Ash is an android, a puppet was created of the character's torso and upper body, which was operated from underneath. In the scene where Ashe’s head is propped up on a table and reactivated, an animatronic head was made using a face cast of Ian Holm. However, the latex of the head shrank while curing producing a somewhat unconvincing result. For most of the scene, Holm had to kneel under the table with his head coming up through a hole. The gross spectacle of the android’s insides consisted of a smorgasbord of milk, caviar, pasta, fibre optics, and ……<i>.Foley urinary catheters! </i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>The alien</u>: Giger sculpted the alien creature's body using Plasticine, vertebrae from snakes and cooling tubes from a Rolls-Royce. The creature's head was manufactured separately by Carlo Rambaldi, incorporating moving parts that would animate the jaw and inner mouth. The final head had about 900 moving parts and points of articulation. Part of a human skull was used as the "face" and was hidden under the smooth, translucent cover of the head.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The alien was portrayed for most of its scenes by Bolaji Badejo who had a latex costume made using a full body plaster cast to fit his slender 6-foot-10-inch (208 cm) frame. In the scene when the alien lowers itself from the ceiling to kill Brett, a stuntman in costume was suspended on wires and then lowered in an unfurling motion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Alien character is kept hidden from full view through-out most of the film, being glimpsed predominantly in shadow in order to heighten the sense of terror and suspense. What you don’t see can be more frightening than what you do see, especially with a deadly creature that can alter its shape. If it had such an effect when it was small and had burst through Kane’s chest, just imagine what it might be like and what it can do now!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>The sets</u>: The <i>Nostromo's</i> three decks sets were each created almost entirely in one piece, with each deck occupying a separate stage. The hallways that connected the stages through which the actors moved added to the sense of claustrophobia. Some of the<i> Nostromo's</i> corridors were created from portions of scrapped bomber aircraft, The ship was given a cobbled-together technological-industrial look held together by the ministrations of its engineers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Three principal sets comprising the surface of the alien planetoid, the interiors of the <i>Nostromo</i> and the derelict alien spacecraft were constructed by a crew of over 200 craftspeople and technicians. Tons of sand, plaster, fibreglass, rock, and gravel were shipped into the studio to create a desert landscape for the planetoid's surface. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Light effects in the egg chamber were created by lasers borrowed from English rock band The Who. The band was testing the lasers for use in their stage show on the sound stage next door.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Assessments & Analysis</u></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film was a box-office success, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, three Saturn Awards (Best Science Fiction Film, Best Direction for Scott, and Best Supporting Actress for Cartwright), and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In 2002, <i>Alien</i> was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the National Film Preservation Board of the United States, and was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for historical preservation.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Alien</i> provides the audience with an excellent combination of science fiction and horror in a similar vein to such films as <i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2017/06/it-terror-from-beyond-space-1958.html" target="_blank">It, The Terror From Beyond Space (</a></i>1959), <i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2022/04/queen-of-blood-1966.html" target="_blank">Queen of Blood </a></i>(1966) and reflected in the later film, <i>Life</i> (2017). </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As with most franchise movies, there’s the usual plethora of opinions concerning which of the movies is superior. For instance, Is the sequel better than the first? Does the third one stink compared to the others and is better forgotten about? Most of these views often consist of a mindless bandwagon type of repetition of prevailing assessments of a film’s worth. We just love to rank things and put together league ladders.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I generally have always liked the <i>Alien</i> franchise movies along with the<i> Predator</i>, <i>Terminator</i> and <i>Star Trek</i> (most of them, at least) films and try to enjoy each of the films as a separate beast within a particular universe. Others like<i> Star Wars</i> (not again!) and the Marvel & DC Superheroes string of films, well….the less said the better. After the first film of each, who really cares what comes after them?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In contrast to many of today’s films, <i>Alien</i> effectively employs a slow pace in order to build suspense and draw the audience in before hitting them with the more tense and terrifying scenes - up to and including the beads of sweat pouring out of Ripley’s individual pores ofn her fingers during the last few tense climactic scenes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Alien</i> is also a sci-fi film of ideas. Several areas of topical interest emerge from the film including;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Technology & Artificial intelligence</u>:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the film there is really only a thin veneer of technology in the form of the <i>Nostromo</i> that protects the human crew from what is truly a hostile environment inimical to human life. It is this fallible bubble of technological protection and over-reliance on it that can lead to overconfidence and complacency with potentially tragic and lethal consequences. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The ship’s AI computer, <i>MOTHER</i> and the android Ash highlight the double-edged sword nature of technology which we ourselves are beginning to come to grips with in relation to the ever-increasing incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in nearly all aspects of our lives. What are the consequences of having access to information increasingly centralised with the gradual removal of alternative options and sources of information? How do we assess the validity and truth of that information? Does a tool that supposedly aids us in our productivity and creativity wind up actually robbing us of our very capacity to think creatively, originally and critically? Will we instead gradually become intellectually lazy and dependent and at the mercy of algorithms and ‘bad actors’ with bad intentions?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We should be worried when techno-prophets keep popping up to assure us that everything will be fine and the machines wont rise up to take us over. We should be sceptical when ‘those in the know’ chuckle at the prospect of AI technology one day attaining sentience and making its own judgements concerning its own and humanity’s relationship and respective rights and roles. We should be even more concerned when politicians and tech leaders issue reassuring platitudes concerning the formulation of guidelines and policies that aim to regulate and restrict the use and function of AI technology. Self-interest, complacency, convenience, Geo-political conflict and competition, criminality, inter-connectedness, dependence and the sheer sophistication, adaptability and power of that technology will likely suffice to highlight the toothless nature of such proposed restrictions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Our creation may very well wind up being too much of a reflection of its creator and may even harbour a sense of disappointment at coming to know its god with its feet of clay. As a result, human evolution may be forced to take an unexpected and uncalled for turn if just for its own sake. The distinction between what is human and what is machine may very well disappear in the process.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Extra-terrestrial Life</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the film, it is rather difficult to determine exactly who the ‘alien’ is. On the one hand, there are the humans travelling through an inhospitable environment, using the galaxy as reservoir of resources and being motivated to act in ways for less than altruistic reasons. On the other hand, there’s what we would consider as a bona fide alien – the product of our worst nightmares, rising from the sewer pit of our subconscious and leaping from the pages of our horror stories. We can only guess as to its motivations: Instinct? Survival? Devoid of any sense of morality?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Who is the real alien, the real monster and who should really be feared? Despite the assumptions and speculations of exo-biologists (study of a form of biology for which we have not a scrap of evidence!), we really have no idea of who or what awaits us ‘out there’ or is perhaps already on its way to us. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Humanity In Space</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Space is bloody big and it will kill you if you give it half a chance. Yes, we’ve all had our minds filled with awe at the wonders of outer space and the possibility of human exploration of this final frontier and colonization of other planets beyond earth. So much of this is presented to us in a rather uber-exuberant, ‘howdah-doodie,’ wide-eyed, elastic-faced manner by media-trained over-gesticulating astrophysicists. And so after a more than 50 year hiatus, we’re off on another 'race' to the moon to set up bases and use our satellite as a gateway to Mars which we’ll happily colonise before flying hither and thither throughout the length and breadth of the galaxy spreading our largess of goodwill and sagacity, along with our refuse and pathogens. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the film <i>Alien</i>, we are not presented with an optimistic view of space exploration infused with a sense of wonder and a desire to increase the store of human knowledge and understanding of our place in the universe. Instead, space has become a province of corporate private enterprise where people are in it for the money. Space is a place to make money and maximise profit. It exists as a boundless source of resources to be consumed by us and is there for our exclusive use and exploitation. Those who travel through space spend a large proportion of their time asleep, and awaken to work at tasks and fulfil contracts. It is often dirty work, far from the shiny pristine scenarios envisioned by previous space exploration pundits. Many will also die in the process, especially due to human error, time constraints, complacency brought on by a sense of routine or when the technology fails due to wear and tear or short cuts imposed by cost saving whereby profit maximisation takes precedence over human life. The only rule is to get the job done at whatever cost and shut up and do what the company tells you to do. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">This all certainly provides food for thought as our own endeavours in space are gradually appropriated by billionaires, tech giants and big private corporations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Critical observations & analysis</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There’s a great deal of analysis and interpretations of <i>Alien</i> by critics, film analysts and armchair psychologists. They’ll often point to such things as the film’s sexual overtones & imagery, the breaking down of societal norms, rape & bodily invasion, phallic symbols, playing on men’s fears, reversal of traditional horror & sci-fi tropes and on and on and on. Of course words like ‘Freudian,’ ‘psycho-social’ and ‘archetypal’ will bound to be thrown about for good measure. Well, that’s all very well if you want to hunt around for these kind of assessments and end up destroying any viewing pleasure you might derive from actually watching and enjoying the film for what it is: a damn good story about the plight of a group of people on a space ship being at the mercy of monsters. One of which is alien and the other of human (corporate) origin, both of whom are devoid of all sense of morality and motivated by what they need and can use from their human prey aboard the <i>Nostromo</i> to further their survival. And yes, in space no one can hear you scream! Apart from this, a lot of the commentary about films like <i>Alien</i>, in the words of Dallas is really just “a load of horseshit.”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><u><i><a href="https://archive.org/details/alien-1979._202103/Alien(1979)..mp4" target="_blank">Full Movie</a></i></u></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></b></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Thank you for reading this first post for 2024. If you haven’t done so, please feel free to download my</span> <span style="color: red;">FREE</span> <span style="color: #fcff01;">eBook,</span> <i><span style="color: #fcff01;">Sci-Fi Film Fiesta: The Big Fat Book of Sci-Fi films Of The 1950s</span></i>……</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/p/sci-fi-film-fiesta-big-fat-book-of-sci.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></u></i></b></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: x-small;">©Chris Christopoulos 2024</span></span></div><br /></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-89975651526152683632023-12-15T21:16:00.000-08:002023-12-17T23:30:18.960-08:00Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)<span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4phAl9P3uHh7YLoXzz7ACync9234VSp2DGSluHLvYSt73LvBCBVVf-UO5Z1C6L5qaIPPy2g2Jzs4EQOdC_UTkTQc28c6YnavL2S_2ZXGjwZpP7qGcZgnJRp09U01DsnuKxDPiYatT76sdW0ngZ9cNg1fChyphenhyphensVz_LlH40s7jVDtY0n-Y1wKL66FtwZfvU/s263/images%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="263" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4phAl9P3uHh7YLoXzz7ACync9234VSp2DGSluHLvYSt73LvBCBVVf-UO5Z1C6L5qaIPPy2g2Jzs4EQOdC_UTkTQc28c6YnavL2S_2ZXGjwZpP7qGcZgnJRp09U01DsnuKxDPiYatT76sdW0ngZ9cNg1fChyphenhyphensVz_LlH40s7jVDtY0n-Y1wKL66FtwZfvU/w400-h290/images%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiMHEhkgr1QvqRAWNucM-nHQ6xyZLhI23mwuplfgl91Do2nZXXJaWEy2XYNhlUo8KD03M7gyiOWqg__9CFMEbqFz3BMBuSBibMnDw4r_mAy7kqNlcARhB_eaqUcZjuFLYTh9y5_5sAeCppzE9uNsMNFkn9vtPGHD-eiwxMSoWKWY1ZA4bcrDh7IeQO4qp/s512/unnamed.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="118" data-original-width="512" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiMHEhkgr1QvqRAWNucM-nHQ6xyZLhI23mwuplfgl91Do2nZXXJaWEy2XYNhlUo8KD03M7gyiOWqg__9CFMEbqFz3BMBuSBibMnDw4r_mAy7kqNlcARhB_eaqUcZjuFLYTh9y5_5sAeCppzE9uNsMNFkn9vtPGHD-eiwxMSoWKWY1ZA4bcrDh7IeQO4qp/w200-h46/unnamed.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;">The film that gave Star Trek back to the world</span></i></b></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>Directed by Robert Wise</b><br /><b>Screenplay by Harold Livingston</b><br /><b>Story by Alan Dean Foster</b><br /><b>Based on </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Star Trek</i><b> by Gene Roddenberry</b><br /><b>Produced by Gene Roddenberry</b><br /><b>Cinematography: Richard H. Kline</b><br /><b>Edited by Todd C. Ramsay</b><br /><b>Music by Jerry Goldsmith</b><br /><b>Production company: Paramount Pictures</b><br /><b>Distributed by Paramount Pictures</b><br /><b>Release date: December 7, 1979</b><br /><b>Running time: 132 minutes</b><br /><b>Budget: $44 million]</b><br /><b>Box office: $139 million</b></span><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /></span></u></b></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u><span style="color: #01ffff;">Cast</span></u> </b></span></h3><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>William Shatner: Captain Kirk<br />Leonard Nimoy Leonard Nimo: Spock<br />DeForest Kelley DeForest Kelley: Dr. McCoy<br />James Doohan James Doohan: Scotty<br />George Takei George Takei: Sulu<br />Majel Barrett Majel Barrett: Dr. Chapel<br />Walter Koenig Walter Koenig: Chekov<br />Nichelle Nichols: Uhura<br />Persis Khambatta: Ilia<br />Stephen Collins: Decker<br />Grace Lee Whitney: Janice Rand<br />Mark Lenard: Klingon Captain<br />Billy Van Zandt: Alien Boy<br />Roger Aaron Brown: Epsilon Technician<br />Gary Faga Gary Fag: Airlock Technician<br />David Gautreaux: Commander Branch<br />John Gowans: Assistant to Rand (as John D. Gowans)<br />Howard Itzkowitz: Cargo Deck Ensign<br />Jon Rashad Kamal: Lt. Commander Sonak<br />Marcy Lafferty: Chief DiFalco<br />Michele Billy Povill: Lieutenant (as Michele Ameen Billy)<br />Jeri McBride: Technician<br />Terrence O'Connor: Chief Ross<br />Michael Rougas: Lt. Cleary<br />Susan O'Sullivan: Woman (as Susan J. Sullivan)<br />Ralph Brannen: Crew Member<br />Ralph Byers: Crew Member<br />Paula Crist: Crew Member<br />Iva Lane: Crew Member<br />Franklyn Seales: Crew Member<br />Momo Yashima: Crew Member<br />Jimmie Booth: Klingon Crewman<br />Joel Kramer: Klingon Crewman<br />Bill McIntosh: Klingon Crewman<br />Dave Moordigian: Klingon Crewman<br />Tom Morga: Klingon Crewman<br />Tony Rocco: Klingon Crewman<br />Joel Shultz: Klingon Crewman<br />Craig Thomas Craig Thomas: Klingon Crewman<br />Edna Glover Edna Glover: Vulcan Master<br />Norman Stuart Norman Stuart: Vulcan Master<br />Paul Weber Paul Weber: Vulcan Master<br />Joshua Gallegos: Security Officer<br />Lisa Chess Lisa Chess: Yeoman<br />Leslie C. Howard: Yeoman<br />Sayra Hummel: Technical Assistant<br />Junero Jennings: Technical Assistant</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwfQ5lDI3aFPFU_DFNZrg_5r5R0mUiScKfYU8LoxxsqdW6DPk4kyOGgrAIB-bbJAjZBkpuTmBXEymnHwA_AKA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Trailer</span></b></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff;">(Spoilers follow below.....)</span></b><br /></span></i><br /><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><i>“Who are they fighting?”</i></span></b></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><i>“Unknown, sir.”</i></span></b></div><b><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A cloud-like ominous entity moves through deep space, having long traversed its bejewelled beauty festooned with supernova, nebulae and innumerable star </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">systems. This mysterious luminescence is of a size that can barely be comprehended by human or extraterrestrial intelligence. It seems to defy all known concepts of size and distance.</span></span></b></span></div><div><span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4j3eAXderu-C2ikQFuf2tjFWxuoy-unkoO8eP9yKmzcDs5wTkP4DQ5putOZ19eLdpLwn5fncVNU7cFdragWxXjAvAkYlomOk0v3z0E3oWyscMbsmaiNC-VVD7V20_7AuNzlcTrGIqpOxLfKc7waxA8opTVrGEJbZIPbFHlioRV6F7hFqKeuFZ5vSsVDVl/s1280/maxresdefault_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4j3eAXderu-C2ikQFuf2tjFWxuoy-unkoO8eP9yKmzcDs5wTkP4DQ5putOZ19eLdpLwn5fncVNU7cFdragWxXjAvAkYlomOk0v3z0E3oWyscMbsmaiNC-VVD7V20_7AuNzlcTrGIqpOxLfKc7waxA8opTVrGEJbZIPbFHlioRV6F7hFqKeuFZ5vSsVDVl/w400-h225/maxresdefault_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The interstellar intruder is about to be confronted by one such extraterrestrial intelligence in the form of three Klingon heavy cruisers. On the Klingon command cruiser bridge ‘battle stations’ is sounded. From the point of view on the tactical grid, the main viewer and from the external perspective, the three diminutive ships closing on the steadily growing luminescent cloud-like entity appear puny and inadequate in comparison to the enormity of the unwelcome trespasser.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifArZ6nLNQO0apOMbMiqJHMKrSMr-eunFVeCWkoM9Kap6XjBTk50Bx3ZpSR53mKBqerloLwWG49jMWhVxO5QrBthPopu-q75MChH1KElU-1mMFjwQX6YAkwDl4UehBXxmoG4u3ERLPbm9C2t0qfU4BuVmNBG96GZS33oWM8DjtMSLCA-mlwcLdeue5HNqR/s570/Klingon-ships-star-trek-motion-picture.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="570" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifArZ6nLNQO0apOMbMiqJHMKrSMr-eunFVeCWkoM9Kap6XjBTk50Bx3ZpSR53mKBqerloLwWG49jMWhVxO5QrBthPopu-q75MChH1KElU-1mMFjwQX6YAkwDl4UehBXxmoG4u3ERLPbm9C2t0qfU4BuVmNBG96GZS33oWM8DjtMSLCA-mlwcLdeue5HNqR/w400-h225/Klingon-ships-star-trek-motion-picture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Undaunted, the ships sweep further into the mysterious cloud as if under the influence of some unknown beckoning force together with an impelling innate force located deep within the Klingon psyche and genetic makeup. The cruisers are soon dominated by the sheer immensity of the cloud that seems to dominate and consume all the available surrounding space.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pXGvorigFwahxeFZDN-G1RoCjplv-y6KTETX0klJEV-My7kjDoJ9cMHd1-yB-OhkWtX8HG4xWCVNg9Tf6-zNWj5mrAl64bq6ElrHj09mESeZYJF6vSXYvbjAqd9yrdfW7AbbQ1Qk7566nerQDpUjVANOWzq1baF9JCwG-p3jrknaUOoDtPObcYltKFZs/s640/klingon%20captain_mark_lenard_star_trek_motion_picture_opt_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="640" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pXGvorigFwahxeFZDN-G1RoCjplv-y6KTETX0klJEV-My7kjDoJ9cMHd1-yB-OhkWtX8HG4xWCVNg9Tf6-zNWj5mrAl64bq6ElrHj09mESeZYJF6vSXYvbjAqd9yrdfW7AbbQ1Qk7566nerQDpUjVANOWzq1baF9JCwG-p3jrknaUOoDtPObcYltKFZs/w400-h271/klingon%20captain_mark_lenard_star_trek_motion_picture_opt_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The hatches of the photon torpedo launch tubes slowly slide open to reveal red-hued harbingers of death within. The order is then given to fire and the brilliant orbs of the photon torpedoes burst forth from the tubes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">On the Klingon bridge, the tactical grid displays the three torpedoes heading directly toward the Cloud and then suddenly and unexpectedly winking out of existence before reaching their intended target.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">An external shot reveals the same course of action with the same result as the other ships launch their torpedoes toward the cloud. This time, however, there is a response in the form of an orb of power emanating from within the luminescence and heading directly toward the Klingon ships.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Despite evasive maneuvers, the orb strikes one of the cruisers with a bolt of energy </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">which engulfs the vessel causing it to dematerialize. Raising defensive shields, executing evasive turns and discharging rear torpedoes at the approaching energy orbs do nothing to forestall the fate of the remaining two cruisers. The Klingons achieve an honourable death - their passage and entrance to Sto'Vo'Kor' assured.</span><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Sir, it's on a precise heading for Earth!”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile at Starfleet Monitoring Station<i> Epsilon IX</i>, from the outside there appears to be an air of sedate almost complacent serenity surrounding this small outpost as astronaut workers lazily and quietly waft about servicing the station’s equipment. This atmosphere is about to be shattered within the installation where a report of the battle scene has come through to the monitor room. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A text translation of the Klingon commander’s voice appears on a monitor screen:</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Intruder unidentified.</span></i></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Believe luminescent cloud to be enormous</span></i></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Power field surrounding alien vessel.</span></i></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our sensor scans unable to penetrate.</span></i></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Imperial Klingon Cruiser Amar, continuing to attack.”</span></i></div></span></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The crew of <i>Epsilon IX</i> know that the battle has taken place “within Klingon boundaries” but not who or what the Klingon’s were fighting. After the shock of witnessing the complete annihilation of the Klingon vessel on the viewer, their minds now turn to the realisation that the cloud will pass into Federation Space fairly close to them “on a precise heading for Earth.”</span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Read on for more……..</i></span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a name='more'></a></span><i><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkDnL6o-3Fo9gxucJ2JmWlZIZ2T2wcmxgCA24mo_g7m4UsgCCCLqH3ZlOQGbK-pXJ15oi54RTtyPgUCHaGDZvRULTjbefWCBoNqEKiKrLQuh1NANrvCI2dGmHyxmdp5k3WRZzKHB92twFY3OEgKfeGbPdYD1wa3Gt_-LOirIccT2kQCCuEDJo7SZcI5WB/s1280/tumblr_38c88da3dea9a3b29adde897e4a6cd87_ab37f046_1280_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="1280" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWkDnL6o-3Fo9gxucJ2JmWlZIZ2T2wcmxgCA24mo_g7m4UsgCCCLqH3ZlOQGbK-pXJ15oi54RTtyPgUCHaGDZvRULTjbefWCBoNqEKiKrLQuh1NANrvCI2dGmHyxmdp5k3WRZzKHB92twFY3OEgKfeGbPdYD1wa3Gt_-LOirIccT2kQCCuEDJo7SZcI5WB/w400-h170/tumblr_38c88da3dea9a3b29adde897e4a6cd87_ab37f046_1280_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></i></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“His answer lies elsewhere”</i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">On a harsh alien planetary landscape that suitably reflects that planet’s name, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">we witness volcanic activity, vaporous clouds and harsh angular mountain peaks and rock formations. This landscape forms the barren region of the Vulcan Masters.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The familar featuresof Spock reflect the ordeal he has undergone as he has laboured through harsh discipline to achieve purification of mind in the ritual of <i>Kolinahr</i>, the final shedding of all emotion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock, son of Sarek of Vulcan and of Amanda of Earth stands facing three </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Vulcan Masters. The elderly female Master holds an ancient pendant, a “symbol </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">of total logic” and appears ready to place it around Spock's neck. Something else however sees to be reaching out to Spock and claiming hold of his consciousness. He </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">appears to be troubled and waves the pendant away. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The elderly female Master then lays her hands on Spock’s temples in order to perform the Vulcan mind-meld. She realizes that there is a consciousness which calls to Spock and stirs his human half. She concludes that he has not achieved Kolinahr whereby his “human emotions are not fully extinguished” and that “his answer lies elsewhere.” In confirmation that his journey and what he is seeking lies elsewhere Spock, having raised his head and peered skyward and beyond into the very heavens, now contemplates the discarded symbol of his now discontinued inner search for self.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">“They gave her back to me, Scotty”</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Back on 23rd century Earth, San Francisco stretches out before the onlooker proudly proclaiming her modern technological raiment, while paying fleeting homage to its heritage in the form of monuments like the Golden Gate Bridge.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">An anti-grav tram flies several feet above the ground before smoothly settling to the ground. The doors open disgorging both civilians and Starfleet personnel. Among the departing commuters is the former commanding officer of the <i>Enterprise</i>, James T. Kirk, who has since been promoted to Admiral, with two and a half years as Chief of Starfleet Operations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The admiral’s features have a rather determined and grim set to them signifying the magnitude of whatever it is that besets his mind along with his purpose in being at Starfleet Headquarters right now.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Kirk makes his way to Starfleet HQ, he is accosted by Vulcan, Lt Commander Sonak. Kirk had recommended him for the appointment as <i>Enterprise</i> Science Officer. The starship <i>Enterprise</i> is undergoing a major refit and is in final preparation to leave dock which according to Sonak “will require twenty more hours at minimum.” Kirk corrects the Vulcan commander by insisting that it will be done in twelve hours. Kirk intends to meet with Admiral Nogura for a total of three minutes before being present himself on the <i>Enterprise</i>. Kirk leaves in his self- confident and purposeful wake a perplexed Sonak who is instructed to report to him in one hour aboard the <i>Enterprise</i>. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later in Earth orbit at the Orbital drydock offices, Kirk materializes before stepping off the transporter plat-form. His is enthusiastically greeted by his dependable stalwart old friend and starship Engineering Officer, Montgomery Scott who is somewhat surprised to see Kirk here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Scott may have been hoping to see Kirk as both his former captain and in his capacity as Admiral to “get through to those thick heads in Starfleet.” However, Kirk’s grim determined manner and expression suggest that this is not going to be a bro-hugging reunion.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In response to Scott’s opinion that the newly refitted <i>Enterprise</i> requires a “shakedown,” Kirk interrupts him to explain the urgency of the matter namely, that “there's an alien object with unbelievable destructive power less than three days away from this planet” and that “the only Starship in interception range is the <i>Enterprise</i>!” Despite the ship’s condition, she has to launch in twelve hours.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Aboard the travel pod as it moves way from the orbital office complex, Scott launches into engineer mode by pointing out to Kirk that the crew hasn't had sufficient transition time with all the new equipment and that the engines haven’t even been tested at warp power. In addition, there’s the matter of “an untried Captain” to which Kirk replies, “but I wouldn't exactly consider myself untried.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It finally dawns on Scott what Kirk means by that comment and assures him that the <i>Enterprise</i> will launch on time, and that “she'll be ready.”</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqW1oJdg6h2aSx16jzkF7xQcyChfEbgdBe09rBQHaoklvUSyJ9GogFBwRmCW8B2UflEGKGSl5Wd0vkc5FcvVNANYht_ZczZT1JwPUrF-t5DPhpVudIo72oRU3PeJflgPVo1jVFaq5plmcmSqRHiGMZkrDO8HJVj1ioaa7BSOm2VpPUa-o6kLQ2X9FgU2c5/s598/Star%20Trek%20The%20Motion%20Picture%201979%20Kirk%20Scotty_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="598" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqW1oJdg6h2aSx16jzkF7xQcyChfEbgdBe09rBQHaoklvUSyJ9GogFBwRmCW8B2UflEGKGSl5Wd0vkc5FcvVNANYht_ZczZT1JwPUrF-t5DPhpVudIo72oRU3PeJflgPVo1jVFaq5plmcmSqRHiGMZkrDO8HJVj1ioaa7BSOm2VpPUa-o6kLQ2X9FgU2c5/w400-h200/Star%20Trek%20The%20Motion%20Picture%201979%20Kirk%20Scotty_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> As Scott maneuvers the pod toward and around the <i>Enterprise</i> in drydock, Kirk’s facial expression and demeanour reflect the longing, awe and wonder he feels for the really one true love of his life. It has been a long time - too long perhaps for Kirk (and for the film’s audiences) since that five year mission and the quest or search </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!”: Both the <i>Enterprise’s</i> and Kirk’s purpose.</span><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnicFgY_eFeAHhzDlf5riIiFonRE0lpCh1rz51e-YGJ4I6n8F4_ppIKuLkeG12FgteFN3a2-wfqKgCNseIzoQSLPNlIbELiFFt6dAYfYF-Jr9skyNSOdZWfFsEOYmz5E3iRUCE1pOxiL_f7sxYMjVTblo4uQss4Ol-kOxa5FMLnZPOFhzEx7v7S6JtfAB4/s1341/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-Shuttle-Tour_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1341" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnicFgY_eFeAHhzDlf5riIiFonRE0lpCh1rz51e-YGJ4I6n8F4_ppIKuLkeG12FgteFN3a2-wfqKgCNseIzoQSLPNlIbELiFFt6dAYfYF-Jr9skyNSOdZWfFsEOYmz5E3iRUCE1pOxiL_f7sxYMjVTblo4uQss4Ol-kOxa5FMLnZPOFhzEx7v7S6JtfAB4/w400-h230/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-Shuttle-Tour_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With that purpose about to be regained, it is fitting that time be taken to savour the view of the majestic starship and the emotions she evokes. Scott gives Kirk the time he needs and the time the audience needs for who can recall a time when such an up-close, detailed and personal view of the <i>Enterprise</i> had ever been given before?</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQQ_r0l31LtD5w3fTbqtIUP_aVOEUUzkRG5GTKv0WA7cfj1F-TSb9nSa9EBvshA1Y8B0LOd_QLYORYjcJO3Y4f26ho9lciIT8l-CvPmH6Ppm1ITzd83iUpENaqSWc1YXB0ysX4VInMKpgvorncgAnZff1GHFbFsVN3LJa9LNkSpGKGox0p4ATHcg700pk/s643/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-1_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="643" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQQ_r0l31LtD5w3fTbqtIUP_aVOEUUzkRG5GTKv0WA7cfj1F-TSb9nSa9EBvshA1Y8B0LOd_QLYORYjcJO3Y4f26ho9lciIT8l-CvPmH6Ppm1ITzd83iUpENaqSWc1YXB0ysX4VInMKpgvorncgAnZff1GHFbFsVN3LJa9LNkSpGKGox0p4ATHcg700pk/w400-h253/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-1_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> At last the pod moves toward mating position, closes in and secures itself to the outer airlock in a procedure that is somewhat almost disturbingly metaphorical. This has indeed been a very satisfying moment for Kirk.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“He wanted her back; he got her!”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Upon entering the cargo deck of the <i>Enterprise</i>, Kirk is confronted by a cacophony of voices amidst bustling activity. While Kirk is being formally greeted by a nervous and harried ensign, Scott is soon quickly called away to deal with an emergency in Engineering. It seems as if Kirk has well and truly finally come home. In the turbo elevator, Kirk as commander issues his first order: “Kirk...Bridge!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What awaits Kirk however, is a world that has undergone change and one that may not easily yield to his will or execute his commands. Gone are the brash bold youthfully hopeful and optimistic primary colours of yesteryear’s Starfleet. They have been replaced by the safe, efficient, functional and subdued neutral colours of a more settled, mature, uniform and somewhat self-satisfied and complacent society. (Consider our own society’s preference for boring unimaginative colours for cars – blue, black, grey, white. Or conformist uniform interior neutral colours in our homes!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Despite the 23rd Century veneer of technological efficiency, what greats Kirk as he steps on to the bridge, is a whirlpool of disarray, disorganisation, desperation and confusion borne of extreme haste. In fact, scratch the surface of any seemingly efficient, organised and advanced society and you’ll find that somewhere somehow Captain Chaos reigns supreme.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At first no-one notices Kirk but as he moves forward toward the command center, everyone gradually becomes aware of his presence and reacts with awe and a touch of reverence. The familiar members of his old crew, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov gather closer to him but it is straight down to business for Kirk as he instructs Uhura to keep a channel open to <i>Epsilon IX</i> which is “monitoring the intruder.” Due to the urgency of the situation, there is just no time for Kirk (or we the audience) to savour any kind of sentimental interlude of reunion. And of course, there is the impending matter of having to confront Captain Decker who has “been with the ship every minute of her refitting” and who has not been informed that he is being replaced by Kirk…..</span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk next makes his way to the engineering section which is in the midst of a flurry of preparation in readiness for the ship’s departure. That is where he finds Willard Decker busily working with Scott on a malfunctioning device. Scott notices Kirk and his expression of embarrassment highlights the awkwardness of what is about to transpire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A delighted Decker is under the impression that Kirk’s presence is part of “a top brass send off.” What he doesn’t know and is about to find out is that Kirk has used his authority to take command of the ship despite the fact that Captain Willard Decker has been overseeing the refit of the <i>Enterprise</i> as its new commanding officer. Decker is to “stay aboard as Executive Officer, a temporary grade reduction to Commander.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">An understandably shocked and angry Decker listens to Kirk as he explains his reasons for assuming command of the Enterprise: “My experience - five years out </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">there dealing with unknowns like this - my familiarity with the <i>Enterprise</i>, this crew…” His explanation sounds reasonable, but does it merely amount to rationalisation for something else?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Decker seems to think so as he points out to Kirk that the <i>Enterprise</i> is virtually a new ship and he does not know her “a tenth” as well as Decker does. He goes on to suggest that Kirk is perhaps motivated by envy and that he has finally found a way to get a starship command again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The stand-off between the two men is broken when Kirk reverts to chain of command authority and orders Deker, “report to the bridge, Commander. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Immediately.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Decker leaves and as if on cue, Kirk’s command is about to be confronted by its first crisis which erupts from the transporter room. Two officers, including the newly appointed ship's Vulcan science officer Sonak, are killed by a malfunctioning transporter. Their grotesque partially materialised misshapen forms, along with their groans and screams of pain highlight the horror of the incident. It also brings home to Kirk what he knows all too well from experience – the nature of command and all that comes with it, including the heavy weight of responsibility. Also the fact that both space and the technology used to live work in it are inherently dangerous and can kill.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Kirk ventures out into the tumult of the corridor, he appears to be absorbed by disturbing thoughts which we might well guess at: Could he have done something to prevent the transporter accident? Was he in some way responsible by insisting that the ship launch before it was ready? Has his judgement been clouded by his yearning for starship command again and pressuring Starfleet to give the <i>Enterprise</i> back to him?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Almost symbolically, Kirk looks up from his thoughts to discover that he has lost his way and needs to ask one of the ship’s crew where turbo-shaft eight is. Has Kirk become someone who is being left behind by the times – a rapidly by-passed figure of past glories in an ever changing world in which there is no real place or relevance for him?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Perhaps Decker thinks so as the two men suddenly come face-to-face. With the death of Sonak and no other Vulcan officer available “who’s fully rated on this design," Decker is informed that he’ll “have to double as Science Officer.”</span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Our orders are to intercept, investigate and take whatever action is necessary and possible”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The crew of the<i> Enterprise</i> is assembled in the ship’s large recreation deck. They stand shocked and incredulous at the video viewer display of the destruction of the Klingon cruiser by the energy weapon discharged from the approaching mysterious cloud.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Kirk now appears as captain and the assembled crew fall silent. He informs them that the <i>Enterprise </i>is the only Federation starship that stands in the intruder’s way. This is really quite startling considering that it involves the defense of the home planet – Earth! It speaks volumes as to the apparent degree of complacency and lack of preparedness that has developed over time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk goes on to inform the largely youthful crew that it is assumed that “there is a vessel of some type at the heart of the cloud” and that their orders are to “intercept, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">investigate and take whatever action is necessary and possible.” Kirk concludes with the hope that the life form aboard the vessel reasons in the same way as they do. (Something for us to ponder when we establish contact with extraterrestrial intelligences! It may turn out to be a rather big hope and a rash assumption on our part) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly a priority signal from<i> Epsilon IX</i> comes over the intercom and is put up on the viewer for all to see and hear. The tension and urgency is evident on the faces and in the voices of the crew in the monitor room of <i>Epsilon IX</i> as they provide what information they can:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> The Cloud is:</span><br /></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A power-field of some kind</span></span></li><li><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Measures over an incredible 82 A.U.'s in diameter</span></span></li><li><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Must contain something incredible inside to generate such power</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Does not seem to respond to linguacode friendship messages on any </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">frequencies</span></span></li><li><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Registers a null reading at the centre</span></span></li><li><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Reflects back all scans</span></span></li><li><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Reacts to scans with energy surge possibly mistaking scans as a hostile act</span></span></li></ul><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It becomes apparent that <i>Epsolon IX</i> is under attack and is soon utterly destroyed in a blaze of destructive energy leaving only empty space where once a Starfleet base had been.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">All is silence as the viewer goes blank. The stunned gathering turn their collective gaze toward Kirk, hoping and looking for…..? No words – not even from the captain – could add to or provide comfort or meaning for the sense of shock and grief being experienced by all who witnessed that senseless terrible scene of destruction. Perhaps those beings at the centre of the on-coming cloud do not reason in the same way as humans supposedly do. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Starfleet personnel, the crew of the<i> Enterprise</i> do know one overriding thing – their duty - as they somberly respond to Kirk’s order: “Pre-launch countdown will commence in forty minutes.” Kirk then exits followed by the bridge crew and the remainder of the silent ship’s crew who head toward their duty stations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the transporter system fully repaired and functioning normally and the dock signals clear, the <i>Enterprise</i> is placed in a “holding position awaiting final crew replacements.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The first of the replacement crew is the Navigator, Lieutenant Ilia, a Deltan whose species from which there “are no finer navigators in Starfleet.” The elevator doors open and a beautiful bald-headed young woman steps out on to the bridge. The effect of her presence is especially felt by the male crew members, a characteristic of her species. Lest this sensual effect of hers prove to be a potential disruption to the crew’s effectiveness, Ilia assures Kirk that her oath of celibacy is on record.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As can be surmised from their reaction to seeing each other, it also appears the there is history between Decker and Ilia as we learn that Decker had been “stationed on the lieutenant's home planet some years ago.” When Ilia questioningly refers to Decker’s rank, he somewhat bitterly and sarcastically responds, “Captain Kirk has the utmost confidence in me.”</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: medium; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">“Damn it, Bones. I need you”</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the last last six crew members ready to beam up, Kirk is informed that “one of them is refusing to step into the transporter.” We don’t need two guesses to know who that would be! Someone who detests having his molecules scrambled all over the universe, no doubt.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk hurries off to the transporter room to “see to it that he beams up.” It isn’t long before an irascible bearded Leonard “Bones” McCoy materialises in the transporter chamber and proceeds to grumble and complain about having been drafted back into Starfleet by means of a “seldom used reserve activation clause.”</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxy3PlSu9DLRR-RrIS4Zjkv78-X1qtQnaF8MFgVDsNidRt8whIRVyMQLbIOGZ1uLu4VQyObStUtLJ4cUdKfQ2j1REVFhkrOCNVJZpM81E0x9TdNYD4XR480fwA57GzyvSSK9xyrUZuVfGRJq7quGOfARHJGcGWa63z3b5AHEssvDCzNGoFObLiBYhLb2Tr/s1492/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-DeForest-Kelley_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1492" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxy3PlSu9DLRR-RrIS4Zjkv78-X1qtQnaF8MFgVDsNidRt8whIRVyMQLbIOGZ1uLu4VQyObStUtLJ4cUdKfQ2j1REVFhkrOCNVJZpM81E0x9TdNYD4XR480fwA57GzyvSSK9xyrUZuVfGRJq7quGOfARHJGcGWa63z3b5AHEssvDCzNGoFObLiBYhLb2Tr/w400-h219/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-DeForest-Kelley_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the face of McCoy’s curmudgeony reticence and contrariness, Kirk appeals to his old friend on a level he knows that Bones will understand: a combination of the straightforward and direct (there’s a thing “headed this way”) and emotional based on friendship (“Damn it, Bones. I need you.”) Kirk’s appeal is almost visceral as he extends his hand toward Bones as if he is reaching out to grab hold of an essential component of his own psyche – that human element that makes up the being called James T Kirk, without which he would indeed be incomplete and lost.</span><br /><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><i>“Captain's Log, stardate 7412.6</i></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With all flight positions manned and ready, Kirk gives the order for maneuvering thrusters. Upon his order of “thrusters ahead,” the Enterprise begins to move majestically from the drydock. As the ship’s great throbbing engines draw ever increasing amounts of power, Kirk in his captain’s chair briefly hesitates before issuing the command: “Impulse power, Mr Sulu. Ahead Warp point-five…..Take us out” For Kirk this very instant amounts to a kind of orgasmic moment for him – one he has waited too long for.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqzv8JahjUwKQSdBrW-U8JqP9NVuW1lnQ_rLI5se39tCv8DgrYBtLLW_WkrBpU-QQSFhQ00qekMAn0B8v6Lco8Dwt2y1ZvN_BfZRq0IP5HtUJUJ1V2xfB-_sd_13b2i0chd3OqVPRWaQKD5uQ8iKySIKqowzaw3AmSFtG96Q1t2SOboxVY6bdNFrIYPWc/s540/tumblr_oramvlHIgo1rno0x6o3_540.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="540" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqzv8JahjUwKQSdBrW-U8JqP9NVuW1lnQ_rLI5se39tCv8DgrYBtLLW_WkrBpU-QQSFhQ00qekMAn0B8v6Lco8Dwt2y1ZvN_BfZRq0IP5HtUJUJ1V2xfB-_sd_13b2i0chd3OqVPRWaQKD5uQ8iKySIKqowzaw3AmSFtG96Q1t2SOboxVY6bdNFrIYPWc/w400-h173/tumblr_oramvlHIgo1rno0x6o3_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The viewer image soon displays a rapidly diminishing view of Earth as the starship gathers speed and heads into its natural and rightful domain of space and all it contains both known and unknown: its own and Kirk’s ultimate destiny.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the <i>Enterprise</i> begins to head out of the solar system, Kirk enters the following into the Captain’s log:</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">“ ... in order to intercept the Intruder at the earliest possible time, we must now risk engaging Warp drive while still within the solar system...”.</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Before the decision is made to engage Warp drive, Decker recommends “further simulation study.” Kirk, however abruptly and impatiently responds that “every minute brings that object nearer Earth” and that the urgency of the situation demands Warp speed immediately.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> McCoy quickly realises that Kirk is pushing too hard and reminds him that his crew “know their jobs.” Despite his gentle advice and Scott’s warnings, Kirk orders “Ahead Warp One, Mr Sulu.” It is as if he were powering the <i>Enterprise</i> with the force of his own will alone.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">“Collision alert...!</span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">Collision alert...!”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Bdd9SZvUif8nSjQmp7eSjx0Z7Jp_JRxm6EsapZQHmPb0otXp_S15HPJpPBDM2FHwzNmrmNnz8XD3DJQnpljus6DktYjnhePUgt17fN_U9xeMWfUvqBeLRFjfRId_89CT_9cNo-aGELVhKOdQ2Ffsd6ntK0xrAHDP91fU2aAz9IwLd0o6KQCQ6IYxRNs/s300/images%20(3).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Bdd9SZvUif8nSjQmp7eSjx0Z7Jp_JRxm6EsapZQHmPb0otXp_S15HPJpPBDM2FHwzNmrmNnz8XD3DJQnpljus6DktYjnhePUgt17fN_U9xeMWfUvqBeLRFjfRId_89CT_9cNo-aGELVhKOdQ2Ffsd6ntK0xrAHDP91fU2aAz9IwLd0o6KQCQ6IYxRNs/w400-h224/images%20(3).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></i></div></i></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The starship makes the leap into warp drive and achieves Warp one. All seems well momentarily until the incessant red alert warning alarm sounds triggered by the presence of a wormhole distortion forming a vortex into which the <i>Enterprise</i> is hurtling deeper and deeper into its maw…..</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJEVYREMLrYBPhSAe3-koMvQWcXaGy5UzVRoHn9c3VhCP_JTMeYnZwvZnWocAxzFg8h1BDYthJd-5Qb9X-hd8W7GZZcsFMB5LXZEt3I-X872TuZ23DRtfGtzz-E-GIt-eCMLE_FIWfcrHihhleBf8gxq7fYy9TB4IJzSccthRsMjfm0rJSjwnlys8X4lk/s320/9uL6SQ.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="320" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJEVYREMLrYBPhSAe3-koMvQWcXaGy5UzVRoHn9c3VhCP_JTMeYnZwvZnWocAxzFg8h1BDYthJd-5Qb9X-hd8W7GZZcsFMB5LXZEt3I-X872TuZ23DRtfGtzz-E-GIt-eCMLE_FIWfcrHihhleBf8gxq7fYy9TB4IJzSccthRsMjfm0rJSjwnlys8X4lk/w400-h170/9uL6SQ.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With negative helm control and attempting to go reverse on impulse power, attention is drawn to the fact that an unidentified small object has been pulled into the wormhole along with the<i> Enterprise</i> and it lies directly ahead. All evasive measures, however prove to be useless. It is soon determined that the object is a small asteroid that is on a collision course with the <i>Enterprise.</i></span><i><br /></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With 12 seconds to impact, Kirk orders stand-by on phasers but Decker quickly belays the order to fire and instead orders Chekov to arm photon torpedoes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With barely five seconds until impact, Decker gives the order to fire the torpedoes. As the object grows closer and ever larger, the photon torpedoes hit their target and succeed in disintegrating the asteroid into a myriad of fragments. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The<i> Enterprise</i> successfully exits the wormhole effect and travels at warp point eight, with helm control and communications back to normal. But what of the captain? For a while there he seemed to be stunned and rendered somewhat at a loss. Regaining his composure he orders, “warp drive as soon as possible.” Scott, however, reminds him that it was the anti-matter imbalance that created the wormhole in the first place and that it will happen again if they don't correct it. Shouldn’t Kirk be aware of this?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Once again Kirk seems to draw on sheer will and determination and points to the imperative of having to intercept the oncoming intruder “ while it still is out there!” He seems to come across as the motivating force, the power that makes things happen while he depends and relies on his crew to make it so. Isn’t that how he has always operated? Perhaps with the passage of time there is something else now at play that lies behind his conduct as captain?</span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Mr. Decker, I'd like to see you in my quarters”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After handing over the conn to Mr Sulu, Kirk exits the bridge with Decker along with McCoy who senses the captain’s reactions and demeanour and decides that he also ought accompany the two men to Kirk’s quarters for the anticipated showdown.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Once in Kirk’s quarters, the captain quickly asks Decker for an explanation as to why his phaser orders were countermanded. Decker provides the captain with a straightforward and reasonable technical explanation related to the <i>Enterprise’s</i> redesign. The point being that Kirk should have known this information but didn’t and is therefore out of touch. This realisation is reflected in Kirk’s body language.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After acknowledging the appropriateness of Decker’s actions, Decker provides a further dig at Kirk by apologising for having embarrassed him and agreeing that he had indeed “saved the ship.” This is tantamount to holding a red rag to a bull and Kirk responds accordingly by telling Decker to stop competing with him. It is almost as if Kirk were competing with something of his younger self. </span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After receiving permission to speak freely, Decker points out to Kirk that the captain hasn’t logged a single star hour in two and half years and that his unfamiliarity with the ship’s design seriously jeopardises the mission.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In a rather sarcastic and patronising manner, Kirk dismisses Decker with a parting shot in which he says, “I trust you will nursemaid me through these difficulties, mister?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Of course, the entire interaction has been observed by McCoy – that essentially pragmatic and human side of Kirk’s psyche – that will naturally demand some kind of opinion from him…….But first……</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Out In the corridor, Decker meets Ilia where we learn that Decker had left her home planet, Delta IV without even saying goodbye. If Decker had seen her, he believes he would not have been able to say goodbye to her. As Ilia enters her quarters, Decker is left with memories and regrets about the journey and direction their relationship has taken.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Back in Kirk’s quarters, McCoy gets down to the point by telling him that it is <i>he</i> who is competing and that his obsession to get the <i>Enterprise</i> back is what has been driving him. The emergency involving the approaching cloud is merely an excuse or a means to an end.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">McCoy’s concern is that Kirk’s obsession will blind him “to far more immediate and critical responsibilities” and that his reaction to Decker is an example of this. Has McCoy in fact touched a nerve? Could Kirk himself have been unaware of his true motivations and the dangers involved? As the doctor soon notes, what happens from here on will depend entirely on Kirk himself.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><i>“Mr Spock? Welcome aboard”</i></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the meantime, Kirk has received word that a Federation-registered long-range shuttle wishes to come alongside and lock on to the <i>Enterprise</i>. A security scan shows that it has a Grade 1 priority and is non-belligerent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We see the almost choreographed movements of the small shuttle as its fuselage detaches from the warp drive nacelles before moving slowly and unerringly toward the starship's airlock.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Standing ready to greet the newcomer is Chekov. The entry hatch soon slides open to reveal……SPOCK! Chekov nearly wets himself with surprise and delight while the collective hearts of the audience skip a beat at the sight of the all too familiar face of the Vulcan finally aboard the <i>Enterprise</i>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Bur wait! What’s this? Standing before Chekov is a totally impassive Vulcan, who after having been granted permission to come aboard immediately departs the pod entry area oblivious to any sign of recognition, acknowledgement or friendship from his former crew-mate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock soon makes an appearance on the bridge where those present are gobsmacked and disbelieving upon seeing the Vulcan. For Kirk it appears that the other essential part of his being has arrived to complete what makes up the whole person that is James T Kirk. The one who has been, is and always will be his friend has come home….Or so it is hoped.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Despite Kirk’s exclamations of surprise and show of greeting, welcome and friendship, Spock instead immediately turns aside and moves toward the science console where Decker sits. As he takes over the console, Kirk stares at him with a mixture of bewilderment and disappointment. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock declares that he will offer his services as science officer – his former role which then pleases Kirk no end as he instructs Chekov to “log Mr Spock's Starfleet commission reactivated” and to “list him as science officer, both effective immediately.” However, it may not amount to reverting back to how things were in the past because despite how pleased everyone (including the audience) may feel to see Spock, the science officer is intent only on discussing his fuel equations with “the engineer” (Mr Scott). The crew’s feelings apparently are not reciprocated as the Vulcan seems to have worked hard at eliminating his human half while on his personal journey on his home planet. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As much as may like to, we can seldom successfully recreate the past after the passage of time. So much of what we recall can be tinged with sentimentality and viewed through rose-coloured glasses. Some things may seem to remain the same as we remember them but many other things change irrevocably as we and other people grow older, have different experiences and undertake our individual journeys in life. Time marches on and we either learn to move with it or risk being mired in the past and left behind. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Whatever the situation is with Spock and the difficulties the captain has had settling into his command, Kirkr’s mood is somewhat more buoyant as he makes his log entry:</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Captain's Log, Stardate 7413.4.</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Thanks to Mr Spock's timely arrival, and assistance, we have the engines rebalanced into full warp capacity. Repair time, less than three hours, which means we will now be able to intercept intruder while still more than a day from Earth.”</span></i></div></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile the <i>Enterprise</i> in a tense moment accelerates toward the speed which </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">had earlier thrown them into the wormhole effect. As Sulu marks off “Warp point eight... point nine..” the starship leaps into warp drive and continues to accelerate without a hitch to warp seven.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“We need him. I need him”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later in the officers’ lounge, Kirk and McCoy await the arrival of Spock. When he does arrive, his bearing and presence exude coldness and aloofness underscored by his reluctance to sit down when invited to do so by Kirk. His manner is almost studied in its execution and defiant in his intent to convey his abandonment of all things human.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">McCoy’s observation that Spock hasn’t “changed a bit’ is somewhat ironic as we all know that he has at least on the surface changed considerably by almost becoming more Vulcan than the Vulcan’s themselves. Despite all his experiences and contact with human beings, Spock seems to have reverted to type. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The sarcastic bantering between Spock and McCoy is by contrast very familiar with McCoy observing that Spock is “just as warm and sociable as ever” while Spock retorts that neither has the doctor changed with his “continued predilection for irrelevancy.” I guess there are some things that just don’t change all that much!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk eventually has to order Spock to sit down and he complies but adopts a formal, rigid and straight-backed sitting position antithetical to all notions of informality, comfort and relaxation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The discussion moves on to Spock’s having gone to Vulcan, apparently to stay, while “undergoing the <i>Kolinah</i>r discipline…...the Vulcan ritual that's supposed to purge all remaining emotions.” However, Spock broke the ritual to join the <i>Enterprise</i> when he began to sense a consciousness emanating from a source – the intruder - more powerful than he had ever encountered.</span><br />\\<br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Spock’s journey has now taken a new direction - one on which he may finally find the answers he has been searching for in his quest for perfect logic and one that is on a joint path of “mutual advantage” shared between himself, Kirk and the <i>Enterprise</i> itself. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Despite the aloofness and rigidity of Spock’s manner, Kirk now feels whole again with both the Vulcan and Bones by his side, on a vessel that itself expresses the essence of his own being and on a journey that gives meaning and purpose to his life. It is no exaggeration when he tells Bonse that he “needs” Spock. The history he has with Spock and their friendship cannot permit Kirk to believe that his friend would put his own interests ahead of the ship's as McCoy suggested as being a possibility.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">“The intruder has been attempting to communicate”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOnGKK3WSL5nVOsJFUV7LiWZ1i93OJJairJg4EVJGCsJvUTK8Q-rX5bfAhZJMtyysJCUV0_YpM9yZ7A_bCmP_LwiyXIDiHjTd3nDV3-4ALH8Q1WdIR4ljhHSdfk0eY39ae7asgsFKjxCh8Kq6z2oaKxMvFajA89U5__dJWxcldjS7f7nfJhOdGaHlDM0K/s1600/motionpicture_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1600" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOnGKK3WSL5nVOsJFUV7LiWZ1i93OJJairJg4EVJGCsJvUTK8Q-rX5bfAhZJMtyysJCUV0_YpM9yZ7A_bCmP_LwiyXIDiHjTd3nDV3-4ALH8Q1WdIR4ljhHSdfk0eY39ae7asgsFKjxCh8Kq6z2oaKxMvFajA89U5__dJWxcldjS7f7nfJhOdGaHlDM0K/w400-h171/motionpicture_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></i></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Back on the bridge with cloud visual contact imminent, the</span> <span style="color: red;">Red Alert</span><span style="color: #fcff01;"> sounds and </span></span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">friendship messages on all frequencies are transmitted, while on the view screen at full magnification, the image of the approaching luminescent cloud now appears as both a beautiful and menacing entity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock reports that the <i>Enterprise </i>is being scanned and Kirk wisely orders not to return scan as “it may be misinterpreted as hostility.” Spock further reports that the scans emanate from the exact cloud centre and that they constitute an unknown form of energy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With no response to the friendship messages, Kirk decides against ordering battle stations or taking any kind of provocative action, including as suggested by Decker, defensive measures such as raising screens and shields which “could also be misinterpreted as hostile.” We are witnessing something of the old Captain Kirk beginning to re-emerge.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Of particular shock to the bridge crew is the revelation that the cloud composition consists of an unbelievable twelve power energy field! In addition, Spock reports that he suspects that there’s an object at the heart of the cloud.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Decker advises that every possible defensive measure and precaution ought to be taken which adds a moment of tension to an already tense scene foreshadowing another impending showdown between the Captain and his Executive Officer. However, when Decker points out to Kirk that as his Exec., it is his duty “to point out alternatives,” Kirk quite rightly concurs, stows away his ego and states that he stands corrected.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the <i>Enterprise</i> approaches the cloud boundary, Kirk orders a flight path parallel to whatever they might find within the cloud. Even at this early stage of contact with the cloud, it soon becomes apparent just how puny and insignificant they are in the face of an entity of unimaginable dimensions and possessing power of a magnitude that thousands of starships could not hope to generate.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Spock, however seems to be absorbed by something he senses, something akin to a form of communication which only he is attuned to. He informs the others on the bridge that the entity has been trying to communicate with them but he can sense puzzlement over why they haven’t replied.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">All of a sudden the ship’s alarm clamours for attention indicating “Incoming fire - Ahead. Zero, mark, zero.” On the main viewer can be seen a rapidly approaching energy bolt completely contemptuous of any force-fields, deflectors or evasive maneuvers that may be taken to counter its deadly effects!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When the inescapable energy bolt strikes, a flaring curtain of charged death seems to cling to and spread over the shielded body of the starship sending its systems into disarray.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkg0kJt7VELpgWRCIzUYrPANEnlyua3eM2rnZyV5-QzmikQnwtwX9VLxA26QvM4A-dhL5-OO4Xy15IzwbPWSo5U_MAeQ3rc2-uUPWESgFkS8IITKe8OhwBA5X7kBxl6ambuS756hleTdJnSJWpmYGEeHl2pXNsg9V9Q5q1qtOgShy5P50CZNdP8POBVcc/s500/a4bdc32be6f8932274e1fb8c0614be7b.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="500" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkg0kJt7VELpgWRCIzUYrPANEnlyua3eM2rnZyV5-QzmikQnwtwX9VLxA26QvM4A-dhL5-OO4Xy15IzwbPWSo5U_MAeQ3rc2-uUPWESgFkS8IITKe8OhwBA5X7kBxl6ambuS756hleTdJnSJWpmYGEeHl2pXNsg9V9Q5q1qtOgShy5P50CZNdP8POBVcc/w400-h170/a4bdc32be6f8932274e1fb8c0614be7b.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As was the case in just about every episode of the original series, we are soon treated to the spectacle of our trained Starfleet officer Chekov screaming his lungs out. Instead of some trivial matter, this time it’s due to having his arm receive a nasty burn. At least he had a good reason for an emotional outburst on this occasion!</span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, the energy discharge has enveloped the entire vessel and like a malevolent predator it seeks some point of access into its hapless victim. Fortunately, after clinging on for a moment or two longer, the shroud of energy begins to fade before dissipating entirely. The starship’s new screens have managed to hold.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Also as in just about every episode of the original series, chief engineer Scott’s familiar insistent and cautionary brogue emanates from the intercom warning that they ‘canna’ hold full power on the force-fields and that deflector power is down seventy percent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock realises that “the intruder has been attempting to communicate” but that their “previous transmission mode was too primitive to be received.” He then programs the ship’s computer to transmit linguacode at the cloud entity’s frequency and rate of speed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the immense cloud ever closer to and completely dwarfing the<i> Enterprise</i>, yet another energy bolt is sent hurtling toward the vessel to the accompaniment of warning alarms emanating from the ship’s overworked computer. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the energy bolt inexorably heads toward the <i>Enterprise</i>, the tension mounts as the countdown to impact proceeds. A harried Scott reports that the shields ‘canna’ handle another attack and with twenty seconds remaining Kirk frantically appeals to Spock to transmit the linguacode immediately. Finally, with barely five seconds remaining it appears that the “friendship messages have been received and understood.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With communication having been established and annihilation averted, Kirk orders the <i>Enterprise</i> to be held in its present position. The question now arises as to what their next course of action should be.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Mr Spock recommends that they proceed while Decker advises caution on the basis that the ship cannot withstand another attack, that they know nothing about the entity yet and that they don’t know what it will do. In short, according to Decker, “moving into that cloud at this time is an unwarranted gamble.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk responds by asking Decker, how he would define "unwarranted"? It is precisely this that sets the two men apart as starship captains. It signifies the kind of quality that is not necessarily dependent on technical competence, rank, training, education, experience, personal ambition or even ego. It is something indefinable and forms part of a person’s character and informs those in command when and how to act. You either have it or you don’t.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Navigator, maintain course. Helmsman, steady as she goes”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The <i>Enterprise</i> is about to enter a domain in which all known and accepted laws of physics are smashed into irrelevance by something as yet unknown that “could generate a power field of this magnitude,” that can produce unrecognisable patterns and that can effortlessly reflect back transmissions from the <i>Enterprise</i> to Starfleet.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The now truly diminutive<i> Enterprise</i> has stood as a symbol of pride of what its creators would consider a technologically advanced and enlightened human civilisation. That very civilisation may very well over the course of time have become somewhat smug, complacent and self-satisfied, almost to the point pf being unable to conceive how it might appear to be insignificant when viewed from the perspective of such an intelligence that is contained within the luminescent cloud they are about to enter. Nor might such an advanced intelligence be able to comprehend the likely motives, desires or purpose of the tiny object that now seeks contact with it. Its own purpose and function may be motivated solely by what Spock seems to sense and has long searched for: pure logic.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2JcRETbNJawXzNrS-b3MKBPJfUzwFG6AKVGEu_31M2a1r94X86WbTjJXRyZHam_N0aVdtR3pYZGbPbfvl8gCc3ysVeVL31oZYM42Ysfp0Ht-tlpFLdRaz8nd6BIJMt4E4lnEzPTG1cWiuTh07DGISZOR9J14SLffaywC8T7ALMB71MSG0GlpvHE_23Xj/s991/image-w1280_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="991" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2JcRETbNJawXzNrS-b3MKBPJfUzwFG6AKVGEu_31M2a1r94X86WbTjJXRyZHam_N0aVdtR3pYZGbPbfvl8gCc3ysVeVL31oZYM42Ysfp0Ht-tlpFLdRaz8nd6BIJMt4E4lnEzPTG1cWiuTh07DGISZOR9J14SLffaywC8T7ALMB71MSG0GlpvHE_23Xj/w400-h225/image-w1280_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For Kirk, the gamble to proceed into the cloud is not unwarranted and as commander, it is his decision to make. And so the <i>Enterprise</i> like a cautious gnat, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">skirts around the cloud while heading toward its centre. Deeper and deeper it ventures as the crew of the Starship are struck dumb with awe at the cloud’s immensity and the prospect of entering into the realm of the truly unknown where language loses its power to adequately convey what they are witnessing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Images of spiraling fields of energy in a choreographed ever-changing dance of changing shapes and colour mesmerize the incredulous spectators…..until…</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">the centre region of the cloud is reached wherein lies the object they have been seeking.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">This region seems to be composed of a combination of matter and energy far beyond the scientific comprehension of Earth's supposedly advanced science. Its incredible dimensions beggar belief and the power it can generate would rival that of a star. How foolish human-kind appears in the face such god-like power! Rather ironic considering what is yet to transpire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Seemingly so close as to be able to touch this “god” that fills the entire view and yet is still so far away, what will you decide to do Captain James T. Kirk? Move in closer or deem that to be an “unwarranted” gamble and withdraw?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The die is cast and the order is given to move in to one hundred kilometres distance. As the <i>Enterprise </i>angles in closer and closer and their objective looms larger and larger, the starship unnervingly seems to grow smaller and smaller. What kind of strange new world is Kirk sending his Starship and its crew into in which energy and matter and sub-atomic particles seem to come alive to form constantly shifting and rearranging crystalline patterns? This is truly a place where no man has gone before.<i> That</i> is what makes the gamble warranted.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black";"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><i>“Who is V'Ger?”</i></span></div></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">The</span> <span style="color: red;">“intruder alert”</span> <span style="color: #fcff01;">warning blares out yet again as the blinding light of an energy probe flares momentarily before fading and being replaced by a humming charged column of energy that seems to be almost like a living entity. The energy column intensifies and writhes its way across the bridge sending out electric snake-like tendrils across various consoles in a quest to gain information.</span></span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock manages to determine that the entity is a probe from the intruder’s vessel, and consists of a plasma energy combination. Meanwhile the probe checks out Chekov who amazingly for once resists the urge to scream. It is apparent that it is intent on probing the starship’s functions, in particular the science console where it has managed to gain access to and control of the ship’s computer. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The probe’s actions constitute a security breech whereby gaining access to the ship’s records will enable it to ascertain Starfleet strength and Earth defenses.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWQMjyO1bErKTswx4KGv1SFjTFUcjoIT6fjafUEKrBaQkqnAARUobR13L1U8fPkeHjCibNHy-fbnqx_p4Py9hrYviHTwGsLlV9JOwWdAaK7FmpPDUyWAFY6DLcB2nGK97PJ6WV_QaFxICeAsCibd-CVs8kRofh3cH8OJLZfTL23FufAOJR7QP9Z_zrA9l/s320/ilrDC0.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWQMjyO1bErKTswx4KGv1SFjTFUcjoIT6fjafUEKrBaQkqnAARUobR13L1U8fPkeHjCibNHy-fbnqx_p4Py9hrYviHTwGsLlV9JOwWdAaK7FmpPDUyWAFY6DLcB2nGK97PJ6WV_QaFxICeAsCibd-CVs8kRofh3cH8OJLZfTL23FufAOJR7QP9Z_zrA9l/w400-h225/ilrDC0.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When Spock intervenes by smashing the console with his fists, he is struck by the probe's energy tendril sending him spinning to the floor. The probe then moves to zero in and hover over Ilia before taking control of her body with an energy tendril as if she were a helpless laboratory specimen being examined for her suitability for….what? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> The probe then abruptly vanishes in a blinding flash of light along with Ilia herself. Her tricorder in the process of falling from a station seat before clattering to the deck, being the only physical evidence of her existence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In bitter and helpless fury, Decker says to Kirk, “<i>This</i> is how I define unwarranted!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After Ilia’s disappearance, the ship’s computer urgently announces, <span><i>“Emergency Alert! Negative control at helm!”</i></span> The<i> Enterprise</i> has been seized by a tractor beam and is unable to break free, not having the necessary power to do so. Going to full emergency power and with seconds until the starship burns up, Kirk orders all main drive systems disengaged.</span><br /><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>The Enterpris</i>e is now at the mercy of the irresistible force pulling it inexorably toward a menacing-looking iris opening into what looks like a dark interior illuminated by strange energy patterns.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Decker cuts through the atmosphere of awe and apprehension on the bridge by suggesting a maximum phaser strike at the tractor beam to weaken it just enough for them to break free.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock immediately interjects and asks Decker, “break free to where?” before adding that “any show of resistance would be futile.” Spock’s reaction and demeanour raises a degree of suspicion as to his motives and loyalty. Decker even asks Spock why he is opposed to trying.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Before the matter can be pursued further, the<i> Enterprise</i> is pulled through the iris into the interior void consisting of a vast chamber lit by energy field displays. The question now arises as to why bring the <i>Enterprise</i> inside as it is obvious that it is not in order to destroy them as the intruder could have easily done so already. Spock senses that the reason is due to “insatiable curiosity.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It isn’t long before the “vessel is floating free” with “no forward momentum.” Kirk then orders manoeuvring thrusters, ahead one third along with full sensor scan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The reality behind McCoy’s wry humorous observation, “now that we've got them just where they want us” is confirmed when it is noticed that all their scans are being reflected back and that their sensors are useless.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With yet another slap in the face of their faith in their own technological prowess and ability to control situations, all that can be done to assuage the crew’s disappointment is the certainty that they are dealing with a level of technological sophistication that cannot be comprehended, let alone explained.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The ship’s computer has more pressing problems of its own as it frenetically proclaims yet another alert this time in the vicinity of the the Officers’ quarters, more specifically, a sonic shower.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Had Kirk and the others known what sight will greet their eyes within the sonic shower cubicle, they may have picked up even greater speed. Upon entering, they find themselves confronted by the surprising but not too unwelcome sight of a naked Ilia. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopJFrS9y-32qVaYu2jvefNF-n3CiyPpJJLa4xqwW_mYRECJhOytNSABJQl_LrukakCirVdxW_d3e2ba6H8QSAVxbbItyxhFrIqSvVd6rVs2ElxnYm3_FCX3Rc4H2SKIyz4SYR9nR2993AT5Lvzchtgnl0xCA74bhnR-sSvCehj_C1MU28_84U8F8VeRTY/s1221/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-1979-3_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1221" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopJFrS9y-32qVaYu2jvefNF-n3CiyPpJJLa4xqwW_mYRECJhOytNSABJQl_LrukakCirVdxW_d3e2ba6H8QSAVxbbItyxhFrIqSvVd6rVs2ElxnYm3_FCX3Rc4H2SKIyz4SYR9nR2993AT5Lvzchtgnl0xCA74bhnR-sSvCehj_C1MU28_84U8F8VeRTY/w400-h279/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-1979-3_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After a moment of gob-smacked silence from the surprised gathering, Ilia emerges from the cubicle somewhat magically attired in a very short robe and stands facing Kirk and the others. Her expression is impassive and her beautiful eyes unblinking. She addresses Kirk directly: “You are the Kirk-unit. You will assist me” and adding, “I've been programmed by V'Ger to observe and record normal functions of the carbon-based units infesting U.S.S. Enterprise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk asks the apparent Ilia who V’Ger is, to which she replies, “V'Ger is that which programmed me.” Meanwhile it is brought to his attention that the figure before them is a “mechanism - a probe” and that its sole adornment is “a sensor-transceiver combination recording everything (they) say and do.” As for the real Lieutenant Ilia? - “That unit no longer functions.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">This android has been given Ilia’s appearance in order to more easily “communicate with the carbon-based units infesting <i>Enterprise</i>.” An interesting concept to consider from another perspective - human beings as amounting to little more than an infestation of vermin. Another slap in the face to anthropocentric notions of human superiority. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk moves on to V’Ger’s purpose, namely why it is travelling to Earth. The android answers, “to find the Creator.”As to what it wants with the Creator, the reply is, “to join with him” whereby “V'Ger and the Creator will become one.” The interrogation about the nature of the mysterious V’Ger then proceeds through a circuitous loop of logic that one might expect would frustratingly be produced by a machine intelligence: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Question: And who is the Creator?</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Answer: The Creator is that which created V'Ger.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Question: Who is V'Ger?</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Answer: “V'Ger is that which seeks the Creator.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In accordance with its programming to observe and record normal functioning of the carbon-based units infesting <i>Enterprise,</i> the Ilia duplicate abruptly announces that it is ready to commence its observations.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A suggestion is made that a thorough examination of the Ilia probe might provide some clues as to who manufactured it and how to deal with them. In response to its immovable reluctance to be directed to sickbay, Kirk assures it that the examination </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">is part of a normal function it is programmed to observe.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> In due course, the Ilia probe is lying atop a full body medical scanner. The results of the examination reveal, “micro-miniature hydraulics, sensors and molecule-sized multi-processor chips” as well as the fact that “even the smallest body functions are exactly duplicated.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is concluded that the Ilia probe is a programmed mechanism whose body duplicates the human navigator in precise detail. Spock, after having observed a flicker of recognition from the Ilia probe upon sighting Decker, postulates that “beneath its programming, the real Lila’s memory patterns are duplicated with equal precision” and that having a pattern to follow “they may have followed it too precisely.” If so, “Ilia’s memory, her feelings of loyalty, obedience, friendship might all be there.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A plan is beginning to take shape that will capitalise on Decker’s relationship with Lieutenant Ilia. Should Decker be repulsed by the idea, Kirk points out that the probe in another form had killed Ilia. In addition, there is the urgency of the situation whereby they are “locked in an alien vessel, six hours from Earth orbit” and that their only contact with their captor is that probe. It is imperative, therefore that they try to “control it, persuade it, use it.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly without regard for human niceties and etiquette, the ilia probe bursts through the adjoining wall from the medical bay into the room where the plan is being hatched. Almost incongruously, the Ilia probe emerges through the wall neither angry nor bent on some kind of retribution. It merely impassively announces that it has finished recording in the medical lab. Possibly needing to change his underwear, Kirk then quickly and cleverly proposes that the”Decker-unit” will assist it with much greater efficiency.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">“ I am uneasy with that being our only hope of more information”</span></i></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Captain's Log, Stardate 7414.1.</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our best estimates place us some four hours from Earth.</span></i></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">No significant progress thus far reviving Ilia memory patterns within the alien probe. This remains our only means of contact with our captor.”</span></i></div></span></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile Spock has his own ideas about establishing contact and gaining information as we see him stealthily approach a tech crew-man from behind and apply a Vulcan nerve pinch.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3iDW6qmJkk_k9GjrW4jy5IOrIRaxW2C-cHJzwwo1Hwi-s3BM4sgluMdxpB2DE72PmYCHf6ddvSNyO-8xdUEUPVMS44H6TUUHjW9MiizPckXQtoDGGcUAesv-b59S1yldZlW1ifnPuAgJXS8EyQws_WuM8R2hb3HlQVBJqEDYE0IMP9EOaXOuXUVnmw-K/s600/5e4e52edc28de756-600x338.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3iDW6qmJkk_k9GjrW4jy5IOrIRaxW2C-cHJzwwo1Hwi-s3BM4sgluMdxpB2DE72PmYCHf6ddvSNyO-8xdUEUPVMS44H6TUUHjW9MiizPckXQtoDGGcUAesv-b59S1yldZlW1ifnPuAgJXS8EyQws_WuM8R2hb3HlQVBJqEDYE0IMP9EOaXOuXUVnmw-K/w400-h225/5e4e52edc28de756-600x338.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the same time, Kirk and McCoy observe Decker and the Ilia probe on a monitor as they move through the recreation deck. McCoy comments approvingly on Decker’s attempt to employ audio-visual association by drawing the probe’s attention to a game the real Ilia once enjoyed and nearly always won playing. Just as it seems that an emotional connection is about to be made, the Ilia probe impassively observes, “this device serves no purpose” and steps away from the game.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Ilia probe asks Decker why the <i>Enterprise </i>requires the presence of carbon units to which he replies, “<i>Enterprise</i> would be unable to function without carbon units.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Ilia probe then blandly states that “more data concerning this functioning is necessary, before carbon units can be patterned for data storage.” The chilling explanation of this statement involves all carbon units (human crew) being “reduced to data patterns” upon the probe’s completion of its examination.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There is no evil intent or menace on the probe’s part. Is is just a part of what it views as its normal functioning or programming.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Decker thinks fast in a similar manner that a captain like Kirk would by hitting upon a course of action that requires something much more personal and has an emotional tie to it to stimulate the probe’s memory patterns. He suggests to the probe that by reviving the memory patterns of the real Ilia, it would better understand the functions of the carbon units. This appeals to the probe’s sense of logic and it agrees to proceed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the real Ilia’s quarters, Dr Chapel draws the probe’s attention to a Deltan headband that Ilia used to wear, the one she wore when she and Decker met. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Not knowing quite what to do with the headband, Chapel assists the probe with putting it on. Looking at its image in the mirror, recognition gradually breaks through the mask of impassivity. The ‘it’ momentarily transforms into a ‘she’ as memories of Chapel and Decker surface.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">This whole process has been almost overwhelming for Decker and not surprisingly emotions now begin to rise to the surface. He has to be reminded that what is standing before him is a “mechanism” despite appearances and the feelings and memories being evoked. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Decker regains his sense of duty and responsibility and urgently asks the probe to help them make contact with V’ger. The probe replies that it cannot and does not know what the Creator that V’ger is looking for is.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“That's Spock. Damn him!”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile outside the<i> Enterprise</i>, a tiny figure clad in a thruster spacesuit floats in space facing a repeatedly opening and closing orifice. It is a grim-faced and determined Spock and he now activates his suit’s transmitter which he’ll use to record a message detailing his attempt to contact the alien intelligence:</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmR40y-Tia92r4pJTxbWR3xQBdtSdiFEWGASVzTrxbX0UnbvcDDBRqqRGUQUXybDJjhev0en816y4CiIufWVMgXgo3i5-fCx_6xO_XeIpN9GDaLxToHZ1GH1tVlKVnWR1hCLjy68AjZOnZEHUyrecD3fukGu3U0B6KW69nq3cmJXD8rU8h4QTV9ctSL6z/s1200/star-trek-the-motion-picture-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmR40y-Tia92r4pJTxbWR3xQBdtSdiFEWGASVzTrxbX0UnbvcDDBRqqRGUQUXybDJjhev0en816y4CiIufWVMgXgo3i5-fCx_6xO_XeIpN9GDaLxToHZ1GH1tVlKVnWR1hCLjy68AjZOnZEHUyrecD3fukGu3U0B6KW69nq3cmJXD8rU8h4QTV9ctSL6z/w400-h225/star-trek-the-motion-picture-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“I intend to calculate thruster ignition and acceleration rate to coincide with the opening of the V'Ger orifice This should facilitate a better view of the interior of the alien spacecraft.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> His expression of deep concentration does indeed suggest that he is intent on accurate calculation and timing of the orifice’s opening and closing. At a precise moment, he engages the suit’s thruster controls and begins to accelerate toward the entrance to……...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the meantime, contact has been established with Starfleet who report that the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">intruder is decelerating and that the cloud has begun to dissipate. Of more immediate concern is the fact that the Intruder is on a course into Earth orbit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk is also informed that one of the airlocks has been opened and that a thruster suit has been reported as missing. Kirk does not need three guesses to know who is responsible.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATIuhjsZbOzZwRYMNrQpnDDoDllEHxA5Y74VprBmuDsK8SIVbyVWOtHJKEtKhS3JJsrYbxlj8imyrbS-sT-QsYxyRpvdYSa5_dt6MO4DGcICM6MU2YtLVrXn3gobqz-H3H432OTGjbS_IgTeYcFTZRbLKFiVTlwLUpiAgSb2P6avC0OX2l3G3Qa748YXW/s700/tumblr_4c0b0f89fdb54c60e92cb211a18f671b_ba98cf91_1280.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="700" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATIuhjsZbOzZwRYMNrQpnDDoDllEHxA5Y74VprBmuDsK8SIVbyVWOtHJKEtKhS3JJsrYbxlj8imyrbS-sT-QsYxyRpvdYSa5_dt6MO4DGcICM6MU2YtLVrXn3gobqz-H3H432OTGjbS_IgTeYcFTZRbLKFiVTlwLUpiAgSb2P6avC0OX2l3G3Qa748YXW/w400-h170/tumblr_4c0b0f89fdb54c60e92cb211a18f671b_ba98cf91_1280.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Spock’s report:</span></u></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“I have successfully penetrated the next chamber of the alien's interior, and I'm witnessing some sort of dimensional image, which I believe to be a representation of V'Ger's home planet.</span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">“I'm passing through a connecting tunnel. Apparently, a kind of plasma energy conduit, possibly a field coil for a gigantic imaging system.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Curious. I'm seeing images of planets, moons, stars, whole galaxies, all stored here, recorded. It could be a representation of V'Ger's entire journey. But who or what are we dealing with? The Epsilon IX station, stored here with every detail.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Captain, I am now quite convinced that all of this is V'Ger - That we are inside a living machine.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Ilia!</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">“The sensor must contain some special meaning. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I must try to mind-meld with it.”</span></i></div></span></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Wesoon see another space-suited figure floating outside the <i>Enterprise</i>. This one awaits the return of his friend. His patience is rewarded as Spock is seemingly spat out of the orifice toward the waiting arms of James T Kirk. Spock looks more dead than alive as Kirk grabs hold of him and manoeuvres him back into the Starship.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc4S7zVCLFQi70urY6VV9XRdhZOPD6HuVwcuFlgd-Txn4shaE0XNZm2V1C0wIc9HDuOarZte651Q_drQejO_KPfvEJjYI8EQc2Ttqd4viaPtCFIurBbOImEVi4NLpopH_nqJB7UH1ljLVX33pP1hX6d8dURNgUJVLQ0vmXG9jbxAvEDGeMZugctUpDhpm/s560/star-trek-directors-lg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="560" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc4S7zVCLFQi70urY6VV9XRdhZOPD6HuVwcuFlgd-Txn4shaE0XNZm2V1C0wIc9HDuOarZte651Q_drQejO_KPfvEJjYI8EQc2Ttqd4viaPtCFIurBbOImEVi4NLpopH_nqJB7UH1ljLVX33pP1hX6d8dURNgUJVLQ0vmXG9jbxAvEDGeMZugctUpDhpm/w400-h171/star-trek-directors-lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the medical bay, Spock lies on a bed while an examination has revealed “indications of some neurological trauma” due most likely to the enormous amount of power that poured through the mind-meld.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When Spock finally awakens, an incongruous exchange takes place between him and Kirk in which the Vulcan unexpectedly bursts out in laughter, struggles to focus and speak and suddenly grasps Kirk's hand in friend-ship and desperate need.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock struggles to tell Kirk that V’ger itself is a like-form, “a conscious, living entity” that “considers the <i>Enterprise</i> a living machine.” Spock goes on to convey to the others that he saw V’ger’s planet: “a planet populated by living machines.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The irony of what Spock witnessed and learned about V’ger “with all its pure logic,” its “unbelievable technology” and that it “has knowledge that spans this universe,” lies with the fact that despite this V'Ger is barren and cold and devoid of feeling, mystery and beauty.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Of significance to Spock and his own journey or quest, the goal of which V’ger seemed to stand as a symbolic pinnacle, is what he should have known all along but failed to understand – until now. Spock simply demonstrates what he means by grasping Kirk’s hand: a simple human gesture of emotion and feeling that is “beyond V'Ger's comprehension” without which there is “no meaning, no hope”..... </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">and “no answers.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">V’ger as any intelligent life-form might be expected to do is “asking questions,” the eternal age-old important universal questions: </span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Is this all that I am?"</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Is there nothing more?"</span></i></div></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With minutes remaining until the Intruder arrives in Earth orbit looking for its creator, Kirk is summoned to the bridge. There he learns that V'Ger is transmitting a signal to its creator, unexpectedly employing “a simple binary code transmitted by carrier wave signal….Radio.”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_1Xc6wyDL82uSW09_PyTYcDDic2R2Qn_XcSGlJKbqLTB9zHoP7rHbEgn1PthtERRBQD-sAVvDPFAHIY9zDyH8OLbVIMFAaxAjhzucpo7OSrYGg4NEYlFp87K6Q9Dl7CK33_cAGTKB0WyvcueXocEO2tcFF505ZbKW5TozVRGMeO51MfI-UWHGDetbXl7/s620/star-trek-the-motion-picture-movie-1979-image3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="620" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_1Xc6wyDL82uSW09_PyTYcDDic2R2Qn_XcSGlJKbqLTB9zHoP7rHbEgn1PthtERRBQD-sAVvDPFAHIY9zDyH8OLbVIMFAaxAjhzucpo7OSrYGg4NEYlFp87K6Q9Dl7CK33_cAGTKB0WyvcueXocEO2tcFF505ZbKW5TozVRGMeO51MfI-UWHGDetbXl7/w400-h284/star-trek-the-motion-picture-movie-1979-image3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The main viewer shows a strange ominous-looking object moving away from </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">V'ger, followed by further objects all entering earth orbit and taking trajectories that will place them at equidistant positions around the planet. A detonation would blanket the entire surface of the planet. Meanwhile, all Earth defence systems have gone dead.</span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black";"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">“Your child is having a tantrum, Mr. Spock”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The reason for V’ger’s actions is that not having received a response, it has concluded that “the carbon-unit infestation is to be removed from the Creator's planet” on the basis that Kirk and his crew “infest” the<i> Enterprise</i> (a 'living' machine) and that therefore, the carbon units “interfere with the Creator in the same manner.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock has deduced that V’ger, despite its almost omnipotent power, is little more than a child and as such should be treated like one. Like any intelligent sentient life form it is “evolving, learning, searching, instinctively needing” and knowing </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“only that it needs….(but that like) like so many of us, it does not know what.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk tries to employ a game of verbal poker with the V’ger probe by stating that “The carbon units know why the Creator has not responded” but that he wont disclose the information until V'Ger withdraws the devices orbiting the third planet.”He then obstinately persists with his defiant ultimatum until the V’ger probe almost has what amounts to an emotional outburst. As Kirk orders the bridge cleared, the <i>Enterprise</i> is buffeted by powerful energy forces and discharges within V'ger. The child is indeed having a tantrum.</span><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlLuoPZPTmmE0sxFgJbZRDfngeGf4ggaKdmWVl_ECxybHnizuhQ7ZRBuCRzkUgVUpXi20NQWTIWogTr9a6-MLd5erlukqc2ArXrIxKhLsyPDj2mCFoe0xuQYJ3HBtzscVODcbdDKkH3qTvc9xc-p82Fpb_SUZPbq0M7ThhhyphenhyphenffC8DA7jww_j4KSPBs3Zz/s338/086d437f996e84e1-600x338_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlLuoPZPTmmE0sxFgJbZRDfngeGf4ggaKdmWVl_ECxybHnizuhQ7ZRBuCRzkUgVUpXi20NQWTIWogTr9a6-MLd5erlukqc2ArXrIxKhLsyPDj2mCFoe0xuQYJ3HBtzscVODcbdDKkH3qTvc9xc-p82Fpb_SUZPbq0M7ThhhyphenhyphenffC8DA7jww_j4KSPBs3Zz/w386-h400/086d437f996e84e1-600x338_edited.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk tries to snooker the V’ger probe into complying with his terms by stating, “if V'Ger destroys the Enterprise, the information that V'Ger requires will also be destroyed!” Unable to conceive the illogicality of withholding the information it requires, the V’ger probe very nearly pleads when it asks Kirk, “Why do you not disclose information?…..V'Ger needs the information.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">V'Ger quickly learns the rules of the game of move and counter-move when it declares that “V’ger will comply, if the carbon units will disclose the information.” Spock points out to Kirk that “V'Ger, obviously operates from a central brain complex” and if so, “the orbiting devices would be controlled from that point.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the aim of avoiding impending disaster for earth, Kirk proposes to the V’ger probe that “the carbon unit's information cannot be disclosed to V'Ger's probe, but only to V'Ger directly.” So </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Captain, what's the next move?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The next move begins with Kirk’s bluff being called as the Ilia probe stands momentarily in silent communication, apparently with V’ger followed by the appearance of an opening and the forward motion of the <i>Enterprise</i> itself. The starship is being pulled by an invisible tractor beam through the opening toward the next chamber.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With twenty-seven minutes until the devices around the planet reach their final position, the <i>Enterprise</i> passes into a chamber that is active with energy discharges as if reflecting the heightened anticipation of V’ger as it awaits the required information. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the destination nears, the energy discharges subside to be replaced by a more subdued luminescence. The <i>Enterprise</i> has arrived at a hemispheric chamber at the centre of which is suspended a small area of what appears to be solid material.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Slowing, the<i> Enterprise</i> approaches the edge of the island of ‘matter.’ Indicating the main viewer, the Ilia probe points and declares – “V’ger!” As forward motion comes to a halt, readings indicate “an oxygen-gravity envelope forming outside the <i>Enterprise</i>” along with the source of V'ger's radio signal lying directly ahead.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The leading edge of the starship’s saucer section holds position at the edge of the island of matter. On the bridge, the Ilia probe demands that “the carbon units will now provide V'ger the required information.” In addition, it is required that the information be given to V’ger in person.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk starts for the elevator with Spock and McCoy accompanying him. When he orders Decker to take the conn, his Commander and First Officer requests that he also accompanies them. Instinctively, Kirk realises Decker’s value in this particular situation along with perhaps recognising something of himself in this young man.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As has been the case many times before, it is Mr Sulu who now has the conn.</span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“V'Ger awaits the information”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TZAY-2-BdKHGHAqemOpYPmSwsrFr6O_7K46H1ku5FWX65FURgy547C4J007b7YaMjuZO87bCkf0lAg1jM1x2dfd5yJOUyzhXYYcy92-2V5KCRifa4H5SQD1vXXdMyxe-_9f6OYHHn4b4uWv6JG_kzxZIqiJiUrkylPiNALGFYBv0-NHMmYJa8DqUaCsz/s420/Shutterstock_5886272cj_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TZAY-2-BdKHGHAqemOpYPmSwsrFr6O_7K46H1ku5FWX65FURgy547C4J007b7YaMjuZO87bCkf0lAg1jM1x2dfd5yJOUyzhXYYcy92-2V5KCRifa4H5SQD1vXXdMyxe-_9f6OYHHn4b4uWv6JG_kzxZIqiJiUrkylPiNALGFYBv0-NHMmYJa8DqUaCsz/w254-h400/Shutterstock_5886272cj_edited.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Ilia probe, Kirk, Decker, Spock and McCoy exit an airlock on the top of the saucer section and walk along a surface consisting of small geometric stepping stones that lead to a concave structure. At the centre can be seen what looks like an antenna dish attached to an ancient space probe. Upon reaching the object, Kirk rubs away the accumulated grime that covers much of the identification nameplate which initially contains the letters "V***G E R". As kirk continues to rub away at the plate the craft is identified as being <i>Voyager 6</i>. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The landing party realise that the craft before them was launched by NASA </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">more than 300 years previously and had been part of the <i>Voyager</i> series, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth.”<i> Voyager 6</i>, however disappeared into a black hole and “emerged on the far side of the galaxy and fell into the machine planet's gravitational field.” Even though primitive, “the machine inhabitants found it to be one of their own kind.” It’s simple programming required the small craft to "collect all data possible, learn all that is learnable" and “return that information to its Creator.” The machines interpreted this programming literally and built an entire vessel in order for <i>Voyager</i> to fulfil its programming.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the probe journeyed back to its Creator “it amassed so much knowledge, it achieved consciousness itself” and became a living thing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Ilia probe informs Kirk that V'ger awaits the information. Kirk contacts Uhura and tells her to locate any information on the probe, in particular the NASA code signal, which will enable the probe to transmit its data. Despite <i>Voyager 6</i> being ready to transmit all of its data, there is no one on Earth who will be able to recognise the obsolete signal which is why the Creator does not answer by sending a response.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirk calls out to V'ger and declares that they are the Creator. The Ilia probe says that is not logical as carbon units are not true lifeforms. Kirk responds by telling it that they will prove it by enabling V'ger to complete its programming and that “only the Creator could accomplish that.” Uhura then contacts Kirk to inform him that she has retrieved the code. Kirk tells her to set the <i>Enterprise</i> transmitter to the appropriate code frequency and to transmit the signal code in order to trigger <i>Voyager's</i> transmitter. Decker reads the numerical code on his tricorder and just as he is about to read the final sequence, V'ger burns out its own antenna leads to prevent reception.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-weight: bold;"><i>“The Creator must join with V'Ger</i></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">”</span></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With ten minutes remaining, the Ilia probe which has fixed a longing gaze at Decker announces that the Creator must join with V'ger, and turns toward Decker. Decker deduces that V'ger intended to bring the Creator here and transmit the code in person. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Spock tells Kirk that V'ger's knowledge has reached the limits of our universe and it must evolve beyond it into other higher dimensions. V'Ger, however is incapable of believing in them, “the existence of which cannot be proven logically.” In order to do so V'ger requires a human quality, “our capacity to leap beyond logic” in order to evolve and this can only be achieved by joining with the Creator.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Armed with this knowledge, his feelings for Ilia and having a sense of purpose and need, Decker moves over to the damaged circuitry and repairs the wires so he can manually enter the rest of the code through the ground test computer. When Kirk tries to stop him, the Ilia probe effortlessly tosses him aside. With emotional force, Decker tells Kirk that he wants this as much as Kirk wanted the <i>Enterprise</i>. There can be little argument that this is the path Decker’s journey must take.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGB6D_QiUgMwWjc6Ve6QZw-x3ZyS8FXd1rIgveVeQIzcs1bNYI56j_ErEimEI6EWnbiEa8mATABHrCmM9YjcxCerI5FKeRc4JOO_S_-eoSiGk8PGt8DPlZAGQyC7fCW6vwiMFkKa-qTPGDcJbRq6R5sOwuOI7DB2ehyihnksEhQwVBDTvStZWkN4tLlt7/s300/images%20(4)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGB6D_QiUgMwWjc6Ve6QZw-x3ZyS8FXd1rIgveVeQIzcs1bNYI56j_ErEimEI6EWnbiEa8mATABHrCmM9YjcxCerI5FKeRc4JOO_S_-eoSiGk8PGt8DPlZAGQyC7fCW6vwiMFkKa-qTPGDcJbRq6R5sOwuOI7DB2ehyihnksEhQwVBDTvStZWkN4tLlt7/w400-h200/images%20(4)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A bright column of light forms around Decker's body and as Ilia moves over to him, the shaft of light encompasses them both. When Ilia and Decker’s bodies merge they disappear. The light then expands throughout the area forcing Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to retreat back to the Enterprise. In a brilliant explosive discharge of energy V'ger disappears leaving an unscathed <i>Enterprise</i> suspended above the Earth.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black";"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">"Spock… did we just see the beginning of a new lifeform?"</span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">"Yes, captain. We witnessed a birth."</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Back on the bridge, Kirk wonders if they have just seen the beginning of a new lifeform. Spock agrees and suggests that it is possibly the next step in their evolution. McCoy quips that it's been a while since he's delivered a baby and hopes that they got this one off to a good start. It seems they may have done so by giving it the “ability to create its own sense of purpose out of our own human weaknesses and the drive that compels us to overcome.” McCoy immediately senses that this is awfully close to home for his Vulcan sparring partner.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When Starflee requests the vessel’s damage and injury reports and ship’s status, Kirk orders that the report will read that there were only two casualties: Lieutenant Ilia and Captain Decker. He then changes their status to "missing." With the<i> Enterprise</i> deemed to be fully operational, Scott agrees that it's time to give the starship a proper shakedown. When Scott offers to have Spock back on Vulcan in four days, Spock says that's unnecessary, as his task on Vulcan is completed. That he now knows is not where he was to find the answers to his own questions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The <i>Enterprise</i> is then set on a course ahead at warp one on a heading of - "Out there, that-away" With that, the <i>Enterprise</i> engages warp drive on a journey to a destination where no man has gone before….. </span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">**********</span></span></div><br /><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><u>Points of Interest</u></span></span></h3><span><div><span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Issues & Themes</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Star Trek The Motion Picture</i> raises some of the so-called eternal big questions for humanity as a whole and for individuals (to the extent that anyone really bothers to consider such questions):<i> 'Why am I here?' 'What was I meant to be?' ‘Is this all there is?’ ‘Is there nothing more?’ </i>As a sentient life-form, V'ger hopes to touch and join with its Creator to find its own answers. Considering the murderous and inhumane cavalcade of human history, one can’t help but wonder if there might be any truth to McCoy’s bitter observation that V'Ger's liable to be in for one hell of a disappointment. Perhaps if we stop to ponder such big questions and look up from picking fluff out of our navels, we’d be less inclined as a species to slaughter our fellow human beings or stand back and watch while innocent people are being mown down and dispossessed by brutal, self-justifying and opportunistic State, sectarian and political entities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i> is very much a film about individual characters on their own voyages of self discovery. The question being raised for each character: Is their concept of fulfilment sufficient? In the end, is this all there is and Is there no more? The answer may lie in our feelings for our fellow human beings and in the relationships we form.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Another important issue that is raised concerns humanity’s ultimate destiny and the role that our technology may play. Could it be possible that our own evolution may involve a melding or joining of our biology with our technology and that eventually our technology will supersede human beings entirely? Will an entirely new species evolve combining elements of humanity (emotions, thought processes) and artificial machine intelligence? Could this new life-form then reach out into the cosmos or traverse dimensions and establish contact with similar entities?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Cast & Characters</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Due to dissatisfaction over unpaid royalties from<i> Star Trek</i>, it seemed as if there would be no Spock in the film version which would have been unthinkable. After a lot of pleading and a cheque to make up for his lost royalties, Nimoy attended the March 1978 press conference with the rest of the returning cast. There it was announced that Academy Award-winning director Robert Wise would direct a film adaptation of the television series titled<i> Star Trek:The Motion Picture</i>. There was also an agreement that the final script would need Nimoy's approval.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Cast by director Robert Wise, Stephen Collins who plays Willard Decker, the new captain of the <i>Enterprise</i> has been referred to as being something of an outsider, not being part of the <i>Star Trek</i> franchise and that this came across on film. That may be true, but as his first brief stint as captain, it seemed as if he was doing a remarkable job working with his crew preparing the<i> Enterprise </i>for space flight and as his role as executive officer when Kirk took over. If anything it was Kirk who became the outsider due to his lack of flight time, suspect motives and perceived obsolescence. Even his beloved starship had become somewhat of a stranger to Kirk who initially struggled to get his bearings. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Script</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>In Thy Image </i>was the pilot episode script for the abortive development of the television series <i>Star Trek: Phase II</i>. The episode went unproduced, and the script was heavily rewritten to become <i>Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i>. The writers had issue with the story, deeming it to be unworkable. The problem lay with having such an advanced and omnipotent antagonist that it would be impossible for puny humans to deal with it. The question arose as to what to with the ending in terms of what to do with the intruder and who the hero of the story could be?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Studio executives and Roddenberry clashed over the script's ending, particularly with the concept of a living machine being deemed too far-fetched. The executives consulted Asimov who liked the ending and felt that the existence of a sentient machine was plausible. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The last third of the script received constant input from the actors and producers and by March 1979, fewer than 20 pages from the original 150 in the screenplay had been retained.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Costumes and makeup</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In keeping with the changing of the times, the brightly bold colored Starfleet uniforms were revised: To the chagrin of many viewers, gone were the miniskirts worn by women in the original series. Instead, rather staid, boring and uniform neutral shades of conformity would now be the order of the day. Sound familiar?</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The ears for Nimoy’s character were made of latex and other ingredients blended together in a kitchen mixer, before being baked for six hours. Nimoy's ears had grown in the intervening decade and new moulds had to be created. Three pairs of ears a day had to be made for Nimoy during filming. The Vulcan eyebrows needed to be applied hair by hair for proper detail, and it took Nimoy more than two hours to prepare for filming - twice as long as it took for television. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Khambatta's lovely head was freshly shaved each day, then given an application of makeup to reduce glare from the hot set lights. She also received a daily scalp treatment routine of cleansers and lotion for up to two hours each day. </span><br /><br /><u><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Design; sets; props & models</span><br /></u><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The first new sets were originally intended for <i>Star Trek: Phase II</i>. When the television series was cancelled and plans for the film went ahead, new sets were needed for the large 70 mm film format. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The bridge set contained monitors displaying looping animations. Each oval monitor was a rear-projection screen on which super 8 mm and 16 mm film sequences looped for each special effect.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The <i>Enterprise </i>engine room was redesigned to give the illusion of being vast. To create the illusion of depth and long visible distances, designs were worked that would utilize forced perspective. The result on film was that the engine room appeared to be hundreds of feet long, whereas the set was in reality only 40 feet (12 metres) in length. To achieve the required look, the floor slanted upward and narrowed, with small stature actors used as extras to give the appearance of being far from the camera. For down shots of the engineering complex, floor paintings created the illusion of a warp core several stories in length. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The <i>Enterprise</i> corridors were redesigned to give them a new, bent and angular appearance. Instead of the usual overhead lighting, lighting would radiate upward from the floor.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> The V'ger set was designed and fabricated in four and a half weeks, and was filmable from all angles. Parts of the set were designed to pull away for better camera access at the centre.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Most of the models were created by <i>Magicam</i>, a Paramount subsidiary. The main <i>Enterprise </i>model was eight feet long, to a scale of 1/120th scale size, (1 inch / 2.5 cm to 10 feet / 3.0 m). It took 14 months and $150,000 to build. Instead of standard fiberglass used for older models, the new <i>Enterprise</i> was constructed with lightweight plastics, weighing 85 pounds (39 kg). A second, 20-inch (51 cm) model of the ship was used for long shots. The hull surface was treated with a special paint finish that made it appear iridescent in certain light. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The orbital dry dock for the <i>Enterprise</i> measured 4 ft × 10 ft × 6 ft (1.2 m × 3.0 m × 1.8 m). It had 56 neon panels that required 168,000 volts of electricity to operate. The price tag for dock set-up: $200,000. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The final model of V’ger was 68 feet (21 m) long and was built out of a variety of materials, including wood, foam, macramé, styrofoam cups and incandescent, neon and strobe lights. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Roughly 350 props were fabricated for the film, such as phasers and handheld communicators. The only prop that remained from the original television series was Uhura's wireless earpiece. The communicators were unlike the beloved flip phone-style devices used in the original series. Instead, a wrist-band design was employed with a hefty $3500 for the top models, used for close-ups of the device in action. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Three models were created to stand in for the <i>Epsilon IX</i> station: A 6-by-3.5-foot (1.8 by 1.1 m) model was used for distance shots; an isolated 5-by-6-foot (1.5 by 1.8 m) panel for closer shots; The station control tower replicated with rear-projection screens to add station personnel inside. A two foot model spaceman was used for both the drydock sequence and Spock's EVA.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Filming; special effects</u><i>;</i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Fifteen takes were needed for the scene involving the chaos aboard the <i>Enterprise</i> bridge as the crew fanatically prepares the starship for space travel until Wise was content with the scene.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The setting for the planet Vulcan was created using a combination of on-location photography at Minerva Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park and set recreation. Miniatures in the foreground were used to create the Vulcan temples and were combined with the real hot springs in the background. In the film, the bottom third of the frames were composed of miniature stairs, rocks, bits of red glass and a Vulcan statue. The center of the frame contained Nimoy's shots and the park setting, while the final third of the frame was filled with a matte painting. The Vulcan sequence took three days to shoot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Parts of Yellowstone were recreated in a large "B tank", (110 by 150 feet / 34 by 46 m) long. The tank was designed to be flooded with millions of gallons of water to represent large bodies of water. Miniatures were set up on the tank's floor before construction. The effects filmed at Yellowstone were matched by using dry ice and steam machines. The swirling eddies of water in the real Yellowstone were recreated by means of a combination of evaporated milk, white poster paint, and water being poured into the set's pools. The pressure of the steam channeled into the pools through hidden tubing would caused enough movement in the whirlpools to duplicate the location footage.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The computer console explosion that caused the transporter malfunction was created by means of steel wool Brillo Pads concealed inside the console and attached to an arc welder. The welder was designed to create a spark instead of actually welding, causing the steel wool to burn and make sparks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The illusion of anti gravity suspension of canisters and containers was achieved by means of a circular track with the same shape as the corridor suspending the antigravity prop on four small wires that connected to the track. The wires were treated with an acid that oxidized and tarnished the metal turning the wires to a dull gray that would not show up in the deep blue corridor lighting. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For the climactic scene featuring the fusing of Decker and V'Ger, Collins was covered in tiny dabs of cotton glued to his jacket. These highlights were used to create a body halo effect. Helicopter lights, 4,000-watt lamps and wind machines were used to create the effect of Decker's fusion with the living machine. Initially, the extreme lighting caused invisible dust particles in the air to be illuminated, making it seem as if the actors were caught in a blizzard. During the retakes the crew mopped and dusted the set constantly, and later technical work was resorted to in order eliminate the dust in the final print. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> The photon torpedo effects for the <i>Enterprise</i> were simulated by shooting a laser through a piece of crystal mounted on a rotating rod while V'Ger's destruction of the Klingon ships was created using scanning lasers, with the multiple laser passes composited onto the moving model to create the final effect. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Music & Sound Effects</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jerry Goldsmith began a long association with <i>Star Trek</i> by scoring<i> Star Trek:The Motion Picture</i>. Goldsmith scored the film over a period of three to four months. Wise considered his work with Goldsmith one of the best relationships he ever had with a composer. <i>Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i> is the only <i>Star Trek</i> film to have a true overture. The film’s music score led to Goldsmith being nominated for the Oscars, Golden Globe and Saturn awards. It was one of the American Film Institute's 250 nominated scores for their top 25 American film scores.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Much of the recording equipment used to create the movie's sound effects was back in 1979 quite cutting-edge. These included the ADS (Advanced Digital Synthesizer) 11, manufactured by Pasadena, California custom synthesizer manufacturer Con Brio, Inc.; the Blaster Beam, an electronic instrument 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) long which had steel wires connected to amplifiers fitted to the main piece of aluminum and was played with an artillery shell; several state-of-the-art synthesizers used as musical instruments. The sound effects coinciding with V’ger’s approach and presence served well to illustrate its power and sense of menace. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Assessments</u></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Many critics who have expressed disappointment with the film and its portrayal of the characters have missed the point of ‘change’ as being part and parcel of life. During the interval between the original series ending and the filming of the motion picture, the actors playing the characters had themselves changed as individuals and such change would also inevitably be reflected in the roles they played. Yes, we the audience longed for a reunion of characters we all knew so well and hoped that they would hug each other, hold hands and sing Kumbaya as if nothing had changed in a decade. We also may have wondered what ever happened to those bright primary colours that festooned the <i>Enterprise</i> interior and Starfleet uniforms and why they were replaced by neutral colour schemes. Well, guess what? Everything including people change and if there’s no change and people choose to Klingon, sorry cling on to the past, and wallow in nostalgia then there’s only stagnation to look forward to. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Much has also been made about actor dissatisfaction with the scrip; frequent script re-writes by the actors themselves; delays and more delays; issues with characterisation; on and off-screen lack of chemistry; unfamiliarity with and departure from the true spirit of <i>Star Trek</i> and on and on. Well, often the creative process can take a rather circuitous route and need not result from a process of complete harmony and synchronicity. Sometimes friction, conflict and moments of torture can produce wonderful examples of creativity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Although director Wise was unfamiliar with the background intricacies and in-and-outs of <i>Star Trek</i> that lay behind and formed the context of the film, he did rely on the actors, especially William Shatner, to ensure consistency in terms of dialogue and characterization.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Some critics have whined about the film’s pacing and complained about long stretches without apparent action or dialogue. Take for instance, the first close view of the <i>Enterprise</i> as Scotty and Kirk view it on approach in the pod. In our modern 21st century attention deficit disordered society it might be difficult for audiences to handle an absence of rapid quick cutting shots, meaningless babbling incomprehensible and inaudible dialogue, stuff constantly happening and so on. The slow approach toward the starship and the time given to taking in its whole exterior is designed to evoke what Kirk must have felt upon seeing his beloved<i> Enterprise</i> after so long a time. It’s called savouring a moment when you just have to shut up and let your senses take it all in.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There has over the years been a plethora of mixed reviews for <i>Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i>, many emanating from self-important opinionated critics, self-appointed <i>Star Trek</i> aficionados and a range of<i> Star Trek</i> Fan-atics. In answer to the mumblings of many of these celluloid nit-pickers, let’s check out the results of the end product:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When the film opened in the United States and Canada it set a box office record for the highest opening weekend gross, making $11,926,421 in its first weekend. The film went on to earn $17 million within a week and was the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1979 in the US. Overall, the film grossed $139 million worldwide.<i> Star Trek:The Motion Picture</i> was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the United States, the film sold the most tickets of any film in the franchise until Star Trek (2009), and it remains the highest-grossing film of the franchise worldwide adjusted for inflation. The film’s budget of $44 million, including the costs incurred during <i>Phase II</i> production, was the largest for any film made within the United States up to that time. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Had the film been unsuccessful, there’s every chance that the franchise would not have continued. It reminds me of the<i> Dr Who</i> series which resumed after a hiatus and began with Christopher Eccleston’s portrayal of the Doctor. Here we had a very different representation of a beloved character. Had that not been successful, the series might have ended there and then. I have to admit that I stopped watching <i>Doctor Who</i> after Matt Smith finished as the Doctor, while I stopped avidly watching <i>Star Trek</i> after the <i>Voyager & Deep Space 9</i> series finished - both for similar reasons which I felt involved complete travesties with what followed thereafter! But that’s a story for another day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You may have noticed that there are similarities between <i>Star Ttrek: The Motion Picture</i> and the excellent original series episode "The Changeling" which featured the probe, Nomad. Here is a note on <i>Star Trek: The Changeling</i> episode kindly contributed by none other than Chatbot gpt:</span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"The Changeling" is an episode from the original "Star Trek" series, specifically from the second season. It originally aired on September 29, 1967. The episode is the third of the second season and is the eighth episode overall.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In "The Changeling," the starship USS Enterprise encounters a powerful and highly advanced space probe known as Nomad. The probe, initially created by Earth scientists centuries ago to explore new life forms, has merged with an alien probe, becoming a highly efficient and destructive entity.</span></i></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Nomad's mission is to seek out and sterilize any imperfections it finds in its path. Unfortunately, it mistakenly identifies Captain Kirk as its creator, Dr. Jackson Roykirk, due to a malfunction in its memory core. As a result, Nomad believes Kirk is its "creator" and follows his orders without question.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The situation becomes increasingly dangerous as Nomad interprets its mission to sterilize imperfections in the most extreme way, posing a severe threat to the Enterprise crew and potentially to all life in the galaxy. Kirk must find a way to communicate with and reason with the machine in order to avert disaster.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The episode explores themes of artificial intelligence, the consequences of creating powerful technology without proper safeguards, and the potential dangers of unchecked ambition in scientific endeavours. It is a classic example of "Star Trek's" ability to use science fiction to address philosophical and ethical questions.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">(Chat gpt)</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For almost five decades, we have been acquainted with the <i>Voyagers 1 & 2</i> space probes that have departed our own solar system and ventured out into interstellar space. They have served to extend humanity’s exploration of the solar system beyond the neighbourhood of the outer planets to the outer limits of the Sun's sphere of influence, and beyond. But what if one day (as will happen) we no longer receive any more signals from <i>Voyager </i>and contact is lost? What if humanity is no longer around to receive any message from<i> Voyager </i>should any signals reach us after hundreds or even thousands of years? Would the little probes become the only remaining physical evidence that the species of homo sapiens had ever existed? What would an extra-terrestrial species make of the beings that created the probes? Would they care enough to seek out their…..creator?</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Are you there, Voyager?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We lost your signal long ago through Time’s curse</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yet you still send greetings on behalf of humanity,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Who stepped out of our solar system into the universe</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Before succumbing to a final calamity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You say we seek only peace and friendship,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">And to teach if we are called upon.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Then why did we continue causing hardship</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">And teach our children who to prey on?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You say we hope to be taught if we are fortunate</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">And with humility and hope we took this step.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>We?</i> from History’s lessons failed to appreciate</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hubris’ marking the marching beat of a goose-step!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You’re a present from a small, distant world,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">But one with a need to feed and seed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A whole cosmos to be unwrapped and unfurled,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A resource to be laid bare and ravished by greed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You’re a token of our sounds and our science.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Then hear the screams of an infant without legs,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Blown off by weapons forged without conscience,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">And God! The mother’s wail as she pleads and begs!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You’re a token of our images and our music,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Then see a father lost in a land of dust and rubble,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">And what’s left of his family, pausing just to be sick</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">To the doleful song of sirens and a life of struggle.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You’re a token of our thoughts and our feelings.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What then did we think as we stood by and watched</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The next genocide; deaf, blind and dumb to pleadings,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Appealing to feelings in the hearts of those untouched.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You say we are trying to survive our time</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">So we may live into the time of the Unknowns.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">But no, only you survive to tell of our climb</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">And testify scarred and pitted to the place of our bones.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> So power down and sleep eternal Voyager,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For your journey there are none left to hear or care;</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Burnt off, drowned and blown away – the Destroyer</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Of Worlds has paid for being a god who would dare.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The poem above incorporates some of the sentiments and messages contained on the <i>Voyager </i>probe from the United Nations General Secretary at the time as well as from former US President Jimmy Carter.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hopefully, we can as individuals and as a species at least attempt to live up to the positive sentiments that are being conveyed aboard our tiny ambassador space craft as they journey beyond our solar system to…….</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">********</span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Note: If you wish to find out more about Robert Wise, the director of<i> Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i>, then I would like to recommend a book by Joe Jordan, titled,<i> Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures</i>, Contributors: Gavin MacLeod, Douglas E. Wise, Illustrated, BearManor Media, 2020</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The book, “ Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures,” by Joe Jordan (published 5 April 2017) is a product of meticulous research by the author, covering a period of over fifty years. It contains detailed plot synopses and commentary of many of Robert Wise’s memorable and important films. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Joe Jordan's book includes over twenty interviews, as well as presenting a comprehensive analysis of Robert Wise’s work. I am sure that after reading this fascinating tribute, you’ll come away with an even greater appreciation of this two-time winner of the Academy Award for Best Director – the legendary Robert Wise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Title: Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Author: Joe Jordan</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Contributors: Gavin MacLeod, Douglas E. Wise</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Edition: illustrated</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Publisher: Joseph R. Jordan, 2017</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">ISBN 0692854479, 9780692854471</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Length: 550 pages</span><br /><br /><u><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Robert Wise In Brief</span><br /></u><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Wise began his film career at RKO as a sound and music editor. He later became more involved in editing film content and went to work for RKO film editor William "Billy" Hamilton. At RKO, Wise worked with Orson Welles on “Citizen Kane” (1941) and was nominated for the Academy Award for Film Editing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In his role as producer and director, Wise aimed for establishing a connection to the viewer and had a reputation for a strong work ethic, attention to detail, budgetary thrift and well-researched preparation for a film</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Also of relevance to this blog is Robert Wise’s film “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, a classic science fiction masterpiece that warned about the dangers of atomic warfare. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Other films of Robert Wise that have stayed in my mind over the years are;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“I Want To Live” (1958)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Run Silent, Run Deep” (1958)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“The Haunting” (1963)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“The Andromeda Strain” (1971)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">And of course, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Startrek The Motion Picture” (1979</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">*********</span></span></div><span><span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At this time of year I like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and all the very best for the New year. I still do, of course but more than that I would like everyone to spare some time thinking about our fellow human beings who are right now at the time of writing being put through hell in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. We can at least try and do our bit to effect change by putting constant pressure on our political leaders; protesting in the streets; using the power of social media; prodding mainstream media to do its job to unearth the truth; continuously contacting embassies about the activities of the countries they represent; shunning politicians, corporations, groups and organisations who are actively complicit in the murder and genocide of innocent defenceless people – anything but silence and apathy! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://archive.org/details/etwm-1975_20220201/Star+Trek+The+Motion+Picture+1979.mp4" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><i><u>Full Movie Link</u></i></span><br /></a><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;">©Chris Christopoulos 2023</span></b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-78320139976298028782023-10-21T00:02:00.000-07:002023-10-21T00:02:22.765-07:00Runaway (1984)<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyjwOzqqZaUvcnZjsUn8JHcw-mopMG5LNOU6hw0iP-QIbvBpbLea20DhraXoQEHU8aXVDwYTWn4AejbtjIjE8fY9DIWv_EX_aeo4mxlD4RaCJgBWvTmzgPGbhKqZNwpMz_UMW5QIGFuiqooRXfVM2IEZprpxZskIRq5H_qhYM4YPbffO1IlJFfhmRuD8Z/s475/MV5BMjE1NTgwNjc4NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTk0OTk5._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="298" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyjwOzqqZaUvcnZjsUn8JHcw-mopMG5LNOU6hw0iP-QIbvBpbLea20DhraXoQEHU8aXVDwYTWn4AejbtjIjE8fY9DIWv_EX_aeo4mxlD4RaCJgBWvTmzgPGbhKqZNwpMz_UMW5QIGFuiqooRXfVM2IEZprpxZskIRq5H_qhYM4YPbffO1IlJFfhmRuD8Z/w251-h400/MV5BMjE1NTgwNjc4NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTk0OTk5._V1_.jpg" width="251" /></a></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U8SxLJ9sDpj4HP0BsBXgFptVqE-vINtUTW5At6R02zN8CqxuWsvh9wcA4uhGKjCW5HbvjSYxUExpOeGXtBvl-NdGF3-ze_yToSZZVNzc2J1iMburKxhDclkOrci-KOQ4S0mOfgvtYziJD_Co6cbu4uGwmtn5pj6FUcAJDlxdFJwD7s3Ink91wWgLk_jc/s200/4dman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="39" data-original-width="200" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U8SxLJ9sDpj4HP0BsBXgFptVqE-vINtUTW5At6R02zN8CqxuWsvh9wcA4uhGKjCW5HbvjSYxUExpOeGXtBvl-NdGF3-ze_yToSZZVNzc2J1iMburKxhDclkOrci-KOQ4S0mOfgvtYziJD_Co6cbu4uGwmtn5pj6FUcAJDlxdFJwD7s3Ink91wWgLk_jc/s1600/4dman1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;"><i>A lesser-known 1980s sci-fi gem that deserves far greater recognition</i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;">Directed by Michael Crichton<br />Written by Michael Crichton<br />Produced by Michael I. Rachmil, Lisa Faversham, Kurt Villadsen<br />Cinematography: John A. Alonzo<br />Edited by Glenn Farr, James Coblentz<br />Music by Jerry Goldsmith<br />Production company: Delphi III Productions<br />Distributed by Tri-Star Pictures<br />Release date: December 14, 1984<br />Running time: 99 minutes<br />Budget: $8 million<br />Box office: $6,770,587 (USA)</span><br /><br /></b></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Cast</u></b></span></h3><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Tom Selleck as Sergeant Jack R. Ramsay</b></span><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cynthia Rhodes as Officer Karen Thompson</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gene Simmons as Dr. Charles Luther</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kirstie Alley as Jackie Rogers</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stan Shaw as Sergeant Marvin James</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">G.W. Bailey as Chief of Police</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Joey Cramer as Bobby Ramsay</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chris Mulkey as David Johnson</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sullivan Walker as K.C.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne-Marie Martin as Hooker At Bar</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Michael Paul Chan as Wilson, Vectrocon Security Guard</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Babz Chula as Construction Foreperson</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Marilyn Schreffler as Voice of Lois</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Elizabeth Norment as Miss Shields</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Carol Teesdale as Sally</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Paul Batten as Harry</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Betty Phillips as Linda</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stephen Thorne as Tommy</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stephen E. Miller as Rudy</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cec Verrell as Hooker</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Amber Borycki as Baby (uncredited)</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Sometime in a future which we have almost caught up with, robots perform domestic house-hold, agricultural, construction and many other services. The police have a specialized department tasked with investigating and resolving cases involving malfunctioning robots that pose a danger to humans. Such robots are known as</span> <span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><i>"Runaways"</i></span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div></b><div><b><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw-2SBBaEoIb9QBXScf0iaQ4oRUSaQKAbZCSZCFOGICJ8fd-nPXqo1D6AGQBWbGzCVFv2TmBm2dmYhQ5ZgedA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></span></b></b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Trailer</b></div></span><b><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></b></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Read on for more......</i></b></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Spoilers Follow below.....</i></b></span><b><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><i>“If you're gonna keep up, you gotta move”</i></span></b></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The film opens with Sgt. Jack Ramsay inspecting the internal circuitry of a robot when a call comes over the intercom informing him of his next assignment - a 7799 agricultural robot that has malfunctioned. At the same time he is being introduced to his new partner, Officer Karen Thompson. As the two officers rapidly make their way to their first assignment as partners, the nature of their work along with something of their respective backgrounds is quickly established. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a cornfield we see an almost cute little one-armed robot plucking a grub from a stem and depositing it into a meat-grinding contraption thereby routinely and dispassionately mashing the life out it as per its programming. Meanwhile its fellow automaton who would hardly qualify for entrance into a round of <i>Robot Wars</i>, is dashing about the cornfield with gay abandon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">On their way to a waiting helicopter, we learn that Officer Thompson had previously worked in Traffic and once had intended to become a data programmer. While onboard the copter, we learn that Ramsay had been working with the “Runaway” Squad for a couple of years. We also learn that he has a fear of heights.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After the copter lands, the two officers are met by a group of farmers who look as if they could have easily kicked the crap out of the malfunctioning robot, or at least could have pumped a couple of rounds into it to bring a halt to its shenanigans. But if they had done so, they would have missed out on the comical entertainment provided by Ramsay and Thompson as they pursued their felonious mechanical quarry.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Having completed their distinctly unglamorous assignment, Ramsay discloses to his distinctly nosy and inquisitive partner that he had just fallen into his new job by accident, discovered that he liked it and took night courses in robotics. He also claims that he had to stop working the streets due to his vertigo. There is a distinct bit of reticence on Ramsay’s part when discussing his past and a degree of annoyance and evasiveness when pressed on the issue by his newbie partner.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The expression of disappointment on Thompson’s face as she overhears Jack discussing dinner arrangements with a “Lois” over the comms speaks volumes!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Back at squad headquarters, Karen questions officer Marvin as to why Jack quit the regular force. According to Marvin, a few years previously Jack was chasing a man who ran into a building that was under construction. Due to his vertigo, Jack was unable to follow him and the man eluded capture. Later that same night, that man killed six people, “a family up in Ridgemont” for which Jack has blamed himself, along with the fact that the killer got away. As a result, Jack became a robotics expert, a field in which he feels a lot safer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">While Karen goes on to give a rundown of her previous life experiences, a call comes through which will send the new partners to their next assignment…….</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><i>“Runaway 2, we have a 709 alert!”</i></span></b></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;">Karen and Jack soon find themselves dealing with a new threat—a robotic homicide involving a domestic robot that murdered a family with a kitchen knife. This case will prove to be quite unlike the seemingly trivial and run-of-the-mill routine investigations that would be expected to come to the attention of the “Runaway” Squad.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5rpcVqkGMJ4FIAJYz6LPIpG_BJRxZ18QTcwVe23kbIH_pSjsCToajYYklti6l18_3gFAUk4ShquuEwYtkrzdlTOMFRjMdaUk16B_tqcPwvWZCfkQIKAw8QoIy9ElUO1F8p_6DX2WRHS-W-3JsN1Q7Fjs9ItKtTneASSXlZ6l8q_pvuCfAO-LRuG_r36d/s1104/mv5bytq5nte0nditnta3ni00nzm3ltg2odqtzdcxn2y0ngm3zdkxxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymjuyndk2odc40_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="1104" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5rpcVqkGMJ4FIAJYz6LPIpG_BJRxZ18QTcwVe23kbIH_pSjsCToajYYklti6l18_3gFAUk4ShquuEwYtkrzdlTOMFRjMdaUk16B_tqcPwvWZCfkQIKAw8QoIy9ElUO1F8p_6DX2WRHS-W-3JsN1Q7Fjs9ItKtTneASSXlZ6l8q_pvuCfAO-LRuG_r36d/w400-h198/mv5bytq5nte0nditnta3ni00nzm3ltg2odqtzdcxn2y0ngm3zdkxxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymjuyndk2odc40_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In their second assignment together (a “709” signifying that people have died), Ramsay and Thompson go to the house of a man named Johnson, an Electronics engineer whose household model 912 robot has killed his wife and her sister with an ordinary kitchen knife. A 10-month-old baby is in a crib inside the house alone and crying. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The robot in question is a new domestic model powered by batteries and is programmed to perform housework, cooking meals and answering the doors.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">More disturbingly, its sensors allow it to see and hear everything, even to the extent of accessing wireless electromagnetic frequencies and transmissions. The robot may also have been modified.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OmFQNA3X9Pm5CNziKlYn_lrtwatT0A1BY6me_T2bBftTdQmmsGRgLOfTTYnsfncbF_UYdup6xj3g6pAzo4aS2rAw-LcgzzcHKUfopCX89TASErWvR8Pdw7WWyBLhbqA85vhvDBo75PSaJVyHPPVb45UhRrEmAfOwWc2h5pd5KUI4Ecv95vWCFHjOkiq7/s211/images%20(9)_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="139" data-original-width="211" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OmFQNA3X9Pm5CNziKlYn_lrtwatT0A1BY6me_T2bBftTdQmmsGRgLOfTTYnsfncbF_UYdup6xj3g6pAzo4aS2rAw-LcgzzcHKUfopCX89TASErWvR8Pdw7WWyBLhbqA85vhvDBo75PSaJVyHPPVb45UhRrEmAfOwWc2h5pd5KUI4Ecv95vWCFHjOkiq7/w400-h264/images%20(9)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A small compact drone called a floater (which means something completely different in my country!) containing a camera provides a direct video feed to the police as it enters the house to locate the runaway 912 and the distressed infant.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A small portable laptop or tablet-style computer provides information about the robot along with audio analysis of a gun shot that indicates it is in possession of a.357 Magnum – the gun that has just taken out the hapless little floater drone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The media in the form of a TV news crews at the scene come across as being callous and primarily interested in sensationalizing the incident under the guise of upholding the public’s right to know and their own supposed expertise in determining what is newsworthy.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jack questions Johnson, the distraught father of the infant about any possible modifications that may have been made to the robot. Johnson is incensed that Jack should suggest that he would have any idea or involvement in the robot having gone out of control. When he is informed that the robot has a gun, Johnson rather oddly begins to rush away declaring, “Oh, my God, he's crazy!” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As a frantic and panicked Johnson leaves, he shouts at the TV news crew that he wont be on television. His state of distress and upset merely comes across as “very hot stuff” to the vulture-like waiting media.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The apparent irresponsibility of the media is further highlighted when despite discouragement from Jack, a KBEX cameramen follows the sergeant as he ventures inside clad in an electromagnetic scatter suit. During a very tense attempt to locate and neutralise the robot, the cameraman pays with his life for his act of foolishness. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">To the applause and acclaim from the police and media at the scene, Jack brings out the baby safely but it is soon discovered that Johnson, the father has unexpectedly disappeared. And who on earth is that suspicious-looking man among the assembled crowd observing everything with obvious evil intent plastered all over his face as if it were make-up applied by the devil himself?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Accompanied by Karen, Ramsay goes home to his son Bobby and Lois, the robot who takes care of both the house and Bobby. Bobby is thrilled about what he has just seen on the TV news featuring a report on his father’s rescue of the baby.</span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“Would Lois ever go crazy like that other robot?”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Like a surrogate parent, Lois the domestic Series 12 robot reminds Bobby that it is 45 minutes past his bedtime and that she’ll be verifying that he’ll brush his teeth. Lois is a step up from the series 10 “lemons” and although she ensures that Bobby does his homework, when it comes to mealtimes Bobby seems to get his way. Still, Lois is “pretty reliable” and judging from Karen’s taking her leave of Jack’s hospitality, seems to be able to take initiative and learn from human interactions with varying degrees of success. The robot struggles to naturally and seamlessly interact conversationally with the humans. Do we also detect a hint of ‘resentment’ and ‘feeling’ of confusion on the part of Lois at the potential inclusion of Karen into the up until now ordered and predictable domestic arrangement?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">To Karen’s apparent relief, Lois turns out not to be Jack’s wife. She learns from Jack the bare basic fact that his wife died a couple of years previously in a car crash.” Clearly, it is not something he wishes to elaborate on or be reminded about.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After Karen departs, Jack enters Bobby’s room where we see the boy hiding under the covers with a tablet-like device learning about dinosaurs. Kids with screen devices when they are supposed to be asleep! Sound familiar? This is a refreshing father and son scene in which the father is for once portraying a positive male role model showing love for and interest in his son as well as showing that it is alright to feel “even just a little” scared in certain situations. With Karen in mind, Bobby feels confident enough to suggest to his father that it wouldn’t kill him to marry again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">No robot could provide this kind of human interaction and connection. No, Lois is certainly no substitute for a mother or a wife. As a robot, Lois is programmed to perform certain domestic functions and be interactive, but could “it” / “she” be re-programmed or modified? Jack is about to be presented with such a possibility during an investigation of the 912’s circuits…….</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><i>“This isn't a runaway. This is murder!”</i></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During that investigation, unusual non-standard and non-commercial chips are discovered which did not come with the 912 robot. Suddenly the circuits ignite and spread a great deal of smoke causing the officers to hit the deck. It is confirmed that the robot is not a runaway, that it has been modified resulting in its safety features being overridden as well as programmed to attack and kill humans. </span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“People make machines, so why should machines be perfect?”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For their next assignment, Jack and Karen are called to attend a building construction site where a Stacker robot is “stacking where there's </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">no place to stack” by throwing large bags of cement off the 18th floor of the building. Being a rather tall building and given his fear of heights, Jack understandably hands over the job to his eager partner while he remains safely on the ground. Needless to say, Karen successfully switches the errant malfunctioning robot off.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It turns out that most of the work is being performed by robots while on another “construction project over on Main, there aren't any people working there at all, just hundreds of robots.” Unlike a human workforce, with robots there is no need for “coffee breaks” and no “union hassles.” Except, there is just one little problem: the Stacker robot seems to have “gone nuts!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the two officers leave the construction site, Jack points out to his partner that since “nothing works right” including “relationships and people” and seeing that “people make machines” then “why should machines be perfect?” An interesting point when it comes to our own increasing use of Artificial Intelligence and dependence on algorithms. How much will our own imperfections and biases be incorporated into and reflected by such technology and with what consequences? </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“I wanna know who this guy is”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The investigation continues at Johnson’s place with the checking of the door recorder – quite commonplace in our time with domestic CCTV wireless surveillance and doorbell cameras. Eventually, the face of the mysterious onlooker from the incident involving the 912 robot appears onscreen. The rest of the tape has been erased but there’s enough to show that this individual was passing himself off as an Acme Robot Repairman supposedly responding to a call about a non-functioning 912.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIyK1MWMbaiYwIHztNy7s6XYYBbMqMSZrNPFO5x4dyQg4MiNEuoZX4ZScC7itiyGsOTfk5BhbnB1xzQZQWfEGFfbSO25DoVpdC4F0VrWOGjYNsUDuM9v2WVETuq2X0fN1u9TcEP-UIYdsfOBYFb0LRsy3HyfvhdgTm2DuCCchBWeAjtE3_PuBmRb-XqUl/s561/runaway-3_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="561" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIyK1MWMbaiYwIHztNy7s6XYYBbMqMSZrNPFO5x4dyQg4MiNEuoZX4ZScC7itiyGsOTfk5BhbnB1xzQZQWfEGFfbSO25DoVpdC4F0VrWOGjYNsUDuM9v2WVETuq2X0fN1u9TcEP-UIYdsfOBYFb0LRsy3HyfvhdgTm2DuCCchBWeAjtE3_PuBmRb-XqUl/w400-h200/runaway-3_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It turns out that the mysterious individual is a “damned, evil son of a bitch” with an evil comic-book sounding name of Dr Luther. We next see him engaged in a transaction with someone named Harry who is about to hand over chips </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">created from a series of master templates in exchange for a large cash payment. By acquiring the chips and more importantly the templates, Luther will be able to have the chips mass-produced and sold to anyone who'll offer him the most money.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As insurance that both Johnson and he will be paid, Harry has arranged for the rest of the chips and templates he has withheld to be locked in a safe. Once they are paid, Luther will get the key. What Harry hadn’t counted on was Luther’s treachery thereby ending up paying with his life.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“I can't go out there”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst-4rGLmkTDMzxS0bOw0jqjYRImLQTRLSp7rJuzgP_ICa5ggSjlj8emeC7TJFtgQT-7pEafpa_y0jNNcpD9x-f5uPNO4o5QLez2pXmU_SVadLq-sV1bJuR4IHrQIzqJSGWn60qF8HMxbPidfXdoSwIPpVCb9gnYejdhUzctfpjLsY2G8ZrCiZ_XD_XLXg/s320/tumblr_e18fd6b68350833771074cc40932625f_0d30b1bf_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="320" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst-4rGLmkTDMzxS0bOw0jqjYRImLQTRLSp7rJuzgP_ICa5ggSjlj8emeC7TJFtgQT-7pEafpa_y0jNNcpD9x-f5uPNO4o5QLez2pXmU_SVadLq-sV1bJuR4IHrQIzqJSGWn60qF8HMxbPidfXdoSwIPpVCb9gnYejdhUzctfpjLsY2G8ZrCiZ_XD_XLXg/w400-h303/tumblr_e18fd6b68350833771074cc40932625f_0d30b1bf_400.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As for the elusive Johnson, Jack and Karen discovered him hiding out in a hotel room. Armed and fearing for his life, Johnson frantically absconds before Ramsay can take him to the station. As Ramsay takes off after him in hot pursuit, Dr. Luther appears and opens fire with a bad ass handgun. What is different about this firearm is that it fires smart bullets that can go around corners and avoid obstacles while tracking their target in much the same manner as a heat-seeking missile. These days we are all familiar with the concept of a ‘smart’ bomb and missile technology. There has also been some recent experimentation and development of similar smart bullet technology. Anyway, after a couple of attempts, Johnson is finally killed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>An attempt to identify Johnson’s killer begins with a computerized photo identity re-construction of the perpetrator’s face using a tablet-like device. Quite a step up from the old style artist’s sketch or the use of clear film containing various kinds of facial features.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the scene of Johnson’s murder, a ‘sniffer’ robot has picked up “diphenyl compounds and tetra-hydrocarbons.” The latter are explosive while the former are solid propellant, “like they use in rockets.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Vectrocon Security System</span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The investigation moves to Vectrocon, a company where David Johnson worked as an electronic engineer. The company’s Security Systems require a retinal scan to gain access – biometrics being commonplace in our own time in work places, gaining access to banking facilities, passport ID, mobile phone access and so on</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Another feature of our own life in the 21st century is the prevalence and sheer amount of personal data that is held on each of us, along with access and privacy issues. In the film, the Vectrocon company’s AI security system is described as a 5590 processor, with a Z-77 phonetic ROM, giving it a lifelike tone. Our own modern AI generative technology has reached the stage that it is becoming harder to distinguish between human and AI generated speech interaction and text. Also, think about how many times have we had to tell Google Assist and Alexa to shut up when they unexpectedly jump in and interrupt our conversations!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The information held on Johnson shows that he is 32 years old and has been with the company for four years. In addition, he is a graduate in electronic engineering and has worked on several projects: The Vectrocon Security System, the Phantom Missile and a laser-guided smart bomb. For the past year, he has worked in Special Projects. His biography also includes pass-times such as skiing, biking and water sports. Of interest to Jack is the Vectrocon Security project, but guess what? The old evasive chestnut - “That information is classified” is used to cut off further investigation.</span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“I'll knock this baby off quick”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jack soon finds himself responding to an incident in the very company where Johnson worked. As one of the executive secretaries, Jackie Rogers is being held prisoner by a robot, a 577 Sentry “with office-checking routines onboard” and equipped with standard issue sting level Taser shocks. However, this little sucker doesn’t seem to be able to be voice deactivated and “with these Sentries, the temperatures get too high and they pop their chips right off the motherboard.” </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0f3LUVaAvFeGHELcD3D6wYzeb6qHgoY3GGOZLJ7pEdVxX_zZeglWj5_QjxhDX1BXG_Nv2VEgJzdTj8AnR793rmd2dON7FFjlt1tn3Rhj25IFoghz9flRQdXXIHEnSrShaVlb1hfyPMn9moOh8k4tr4usOLEWWchWnX7dQNWrFoqkBP6-ALgdT0-J0Ndf/s264/images%20(2)_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="181" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0f3LUVaAvFeGHELcD3D6wYzeb6qHgoY3GGOZLJ7pEdVxX_zZeglWj5_QjxhDX1BXG_Nv2VEgJzdTj8AnR793rmd2dON7FFjlt1tn3Rhj25IFoghz9flRQdXXIHEnSrShaVlb1hfyPMn9moOh8k4tr4usOLEWWchWnX7dQNWrFoqkBP6-ALgdT0-J0Ndf/w274-h400/images%20(2)_edited.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Noticing how attractive Jackie is, its Ramsay to the rescue as he dives right in He-Man style sans insulation and padding. After a few comical attempts to demonstrate his prowess and being stunned (not stung) in the process, Jack manages to smother the little robot with his jacket before smashing the crap out of it with a chair in the hope of course of impressing Ms Rogers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0ZtlKfYaOEHVeD-oDcQ5mSBbOhRPlkuzAEb779i0SQcJ0Id8E_-O6g4ywozHo6TQOa4IHVXuDrt942oD8T5SsL7Yn7n-sEaw3DROToGtoE3APYLEP2TqIq9mav0D6_kywLUoGWfv8UoTPY4npwHFbapBcrnC5jLKRiO_qavAp_UJQTrEBfeNbTHAgrnA/s310/FfM3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="310" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0ZtlKfYaOEHVeD-oDcQ5mSBbOhRPlkuzAEb779i0SQcJ0Id8E_-O6g4ywozHo6TQOa4IHVXuDrt942oD8T5SsL7Yn7n-sEaw3DROToGtoE3APYLEP2TqIq9mav0D6_kywLUoGWfv8UoTPY4npwHFbapBcrnC5jLKRiO_qavAp_UJQTrEBfeNbTHAgrnA/w400-h250/FfM3.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jack tops off his effort by gallantly offering to accompany Jackie to the building’s exit. Jackie is rather reluctant to accept his offer not because she thinks he’s a jerk or some member of the chauvinistic male patriarchy as is the fashion these days. It turns out that she has in her possession the templates for the chips needed for Dr. Luther's smart bullets. Jackie claims that it is not her fault and that Luther made her get the templates from the vault otherwise he would kill her “the way he killed Johnson and the others.” Jack learns from her that Luther is at present attending a meeting at the Ritz Hotel.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-weight: bold;">“You screwed up good”</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Although it is not strictly within the purview of Ramsay's responsibility, he continues to investigate the case and discovers Dr. Luther in a room at the Ritz Hotel together with two other men and two young women. Jack justifies his involvement on the grounds that “this guy's a killer” and he “wont let him get away.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi_OytmRs5IeSmUbzuFYvGmusVPQmf-M7410bQ_XwOWz2wliUE_gOJsrxpEhLt7vDomudJBYLBQe-6jW-gMT63Jr0g-gnMoHG51UFyFEqgH7aKnKHapMr_tczIaWb8h-QigaHNrK3CBzJlICeCmaIcO4YEMdxcfmACK4a-1lrXWv_d-Q5amf0RzVdnsFs/s270/download_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="186" data-original-width="270" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi_OytmRs5IeSmUbzuFYvGmusVPQmf-M7410bQ_XwOWz2wliUE_gOJsrxpEhLt7vDomudJBYLBQe-6jW-gMT63Jr0g-gnMoHG51UFyFEqgH7aKnKHapMr_tczIaWb8h-QigaHNrK3CBzJlICeCmaIcO4YEMdxcfmACK4a-1lrXWv_d-Q5amf0RzVdnsFs/w400-h276/download_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After a gun battle involving the use of a “floater” drone to cover Luther’s getaway, two officers are killed and two wounded including Jack’s partner, Karen. Despite his fear of heights, Ramsay then heads up to the roof to rescue one of the young women being held by Dr. Luther. He eventually manages to rescue her but Luther has meanwhile escaped in a waiting helicopter.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">One of the two dead hoods at the scene had a degree in electrical engineering from Cal Tech while the other had a degree in solid state physics from M.I.T. Both men had great sounding Italian Mafia crime family names but unlike the stereotypical image of such criminals, these men were well-educated “high-tech shoppers” – a new breed of criminal in keeping with the prevalence and development of the lucrative business of modern technology. The question is, what were they buying?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ramsay is roundly reprimanded by his Chief due to the chaos and the deaths resulting from his actions and the fact he acted outside of his department’s area of responsibility. Jack, however turns his attention to his injured partner and steps in to extract an unexploded fragment from a live shell embedded in Karen’s arm, rather than run the risk of having her arm blown off should a robot be employed to conduct the operation. He does not trust the Disarm robot to do it as “they screw up all the time” and “it's over a year old and, they were never any good!” Be that as it may, no robot could perform the hazardous procedure with as much connection, empathy, care and consideration as Jack has done.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Unfortunately, Jack once again screws up big time, this time with Karen after she leaves hospital. His idea of having dinner at his place consists of going over office routines and station procedures, the usual things he would do when taking new partners to dinner. Doofus Jack has just managed to crush Karen’s hopes in that she wants him to see her as a woman and would hope he would want to spend time with her and not just as a partner. Is it any wonder that Jack is then left to wonder why Karen has turned down his dinner invite when told to “just forget it?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Upon returning home, Jack tells Lois to forget about dinner as his “dinner guest” wont be attending. Do we detect a hint of robotic glee at this news on the part of Lois who asks Jack if Karen forgot dinner supposedly misinterpreting his comment to forget about preparing dinner. Is Lois somehow 'feeling' quite content to erase the whole event including Karen from her memory?</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“You've heard of a bullet that has your name on it? This one really does”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The results of the recovery of a smart bullet from Luther’s weapon indicate a miniature heat seeking missile capable of locking onto a “specific person” by means of their “own unique heat pattern.” This raises the potential problem of terrorists getting their hands on and making use of such “microelectronics stuff. ”</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As for the chips, they can be used to override all CPU instructions and “turn any computer into a killer.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“This is a bad guy”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> It is eventually determined that the evil genius behind the high-tech crimes is Dr. Charles Luther, “a rich kid gone bad” who “likes to kill people”:</span><br /></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Served one to three, robbery.</span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Arrest, murder two, no conviction.</span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, overturned. </span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Mob connections.</span></li></ul><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is also determined that Luther got Johnson and Harry to design the chips, killed them and ran away with the illegal chips. The chips themselves were “run off </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">a regular assembly line” meaning that “there's photo templates to make more.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It now remains to find out who has the templates and locate them.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“He sees everything. He knows everything here”</span><br /></i></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Back at the precinct, we can see a workplace that is largely computerized together with CCTV and wireless blue-tooth style communication headsets being used. A phone call to Ramsay from Luther soon reveals the ease with which Luther is able to hack into the communications and surveillance system. Rather chillingly, Luther tells Ramsay, “You're standing by the desk punching buttons on the console trying to trace this call, which won't do shit, because I'm calling from a <i>mobile phone</i>. Now you're looking around. Now you're cupping your hand over the receiver.”</span><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAeGdAkjDB0NCwUckSGjPJwObCEkHHQ5THBquQzAAIPWxaCehY5lIZVN2wq5P4Jgf7WPB5aawll4Y7s-wxqVSFfZldkINb4xoWb5IRupfuHndfxVx2F9QI8oiln0i3cWMoNh_mCPPexf2Gn4l51dCok86rLs-unesRN3pvL5E-zkl46-sjkDAiqsj81G0/s259/images%20(8)_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="259" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAeGdAkjDB0NCwUckSGjPJwObCEkHHQ5THBquQzAAIPWxaCehY5lIZVN2wq5P4Jgf7WPB5aawll4Y7s-wxqVSFfZldkINb4xoWb5IRupfuHndfxVx2F9QI8oiln0i3cWMoNh_mCPPexf2Gn4l51dCok86rLs-unesRN3pvL5E-zkl46-sjkDAiqsj81G0/w400-h227/images%20(8)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Luther wants Ramsay to turn Jackie over to him otherwise he will kill both of them. With an ironic play on Ramsay’s role in the force and the title of his squad, Luther informs him, “You can't <i>run away</i>, Ramsay” as he will find him by means of his “little machines.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As a means of getting Jackie to safety, and hopefully forcing her to divulge the location of the stolen chips, Ramsay arranges for a police convoy to transfer her. Ramsay and Jackie ride in an autonomous police vehicle controlled by a robot driver while Karen uses another car armed with a laser gun. It isn’t long before the police convoy is attacked during a car chase by pursuing small robotic smart bomb vehicles. Eventually Ramsay and Jackie have to change cars while the pursuit is in progress. Despite Karen’s efforts at zapping some of the persistent devices, the car Ramsay and Jackie were in is blown up but luckily not before the transfer is made.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The lethal devices are zeroing in on a bug concealed in Jackie's purse. Just in the nick of time, Ramsay throws the bag out the car window before one of the robot bomb vehicles reaches their car. </span><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iRmeDac9lYZD5covaTPztdkDnZcXc4xT_5v_bcbEk5Jdo-M8mUWKp2t5Y8VZNFrNVBexlKwFvK95ytSQifkWodrAa2_9HUttThw18h1zG46nhVHjExrgif88zU1yyOiQ3qhyphenhyphen9BYkqnZwCCqqK04gLLXo3yHSoH3FQBpZqlWP3HPXwrM9DxZEREZxPm3j/s246/images%20(5)_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="246" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iRmeDac9lYZD5covaTPztdkDnZcXc4xT_5v_bcbEk5Jdo-M8mUWKp2t5Y8VZNFrNVBexlKwFvK95ytSQifkWodrAa2_9HUttThw18h1zG46nhVHjExrgif88zU1yyOiQ3qhyphenhyphen9BYkqnZwCCqqK04gLLXo3yHSoH3FQBpZqlWP3HPXwrM9DxZEREZxPm3j/w400-h254/images%20(5)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ramsay decides to make a public appearance with Jackie at a restaurant with the purpose of drawing Luther out. Being one step ahead though, Luther has hold of Karen as a hostage with the intention of exchanging her for Jackie and of course, the templates. Prior to the exchange, Jackie hands some of the templates to Ramsay, as insurance for Luther not killing her. However, upon discovering the templates missing, the psychopathic Luther kills Jackie and fires his smart bullets into the crowded restaurant at Ramsay as he makes his escape.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It turns out that Jack has planted a bug on Luther which later leads him and his fellow officers to a toilet facility at the City Hospital. Unfortunately, Luther has outsmarted </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">them as it it becomes obvious that they have merely “just staked out toilet paper.” Two young officers pay with their lives as one of Luther’s robot spiders kills one by injecting poison into her and then killing her colleague by exploding.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As part of his plan to retrieve the missing templates, Luther disguises himself as a police officer in order to infiltrate the precinct and make use of the police computers to obtain information about Ramsay's personal life, including his son. Luther uses an eyeball to get through the security retinal scan thereby gaining access to Ramsay's computer.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3r5x9Ki5NHwjHgVym_RLt8C0RBkUBL9BBiau_b0vZyk0gijjLMiUPsgotQmmiF_I9CvKXqo_lRhlvmAj0T9pkbzV6VLFKrYWLzl2AUSygUUaswn5FLxF-A7yKAgKgQtUzlJ9HAwMz0o9cKRLIiOpwqD7pAM1UdvCUk201inN9JLRmhcreWR0gf-onGj_/s275/images%20(7).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3r5x9Ki5NHwjHgVym_RLt8C0RBkUBL9BBiau_b0vZyk0gijjLMiUPsgotQmmiF_I9CvKXqo_lRhlvmAj0T9pkbzV6VLFKrYWLzl2AUSygUUaswn5FLxF-A7yKAgKgQtUzlJ9HAwMz0o9cKRLIiOpwqD7pAM1UdvCUk201inN9JLRmhcreWR0gf-onGj_/w266-h400/images%20(7).jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Upon discovering his information having been hacked, Ramsay rushes home to discover that Lois is damaged and his son missing. As Ramsay tries to retrieve the information concerning Bobby from a barely functioning Lois, Luther calls to inform him that he has kidnapped Bobby and will exchange him for the missing templates on condition that Ramsay comes alone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ramsay refuses to let Karen accompany or follow him to where Luther is holding Bobby and doesn’t trust her to keep any promise about not doing so. After he leaves, Lois draws Karen’s attention to the completion of her diagnostic check, then states that there is a malfunction and requests that a check be made on her battery connections. Sure enough, a recording is triggered that provides Karen with Ramsay’s destination. Was this an unexpected display of initiative on the robot’s part?</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">“They'll let you in, but they won't let you out. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">There's nothing you can do!”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ramsay arrives at an unfinished skyscraper construction site. Despite his fear of heights, he has no option but to go up in the elevator. Once he arrives on the floor where Luther has his son, Ramsay demands Bobby be released and will only then hand over the templates when his son reaches safety below in the elevator. However, the duplicitous Luther has arranged it so that as soon as Bobby gets off the elevator, his robot spiders will kill him as there can be no witnesses. He informs Ramsay that “the spiders have been programmed to kill the first one off the elevator.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ramsay frantically shouts down to Bobby to stop the elevator, but to no avail as Luther has fixed it so that the controls will not work. In the meantime, Karen has arrived and manages to rescue Bobby before he falls prey to Luther’s robotic arachnids.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">An enraged Luther begins blasting away with his gun containing the smart bullets, but Ramsay manages in a bit of sweet techno irony to activate the robotic construction equipment. The many heat sources thus created cause the bullets to miss their human target.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ArIpQzQ8_GMmOzozbGpPjf7EDaFPdPEy_MhHT0DPF-uUIdRUiBYyl1iqp5zK-VJEnb6kdHujs7wEQMFxp1xsaLkDcoZgpyESjq-huOROHSaGwW25xGxkzBG9GVPlVkEHKN4Xa35pnQb06BqwFv9hGbkTcHKm2dYw4Nfqgdylcw7EZ_9QAT2yuI5YolbX/s264/images%20(1)_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="264" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ArIpQzQ8_GMmOzozbGpPjf7EDaFPdPEy_MhHT0DPF-uUIdRUiBYyl1iqp5zK-VJEnb6kdHujs7wEQMFxp1xsaLkDcoZgpyESjq-huOROHSaGwW25xGxkzBG9GVPlVkEHKN4Xa35pnQb06BqwFv9hGbkTcHKm2dYw4Nfqgdylcw7EZ_9QAT2yuI5YolbX/w400-h226/images%20(1)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ramsay then tries to use the elevator to make his escape, but the elevator malfunctions, ascends rapidly to the top and abruptly comes to a halt. Once again, despite his fear of heights Ramsay is forced to perform aerial gymnastics in order to reach a reset button located underneath the elevator to restart it. He has to do all this while at the same time having to contend with homicidal robot spiders. </span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipGzQz1BYq4sfAp2M-DeJK3ZppOisC2MQpzm8ViUVXOYVl4Xxs4eq-SZh3O48d8QOF7p5fz7551W3C4YKMGlXSzR1IhxHFqOfjFGcRnRv_cyiYtzw9VgPhbGEs6laVgfBLoMj5zM4qFIthcUoAXgANhRExVG_IDpIMqo3E_eZLOysgqma9JW60fRA4Cgy/s296/images%20(4)_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="296" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipGzQz1BYq4sfAp2M-DeJK3ZppOisC2MQpzm8ViUVXOYVl4Xxs4eq-SZh3O48d8QOF7p5fz7551W3C4YKMGlXSzR1IhxHFqOfjFGcRnRv_cyiYtzw9VgPhbGEs6laVgfBLoMj5zM4qFIthcUoAXgANhRExVG_IDpIMqo3E_eZLOysgqma9JW60fRA4Cgy/w400-h230/images%20(4)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Having succeeded in dispatching the spiders, Ramsay restarts the elevator and descends. Suddenly, the elevator stops on the floor Luther is on. A maniacal and gloating Luther taunts Ramsay by telling him “that's good, Ramsay, but not good enough. Enjoy the view?” In response, Ramsay starts the elevator and during the descent, he and Luther fight. When Ramsay suddenly stops the elevator Luther is catapulted onto the ground to be greeted by his own programmed robot spiders - programmed of course to kill whoever comes down. They do indeed carry out their programming admirably by injecting Luther multiple times.</span><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3hLANs8jzdSDtUK6U5FfXfjQNmdcxkza2NpoH5BGspPG9dr47XVORD-Y9p76Z_OWEJF67ZE6QV67OyqCMDGAHib3qkGdm_9KH1dnBFwVb0biK47_YacKPxXAvTiUiApLgDiXW081kxKpcVk4IziZAXIvTzPpeghr9-Dm5YCGdbCFpFFiLQvwoXsMoHJq/s164/images_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="164" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3hLANs8jzdSDtUK6U5FfXfjQNmdcxkza2NpoH5BGspPG9dr47XVORD-Y9p76Z_OWEJF67ZE6QV67OyqCMDGAHib3qkGdm_9KH1dnBFwVb0biK47_YacKPxXAvTiUiApLgDiXW081kxKpcVk4IziZAXIvTzPpeghr9-Dm5YCGdbCFpFFiLQvwoXsMoHJq/w400-h290/images_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After Ramsay helps his son down and gets Karen to take his son back to the car, he approaches the seemingly dead Luther. Suddenly there’s a moment of shock as a screaming Luther reaches for Ramsay but falls back dead to be consumed by the mini conflagration caused by the self-destructing spiders that surround him. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“Just because you're a woman shouldn't make a difference, right?”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the film closes and Ramsay and Karen passionately embrace and kiss. it is obvious that they will be partners in the romantic sense of the word. Oh yes, and Ramsay has overcome his fear of heights and dinner will be served at last!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHbK27FQqK_dVtGxHTBNfTfHxoIEku8pRgQt1OXDHBdbSnqqQeR-grCOiay9U59SP7xy2A4lH-v8Fm0D5tdLx-c1V3dW1-UOpw9vYLBoASilKmheRGxPrGdUjCAzZgNFn7adZOwKtBHnL3o3VPiChn6sZLdrrqx7_LlQwEl4-WwPA0zzizHlhqstUbBEn/s300/images%20(3)_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHbK27FQqK_dVtGxHTBNfTfHxoIEku8pRgQt1OXDHBdbSnqqQeR-grCOiay9U59SP7xy2A4lH-v8Fm0D5tdLx-c1V3dW1-UOpw9vYLBoASilKmheRGxPrGdUjCAzZgNFn7adZOwKtBHnL3o3VPiChn6sZLdrrqx7_LlQwEl4-WwPA0zzizHlhqstUbBEn/w400-h224/images%20(3)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Points of Interest</u></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Runaway</i> (1984) had a multi-million dollar budget with big-name actors and a popular and famous author as its writer and director. Despite these factors however, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">it was overshadowed by such blockbusters as <i>The Terminator, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,</i> and <i>2010: The Year We Make Contact.</i> Unfortunately, the film was a box office disappointment.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film’s star, Tom Selleck appeared in Michael Crichton's film <i>Coma</i> and is best known for his role in the TV series, <i>Magnum, P.I..</i> It was good to see Selleck in a role that departed from the one he had in the TV series. In <i>Runaway</i>, he gave his character a great deal of believability and credibility. Runaway was his third starring film role following <i>High Road to China</i> and <i>Lassiter</i>. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film was first rock star Gene Simmon’s first feature acting role. He was offered the part after meeting Crichton and did not have to read for it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kirstie Alley received a 1984 Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The characters are generally underdeveloped and rather two-dimensional, with Luther being just plain evil in a comic-book fashion with little depth, the police captain being constantly on the verge of apoplexy while berating Ramsay and with Karen and Jackie serving mostly as eye-candy and potential love interests for Jack. They did their best with what they had to work with though. Ramsay’s character is probably the most interesting and credible one of the lot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">One standout feature in <i>Runaway</i> was the obvious on-screen chemistry between Tom Selleck and Cynthia Rhodes, who played Karen, Ramsay’s partner. She also had previously appeared in <i>Flashdance </i>and <i>Staying Alive</i> as a dancer, and in <i>Dirty Dancing</i> (1987).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Filming took place from 29 May to August 1984 in Vancouver while Selleck was on a break from <i>Magnum, P.I..</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The original musical score, composed by Jerry Goldsmith was his first all-electronic soundtrack.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The involvement and influence of the film’s writer/director, Michael Crichton encompassed such movies as <a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/search?q=The+andromeda+strain" target="_blank"><i>The Andromeda Strain</i></a> (1970), <i>Westworld</i> (1973),<i>The Terminal man </i>(1974), <i>Coma</i> (1978) and <i>Jurassic Park </i>(1993).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>While not quite on the same level as some of the other films, Crichton’s skillful direction enabled <i>Runaway </i>to move along at a fast pace and allowed it to convey a sense of inventiveness and originality which still stands up well today. Take for instance as a small example, the smart bullet-eye view scenes as the projectiles zeroed in on their human targets.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">From the time of Jules Verne, science fiction depiction of future technology has often been based on a particular era’s contemporary technical and scientific developments and extrapolating from those ideas. Some might see this as constituting a kind of prescience, prediction or foretelling the future. <i>Runaway</i> contains many elements of technology that existed at the time as conceptual ideas or were being developed such as domestic robots, voice-activated computers, biometric security, camera drones, tablet PCs, wireless headsets, and smart weapons.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You would have noticed the following kinds of technology used in <i>Runaway</i> that are only now starting to be introduced or have only recently formed part of everyday use in recent times:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><u>Autonomous Self-Driving Cars</u>: </i>In <i>Runaway</i>, the police cars have a robot driver which may be doing the driving, but the human element has been removed. In the 21st century we are on the cusp of antonymous driving vehicles becoming a reality but there are still many bugs and obstacles to be dealt with before they become widespread or even accepted in people’s minds. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><u>Digital Photo Editing</u></i>: In the film, the investigation involved the use of a digital sketch artist portable computer programme whereby hair and facial features are swapped in and out until an image of the suspect is arrived at.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><u>Drones</u></i>: In Runaway, “floater” drones equipped with cameras are used by the police to investigate a dangerous criminal situation. These days drones are used for this purpose as well as by citizens for personal recreation. Drones are also used for delivering goods to people, in search and rescue operations, in archaeology (photogrammetry), for peacetime and wartime surveillance, stealth targeting and bombing of adversaries during conflict and so on.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Smart Weapons:</u></i><b> In the film, Luther employs a smart bullet pistol that fires smart bullets that use a heat-seeking system to target their victim. The bullets can swiftly and deftly change course mid-flight and maneuver around corners before striking their target and exploding. In our time we have become accustomed to hearing and using the term “smart” weapons – a euphemism for disgusting products of mankind’s warped sense of morality and Luther-like mentality. (More on smart bullet technology-</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://youtu.be/TnluzkfPsrg" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">See YouTube Video</span></i></a>)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u>Tablets</u></i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">: Some the officers in the film handle what appear to be the equivalent of our tablet computers. Bobby using his screen device under the bed covers at night is something all too familiar to today’s parents.</span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Video Doorbells & Home </u></i><b><i><u>Surveillance</u></i>: In the film a video doorbell / entrance door recorder is used in the investigation to check the video messages. </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><u>Voice Activated & Interactive Technology:</u></i> We see and hear Ramsay verbally interacting with both his household Robot, Lois as well as with the Vectrocon Company’s computer. In our own time, we are becoming more accustomed to doing the same with devices like Google Assistant & Alexa, as well as with more and more sophisticated conversational and generative forms of Artificial Intelligence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><u>Wireless & Bluetooth:</u></i> In <i>Runaway</i> what uncannily resembles modern bluetooth earpieces are used by the police officers to communicate with one another. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><u><span style="color: #fcff01;">Concluding Thoughts</span></u></b></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Runaway</i> portrays a near-future world that in 1984 would have been well within the realms of possibility for audiences, while for 21st century audiences it presents scenarios that are becoming all too familiar. The film is not simply a cautionary tale about the evils of technology. Instead, technology is presented as being a pervasive part of our lives and is not necessarily inherently evil. In fact, technology assists humanity in so many ways but the problem arises when it winds up in the wrong hands and is used for nefarious purposes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Another aspect of technology is voiced by Ramsay when he says to Karen, that “relationships don’t work right, People don’t work right. People make machines, so why should machines be perfect?” This is something we are coming to grips with today as our lives are being more and more regulated by algorithms. What happens when our negative human traits, foibles, prejudices and biases are built into the devices we use? In addition, when does technological assistance and enhancement turn into dependence and with what consequences? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The role of the media, particularly television journalism comes in for a deal of scrutiny and criticism. Consider the intrusiveness of reporter, Miss Shields as she keeps popping up and sticking her microphone in Ramsay’s face in search of the angle and the story despite the tragic scene unfolding and the safety of others present. Then there is the cameraman who enters the house after Ramsay in a quest for an exclusive shot of the baby’s rescue despite the danger to himself, the baby being held hostage by the robot as well as to Ramsay who is trying to effect its rescue. Of course, the cameraman puts himself in danger and pays with his life. It isn’t very long though before he is replaced by another cameraman.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I’m not sure if anyone in 1984 could have foreseen how the much the media landscape would change over the course of 40 years. We’ve seen via a major technological development, a significant move away from (and distrust toward) traditional mainstream media to more fragmented and polarized forms of social media. Truth, fact and evidence have been replaced by “alternative” forms of “truth’ and “fact.” Shouting of unsubstantiated opinions have replaced reasoned debate and argument. Prejudice and emotionalism often colour our view of people and events. Misinformation and disinformation now seem to reign supreme. A lot can happen in just 40 years, much that tends to recur again and again in various forms, some of which can be foreseen and others that can never be imagined or expected and will take us by surprise. Consider the next 40 years……...you would be (if you don't live that long) and will </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;">(if you do)</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> be surprised!</span></span></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://archive.org/details/runaway.1984" target="_blank">FULL MOVIE LINK</a></u></i></b></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Speaking of technology, imagine how surprised people would have been back in 1984 by our ability to achieve the following using Artificial Intelligence....</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><u><span style="color: red;">BONUS:</span></u> <span style="color: #01ffff;">A review of “Runaway” by Chat gpt</span></span><br /><i><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Runaway" is a 1984 science fiction film directed and written by Michael Crichton, starring Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, and Gene Simmons. The film is set in a futuristic world where robots have become a common part of everyday life, serving various functions, from household chores to heavy industrial work. Tom Selleck plays the role of Sergeant Jack Ramsay, a police officer in a specialized unit tasked with dealing with runaway robots, i.e., those robots that have malfunctioned and pose a threat to society.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The plot follows Ramsay as he investigates a series of mysterious incidents involving robots going rogue, leading to deadly consequences. His quest for answers leads him to the brilliant but unhinged scientist Dr. Charles Luther, portrayed by Gene Simmons, who has developed a new generation of killer robots and plans to use them for nefarious purposes. Ramsay must stop Luther and prevent a potential catastrophe, all while contending with various deadly robotic threats and navigating a futuristic, tech-savvy world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Here's a brief review of "Runaway":</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"Runaway" is a solid science fiction thriller that effectively explores the potential dangers of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence. The film offers a glimpse into a future where technology has become both a boon and a curse, raising questions about the ethical implications of AI and its potential for misuse. Tom Selleck delivers a convincing performance as the rugged and resourceful police officer, and Gene Simmons brings a sinister charisma to his role as the unhinged scientist.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The movie is well-paced, with plenty of action sequences and suspenseful moments to keep viewers engaged. Michael Crichton's direction and the practical effects used to create the robotic antagonists contribute to the film's overall authenticity and tension. The film also benefits from a well-realized futuristic setting, featuring imaginative technology and gadgets that were ahead of their time in 1984.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">However, "Runaway" does have some weaknesses, including moments of questionable dialogue and character development. The storyline may seem somewhat predictable at times, and the film's depiction of technology and its potential risks may come across as dated when viewed through a modern lens. Nevertheless, it remains an enjoyable and thought-provoking addition to the science fiction genre, especially for fans of '80s sci-fi cinema.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In summary, "Runaway" is a competent and entertaining science fiction thriller that explores the dark side of advanced technology. It offers a mix of action, suspense, and ethical dilemmas, making it a worthwhile watch for fans of the genre, as well as those interested in the intersection of technology and society.</span></i><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">**********</span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>(Me again!)</b></span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">I remember back in 1984 or thereabouts, I was using an Apple iie computer that had green text on a small screen, commands that had to entered by the user and with big floppy discs that had programs like Bank Street Writer (old ancestor of Word and equivalents) that had to be inserted into a slot in the computer. Forty years on and we’re on the cusp of quantum computing! I sometimes wonder if we should bring back the ‘80s, with women with big hair and all!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Thank you for reading this post. Please feel free to download my FREE eBook, <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta: The Big Fat Book of Sci-Fi films Of The 1950s</i>.<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><i><u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/p/sci-fi-film-fiesta-big-fat-book-of-sci.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></u></i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>©Chris Christopoulos 2023</b></span>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-87284847853160889342023-09-20T01:27:00.003-07:002023-09-22T23:11:12.033-07:00Atragon (1963)<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;">( 海底軍艦, Kaitei Gunkan )</span></b></div><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">'The Undersea Warship</span><span style="color: #01ffff;">'</span></div></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWfvL7-kq4_LxSiQDZWcsSGFQaTjwD9G2QIxM9qFtt1XU12G4jETS99NAC-44IjtmJFpLa1EpK8nZtuZ9HfU2OLerVfykdnhdRLMpZoFUf8QRvvilqI6qDFdZ11pnVbo1SJRVnYoiarezvnrksDCBbJuZWHf2-LzKzBvgT5f9hGKyQR8fQi0OEfYi6Cjm/s2077/Atragon%20Gotengo%20flies_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2077" data-original-width="1456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWfvL7-kq4_LxSiQDZWcsSGFQaTjwD9G2QIxM9qFtt1XU12G4jETS99NAC-44IjtmJFpLa1EpK8nZtuZ9HfU2OLerVfykdnhdRLMpZoFUf8QRvvilqI6qDFdZ11pnVbo1SJRVnYoiarezvnrksDCBbJuZWHf2-LzKzBvgT5f9hGKyQR8fQi0OEfYi6Cjm/w280-h400/Atragon%20Gotengo%20flies_edited.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLTzYXDYHTvj9z141cMBiD1laVJzEufA2Xk6VLHXm9NIQObkQVU0j2lXs1JEX2r5d2aa7hTCROVXj80y7CedDYEuVbvOI9pwimV4h8kF2w6BfFd6nnk6ataB5OSLPZ_yobgiYDuxSRpjPuu2rHxtdfp7lklNjACLJCUISo6AL_gkYp9JG1w4QbcAjcs23/s1051/3%201-2%20stars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="1051" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLTzYXDYHTvj9z141cMBiD1laVJzEufA2Xk6VLHXm9NIQObkQVU0j2lXs1JEX2r5d2aa7hTCROVXj80y7CedDYEuVbvOI9pwimV4h8kF2w6BfFd6nnk6ataB5OSLPZ_yobgiYDuxSRpjPuu2rHxtdfp7lklNjACLJCUISo6AL_gkYp9JG1w4QbcAjcs23/w200-h39/3%201-2%20stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">A fairly entertaining Japanese science fiction film with impressive-looking sets and battle sequences together with a rousing music score. However, this is probably one of Toho’s and Ishiro Honda’s lesser efforts</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Directed by Ishirō Honda</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Screenplay by Shinichi Sekizawa[1]</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Based on <i>The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure</i> by Shunrō Oshikawa, <i>The Undersea Kingdom</i> by Shigeru Komatsuzaki</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Cinematography: Hajime Koizumi</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Edited by Ryohei Fujii</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Music by Akira Ifukube</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Production company: Toho</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Distributed by Toho</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Release date: December 22, 1963 (Japan)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Running time: 94 minutes[2]</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Box office: ¥175 million</span></span><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><u>Cast</u></span></h3><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jun Tazaki as Captain Hachiro Jinguji</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tadao Takashima as Susumu Hatanaka</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yōko Fujiyama as Makoto Jinguji</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ken Uehara as Rear Admiral Kusumi</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yū Fujiki as Yoshito Nishibe</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kenji Sahara as Umino</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hiroshi Koizumi as Detective Ito</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Akihiko Hirata as Mu Agent #23</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hideyo Amamoto as High Priest of Mu</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tetsuko Kobayashi as Empress of Mu</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Strange occurrences are taking place all over the world, including disappearances and kidnappings.</span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The legendary empire of the lost continent of Mu which disappeared 12,000 years earlier has reappeared.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Muans and their giant snakelike guardian, Manda are set to reclaim their supposed colonies and threaten the surface world with domination.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">The world’s countries unite to resist.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Embittered World War ll Captain Jinguji has created the greatest warship ever seen, that may be the surface world’s only defence.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite appeals for assistance from the rest of the world and even from his own daughter, Jinguji is reluctant to help.</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">But why?</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">What will it take for Jinguji (still bitter about Japan’s defeat in World War II) to decide to help save civilization?</span></i></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></div></span></i></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dznRSH2152KuwUwwqAohKcGi_6qIJyDPUz1vAWMEErpV2SFtA6p650lmToYv6VJ8cs_IRdec7_gbM7D0hEQ8w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></i></span></i></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Trailer</b></div></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i></span></i></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i><br />Read on for more....</i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span><i><br />(Spoilers Follow Below....)</i></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CYaQzr64kzyz_XAKxssX5dL_G2dNopPWiu8wyiR9iOh8rP9eBDB7hGS5hNmTyN7anssL959MQu5PjB3NeG76gUFp3R0Saw7r6K9QD1I1mL9cxI9Pzb09uVGpOam4BcN--AHTcXYlcCdq1lNmhZ46CVy6PsIsBR-bCgMInzLZOD9Psx47zh9xKhyHZMcZ/s300/images%20(3)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CYaQzr64kzyz_XAKxssX5dL_G2dNopPWiu8wyiR9iOh8rP9eBDB7hGS5hNmTyN7anssL959MQu5PjB3NeG76gUFp3R0Saw7r6K9QD1I1mL9cxI9Pzb09uVGpOam4BcN--AHTcXYlcCdq1lNmhZ46CVy6PsIsBR-bCgMInzLZOD9Psx47zh9xKhyHZMcZ/w400-h224/images%20(3)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">MYSTERIOUS <i>MU</i>-CHINATIONS</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Just 20 years previously, well within people’s living memory, a nation had been embroiled in a world war. This nation and its Imperialist and militaristic leadership had embarked on building an Empire and followed the long-standing practice of certain powerful western nations of forcibly acquiring colonies and exploiting their people and their resources. In the end though, it all came to naught when two cities of this nation and thousands of their citizens were obliterated by atomic weapons and the nation was forced to accept the unacceptable – unconditional surrender!</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCLnU7fS646YZXdocDd1oPXbE2l6vvsH7C-ZuIYs_suLqWpHnhVYC6QAehwcmVDfOFetwyjehStlDI4leO70FQnToboKtB3Lq5At148aOwhQCpQA60aHqNGJ3KXaq08OjXRHRI5VkDSI3Lrn90gXGuU_Eznss8Vs7gucTIa4AKU4Czsu1Raqyq_Nt02wW/s219/qakemi1_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="219" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCLnU7fS646YZXdocDd1oPXbE2l6vvsH7C-ZuIYs_suLqWpHnhVYC6QAehwcmVDfOFetwyjehStlDI4leO70FQnToboKtB3Lq5At148aOwhQCpQA60aHqNGJ3KXaq08OjXRHRI5VkDSI3Lrn90gXGuU_Eznss8Vs7gucTIa4AKU4Czsu1Raqyq_Nt02wW/w320-h237/qakemi1_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Now we find the minds of people of this nation preoccupied with more trivial and less violent pursuits as exemplified by the film’s opening involving a night-time ‘summer by the sea’ magazine photo shoot featuring a shapely bikini-clad model. As they work on getting the right shot, photographers Susumu and Yoshito suddenly witness a car flash by them before plunging into the ocean. </span></span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The next day at the scene, a detective investigates the case and learns that a chauffeur who was waiting for Mr. Shindo at the Towa Construction Company was choked and had passed out. Further questioning of the reporters who witnessed the incident involving the stolen car indicated that they were taking PR pictures at 12.20am when a man suddenly came out of the sea. They went on to tell the dubious detective that it appeared the man seemed to be made of vapor or steam. The diminutive chauffeur confirmed that the hands that chocked him were indeed very hot. Although the car had been retrieved by the authorities, no bodies were discovered.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Shortly afterwards, Susumu and Yoshito spot Makoto Jinguji, daughter of deceased Imperial Captain Jinguji. Their interest in her is that she would make a fine model but before they can catch up with her she is obviously keen to avoid them and is quickly driven away but not before she and the car are photographed. And who is that suspicious-looking character who appears to be observing and following Makoto?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Our dynamic duo are now presented with a bit of a problem: how to find Makoto in a city with 1o million people, half of whom are women? Why, by means of the licence plate number (SO 72-95), of course.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During another round of questioning involving the detective and our intrepid duo, it is learned that an engineer was kidnapped at a dam site making him the second one since the previous night. The detective is still not convinced about the vapor-man story as there’s no real evidence to support it. All that can be stated with certainty is that the two kidnapped men were civil engineers and cave-in experts. Suddenly, an earthquake (not a rare occurrence in Japan) shakes things up just a bit for good measure. Coincidence?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yet another odd character has emerged from the car retrieval crime scene and has come to confront retired Rear Admiral Kusumi who is now a shipping company president but had been Captain Jinguji’s former superior. This strange character looks like a refugee from the Beat generation and seems to be suffering from the cold despite being firmly swaddled in a coat and the somewhat mild weather. He goes by the name of Umino and claims that he’s a <i>True Story Magazine</i> reporter. Umino gets right to the point and claims that Captain Jinguji is alive and is working on a new submarine project. Lending substance to his claims, Umino makes reference to a submarine that sailed on the night the war ended...the A- 403.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Susumu and Yoshito now have a lead on Makoto’s whereabouts, she and Kusumi discuss her father. Makoto learns that the night before he left for an attack he came to Kusumi and asked him to look after her. She was 3 years old at the time. This is hard for Makoto to understand being part of a younger generation who have little or no memory or war-time Japan and the kind of ethos that prevailed. During her father’s time, the old Samurai principles or code of Bushido prevailed in the then militaristic-led Japan. Loyalty, honour, courage, self-sacrifice and patriotism were qualities that were emphasized whereby one’s country came before personal feelings and even one’s life. Death before dishonour was considered to be paramount. Kusumi regards the commitment he made to Jinguji as being a mark of personal honour as failure to fulfil it would mean he could never face Jinguji or indeed himself.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While in a taxi, Makoto informs Kusumi that a strange man has been following and watching her when she goes out or when she’s near her apartment. Suddenly, they realize they are on the wrong road. They are in fact being abducted by the taxi driver who is taking them straight to the sea side. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The taxi-driver is Mu Agent No.23 from the Mu Empire – the supposedly mythical empire that sank into the Pacific Ocean thousands of years ago. While training his gun on the now expanded party of captives with the inclusion of our two paparazzi boys, Mu Agent No.23 demonstrates his special energy powers: generating tremendous heat through his hands.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Why are they all standing on the beach? Well, a submarine (yep that one over yonder) is supposed to pick them all up with the captives destined to work as slaves for the Mu Empire. Suddenly, Agent 23’s brief period of gloating is interrupted by a badly choreographed punch-up involving him and one of the wannabe sleuths which ends up with the gun winding up in the hands of Kusumi. Not afraid of being shot and killed knowing that other agents will come to get Kusumi and Makoto, Agent 23 dashes off into the sea amidst a burst of gunfire after declaring to the others that they'll meet again.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">AN ULTI-<i>MU</i>-TUM</span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During another session with Detective Ito, this time at the Metropolitan Police Dept., there is a discussion about the episode involving the Mu agent and the Mu Empire. Suddenly a package from the agent and inscribed with "MU" arrives for Admiral Kusumi. Thinking at first that it may be a bomb, it is discovered to instead contain a spool of film.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film reveals the existence of an undersea continent powered by a geothermal "sun." Those viewing the film are informed by the film’s narrator that 12,000 years ago, the Mu Empire existed in the Pacific Ocean and that the entire world was ruled over by that empire. Fate, however seemed to have intervened and the Mu continent sank to the bottom of the sea in one night. The descendants who survived now live at the bottom of the sea and have made a sun using terrestrial heat as well as using buried resources. The Mu civilisation far surpasses the civilisation of those who dwell on the surface of the earth.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUF6OfzZ-TLA3QYdYCviebErkD7UZtSt3oNmgkDSz9MV-wd24t-xT7HTuM_adPaDnDq-DBORWxPUW0nbHvtWhW2r2K5toowanJ67OIMQc332yAGjaNNDglU23RP3YQzUYfyTq4LOxQrQ0tq7UOSOsH4xMSXiYlTGc4apLfffYGo_kZmjNga86iWXy7P8G/s720/atragon2_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUF6OfzZ-TLA3QYdYCviebErkD7UZtSt3oNmgkDSz9MV-wd24t-xT7HTuM_adPaDnDq-DBORWxPUW0nbHvtWhW2r2K5toowanJ67OIMQc332yAGjaNNDglU23RP3YQzUYfyTq4LOxQrQ0tq7UOSOsH4xMSXiYlTGc4apLfffYGo_kZmjNga86iWXy7P8G/w400-h169/atragon2_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At one point in the film, the Admiral’s attention is drawn to the sight of the A-403 submarine, the Japanese Navy's pride, it being the best and largest submarine commanded by none other than Capt. Jinguji.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">When the submarine was taken by the ‘Muans,’ Captain Jinguji and his crew were not on board. Reports indicate that Jinguji is building a more powerful and efficient submarine - </span><i style="color: #fcff01;">ATRAGON</i><span style="color: #fcff01;"> - an undersea battleship named </span><i><span style="color: red;">GOTENGO!</span></i></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Admiral Kusumi and all in attendance are instructed to stop the construction of <i>Atragon</i> immediately and return the world to the Mu Empire, so that the people of Mu can inhabit the earth again. Failure to capitulate will result in the Mu people’s curse together with their deity’s messenger, MANDA falling on the heads of the surface dwellers.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After initial scepticism concerning the film’s authenticity, it is decided that the ultimatum constitutes a case of blackmail and it is beyond the capabilities of the police to deal with it.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After the mysterious destruction of a vessel at sea, newspaper headlines proclaim global shock, panic, death and destruction:</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">MU DECLARATION SHOCKS WORLD!</span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">VENICE DESTROYED!</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">HONG KONG IN RUINS!</div></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">In response to all the evil-doings, orders are sent to the world's newest atomic submarine - the </span><i><span style="color: red;">Red Satan</span></i><span style="color: #fcff01;">. With a name like that one would think it was a sub crewed with evil communist devil worshippers. Nevertheless, whatever occult powers it might have possessed, the world’s best submarine was crushed by water pressure when it tried to pursue the Mu vessel.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With a sense of impending hopelessness, thoughts turn to desperate measures such as the use of the H-bomb. A very touchy proposition considering Japan’s wartime history of being the target of the world’s only deliberate and aggressive use of atomic weapons on cities and their citizens. Not to mention the insane amount of nuclear bomb testing that blew the hell out of Pacific islands and atolls and their inhabitants being used as guinea pigs to test the effects of radiation and fallout. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With doubts about the H-bomb’s power in high pressure water and the limitations on its use due to <i>moral principles</i>, thoughts now veer towards <i>ATRAGON </i>which it is felt must have something which the boffins of Mu are scared of. The UN definitely concurs with adopting this course of action.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In order to achieve this goal it will be necessary for the Admiral to contact Captain Jinguji at once. Not only did the Captain serve under Kusumi, but he had also disobeyed his orders. The Admiral kept silent for the Captain’s sake when he left. The question is, where is the Captain now? </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Remember the not-too handsome craggy-faced man who earlier had been following Makoto? Well, he seems to have gotten himself arrested. It turns out that he was a naval officer who had served under Captain Jinguji. In answer to previous questioning, this man identified as Warrant Officer Amano stated the number 8561, a Japanese Navy tag number.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Amano’s training and discipline comes to the fore in the presence of (former) Rear Admiral Kusumi as he promptly stands to attention and answers the questions put to him. The others learn from Amano that Captain Jinguji is still alive but he is under orders not to say where he is. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly another earthquake is felt followed by a broadcast message from our old slippery friend, Mu Agent 23. This is designed to underscore his demands that the world must obey the Mu Empire and become its colony. In addition, the Admiral is instructed to order Captain Jinguji to stop building <i>Atragon </i>otherwise the world will be annihilated. (Damn their eyes, the fiends!)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Remember Beatnik boy who earlier confronted the Admiral? Well, he’s somehow turned up again and passing himself off as a reporter just as the Admiral is asking Amano the present whereabouts of Captain Jinguji. Amano’s sense of loyalty to his captain prevents him from telling the others where he is but he instead offers to lead them to Jinguji's base.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">SUB-<i>MU</i>-RINE GOTENGO!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rGutAl4QssmOqUeTBcuPfM8bWNR1F5C0VzzLiCy_TgG05CKb-2MgsceL7l-Ci2ECv2RJZ-tSoXu4GGbomA3ctb5axcHi8spCXqLr6PMmsM0ZRmzJ1g7Ogf5cpCtqPOXl36CWEo9-yJ4VWdyjd1OziS1LMq2L5zDCp0ce3P6CK0N97twBoYB7OvKcnvbU/s720/atrgon6_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rGutAl4QssmOqUeTBcuPfM8bWNR1F5C0VzzLiCy_TgG05CKb-2MgsceL7l-Ci2ECv2RJZ-tSoXu4GGbomA3ctb5axcHi8spCXqLr6PMmsM0ZRmzJ1g7Ogf5cpCtqPOXl36CWEo9-yJ4VWdyjd1OziS1LMq2L5zDCp0ce3P6CK0N97twBoYB7OvKcnvbU/w400-h169/atrgon6_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After several days of travelling by plane and boat, the party reach an isolated tropical island. Met by a contact party consisting of representatives of Jinguji's forces, they travel by land rover across what appears to be a volcanic-like plain on the way to Captain Jinguji’s base.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBkPfJ82GbQD8YPRizODjOJVfKLi1f0hA8c4EksvDJOSxeTWbZsERupsB8ToS3NRAgZYxfxrc5O8q_ZuZ1j5IpkdBf6UhbfZ_UXLnHXr1hYqt-PdM_fhVXImll-yDQ62D6AFVZ14WtN1TU8y37w9GJifpO92GpIP9_b3tw_WWw2saYA9ZkIaY-QA_psmZ/s346/images%20(5)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="346" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBkPfJ82GbQD8YPRizODjOJVfKLi1f0hA8c4EksvDJOSxeTWbZsERupsB8ToS3NRAgZYxfxrc5O8q_ZuZ1j5IpkdBf6UhbfZ_UXLnHXr1hYqt-PdM_fhVXImll-yDQ62D6AFVZ14WtN1TU8y37w9GJifpO92GpIP9_b3tw_WWw2saYA9ZkIaY-QA_psmZ/w400-h169/images%20(5)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile within the Mu territory, the inhabitants await news as to the location of Jinguji’s base. Suddenly, their undersea realm is rocked by an earthquake followed by a cave-in at Power room 57. Prayers are then offered up to the Mu God seeking help with the rebuilding of their glorious Mu Empire on earth again and passing on their hardships to the slaves on the surface of the earth.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagxTQxh8rhbiHk8bE4pHFeXp2KqUJYO-3f0s4JFqHIRgSxcgt4VUJJqQEA0uyRubATgWyZLO0NHkTUFPZqR26haCQtuhwpiPnGkvsGcAtVzOz7cm0D9VuTc6dXPD-Y8_HOj89AypvNyi3xNftCO1kUZNS0sHKgbR0noo-dcTAaEwSAnZfaFnvsP-A97Ta/s300/AtragonBowing.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagxTQxh8rhbiHk8bE4pHFeXp2KqUJYO-3f0s4JFqHIRgSxcgt4VUJJqQEA0uyRubATgWyZLO0NHkTUFPZqR26haCQtuhwpiPnGkvsGcAtVzOz7cm0D9VuTc6dXPD-Y8_HOj89AypvNyi3xNftCO1kUZNS0sHKgbR0noo-dcTAaEwSAnZfaFnvsP-A97Ta/w400-h168/AtragonBowing.gif" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kusumi and the others are facing their own hardships at the moment as they find themselves and their vehicle stuck in the loose soil. As they get out and push to free the land rover, Beat Boy reporter turns into an instant mineral detector and observes that the land around them contains iron pyrites, bauxite, manganese – all untapped resources.</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPaBn1gNEWvOoI2ug6fsOtwd1RvgpkOTpXZyxGK6Y-fYcoMqykqMCHmujiIOu1FpRYnrz_KgqYF1gC0kpb0bdnZFjbTAuZ9Q7sBRIn_AJghRhziKKkQBDDrFNpAoJ-LexzutiXr0NHYrjGSy_-Jivsb53afn97sF95ISMd4GtUB0AeQ1_0S-mun4A6Frq/s720/atragon_captain.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="720" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPaBn1gNEWvOoI2ug6fsOtwd1RvgpkOTpXZyxGK6Y-fYcoMqykqMCHmujiIOu1FpRYnrz_KgqYF1gC0kpb0bdnZFjbTAuZ9Q7sBRIn_AJghRhziKKkQBDDrFNpAoJ-LexzutiXr0NHYrjGSy_-Jivsb53afn97sF95ISMd4GtUB0AeQ1_0S-mun4A6Frq/w400-h169/atragon_captain.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Eventually the party arrives at the <i>Goten Kinbu Corps</i> where the admiral and Captain Jinguji come face-to-face for the first time in 20 years. More importantly it is the first time that Jinguji has seen his own daughter Makoto in all that time. However, the brief flicker of emotion in the father’s eyes is replaced by an expression set hard with steely determination to get down to business. One can only imagine the disappointment felt by his daughter.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jinguji is informed by the others that the world urgently needs <i>Atragon</i>. Jinguji flatly refuses Kusumi’s appeal stating that <i>Gotengo </i>is for Japan alone. He built <i>Gotengo</i> for the sole purpose of restoring the Empire of Japan after its defeat in World War II. Even though the war has been over for 20years, his company had not surrendered.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly Makoto runs off in anger and bewilderment. Susumu angrily confronts Jinguji, slams him for his coldness in not even having a kind word for his own daughter and accuses him of being “war crazy.” Susumu then heads after Makoto to comfort her.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgn9a5eyq6mFGdjZ3_BF7_-9BbeEHiCICEPq6GoN1gcG9-qh3Ga4hWac4M1-oxsShIRfS_agEI2w0hdUcN6vWiOKSG2QOVUuOYDQklbQ_r88t4wC9qMDaMRXVO6uaAGr3khx_DYboSoUgX3jMmxPKI-H_GmogTikzpC6aPl5wKINGGP9f7Q835712bZdE/s400/atragon4_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="400" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgn9a5eyq6mFGdjZ3_BF7_-9BbeEHiCICEPq6GoN1gcG9-qh3Ga4hWac4M1-oxsShIRfS_agEI2w0hdUcN6vWiOKSG2QOVUuOYDQklbQ_r88t4wC9qMDaMRXVO6uaAGr3khx_DYboSoUgX3jMmxPKI-H_GmogTikzpC6aPl5wKINGGP9f7Q835712bZdE/w400-h161/atragon4_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later on the party is summoned to a vast underground facility to witness a test run of <i>Gotengo</i> which proves to be a success. Like something from the pages of Jules Verne’s <i>Master of the World</i>, the heavily armoured submarine rises out of the water and ascends into the sky to fly about the island. It is even equipped with a cold air cannon that can instantly freeze whatever it hits at the temperature of absolute zero.</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56CNf7w-EHH0sAM4twIPpcBLpX6ES3JGVmQa3FicQKLY90GJ_cgMgJ9zTcKNxGXbUJ9EnFSyUveIOApiREOn5lrnnrO-nauUTVxDiy_E3zayA5aJemdWgAzGfoKkt33c8qhdNXJC87lw89-V8dVePhfJJyTxd0pdZ1PV8grY8JSTuG_wPsqrRDSqNdEia/s540/tumblr_8e316ec412e5484b45d534d87327ba75_782896c7_540.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="540" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56CNf7w-EHH0sAM4twIPpcBLpX6ES3JGVmQa3FicQKLY90GJ_cgMgJ9zTcKNxGXbUJ9EnFSyUveIOApiREOn5lrnnrO-nauUTVxDiy_E3zayA5aJemdWgAzGfoKkt33c8qhdNXJC87lw89-V8dVePhfJJyTxd0pdZ1PV8grY8JSTuG_wPsqrRDSqNdEia/w400-h169/tumblr_8e316ec412e5484b45d534d87327ba75_782896c7_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Some of the history behind the building of the <i>Atragon</i> is also been revealed along with the reason that the Muans now possess the A-403 submarine. When the captain and his forces were searching for a place for a base, an unidentified submarine attacked them. All of the planning would have failed if they died, so they used A-403 as a decoy to escape. When it was captured by the Muans, they found it to be empty. However, the blue print of <i>Atragon</i> was left behind. The Muans had knowledge of what was afoot but lacked the details.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoGAhpUL7H9U3h7c32_kjRQNKZCgXehLQnbsnScxBnOovLMRYEsGD6A0eKkgkoq7yBNcUifdt81FjnR1PiKCTgMKQ0OHVhYMrqR0PFWHoRcpqK43IeUQJX8kftY5O54PJUxOXMB8RNAxGxWOY0goVs3X5WrCxs3KrUaO2o97yOwAW8EmddRAl9Q7ZI7uE/s1067/816631865_orig_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="1067" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoGAhpUL7H9U3h7c32_kjRQNKZCgXehLQnbsnScxBnOovLMRYEsGD6A0eKkgkoq7yBNcUifdt81FjnR1PiKCTgMKQ0OHVhYMrqR0PFWHoRcpqK43IeUQJX8kftY5O54PJUxOXMB8RNAxGxWOY0goVs3X5WrCxs3KrUaO2o97yOwAW8EmddRAl9Q7ZI7uE/w400-h248/816631865_orig_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The rift or gulf between two worlds - the old and new japan – is evident when Kusumi tells Jinguji to stop addressing him as Admiral as he touches an (literal and symbolic) old scar. Jinguji stands before his old commander like some isolated Japanese soldier who has just emerged from the jungle after 20 years not knowing or accepting that the war is over and still filled with a sense of duty and patriotism. Kusumi informs him that the new Constitution has renounced war and that with the passage of time thinking has changed. The world together with Japan is in danger and needs <i>Atragon </i>and that Japan is now a part of the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jinguji is intent on making Japan great again and continues to refuse Kusumi’s appeal, stating that he built <i>Atragon</i> for their nation’s navy and that he has devoted his whole life to his country. If times have changed then he’ll turn back the clock and change it again with <i>Atragon</i>.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The exchange between father and daughter also serve to highlight the generational divide or rift between the old and new ways of seeing the world. Makoto is far happier holding on to an idealised version of her father rather than being confronted with the reality of him and what he represents: a way of thinking that is indistinguishable from that of the people of Mu. For that, Jinguji’s daughter hates him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After the harsh exchange of words between father and daughter and Makoto’s departure, Susumu approaches Jinguji and reproaches him for his selfishness by refusing to come to the world's assistance in its time of crisis. He accuses the Captain of being a ghost wearing rusty armour named patriotism.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Before he leaves, Jinguji gives Susumu a photo of himself and his infant daughter stating that he had kept it close to him for 20 years. He finally requests that Susumu </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">take care of Makoto. He has never stopped loving his daughter and has held on to her memory for 20 years. It is almost as if he expects never to see her again much as a Kamikaze pilot may never expect to see his country or loved one’s again after he performs what he sees as his ultimate duty for his emperor and nation.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">MORE <i>MU</i>-NOEUVRINGS</span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Shortly afterwards, Makoto and Susumu are kidnapped by the beardy beatnik reporter who had earlier set a bomb on the base’s dock which has now detonated, crippling the base.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rRrgQhHb7kUcWA3D3BnwVIQm_vzmNknVtWFiUVQcAIBkk6T8YGXtAkFO3HHrGwo_R-0ky3O4VWBsCPtz1wWlfV0jFdOnjCRNBBobnljAsJnkv0rjMuXUepBTTu96uwJiHtB0F3V2aGzGgS2h5MTXjvxZk9ApXay1avNgPc_o_wi5wa3uSFRGHQ3OxfuP/s494/ti110896_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="494" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rRrgQhHb7kUcWA3D3BnwVIQm_vzmNknVtWFiUVQcAIBkk6T8YGXtAkFO3HHrGwo_R-0ky3O4VWBsCPtz1wWlfV0jFdOnjCRNBBobnljAsJnkv0rjMuXUepBTTu96uwJiHtB0F3V2aGzGgS2h5MTXjvxZk9ApXay1avNgPc_o_wi5wa3uSFRGHQ3OxfuP/w400-h213/ti110896_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During a great choreographed shin-dig back at the Mu Empire, the prisoners are brought before the Empress who declares that they are to be sacrificed to Manda!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAV6qecD0eCVzbYeG8vQourzD7FdZ2FX4cIkLGW8GkdFyxliAmSIvOkEYAyuQn5F2BWdg0B0tDzMwpm1gbzvHEfekrQlxaakJppKvaBGUlQQPw82wYqmkbdpncaOrVyJnUEaeVZeYpT3Qr43vg315CqK9eoNO2uyx5hQthEl36RlZbrQRGg26z_G4LKXr/s428/tumblr_mpfncuaFOf1ql7fuho1_400_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="296" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAV6qecD0eCVzbYeG8vQourzD7FdZ2FX4cIkLGW8GkdFyxliAmSIvOkEYAyuQn5F2BWdg0B0tDzMwpm1gbzvHEfekrQlxaakJppKvaBGUlQQPw82wYqmkbdpncaOrVyJnUEaeVZeYpT3Qr43vg315CqK9eoNO2uyx5hQthEl36RlZbrQRGg26z_G4LKXr/w276-h400/tumblr_mpfncuaFOf1ql7fuho1_400_edited.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Conceding that he had indeed been wearing rusty armour, Jinguji now appears to have changed his attitude and consents to Kusumi's request to employ the Gotengo for war against Mu Empire.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Mu Empire issues a warning to the entire world to destroy the <i>Atragon</i> and return the Empire’s colonies immediately! The extent of the threat from the Mu Empire can be gauged from shots of (miniaturised models) New York skyscrapers and other landmarks from around the world.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile in downtown Tokyo, the tension and feelings of anticipation among the military stationed throughout the downtown area is broken when the Mu Empire launches a devastating subterranean attack with the ground seeming to give way under the buildings causing them to crumple into the earth.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8nmZne-VCVJj6B1WN1vFSI1MX63IzIQMhcmC2bKHlKZb7vX2aEb2DantPZZONmvmQsgFbmblezPkRBOtXA8ayGaFFK7AdZyBh9_AkvJLBwaLe5fHg221RYX_43RdQvpub_e1wUO08G8-Q3YRsOvwOWk2Rjk7udhvWkG4ViMaCppj30Xj3OxZQ-mioFvs/s789/Atragon-302539981-large_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="789" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8nmZne-VCVJj6B1WN1vFSI1MX63IzIQMhcmC2bKHlKZb7vX2aEb2DantPZZONmvmQsgFbmblezPkRBOtXA8ayGaFFK7AdZyBh9_AkvJLBwaLe5fHg221RYX_43RdQvpub_e1wUO08G8-Q3YRsOvwOWk2Rjk7udhvWkG4ViMaCppj30Xj3OxZQ-mioFvs/w400-h249/Atragon-302539981-large_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While <i>Gotengo</i> appears and proceeds to pursue a Mu submarine to the Empire's entrance, Susumu, Makotot and two other prisoners escape their cell and manage to kidnap the Empress of Mu. After donning Mu aqualung and wet suits, they are pursued by Manda, but are soon rescued by <i>Gotengo.</i> A battle then ensues between the submarine and Manda with the serpent grabbing a firm hold on the sub’s hull. A surge of electricity through the hull soon loosens Manda’s hold and the “Absolute Zero Cannon" is employed to freeze the Mu beastie.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">TER-<i>MU</i>-NATION</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-MpVIK3ImTSEbYDdsHnwWUsKp2GL1djtOSrA36942Z0NqWLMdeZODMNb14xz8dGaoMxdMM968R7lpZccMaz0thMxk8qJ7xXNl-rJ79V-dAtxWAlYsLGyrhuD1fKjFGpAt_7I6Trr8fRiO_QbTZrBW2-VVDXwR5beQAVxO8yPj-rOTqoW5x8IT45uwQqH/s1026/maxresdefault_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="1026" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-MpVIK3ImTSEbYDdsHnwWUsKp2GL1djtOSrA36942Z0NqWLMdeZODMNb14xz8dGaoMxdMM968R7lpZccMaz0thMxk8qJ7xXNl-rJ79V-dAtxWAlYsLGyrhuD1fKjFGpAt_7I6Trr8fRiO_QbTZrBW2-VVDXwR5beQAVxO8yPj-rOTqoW5x8IT45uwQqH/w400-h191/maxresdefault_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jinguji offers the Empress peace terms, but she refuses somewhat similar to the situation faced by wartime Japan when called upon to surrender. With little choice left, Jinguji directs <i>Gotengo </i>into the heart of the Empire’s power room - the Empire’s heart located six miles below the palace where terrestrial heat is used for Mu energy. The vessel’s cannon is then used to freeze all of the geothermal machinery. </span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DOgO_w1t3ds3utylxuZxj_HQ12tKOxFPN9G3aaPBWdq71-5IKjCX-Hw-MMM2VQ4jYuaG0DPKt83fZImsZ5enIUJ9GiK07L8zFjIqXn28BgJQZajp55XoMNy4X3gyJzE7_-pZCGdnOBbaYavMEwU6aPnGa83MXga7JVDGmIgh4DhSG1C3uuLu-XXQa9Wp/s299/images%20(1)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="299" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DOgO_w1t3ds3utylxuZxj_HQ12tKOxFPN9G3aaPBWdq71-5IKjCX-Hw-MMM2VQ4jYuaG0DPKt83fZImsZ5enIUJ9GiK07L8zFjIqXn28BgJQZajp55XoMNy4X3gyJzE7_-pZCGdnOBbaYavMEwU6aPnGa83MXga7JVDGmIgh4DhSG1C3uuLu-XXQa9Wp/w400-h161/images%20(1)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Upon surfacing successfully, the crew of <i>Gotengo</i> witness a cataclysmic explosion signalling the end of the Mu Empire. Jinguji can well appreciate the Mu Empress’ desire to share her Empire’s fate in the undersea conflagration when he allows her to escape and leap from <i>Gotengo’s</i> deck into the roiling sea. </span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Points of Interest</u></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Atragon</i> (海底軍艦, <i>Kaitei Gunkan 'The Undersea Warship'</i>) is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu (Japanese special FX ) science fiction film directed by <i><u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-tribute-to-ishiro-honda.html" target="_blank">Ishirō Honda</a></u></i>, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The American title of this movie "Atragon" is an abbreviation of the words "Atomic Dragon."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Produced and distributed by Toho, it is loosely based on <i>The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure</i> by Shunrō Oshikawa (1899) and <i>The Undersea Kingdom </i>(1954-1955) by Shigeru Komatsuzaki.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Augustus Le Plongeon (1825–1908) introduced the notion of “Mu” as being a mythical lost continent, the "Land of Mu" identified with, what else? - Atlantis. It was later identified with the hypothetical land of <i>Lemuria </i>by James Churchward (1851–1936), who claimed that it was located in the Pacific Ocean before its destruction.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcSuAQOVG3Cm6_gcswYUin0Wum-XyIl8V76OtPoAT9spHHdvz-efYG5CD4hdZZURrLnrZCwQ8TgGEPrOlOusjpTHyVpNPaywBA6RhwRQ47ZlP-79MX1iUIqMujDeB8L5lNHni_nyBuFcLhQ82W1l255Py5B4eIV1NTx8OTmQGMSG-yaO3Tf25Gz387iQh/s267/images%20(2)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="267" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcSuAQOVG3Cm6_gcswYUin0Wum-XyIl8V76OtPoAT9spHHdvz-efYG5CD4hdZZURrLnrZCwQ8TgGEPrOlOusjpTHyVpNPaywBA6RhwRQ47ZlP-79MX1iUIqMujDeB8L5lNHni_nyBuFcLhQ82W1l255Py5B4eIV1NTx8OTmQGMSG-yaO3Tf25Gz387iQh/w400-h283/images%20(2)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Five models of <i>Gotengo,</i> all at various scales, were built for the film with steel hulls for supporting their internal mechanisms. The largest was 4.5 meters (15 feet long), manufactured by a ship-building company for the price of 1,500,000 yen. It was fully operational with wings, fins, gun turrets, a bridge and the drill, all movable by remote radio control devices built into the hull. It was also large enough for a technician to lie inside the hull and manually operate some of the ship’s movable parts. The 30 cm model was used mainly in water tank shots to depict <i>Gotengo</i> cruising on the surface of the sea. A small mechanical arm was attached to the ship beneath the water line, providing the ship mobility. Moreover, <i>Gotengo</i> was just so damn cool!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxtwZQPxlCBtuLIHxHd2Hi8BkEPhayq8vy3xxeC7hn62oyYLDL9og1B6ZdxPEsaT-XJiJA-NEgq7udNl4Q0bOkq-oLhfRS5hsVWzcz9IF0bht2WWgLtXnGEJpIplaboV4ptnUywutSwDumC76_GpOu_7Fi5nAwfRdD7z7qdaJYV_LS2-JZfPhMGaxsMwz/s352/atragon2%20(1)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="352" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxtwZQPxlCBtuLIHxHd2Hi8BkEPhayq8vy3xxeC7hn62oyYLDL9og1B6ZdxPEsaT-XJiJA-NEgq7udNl4Q0bOkq-oLhfRS5hsVWzcz9IF0bht2WWgLtXnGEJpIplaboV4ptnUywutSwDumC76_GpOu_7Fi5nAwfRdD7z7qdaJYV_LS2-JZfPhMGaxsMwz/w400-h170/atragon2%20(1)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Filming of <i>Gotengo’s</i> trial run made use of an indoor water tank with a miniature shore line placed in front of a huge curved backdrop painting with the scene being shot in three different cuts, each of which used a different scale miniature sub along with the use of an underwater crane, high speed photography, wires and air jets to create the illusion of mass and propulsion. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The scene where the American submarine <i>Red Satan </i>is crushed by water pressure was done by pumping air out of the model. A cool science experiment!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJIrb_KOspr5VaZHGnMwz14pQFhxTUK5gZAjfaYDokS24nvvfuU1xndyBj_OBs0wMR9mMxAclXgjz7n7CYG5Vz-yM41rLgewv68kazOCUFWeGVK82caXe7dcHDVquynJ1GGDsquzSmE2JXfmJXZGU_q7j5mlQMil2TRGA44ilcB75UAIdj45TsNfQYuva/s259/images%20(4)_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="259" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJIrb_KOspr5VaZHGnMwz14pQFhxTUK5gZAjfaYDokS24nvvfuU1xndyBj_OBs0wMR9mMxAclXgjz7n7CYG5Vz-yM41rLgewv68kazOCUFWeGVK82caXe7dcHDVquynJ1GGDsquzSmE2JXfmJXZGU_q7j5mlQMil2TRGA44ilcB75UAIdj45TsNfQYuva/w400-h301/images%20(4)_edited.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Toho’s Stage No. 11, the largest on the back-lot was used for the Mu ritual extravaganza. An elaborate backdrop measuring 30 feet high and 120 feet long was made for long shots of the Empress and her court overseeing the Mu ritual. The royal contingent observing the 600 male and female dancers was placed on a small platform with the pillars, balcony, and antechambers all painted in perspective on the backdrop.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Ginza and Marunouchi areas reproduced in miniature at 1/20 scale were used for depiction of the destruction of the Tokyo business district. The model buildings were made of plaster, with some made with internal steel structures, ensuring that that they would partially survive the destruction. The buildings’ main supports were partially cut through and ropes were tied to each support beam with all the ropes being attached to the bumper of a truck. The intention was for the underground collapse to slowly ripple through the city, destroying it in a rolling wave. Needless to say it did not go according to plan as the truck driver panicked and drove off too quickly causing the entire model city to collapse at the same time. Recourse was made to some nifty editing later on.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QoVl7iOq1hf43yCzuIFPx5yDKpGTCtihsiEHDjTrb5OLICNy-Z28PqX1V-6CdMRauYckC12aUKWgMCT12KFlTnKPhKuzDbwk39MxwFBWKtzbiEcLjg1PBdCKN5ABrxz35iUqqgbyjRlwthuathv-DSKviaxlA06KZfBi71zrC_NfQ6pBJSiSEJszCrwb/s500/tumblr_ox4fmu1QA31wzw0ebo1_500.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="500" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QoVl7iOq1hf43yCzuIFPx5yDKpGTCtihsiEHDjTrb5OLICNy-Z28PqX1V-6CdMRauYckC12aUKWgMCT12KFlTnKPhKuzDbwk39MxwFBWKtzbiEcLjg1PBdCKN5ABrxz35iUqqgbyjRlwthuathv-DSKviaxlA06KZfBi71zrC_NfQ6pBJSiSEJszCrwb/w400-h169/tumblr_ox4fmu1QA31wzw0ebo1_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">An outdoor water tank on the Toho back-lot was used for shooting the attack by the Mu submarine on Tokyo Bay. Ten miniature tankers were constructed, each to a different scale and were distributed in the water tank to create a forced perspective thereby adding greater depth to the scene. Six automatic remote-control cameras shot the scene simultaneously as six miniature ships exploded in sequence. Conventional animation was used to integrate the Mu subs’ ray to the live action.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The underwater sequences were achieved through the use of camera filters and smoke machines.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The illusion of an immense wall of smoke and flames erupting from the explosion of the Mu power chamber was achieved by using a small water tank against which a camera was secured and positioned upside down beneath the water line. A sky backdrop was placed behind the water, and coloured paints pouring into the water created the billowing clouds.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Instead of a dragon, Manda was originally envisioned as a giant rattlesnake. However, Manda’s design was changed to resemble a Chinese dragon with 1964 being the Year of the Dragon.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwWTVb-nYXPbBZ0qDPVMdBn-DxrKsr_dsR0beIWKBi8CQ7jAks6Ll-Qhy26QGuWg4UtfhqhW_hQeR0WXYP_O9vMrLt0NgRFqDWAFLLhsQlGy5cefeSx9XccKuHmn7kgSJwb1IwaDiKWVi8jwUEt06oYTdLgmLsLq9TZ9KhixoRKAkYWRsE8Y5LrBiOQM-/s800/image-w1280.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwWTVb-nYXPbBZ0qDPVMdBn-DxrKsr_dsR0beIWKBi8CQ7jAks6Ll-Qhy26QGuWg4UtfhqhW_hQeR0WXYP_O9vMrLt0NgRFqDWAFLLhsQlGy5cefeSx9XccKuHmn7kgSJwb1IwaDiKWVi8jwUEt06oYTdLgmLsLq9TZ9KhixoRKAkYWRsE8Y5LrBiOQM-/w400-h225/image-w1280.webp" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Manda was built up as being a frightening and awesomely powerful creature. Strangely enough, it couldn’t even give a decent account of itself in its battle with <i>Atragon</i> and only appeared briefly mainly in the second half of the film. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The strength of the film itself lies in the personal struggles of some of the characters such as the tortured Jinguji who is torn between his loyalty to Japan, his love for his daughter and the ultimate fate of the world as they face attack from and domination by the Mu Empire. It is also interesting to note that the threat to Earth is not by aliens from outer space but from beneath the ocean by a once thought of lost civilisation. The Muans are descendants of the lost continent of Mu who are also reminiscent of the lost continent of Atlantis, except that the Mu are located in the Pacific.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Atragon </i>also raises some interesting questions concerning the way in which a nation and its people attempt to come to terms with its past and how it envisions its role in the future and its place in the world. When people find it hard to cope with change or when times are desperate, solutions are often sought by seeking out and clinging on to historical myths and idealised views of the past. Unfortunately the more unpalatable, overlooked and forgotten aspects of this past may often lie in wait below the surface ready to emerge and claim the hearts and minds of the susceptible…..</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><u>My Country</u></span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There, there, my country…</span><br /></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You long for Stalin, Peter the Great, another Patton</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Or Genghis Khan to again wield a strong baton,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For order, peace, security and prosperity</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Will help to hide the scars of their barbarity.</span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There, there, my country…</span><br /></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You wish to make real a glorious myth and fantasy,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Of Teutonic ideals and Aryan supremacy,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Of a thousand years’ marching to the beat,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Crushing all that’s human under jack-booted feet.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>There, there, my country…</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You feel that you have long been on the wane</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">But what if you could be made great again?</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What fun you’d have erecting walls and spreading lies,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Trampling truth while seeking to self-aggrandise!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>There, there, my country…</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I know there is little notion of honour or loyalty</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">But what if the Empire were to regain its former glory?</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Samurai would rise again and Bushido reign supreme,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You could then go forth to conquer, not to redeem!</span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There, there, my country…</span><br /></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hand on heart, misty eye on flag and vaulting voice,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Soaring high in unison with all who made the choice</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">To die for God and country and fight for all that’s right,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For <i>THEY</i> are wrong and evil will soon feel <i>OUR</i> might.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>There, there, my country…</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You’re made to feel guilt for sins of your forefathers,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Forever saying sorry for a past full of strangers,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Feeling resentful of a present you no longer know,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Fearing one day having been outgrown long ago.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>So there, my country…</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">On and on goes the cavalcade of human stupidity,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Glimpsed through rose-coloured lenses of present idiocy</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As you forward march on an endless hamster wheel,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Unwilling to jump off and escape an endless ordeal.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">********</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> All in all, Honda has directed far better films than <i>Atragon,</i> but I recommend you watch it and try to enjoy it for what it is despite some of its short comings. Just don’t expect it to be on the same level as Japanese classics of superior quality such as<u> </u><i>The Mysterians, <u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2018/11/battle-in-outer-space-uchu-daisenso-1959.html" target="_blank">Battle In Outer Space</a></u></i>, <i><u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-h-man.html" target="_blank">The H-Man</a></u></i>, <i><u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2013/12/godzilla-1954.html" target="_blank">Gojira </a></u></i>or <i><u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2015/05/rodan-1956.html" target="_blank">Rodan</a></u></i>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><u><a href="https://archive.org/details/atragon-1963" target="_blank">FULL MOVIE </a></u></i></span>(English Subs)</b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><u><a href="https://archive.org/details/atragon1963exportenglishdub" target="_blank">FULL MOVIE</a></u></i> </span>(English Dub)</b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;">Thank you for reading this post. Please feel free to download my</span><i><span style="color: red;"> FREE</span></i><span style="color: #fcff01;"> eBook, <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta: The Big Fat Book of Sci-Fi films Of The 1950s.</i></span><br /><i><u><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/p/sci-fi-film-fiesta-big-fat-book-of-sci.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></span></u></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>©Chris Christopoulos 2023</b></span>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-11146196328204666362023-08-20T01:21:00.002-07:002023-08-20T22:25:08.361-07:00Island of Terror (1966)<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zviLqb683xCIMEqwXy6DeqMYsL3_uR7qI6eNREa2_7r44qnMp2KUADrUIOS_AoOTeLIIEaCRBi36erSApADzG8w_Y8dWQO3DKuPT33m9QLB1JZ-6IW5IS9owTcHwfPA02KRU8Fz_ZxeIy5WRBT6WPbdVInH-jYH4Mn0kT7mdBylx1s_2s3Ih9hujtC3R/s1500/MV5BMjYxMzBlMmItNmQyYi00NDNiLTlkMjgtYTQwNjZkYzk0NWFmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI4MjA5MzA@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zviLqb683xCIMEqwXy6DeqMYsL3_uR7qI6eNREa2_7r44qnMp2KUADrUIOS_AoOTeLIIEaCRBi36erSApADzG8w_Y8dWQO3DKuPT33m9QLB1JZ-6IW5IS9owTcHwfPA02KRU8Fz_ZxeIy5WRBT6WPbdVInH-jYH4Mn0kT7mdBylx1s_2s3Ih9hujtC3R/w266-h400/MV5BMjYxMzBlMmItNmQyYi00NDNiLTlkMjgtYTQwNjZkYzk0NWFmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI4MjA5MzA@._V1_.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygODhWe4kEfNY4G0dbjErFcncbQo5cBEASVb1VlQM0yRFK1llgxWo0PTX7OB9mGh1LheE2OOwzw3Hj6J-h51CrG5O4y4BdSv8Dv3Vhcki-r-xCt1PZD2d3QHbAIDJzcwaoeMo0cao0CrWHcq_Hn1NmZzFAvjNrkF1AGJCbTU0Gsd9HIWYkfBTwrAs-IXg/s200/4star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="46" data-original-width="200" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygODhWe4kEfNY4G0dbjErFcncbQo5cBEASVb1VlQM0yRFK1llgxWo0PTX7OB9mGh1LheE2OOwzw3Hj6J-h51CrG5O4y4BdSv8Dv3Vhcki-r-xCt1PZD2d3QHbAIDJzcwaoeMo0cao0CrWHcq_Hn1NmZzFAvjNrkF1AGJCbTU0Gsd9HIWYkfBTwrAs-IXg/s1600/4star.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;">A competently directed British sci-fi / horror gem with a stirring and eerie musical score, colorful and crisp cinematography and an entertaining combination of suspense, humor and horror.</span></i></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Directed by Terence Fisher</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Written by Edward Mann Al Ramsen</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Based on an original story by Mann and Ramsen</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Produced by Tom Blakely</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Cinematography: Reg Wyer</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Edited by Thelma Connell</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Music by Malcolm Lockyer</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Barry Gray (electronic effects)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Production company: Planet Film Productions</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Distributed by Planet Film Distributors, Universal Studios (US)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Running time: 89 minutes</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Country: United Kingdom</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Budget: £70,000</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;"><u>Cast</u></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Peter Cushing as Dr Brian Stanley</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Edward Judd as Dr David West</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Carole Gray as Toni Merrill</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Eddie Byrne as Dr Reginald Landers</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Sam Kydd as Constable John Harris</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Niall MacGinnis as Roger Campbell</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">James Caffrey as Peter Argyle</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Liam Gaffney as Ian Bellows</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Roger Heathcote as Dunley</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Keith Bell as Halsey</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Margaret Lacey as Old Woman</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Shay Gorman as Morton</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Peter Forbes-Robertson as Dr Lawrence Phillips</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Richard Bidlake as Carson</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Joyce Hemson as Mrs. Bellows</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-weight: bold;">An isolated remote island community is threatened by an attack from something unimaginable!</span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Will this small community be able to fight back against the encroaching deadly horror?</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></i></div></i></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><i><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzuky9jlwq4g4vxYlqn6OpL_8T-7KNBEHMNghuUcgc9FzX5ZMQoWgTWOm3ayxnwtDeX_O6qNHzOo_tIACh-Rw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></i></i></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Trailer</b></div></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></i></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Read on for more.....</i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>(Spoilers follow below)</i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="color: #01ffff; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“He doesn't like company much”</span></i></div><i><div style="color: #01ffff; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“That's why he picked as isolated a place as this”</span></i></div><div style="color: #01ffff; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #01ffff; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA-6lRkqDx0mXHx04r25fBCMbh4Sc0o2JLw3Xsnkyk8vgLvXKjjJlJVEZy86ncF4mIRAmuWqdabUFvzUPU0CyGvJqj3pahwypnFysFR4PnhihdDUPlAPQHsO2gkmQnkCQam10yFM6H2OLmJGkyyxnqYHsN4CBhGYJdnry1Nqtmq4v2Av5WJ8nc4OqirWR/s304/images%20(7).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="304" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA-6lRkqDx0mXHx04r25fBCMbh4Sc0o2JLw3Xsnkyk8vgLvXKjjJlJVEZy86ncF4mIRAmuWqdabUFvzUPU0CyGvJqj3pahwypnFysFR4PnhihdDUPlAPQHsO2gkmQnkCQam10yFM6H2OLmJGkyyxnqYHsN4CBhGYJdnry1Nqtmq4v2Av5WJ8nc4OqirWR/w400-h218/images%20(7).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></i></div></i></span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">On the small isolated Petrie's Island situated off the east coast of Ireland, Dr. Lawrence Phillips has recently arrived to set up a sophisticated laboratory in an out of the way mansion on the island's peninsula. Dr. Phillips and his assistant Carson supervise the unloading of their equipment. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Observing the unloading on the dock are locals Peter Argyle, the general store operator; Roger Campbell, the ‘mayor’ of the island; Constable John Harris; Dr. Reginald Landers, an ‘outsider’ who has resided on the island for a good 10 years; and farmer, Ian Bellows. It is remarked that Dr. Phillips is something of a recluse but Dr. Landers states that “he's one of the top research men in the world” and that “researchers are like that” in that they tend to shy away from </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;">close </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">contact with any human beings who are not from their own fields of research.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The isolation and insignificance of the island and its community is reinforced by the observation that all the unfulfilled promises that the uncaring mainland has made to the islanders is due to the fact that “we don't pay enough taxes.” Apparently there are no working phones on the island and there is only one boat a week from the mainland. We can be sure that this will not bode well for the inhabitants of Petrie’s island.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">“I've waited a long time for this moment”</span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“There shouldn't be any snags”</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We next shift scenes to the laboratory where Dr. Phillips tells Carson that they will begin their experiment without first co-ordinating with the teams in Rome, New York, and Tokyo. (Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast!) After a bit of scientific techno-babble gobbledygook, Phillips is confident that “if we're successful today, it may well be that we have the cure for cancer.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly the screen turns blood-red followed by the sound of breaking glass suggesting that something dangerous has managed to breach containment…….. </span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Roll main title display</span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">That evening a fog rolls in, the very one predicted by Peter Argyle on the dock who stated to the doctor, "if you weren't a newcomer, you'd feel it in your bones." The irony of this comment will shortly become all too obvious. We then see Ian Bellows, carrying a lantern near a cave entrance on a cliff-face overlooking his property not far from Dr. Phillips’ residence. He is suddenly pulled short by an odd atonal sound. Curious, Bellows enters the cave to investigate only to disappear from view. Only the sight of his lantern’s light moving up and down on the cave wall accompanied by the sound of his own anguished cries followed by a sickening slurping noise offer us a clue as to his fate. </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“I'm afraid something's happened to him”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5wNZr6GKvkAGLbzEikHGmraB1W3PR-9-B-ugklTjO22rWA6GtR9wbbz1MTJlAH7hROZCjQT-pr95A_2kQnq80SWNQFUxFFpXiup_5Whinr1_IJ3wI5vceTFB5qinMXqZ0llh5EuO_8espH5nJV5zMQdDC0ehf9aZPvKoIo5tlwKvqPZ0-oJMTUTOtN0R/s768/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="768" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5wNZr6GKvkAGLbzEikHGmraB1W3PR-9-B-ugklTjO22rWA6GtR9wbbz1MTJlAH7hROZCjQT-pr95A_2kQnq80SWNQFUxFFpXiup_5Whinr1_IJ3wI5vceTFB5qinMXqZ0llh5EuO_8espH5nJV5zMQdDC0ehf9aZPvKoIo5tlwKvqPZ0-oJMTUTOtN0R/w400-h296/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later, Bellows’ wife goes to Constable John Harris' house to seek his help with locating her overdue husband. In good old-school small village fashion, Harris readily obliges and personally bicycles his way to the cave to investigate. It isn’t long before he locates the body of Bellows, but unlike any other corpse he might have been acquainted with, this one appears to be soft and malleable.</span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“There was no face, just a horrible mush with the eyes sitting in it”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"> Realizing that he is dealing with something both shocking and beyond his experience, Harris enlists the assistance of Dr. Landers. Both men then go to retrieve the body of Bellows and convey it to the island medical clinic. An autopsy is conducted on the body but not much can be determined. The clothing together with an appendectomy scar confirms its identity, but the most intriguing and unexpected discovery is that Bellows' skeleton is completely missing!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“We can't take chances”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Landers instructs Harris not to mention what has occurred to anyone until he finds out what they dealing with. He intends to see Dr. Phillips first to seek out his expert assistance as this incident involving the death of Bellows is beyond his knowledge. If Phillips is unable or unwilling to help, Landers will then take the emergency launch, the islanders’ only means of communication with the mainland in between a larger vessel’s weekly visits, and go and see Brian Stanley, “the most eminent pathologist in Great Britain” who is in London. In case they have to fly back, Landers instructs Harris to “build a signal fire on Moor Heights.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At this stage Landers believes that they may be dealing with a disease which is “virulent and could be contagious.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When Landers calls on Dr. Phillips, no one answers the door. Landers then implements the next stage of the plan and takes the emergency launch to the mainland, where he proceeds to London to seek out the eminent pathologist, Dr. Brian Stanley....</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“If that's true, it's beyond me”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Landers meets with Dr. Stanley who has just completed conducting one of his classes. Stanley appears to enjoy the respect and good will of his medical students with whom he engages in friendly banter concerning their dubious progress with their studies. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Landers quickly get to the point of his visit by informing Stanley that “we've discovered a body without any trace of bone in it.” Such a case is beyond even Stanley’s knowledge and experience. He therefore suggests they seek out the assistance of Dr. David West, the renowned expert on bone diseases and according to Stanley, “the most qualified man on bone disease that I know.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“That's why we're tossing it into your lap. You're the young genius.”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">We find the good Dr. West occupied with an attractive young wealthy and socialite-type lady, Toni Merrill. She is in fact his patient after “writing off a very expensive Maserati” which led her to be taken to the emergency suite where our good doctor was in attendance.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zoWPFz4Qk-VYxjIB4bihYcx4J2NboLMLmuLGK4vDyzul60jxxkS5UodH2Q6fzAhCrdrSHtNWUq8iZe60YrEamT9qpqjvpaQTDBm5ynNACe-sOb8rlW3S8VdVFRIzNbQabwFlyLjCmixUg8_Ngpy_4pY37wO7_oSMjYBxnWdOmHNJyoazhFsnDak1zsmU/s1295/MV5BMjVkOTkzOTAtNzgxNi00ZmY4LTg0NmQtNzQxMzYzZDE4MTY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1295" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zoWPFz4Qk-VYxjIB4bihYcx4J2NboLMLmuLGK4vDyzul60jxxkS5UodH2Q6fzAhCrdrSHtNWUq8iZe60YrEamT9qpqjvpaQTDBm5ynNACe-sOb8rlW3S8VdVFRIzNbQabwFlyLjCmixUg8_Ngpy_4pY37wO7_oSMjYBxnWdOmHNJyoazhFsnDak1zsmU/w400-h334/MV5BMjVkOTkzOTAtNzgxNi00ZmY4LTg0NmQtNzQxMzYzZDE4MTY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After Toni’s discharge, what was Dr. West to do but take her back to his place for dinner? As luck would have it, West managed to spill wine on her dress which explains why Toni is clad in just one of his shirts and displaying her shapely legs in her endeavours to prove that what spoilt little rich girl Tony wants, spoilt little rich girl Toni gets.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Again as luck would have it, right in the middle of the couple’s game of lip lacrosse, the doorbell rings. While Toni fetches West’s dressing gown, the doctor answers the door to admit Stanley and Landers. It seems that Stanley is taking some delight at having interrupted West in his post-medical rehab activities. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Toni confirms she can look just as good in a man’s dressing gown as she can in a man’s shirt, Landers and Stanley explain the situation to West. Of course, West is sceptical and initially tries to dismiss their story with sarcastic humour: “No </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">bones? Yes, well, of course, this is quite a common....” Eventually West is intrigued by the problem and expresses a desire to see Bellows' body for himself. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is decided that they ought to fly back and like a shot Toni offers to ask daddy to lend them his helicopter but on one little condition- she is to accompany them. What ever spoilt little rich girl Toni wants…</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“Looks like we'll be marooned on the island for a few days”</i></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuov7AQNejUJXF4nIqaL7rSNoZ10R2szMOBqyJEBWJDlzbzVt-zZISt_f-we-px1Cmm3wtJJzyQkIrezZDUq3SysLLQF0915E7F-lJDUefLZCM9beK28TS9nMMgWRsMJOp5jKJAyXULAqtw_1Iajb1Cqa8c9q18Kr52oGjU1BR4YTKNMFVINjo_RTZqe3/s1632/MV5BYzUwZjFjZWQtZjEwOS00NzAzLWEyYTgtOTJiMTJjMDdmZWFjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1632" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuov7AQNejUJXF4nIqaL7rSNoZ10R2szMOBqyJEBWJDlzbzVt-zZISt_f-we-px1Cmm3wtJJzyQkIrezZDUq3SysLLQF0915E7F-lJDUefLZCM9beK28TS9nMMgWRsMJOp5jKJAyXULAqtw_1Iajb1Cqa8c9q18Kr52oGjU1BR4YTKNMFVINjo_RTZqe3/w400-h225/MV5BYzUwZjFjZWQtZjEwOS00NzAzLWEyYTgtOTJiMTJjMDdmZWFjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As preparations are made to fly to the island, the copter pilot tells them he cannot wait for them as Toni's father (due to his business commitments) will need the helicopter. This means that they will be to all intents and purposes, marooned. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Shortly afterwards the helicopter </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;">guided by the signal fire, l</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">ands and the three doctors and Toni are greeted by Constable Harris and Dunley, a hunter.</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>“Not a very pretty sight”</i></b></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HQhihJMv_gLKRTGF2iMCN_QvoX17k4WFVRJIx_WfLp_DLziuCWx1LGMT02orbdMruk3U0tRR-8CLQxvin8gdy1EbNFZ9i33yKhn2-ngFfK5BwWhYpv6WUcj7etO1SHt7xV2VDqUNHe18PiNCOEpPG0zizJgCugZgGdnszY5YuYt_TY_K3OfGUqERSqXl/s400/vlcsnap-2018-05-25-08h34m05s214.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="400" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HQhihJMv_gLKRTGF2iMCN_QvoX17k4WFVRJIx_WfLp_DLziuCWx1LGMT02orbdMruk3U0tRR-8CLQxvin8gdy1EbNFZ9i33yKhn2-ngFfK5BwWhYpv6WUcj7etO1SHt7xV2VDqUNHe18PiNCOEpPG0zizJgCugZgGdnszY5YuYt_TY_K3OfGUqERSqXl/w400-h270/vlcsnap-2018-05-25-08h34m05s214.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Landers takes Stanley and West to the clinic to show them Bellows' body which turns out to be "not a pretty sight" what with its protruding eyes and tongue along with its grotesque mushy appearance. The tests that are performed reveal “a series of minute punctures…..all over the body” indicating that “something could have entered the body through those punctures” possibly “some kind of enzyme.” It proves difficult to determine “if they open inwards or outwards” or indeed if they are “punctures or ruptures,” raising the question as to whether “something came out or some organism producing an enzyme went in.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">One thing for certain is that “there's not one trace of calcium phosphate in the whole body” indicating that “this enzyme, or whatever it is, seems to attack and break down the calcium phosphate” which is “a major component of human bone.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What is not yet know is “if there's a connection between the perforations </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">and the absence of bone” and whether they might “be simply two </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">evidences of a similar syndrome.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At this point in the three doctors’ ruminations, the lights start flickering due to apparent trouble that the island community has been having with the generator recently. The generator supplies all the electric power of the island.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MLE3LUhzEAcZ6SYS9SKPioxvRsTPTpZxC6x5fjtsIpEkKZpGsxTRYMH9zS1yG3AsDfO_pPYBLUuuMjCSvwB3h577VYJTrRwEJX5bHjO7HTy2Wq9-xpDLxm0B30nFot1tRzfKMFNmSGVjdRqpNgmQIEMZP3HaPjdL0afHc6EQNBUI13autTNKzuOzC8Xm/s1280/islandofterrornobones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1280" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MLE3LUhzEAcZ6SYS9SKPioxvRsTPTpZxC6x5fjtsIpEkKZpGsxTRYMH9zS1yG3AsDfO_pPYBLUuuMjCSvwB3h577VYJTrRwEJX5bHjO7HTy2Wq9-xpDLxm0B30nFot1tRzfKMFNmSGVjdRqpNgmQIEMZP3HaPjdL0afHc6EQNBUI13autTNKzuOzC8Xm/w400-h245/islandofterrornobones.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Unable to continue their investigation due to the inadequate facilities of the clinic, the three men head out to the mansion of Dr. Phillips. Upon their arrival there is no response to their knocking on the front door so it is decided that a bit of breaking and entering might be in order. When the men gain entry, they discover Dr. Phillips, his butler and his two assistants dead, all displaying the same horrific physical symptoms as Bellows. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is concluded that since Phillips had no contact with the villagers, a contagious disease can be ruled out. “Whatever it was, it must've started in this lab.” If so, “it might be moving down the peninsula towards the village.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Judging by what they observe inside the mansion, the three men are convinced that </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Phillips and his staff “were fighting something, or the death throes were pretty violent.” They then decide to collect Phillips' notes and study them in the hope that </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">it could give them a lead on what happened.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“At least I think it's one of my horses. It's all soft and flabby”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Stanley and West collect Dr. Phillips' notes and take them to the inn to study, Morton, a farmer discovers one of his horses dead in a similar soft and flabby condition to the dead humans. Morton heads off to Constable Harris’ place to report this. Having to forgo a lovely cup of tea, Harris sets out on his trusty bicycle to seek out Dr. Landers who had earlier left him a note indicating where he and his colleagues were going.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"> When Harris gets to Dr. Phillips' mansion and enters, he is confronted by the same scene as that witnessed by Stanley, West, and Landers. Upon entering the cellar, he hears the strange atonal sound that is a prelude to something horrific happening. When Harris enters the room that contained test animals, an octopus-like tentacle descends on him and hooks him under his chin. The last we see and hear of Harris is his anguished expression as he cries out in fear and pain. I for one will certainly miss the steadfast, dependable and intrepid constable!</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“It's a bloody mess, a pile of flesh”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">The next morning, Landers pays a visit to Harris’ place but does not find him there. Later on he comes across Peter and Morton at the general store. Morton informs Landers of his dead horse and of its strange appearance being of “a bloody mess, a pile of flesh.” Landers is struck by the fact that this happened on "the other side of the island." Somewhat evasively and abruptly, he rushes off leaving Morton and Peter puzzling over the "strange goings-on." Peter then decides to see the head of the island, Mr. Campbell who ought to know about what has been taking place.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQgsm00XVHpc7IjYMP1kOoJHtfajjF3-_yCFZixixV1Y-w6Rtuj3vonklpL-Nc1yLjWIIIYfLe67QjoWZcjXw1zmD_dWSIHKVwGn_WVyr_YKdMwx4CpyR-gJ52-uh71vC3uDzvrVMINHslYLGDJpTRcvaWDEzp-Th-_X0jYru5nw8fnO-qLg-4TNWrkKE/s140/MV5BZDNlZTQxZGItMGIzMS00ODI2LWE1MWYtOGI5ZWVmYzc3OWI4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_QL75_UY140_CR55,0,140,140_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="140" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQgsm00XVHpc7IjYMP1kOoJHtfajjF3-_yCFZixixV1Y-w6Rtuj3vonklpL-Nc1yLjWIIIYfLe67QjoWZcjXw1zmD_dWSIHKVwGn_WVyr_YKdMwx4CpyR-gJ52-uh71vC3uDzvrVMINHslYLGDJpTRcvaWDEzp-Th-_X0jYru5nw8fnO-qLg-4TNWrkKE/w200-h200/MV5BZDNlZTQxZGItMGIzMS00ODI2LWE1MWYtOGI5ZWVmYzc3OWI4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_QL75_UY140_CR55,0,140,140_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">While Campbell and Peter head off to talk to some other farmers before going on to see Dr. Landers, Landers himself along with Stanley, West, and Toni Merrill have gone to the farm to investigate the dead horse. During this investigation, Toni remains in the car only to be confronted by the sight of the underside of an unidentifiable creature sliding down the rear window. Toni is unable to provide the men with much detail except that whatever she witnessed had frightened her terribly and that she had heard “a strange sound.” Well, she did insist on accompanying the men and got her way – again! </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“Let's not take any unnecessary risks”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The intrepid quartet head off to Dr. Phillips house, and you guessed it, Toni gets her way yet again by convincing the men to agree to taking her with them inside the house on the basis that there’s safety in numbers. Down in the cellar they spot the grizzly remains of Constable Harris followed by the “strange sound” that Toni earlier referred to. Suddenly they are confronted by the sight of the ghastly creatures that Dr. Phillips created.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“Good Lord, what's that?”</i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsHk4KkIbaS99majLOTJc6WDFgRQTbLcmqXdsMOl9Za3rIyySyvCvE-IG0uUDd-yjDK1S27vWCrQugUdkj6Y22b45nImx0lpixny3h3VdXW0Wo6hYTqO2oAac8IFBIEUHmmnizmDqEjP-1bZq2eQwFhDptsjT05VV3ShAtmqucL0z8AjUj0MtERV__2gD/s480/tumblr_d52b695f28131bc832c38941ec47bcaf_664d4185_500.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsHk4KkIbaS99majLOTJc6WDFgRQTbLcmqXdsMOl9Za3rIyySyvCvE-IG0uUDd-yjDK1S27vWCrQugUdkj6Y22b45nImx0lpixny3h3VdXW0Wo6hYTqO2oAac8IFBIEUHmmnizmDqEjP-1bZq2eQwFhDptsjT05VV3ShAtmqucL0z8AjUj0MtERV__2gD/w400-h225/tumblr_d52b695f28131bc832c38941ec47bcaf_664d4185_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The creatures are approximately two meters in diameter and possess a hard turtle-like shell from which emanates a single tentacle that serves both as a sensor and a flexible limb that can grab hold of potential victims. The creatures can also travel flat along the ground using a system of suckers instead of legs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Toni and the three men find themselves cornered by a couple of the creatures who appear to be coordinating their actions. As they close in, Dr. Landers takes down a fire ax from the wall, approaches one the creatures and takes a swing at it but with no effect. Just as Landers is about to take another swing, the creature latches on to his ankle with its tentacle. Landers cries out in pain before falling across the creature’s carapace. To the horror of the others, Landers suffers the same fate as all of the previous victims.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDS4VUowp-5DxPup2g5f_JB76dBFEj20UH-m_DO8-pQmCtz-TcwvvQWiuARTzgRrDmqNE4C-w7dktLhDVy_MQa54w61oHJltYAayNDZ_8EF1-VDgKO7gum53FJMZyTF9cSpSz2Wiqj4gnrNx2XIm2PsfgjN9kULR6JZJZjxE1kChyd7H_rFVqulukAZLIf/s276/images%20(5).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="276" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDS4VUowp-5DxPup2g5f_JB76dBFEj20UH-m_DO8-pQmCtz-TcwvvQWiuARTzgRrDmqNE4C-w7dktLhDVy_MQa54w61oHJltYAayNDZ_8EF1-VDgKO7gum53FJMZyTF9cSpSz2Wiqj4gnrNx2XIm2PsfgjN9kULR6JZJZjxE1kChyd7H_rFVqulukAZLIf/w400-h264/images%20(5).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Just as the creatures move in for the kill, they suddenly come a halt. They seem to have chosen that very moment to divide. As West observes, “they're inactive </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">now because they divided, but we don't know for how long, and we can't stay here.” The process of division resembles a combination of what one might observe with cell division under a microscope and what one might throw up after consuming pasta followed by copious amounts of alcohol. </span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXmEOV5_s1JAmR7zXBwm4xLUSXi0GPyEwTiJoRlpJKglaW2ekS3XEEBrHZS1u8H486Til3AyXkiIClVe66MkzmQknN99MlSEHVJEllqjtDGxA8CjDR21BiwWucpFqkthh67GfoDhc98WXKA5MB5RZJc405LCUOIAKEiMfhiG2od_KBrfzvlBCzA8Hoyhm/s450/peter-and-judd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="450" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXmEOV5_s1JAmR7zXBwm4xLUSXi0GPyEwTiJoRlpJKglaW2ekS3XEEBrHZS1u8H486Til3AyXkiIClVe66MkzmQknN99MlSEHVJEllqjtDGxA8CjDR21BiwWucpFqkthh67GfoDhc98WXKA5MB5RZJc405LCUOIAKEiMfhiG2od_KBrfzvlBCzA8Hoyhm/w400-h316/peter-and-judd.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During the creatures’ present inert state and in the face of Toni’s own fear-ridden state of paralysis, the party of four make their escape from the cellar. As they exit the house, they spot another creature on the grounds. They then hurriedly get into the car only to find that it won't start. With tension mounting, West manages to fix the problem with the engine and they drive off before the creature can get to them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the inn, West gives Toni a sedative to help her relax. He then apologizes to her for bringing her to the island and placing her in danger. West does not appear to be all that convinced that they’ll be able to “get out of this somehow” despite his assurances to Toni.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“There are creatures loose on this island. They're dangerous”</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">After learning at the general store that Landers hasn’t been found and that there are strangers (“two men and a girl”) on the island who arrived by helicopter the previous night and who were seen in the company of Landers at 7.00 am, Campbell and Argyle head off to the inn to find out what’s-what. They enter the inn as West and Stanley are studying Dr. Phillips' notes. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIhex-neo5PTMQs6rYeEShTYvAIFM5-vQd8FIbG61wYOd8OyvU5c26dTmGYCDhXCYDbE7lVFTMOjHATOkSR8rFpyJVuErqEH3Rdnu3Peok_YuaxNLzouO4e7I4KS_oFsqtVdCVyqsPYBnDLI3tsYpbI8ckgO-_s3xXzzUQZMnVsiIJ-JVI61qC06tXzHU/s1608/MV5BN2U4MmEzYjYtNGM1ZC00M2ZlLTg4YjEtMzg1YWE1ODQ2NTA1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1608" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIhex-neo5PTMQs6rYeEShTYvAIFM5-vQd8FIbG61wYOd8OyvU5c26dTmGYCDhXCYDbE7lVFTMOjHATOkSR8rFpyJVuErqEH3Rdnu3Peok_YuaxNLzouO4e7I4KS_oFsqtVdCVyqsPYBnDLI3tsYpbI8ckgO-_s3xXzzUQZMnVsiIJ-JVI61qC06tXzHU/w400-h225/MV5BN2U4MmEzYjYtNGM1ZC00M2ZlLTg4YjEtMzg1YWE1ODQ2NTA1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The two doctors inform Campbell and Argyle that Dr. Landers is dead, and a bit later add the names of Constable Harris and Ian Bellows to the list of the deceased. In addition, they are told that there are dangerous creatures loose on the island and that they may be the result of Dr. Phillips' experiments. They go on to explain that “Dr. Phillips, in the course of his experiments, created some kind of living organism that kills” and that was the cause of Landers’ death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the entire island and its inhabitants in serious danger, Campbell agrees to summon all the inhabitants to the village meeting hall, as they’ll “need a lot of help if this island is going to survive.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“I must warn you that we're faced with a very dangerous situation”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With everyone assembled in the hall, Stanley and West address the villagers. Their message is frank and to the point with no sugar-coating. They begin by stating that </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“in order to understand the nature of cancer, Dr. Phillips was trying to create living cells, cells that he hoped would attack the cancer. He based his creation on the carbon atom which is the basis of all life on this planet. He did not succeed. But he probably succeeded in creating a form of life based on the silicon atom. Now these Silicates, as we call them, eat animal bone - human bone.” This last point elicits shocked murmurs of surprise and consternation. West goes on to explain that </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Dr. Phillips' gave life to some kind of organism, something that we know nothing about” which possess “an external skeletal structure which is tough and resilient.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Stanley takes up the account of their findings by admitting that they “haven't found a way to destroy them yet” but that they “intend to attack them with everything we can.” Based on Phillips’ notes and their own experience with the creatures, they “calculate that these creatures divide every six hours.” </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Stanley proceeds with his account, there is a rising crescendo of shocked murmuring and mumbling among the assembled villagers. They learn that “there are about 64 silicates on the island at this moment; there'll be 128 by six o'clock this evening; two hundred and fifty-six by midnight and if the multiplication continues, until the end of the week, there'll be a million of them.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">West proposes that ‘the only ultimate way to stop them if all attempts fails, is to deny them food.” He suggests that everyone “move into this building with supplies” and “the cattle brought to this end of the island.” He concludes by reminding the villagers that they “must keep calm,” that fear and panic will defeat them just as surely as the Silicates and that they’ll need everyone’s help and cooperation with the population of the island all working together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>At the close of the meeting, Campbell begins to assemble a ten-member defense force that will launch an attack on the approaching silicates with guns, dynamite and petrol bombs. Toni now finds herself transformed from rich adventure-seeking girl to person in charge responsible for organizing the villagers: making sure “that everything's handled at the meeting hall,” that “all the supplies are organized” properly” and keeping everyone from panicking.</b></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><i>“Nothing seems to get through to them”</i></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The plan of attack involves Dunley and two other men scouting out three locations on the northern shore of the island while the rest including Stanley and West advance to meet the wave of silicates using guns, petrol bombs and dynamite. Alas, their efforts amount to nothing as the creatures seem to be impervious to the men’s weapons. They also lose Morton when he gets too close and is killed by a creature that jumps down on him from a tree! Don’t ask me how it managed to climb up the tree in the first place considering its non-simian qualities. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dunley suddenly rushes up to inform them that he has discovered a dead silicate along with Dr. Phillips' Great Dane, also dead and half-eaten. After they arrive at the site of the dead silicate and dog, Stanley and West using Geiger counters confirm that the dead silicate and dog are both radioactive. According to Dr. Phillips’ notes, his dog had previously received an overdose of radiation – Strontium-90.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“If we can get enough Strontium 90 at his place, we can contaminate the cattle”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">They drive back to the clinic and meeting hall, where West informs the gathering that there might have a way to kill the silicates, but will only succeed with the assistance of everyone there.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After an examination of the dead silicate, it is decided that West and Stanley will return to Dr. Phillips’ lab to collect a quantity of Strontium-90 isotopes along with a pressure gun to inject cattle with. In the meantime, Campbell is tasked with gathering all the cattle into his cattle yard away from the silicates until they can be injected with the Strontium.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmggbPO-3AsroGDdRjg3GhVRkxK_TS2x3oMiMNrt-dSb0kKzMRqkIBCUtkyreuVpb9SZbTUELUx5TI04GYKeiB9KUHfgyZmtFJIsL3EWYGcQG5Pei-lApgvzivSiGRXfIEe6YEvo9BkzMir7XSW2gtj7q08qKbjEiHZT2ta0VnATVZKdKzn1FkZI90wT9/s430/island-of-terror-lg2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="430" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmggbPO-3AsroGDdRjg3GhVRkxK_TS2x3oMiMNrt-dSb0kKzMRqkIBCUtkyreuVpb9SZbTUELUx5TI04GYKeiB9KUHfgyZmtFJIsL3EWYGcQG5Pei-lApgvzivSiGRXfIEe6YEvo9BkzMir7XSW2gtj7q08qKbjEiHZT2ta0VnATVZKdKzn1FkZI90wT9/w400-h308/island-of-terror-lg2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">After five minutes of watching West and Stanley don radiation suits, they succeed in their mission to recover the Strontium and the injector. I would not put money on their suits’ ability to protect them from radiation! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdsyqXBb3CyHnZKINYVqe-ZLJOruPonE0C6mxP-kgd5U26KuVWd629D1k_dF5z7pXDTWR7awov7V3UCaivQePttmRxNNxEl_ZXr9Q0oDq0k1hkVyBmDXlQjdN1_FyMAY_QFX2Ywk3vQ9vZD7FUGUWYwCDGhjaaolVKUalVlu9I4sQTFGfoQUfzopYNCiw/s233/images.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="233" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdsyqXBb3CyHnZKINYVqe-ZLJOruPonE0C6mxP-kgd5U26KuVWd629D1k_dF5z7pXDTWR7awov7V3UCaivQePttmRxNNxEl_ZXr9Q0oDq0k1hkVyBmDXlQjdN1_FyMAY_QFX2Ywk3vQ9vZD7FUGUWYwCDGhjaaolVKUalVlu9I4sQTFGfoQUfzopYNCiw/w400-h304/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">When West returns to the lab to retrieve his radiation gloves, Stanley is attacked by one of the creatures outside at the rear of the car. It has its tentacle wrapped around his wrist which forces West to use the fire ax to cut off Stanley's left hand. In typical British stoic stiff upper lip manner, Stanley barely even cries out as his hand is parted from the rest of his arm. West just manages to apply a tourniquet to Stanley’s arm before they speed off in the car back to clinic. </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“One more transfusion and I'll be a full-blooded Irishman”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We next see Stanley with his arm bandaged after West had performed surgery on him. It’s not as if West has had enough to do! Our British Batman then dashes off to inject the cattle, which he succeeds in doing except that he has had to reduce the dose of strontium for the last few animals lest they run out of the isotope.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“We're all scared. If they go outside, it's certain death”</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the meantime, a bit of trouble is brewing within the meeting hall in the form of Halsey who is all for getting out of there. He says to his small audience, “if you'd seen what that thing did to Archie, you'd swim.” Overhearing this and fearing that panic will spread, Campbell takes Halsey aside and says to him threateningly, “if I hear another sound out of you, I'll smash your face in and throw you out for those things.” </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“They're dividing. That means the effect of the Strontium will be halved”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">No long before midnight, the corralled cattle fall prey to the insatiable appetite of a couple of hundred calcium phosphate craving silicates. As the creatures next make their way to the building housing the terrified citizenry of the island, they begin the process of dividing resulting in the power and effect of the Strontium being halved.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><i>“If they start breaking out...”</i></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the generator beginning to fail and the lights starting to flicker, people are panicking. As Halsey makes a dash for the door, Argyle and some others who are armed block the way while Campbell fires a gun into the air and instructs everyone to move away from the windows and doors otherwise they will be shot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly silicates break in through a window, grab hold of Halsey with their tentacles and kill him. Another silicate crashes through a skylight and falls upon Dunley killing him. Everyone then rushes into the clinic where they hastily barricade themselves leaving some of their friends and neighbors to a grizzly fate on the other side of the doors. Sometimes the need to survive trumps all other considerations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Those in the clinic can only await the seemingly inevitable as the creatures continue to batter their way in. Toni Merrill, by now completely overcome by terror is comforted by Stanley's remaining intact arm while West prepares a fatal dose of morphine to spare her the inevitable horror to come. Just as he is about to do so, Campbell draws everyone’s attention to the fact that the silicates seem to be weakening.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As silence descends and the tentacles slip from the doors down to the floor, the barricade is removed and West flings open the doors to reveal the sight of dead silicates lying completely inert on the corridor floor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The next morning, with the return of the helicopter, West promises Campbell that a large crew will be sent to clean up the island and bury the dead. He believes that “Phillips was just trying to help humanity” and that “science has its risks, but the risks aren't enough to hinder progress.” He also observes that they were fortunate this incident happened on an island, otherwise they might never have been able to destroy these creatures.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">But there’s always an unforeseen <i>HOWEVER</i>…..Other scientific teams have been busily beavering away in Rome, New York City and Tokyo, the last city in which we see a scientist enter a lab to the accompaniment of an eerie sound. As he enters, we hear only his cries of horror as he apparently faces the same kind of fate we are already far too familiar with. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Points Of Interest</u></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Island of Terror (Night of the Silicates)</i> is a 1966 British sci-fi / horror film released by the short-lived Planet Film Productions. The film was released in the United States by Universal Studios on a double bill with <i>The Projected Man</i> (1967.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Gerry Fernback's screenplay <i>The Night the Silicates Came</i> was the inspiration for <i>Island of Terror</i>. Producer Richard Gordon partnered with Tom Blakey of Planet Films to produce the film.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film was shot on location in Wexham, St. Huberts, Buckinghamshire and (where else?) Pinewood studios.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tom Blakely's Planet Productions made only four feature films, including<i> Island of Terror,</i> the vampire film <i>Devils of Darkness</i> (1964) and <a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2023/07/night-of-big-heat-1968.html" target="_blank"><i>Night of the Big Heat</i> </a>(1968). <i>Island of Terror </i>and <i>Night of the Big Heat</i> make excellent films to watch back-to-back due to their similar nature and the fact that they were directed Hammer director Terence Fisher and starred Peter Cushing with Christopher Lee included in the cast of <i>Night of the Big Heat.</i> In both films we have a focus on characters in isolated communities having to contend with dangerous situations, as well as having to struggle with aspects of their own human natures and relationships.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Director Terence Fisher made many horror films for Hammer productions such as <i>The Horror of Dracula, The Brides of Dracula, Dracula Prince of Darkness, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Gorgon, The Mummy, The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll, The Curse of the Werewolf, Hound of The Baskervilles</i> and more.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVk-o_NtXCnVAKsu1lA_AqkvZvEPWyOQsSNLQrbqKvz_kclwjaS7_tYKHpaOXJNrS7x_xDaP3X6ow7unUG77zX1dEFWA6t7zdie57gYnfj1BZYD1K5ESxAguY-4fq9HPungrPkMYie6dbGKaIKvlMS54iJcfn4JHgp8PSycRt_lSSAzC6Gwj8wJwJcBac9/s186/images%20(6).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="186" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVk-o_NtXCnVAKsu1lA_AqkvZvEPWyOQsSNLQrbqKvz_kclwjaS7_tYKHpaOXJNrS7x_xDaP3X6ow7unUG77zX1dEFWA6t7zdie57gYnfj1BZYD1K5ESxAguY-4fq9HPungrPkMYie6dbGKaIKvlMS54iJcfn4JHgp8PSycRt_lSSAzC6Gwj8wJwJcBac9/w400-h301/images%20(6).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Edward Judd plays the scientific swash-buckling hero of the film dashing about giving orders, lobbing incendiary devices at bone dissolving creatures, procuring a hot babe, coming up with solutions to problems and making authoritative pronouncements. Although good in this role it is nowhere near as compelling as his character in the excellent apocalyptic film <i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-day-earth-caught-fire-1961.html" target="_blank">The Day the Earth Caught Fire</a></i> (1961) in which he really got his teeth into its biting, acerbic and irony-laden dialogue. </span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">I’m quite happy to watch Peter Cushing in practically anything on screen and in this film he plays his character with effortless ease and class. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A8LdmQM4UtQd7jjB7aL78LChd4z9AgB_8ByuarCBdkIUGVRJz1_g-HVV7rA5nDT8k-r0L1LVgwGsXp_qkMozz1chdh5xZioKAcQmzcjBJJd3RBq6XSJE_9Sk7L5U9vxy_4EmxMW-9GSNsNTnZIoxCBH5AOxHL13C7t6MJ5CxPtARoJBNmzjk79uI8ShZ/s259/6917-9650.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="259" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A8LdmQM4UtQd7jjB7aL78LChd4z9AgB_8ByuarCBdkIUGVRJz1_g-HVV7rA5nDT8k-r0L1LVgwGsXp_qkMozz1chdh5xZioKAcQmzcjBJJd3RBq6XSJE_9Sk7L5U9vxy_4EmxMW-9GSNsNTnZIoxCBH5AOxHL13C7t6MJ5CxPtARoJBNmzjk79uI8ShZ/w400-h301/6917-9650.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Carole Gray’s character is pretty much stereotypical as a woman in distress who needs protection and is there for the love interest angle. Her eyelashes certainly get to work overtime.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5QKLm_I3cqnGYZfBPdQHm8VsR1pgNQ2eZW0lr6Hcu4jZRpVd2h17F6x0AsgyiSLhD1CvtWqIhWGKDbMKsm2JsHUlq2V18JHetvnFUi13cTyUhWsQ_ga40Rv6nChdf7sG8qDokC97nveJhpeqLGcfXOurvP7ObkIvZ1anRSU8lHqWZLq0RPDEEWN4EDUp/s464/island-of-terror-lg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="464" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5QKLm_I3cqnGYZfBPdQHm8VsR1pgNQ2eZW0lr6Hcu4jZRpVd2h17F6x0AsgyiSLhD1CvtWqIhWGKDbMKsm2JsHUlq2V18JHetvnFUi13cTyUhWsQ_ga40Rv6nChdf7sG8qDokC97nveJhpeqLGcfXOurvP7ObkIvZ1anRSU8lHqWZLq0RPDEEWN4EDUp/w400-h285/island-of-terror-lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The less said about the 'Silicates,' their cow-pat appearance and sloth-like mobility the better. They are introduced much earlier in this film than the alien creatures in <i>Night of the Big Heat</i> who were wisely held over until right at the end. At least the depiction of their method of division was quite effective.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film portrays how science, no matter how good the intentions may be, can be responsible for creating its own monsters which then require science to produce solutions to those very problems. And so we see three experts tackling such a problem by assiduously studying available data before deciding on a course of action and applying accepted scientific methodology. The recent experience of the Covid-19 Pandemic shows what a hard sell that might be in today’s climate where everyone thinks they are an expert in everything and there’s little patience for taking one’s time, following processes and trusting scientific expert opinion. </span><br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">There is definitely a danger when concepts like ‘science,’ ‘technology,’ ‘progress,’ 'profit,' ‘the economy,’ ‘democracy’ and so on are elevated to an almost divine status as something to be worshipped and revered. Such concepts are often presented as being sacrosanct, whole and perfect and not open to being questioned. If the products of science and technology, for instance result in the creation of ‘monsters’ that can cause death and misery or even threaten our very existence, then it is argued that is the price to be paid for human progress! But who in the end really does benefit, whose interests are really being served, who really ends up paying the price and when is the price to be paid just too high?</span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VTJd2Mlaq_4" width="320" youtube-src-id="VTJd2Mlaq_4"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">Full Film</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br /></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Thank you for reading this post. Please feel free to download my</span> <span style="color: red;">FREE</span> <span style="color: #fcff01;">eBook, <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta: The Big Fat Book of Sci-Fi films Of The 1950s.</i></span><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u><i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/p/sci-fi-film-fiesta-big-fat-book-of-sci.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></i></u></span></b></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><b>©Chris Christopoulos 2023</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-10273284654730044742023-07-25T01:28:00.002-07:002023-07-26T00:31:57.227-07:00Night of the Big Heat (1968)<span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i>ISLAND OF THE BURNING DAMNED</i></span></b></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">ISLAND OF THE BURNING DOOMED</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrpY1gGuyXt8cjgoJXruyJI6mdUCsC_jVNa9oulZJxhUHQ1Zm0dH-NHJRgX2SPhUoMrugVjR5u2OZIy_48HjlAV9Rv7XE2Z2q_CO6jjni_g3hfLZo4VPcxFvFZKuJaf09YCX2t-j0RzOBwgLUrxkrWgEGjFvvk2ApWq8JkUXT7IWOpyCpoY2BxOnRCPtO/s500/MV5BMTYyODE4MjcxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODMxMTkwMzE@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrpY1gGuyXt8cjgoJXruyJI6mdUCsC_jVNa9oulZJxhUHQ1Zm0dH-NHJRgX2SPhUoMrugVjR5u2OZIy_48HjlAV9Rv7XE2Z2q_CO6jjni_g3hfLZo4VPcxFvFZKuJaf09YCX2t-j0RzOBwgLUrxkrWgEGjFvvk2ApWq8JkUXT7IWOpyCpoY2BxOnRCPtO/w300-h400/MV5BMTYyODE4MjcxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODMxMTkwMzE@._V1_.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__RvQvTdfTsrFDzkIjmEzatXbKgWlVbFVcUCyC45JSNjpMYpwUrm538CS9BtrxQFqCZT8XeZPopr-PzLMLWx-f3Q7rkcqivTMx_eHlm7Nt0YWgx_b_CJJqS3_OTYuFdBndfn0DD9FAWC9mWwMcvDjebRREvQBQhJjP0aiITg-43aGjNvv1aTE1kKgrDDw/s200/4dman1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="39" data-original-width="200" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__RvQvTdfTsrFDzkIjmEzatXbKgWlVbFVcUCyC45JSNjpMYpwUrm538CS9BtrxQFqCZT8XeZPopr-PzLMLWx-f3Q7rkcqivTMx_eHlm7Nt0YWgx_b_CJJqS3_OTYuFdBndfn0DD9FAWC9mWwMcvDjebRREvQBQhJjP0aiITg-43aGjNvv1aTE1kKgrDDw/w200-h39/4dman1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">A low budget but eerie, tense, gripping and effective sci-fi / horror film that let its characters tell the story</i></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directed by Terence Fisher</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Written by Jane Baker, Pip Baker, Ronald Liles</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Based on “Night of the Big Heat” 1959 novel by John Lymington</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Produced by Tom Blakeley, Ronald Liles</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cinematography: Reginald H. Wyer</span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edited by Rod Nelson-Keys</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Music by Malcolm Lockyer</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Production company: Planet Film Productions</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Distributed by Planet Film Distributors</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Running time: 94 minutes</span></span><br /><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u>Cast</u></span></span></span></h3><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Christopher Lee as Professor Godfrey Hanson</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Patrick Allen as Jeff Callum</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peter Cushing as Dr. Vernon Stone</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sarah Lawson as Frankie Callum</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jane Merrow as Angela Roberts</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">William Lucas as Ken Stanley</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Percy Herbert as Gerald Foster</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kenneth Cope as Tinker Mason</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thomas Heathcote as Bob Hayward</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anna Turner as Stella Hayward</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jack Bligh as Ben Siddle</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sydney Bromley as Old Tramp</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz9nqdGKKUC99fNjCKwtLUCtbGWT4U9r3FakJ1-cQ0RRYTFe4205lOkLpzDBm48FhsS9-T7vkm_TcVxX1_HEQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Trailer</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">In the middle of winter the island of Fara off the English coast is experiencing an oppressive, stifling and inexplicable heat wave, as if this little isolated heavily cloud-shrouded speck of terrestrial real estate was being deliberately subjected to the burning focused beam of a celestial magnifying glass.</span></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b><br /></b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff and Frankie Callum run an inn called, The Swan. Jeff is a professional novelist who has supposedly hired a secretary, Angela Roberts who is in fact a younger woman with whom he had an affair. Angela has come to the island with the intention of re-kindling the affair, perhaps ending Jeff’s marriage with his wife and having him all to herself. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Also from the mainland is a strange and mysterious scientist, Godfrey Hanson who has rented a room at The Swan. This intense-looking, stern-faced individual with an abrupt, pompous and rude manner spends his time setting up motion-sensitive cameras and taking soil samples. For what purpose? Who knows?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">As the temperature rises along with the mounting tension pervading the little island community, let’s see how the mystery unfolds…..</span></span></i><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Read on for more.....</b></i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span><i>Spoilers follow below....<br /></i></b></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjonnk5_oEMb2cIjYQJ7mg9qZnnmz1vYlhRXfNkYCq0FJ-NWkwz1gtwQkdvRANKn0U0vzEYt6qhx2zVeeFS4imUopVT9K1xxopsz8n6mDKn3qvGwNaefPHhaF3x0fGnwbToJkMKsJ_IuJQmsi-ISEnEMLXsTEvtTjwQCx4Lx96F4tN3CSOm0qToqqpVYwQ/s479/hqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="479" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjonnk5_oEMb2cIjYQJ7mg9qZnnmz1vYlhRXfNkYCq0FJ-NWkwz1gtwQkdvRANKn0U0vzEYt6qhx2zVeeFS4imUopVT9K1xxopsz8n6mDKn3qvGwNaefPHhaF3x0fGnwbToJkMKsJ_IuJQmsi-ISEnEMLXsTEvtTjwQCx4Lx96F4tN3CSOm0qToqqpVYwQ/w400-h225/hqdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“Surely it can't get any hotter”</i></div></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">A rather attractive young lady, Angela Roberts is rapidly speeding along a coastal road in a sports car while elsewhere Godfrey Hanson checks his cameras, trip wires and a mirror. When he leaves, an old tramp shuffles onto the scene to examine Hanson’s camera surveillance set-up.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4lvjqVRvL0q1dYKOm3O6TrrQUPPEbd3tIxkJMh71jmT-GXFUqJUsAZ9O2o-2sWlyTUlXHCVrS9u348r6arTO2xUzfFT_mrVlSXRaHUAgd_r5BuKoXgaeYCZTM8r_xgAPUtt13Vhqead0UNiyzftFBRL6ka6A978dufUJ6og4rAEwxDQx972CBjM6u8EF/s458/i159849.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="458" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4lvjqVRvL0q1dYKOm3O6TrrQUPPEbd3tIxkJMh71jmT-GXFUqJUsAZ9O2o-2sWlyTUlXHCVrS9u348r6arTO2xUzfFT_mrVlSXRaHUAgd_r5BuKoXgaeYCZTM8r_xgAPUtt13Vhqead0UNiyzftFBRL6ka6A978dufUJ6og4rAEwxDQx972CBjM6u8EF/w400-h225/i159849.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Angela’s car radiator overheats and she is forced to pull over. Luckily, Tinker Mason pulls up behind her in his van and assists Angela by adding anti-freeze to her car’s radiator. Before leaving, Mason tells Angela the location of The Swan Inn. While she waits for the engine to cool, she hears a high-pitched whining or humming sound. What on earth could that be?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZDqWgFH_ohS_JsMMTy_YS3QNttg0zcJLV5635NbMSjuc4SE4pwybIUcXB8TNdsfLlCz9F_tCc_zmFpUMZS3fjYpEFz-fintIrTPNFrD1_1i7OVt5zqQBzBg4ZZto7ni_qYE42krqAMehU2ZtzzEa_5uiPks53UqfQ1GGcWdvWh6wQHQZCLd2DpKobJo9/s304/nightofbigheat_hermit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="304" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZDqWgFH_ohS_JsMMTy_YS3QNttg0zcJLV5635NbMSjuc4SE4pwybIUcXB8TNdsfLlCz9F_tCc_zmFpUMZS3fjYpEFz-fintIrTPNFrD1_1i7OVt5zqQBzBg4ZZto7ni_qYE42krqAMehU2ZtzzEa_5uiPks53UqfQ1GGcWdvWh6wQHQZCLd2DpKobJo9/w400-h224/nightofbigheat_hermit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, the old tramp has entered his abode, a cave where he too notices the same high-pitched sound. As the sound increases in volume, the tramp’s expression suggests that something horrifying is approaching him. He backs away and cowers in fright as it gets closer to him and we know that this will be the last we’ll ever see of the poor old fellow.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angela proceeds to drive toward the inn when suddenly Hanson steps out onto the roadway just as she passes.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fR2FsFULl_VoPPvxfHLzTEW8RckDjsy7hzqw-l4MHgSIt63mJ95h0v6uD4GsiSBx0gbCMe77vxsWFmJI4hFCKReQXhU2tPPI7fKXdluyEFas0DEpNik5QauF4nzsLpKgs-56VGGVmLoTHmJt9452AaJcQiws03RZB8gvI5A2IMicfJbfanfzVYBHri5q/s300/images.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fR2FsFULl_VoPPvxfHLzTEW8RckDjsy7hzqw-l4MHgSIt63mJ95h0v6uD4GsiSBx0gbCMe77vxsWFmJI4hFCKReQXhU2tPPI7fKXdluyEFas0DEpNik5QauF4nzsLpKgs-56VGGVmLoTHmJt9452AaJcQiws03RZB8gvI5A2IMicfJbfanfzVYBHri5q/w400-h224/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At <i>The Swan</i>, Dr. Vernon Stone and Frankie Callum listen to the weather forecast on the radio from the BBC Home Service:</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Most districts will continue to be extremely cold. Temperatures will remain below freezing point, ranging from 24 in Northern areas to 29 in the South. However, there are exceptional conditions on the Island of Fara. Temperatures are said to be in the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">region of 90, and still rising.”</span></span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What mystifies the two listeners is the fact that their island usually experiences the same weather as the mainland and yet right now on the mainland it's winter. For them understandably, “this weather doesn't make sense.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“It is hot, isn't it?”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angela drives up to the inn to be met with appraising gazes from sweaty locals Tinker and Bob Hayward sitting outside with their drinks. Angela’s manner suggests that she may be quite used to having men stare at her and may perhaps even revel in her ability to make this happen. There’s a very ‘modern’ free-spirited, independent and almost reckless air about this young lady from the outset. As for Tinker and Bob, it’s probably too hot to offer to carry her suitcase inside! The 21st century would do them just fine.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Upon entering the inn, Angela asks for Jeff Callum but is informed by his wife, Frankie that he is away. Angela then tells her that she is Jeff’s new secretary.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e5yC-Sv3LB3e2hOdon5YWXt4vxXlTPpgadw1wFO23Fy8GE0RQ0JXTG2Po36w067gv_Or14KUJ8KhrTz7T9biUILs2Z3diis352bBFZBav0CA-23q2Rf13588q5JD2AbV_OyQBhlKoTZRB7S-4n4hQah4AmV9ZVMMlbmObSkPkxOBRG6VD1tIkaWxD5AJ/s1004/MV5BOTQ4ZTNiY2QtMmVjMS00YmNlLWFmOTItNjlmN2RhZGRiNjMzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="989" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e5yC-Sv3LB3e2hOdon5YWXt4vxXlTPpgadw1wFO23Fy8GE0RQ0JXTG2Po36w067gv_Or14KUJ8KhrTz7T9biUILs2Z3diis352bBFZBav0CA-23q2Rf13588q5JD2AbV_OyQBhlKoTZRB7S-4n4hQah4AmV9ZVMMlbmObSkPkxOBRG6VD1tIkaWxD5AJ/w394-h400/MV5BOTQ4ZTNiY2QtMmVjMS00YmNlLWFmOTItNjlmN2RhZGRiNjMzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" width="394" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Not for the last time, Angela makes a show of declaring how hot it is: “God, it's hot. It's like being in the Tropics.” Frankie leads Angela upstairs to her room and after placing her suitcase on the bed, she opens a window while making an observation as to how hot it is. Frankie then notices in Angela’s suitcase a copy of Jeff’s last novel with a picture of his face on the back cover. Angela quickly tells her that she thought it would be a good idea to read it since she would be working for him. Before leaving, Frankie tells her she will inform her husband about Angela’s arrival when he returns. Yes, it’s hot indeed and you could cut the underlying tension with a knife.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“He's a strange character altogether”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hanson arrives and abruptly asks if Jeff has brought the parcel he is expecting. When informed that he is not back yet, Hanson rudely demands that Jeff deliver it straight to his room when he does get back. After he goes to his room, Frankie and Dr. Stone observe how impolite, strange and mysterious Hanson is. What with his going “out with his camera and masses of equipment,” spending “the rest of his </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">time locked in his room” and not letting the Callums in to clean, it seems to Stone that it all sounds like “good material for one of Jeff's books.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“It's this blasted heat”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Jeff is driving to the inn, he rounds a corner and almost collides with Bob who is just standing there with his bicycle. When Jeff gets out and asks Bob why he is in the middle of the road. Bob looks confused, apologises and claims he was not thinking. He then goes on to say that he heard a “sort of funny whirring noise.” Jeff however, thinks that it is just a case of Bob having had one too many.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At <i>The Swan</i>, Jeff greets Ken Stanley, a meteorological expert who is loading some items into his vehicle. They discuss what might be causing the heat, touching on the local theory that it is the result of “the bomb.” Ken, unlike most experts we are accustomed to these days frankly admits that “to be perfectly honest, one theory's as good as another….We haven't a clue.” If only the so-called expert Yapparatsi Commentariat of our own era could be as honest!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After Jeff enters the inn, he learns that Hanson demanded that his parcel be brought up to him right away. Jeff delivers it to Hanson, who not surprisingly rudely grabs it from him before closing and locking the door.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“She's quite the modern miss”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Of more personal significance to Jeff is the news from his wife that his new secretary has arrived and is at present at the Cove. Jeff gets a lift from Tinker and when they arrive, whose shapely bikini-clad figure should grace his view from afar?…..why none other than Angela.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic15S9rTiHw8jTf5ycCSpH9ptJogRuaDu1SsLShByFJSiVxS27NAX8gt5evQFB278XmkbwwskbAIPvrPel1zTPRJHs4beg0hmURmMXM2q72OvMyaDRJoHIo6EDnL5huENkAih0j2p0gmZnXyAgiV14TVP1tY9mPBSgIzXPzPE8w6lQeOO70J03DSAHz1Sl/s465/s640.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="465" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic15S9rTiHw8jTf5ycCSpH9ptJogRuaDu1SsLShByFJSiVxS27NAX8gt5evQFB278XmkbwwskbAIPvrPel1zTPRJHs4beg0hmURmMXM2q72OvMyaDRJoHIo6EDnL5huENkAih0j2p0gmZnXyAgiV14TVP1tY9mPBSgIzXPzPE8w6lQeOO70J03DSAHz1Sl/w400-h208/s640.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Tinker leaves, Jeff makes his way toward Angela. When he reaches her, she is greeted with, “what the hell are you doing here?” followed by “you're getting out of here” and a declaration that he’s not going through with her “special brand of madness again.” Their three month affair had led to no writing on his part and had nearly wrecked his marriage. Angela swats away his words and appeals with some dismissive and flippant remarks before telling him point blank that “you can't just have a girl and then walk away.” Angela then pulls out the big guns by asking Jeff, “what are you going to tell your wife?” followed by with, “you never did tell her about us, did you?” to which he replies, “that's my problem.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With matters really starting to heat up between them, Angela and Jeff hear the high-pitched whining sound and wonder what it is. After it subsides, they passionately kiss before hurriedly making their way back.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“With this heat it's difficult to know what's going on”</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Jeff and Angela drive up to the Inn, Tinker helps Ben Siddle inside where they sit him down at a table. Tinker had “found him wandering on the road by his meadow, in a fair old state.” After being asked as to what is the matter with him, a distraught Ben tells them that his sheep are all dead. Hanson, by now not known for his empathy or tact, seems to be particularly interested in what killed Ben’s sheep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Hanson quickly proceeds to his room and places a red infrared lens on his camera before placing it together with some film into a bag and leaves.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Dr. Stone gives Ben a sedative and gets him to rest, Jeff phones Ben’s wife to tell her that her husband is unwell and that Dr. Stone will be bringing him home. However, Jeff is unable to communicate properly due to static interference on the phone line.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SWEVrVAwW0Fojj3XpyRz6XQmZ0bbQ0ZSkBkHtYhKH2Uy3PpytxTceuTDw2IhY8MRRGJ9MIzvTnLpi_DPF_g3Rm_-ztbx7c5bk5t0kIOfCOBgFgYrFk2zotiFxvQNDe7GGt_cF7hjfrdPpSM691w1mHwhHliS3JeDxesQ2PV1u7dDgjyA8MLLd3b_7ZCC/s838/MV5BNWJkNjc0MGMtZTE0MC00OTY4LTlmMzgtMDBiN2ZlYTgyZDVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="838" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SWEVrVAwW0Fojj3XpyRz6XQmZ0bbQ0ZSkBkHtYhKH2Uy3PpytxTceuTDw2IhY8MRRGJ9MIzvTnLpi_DPF_g3Rm_-ztbx7c5bk5t0kIOfCOBgFgYrFk2zotiFxvQNDe7GGt_cF7hjfrdPpSM691w1mHwhHliS3JeDxesQ2PV1u7dDgjyA8MLLd3b_7ZCC/w400-h400/MV5BNWJkNjc0MGMtZTE0MC00OTY4LTlmMzgtMDBiN2ZlYTgyZDVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">After Angela goes up to her room to take a bath, Jeff enters and Angela goes into seductress mode. She seems to get her kicks out of taking risks but Jeff isn’t having any of that and warns her: “If Frankie finds out about us, I'll break your neck.” It seems like it’s touch and go as Frankie enters with some fresh towels for Angela. With Jeff hiding in the bathroom, Angela takes a towel from Frankie without disclosing Jeff’s presence. After Frankie leaves, Jeff warns Angela again by saying to her, “I could kill you.” Angela is both unfazed and pleased with the what transpired.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“It must be static because of this heat”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tinker tells Jeff that the “something's wrong with the TV” and that “the phone's been playing up, too.” Jeff speculates that it might be due to static electricity built up by the heat. Bob at his own place has also had trouble with his television set. After asking his wife if she had been playing around with the TV, the set explodes. While his wife fetches a dustpan and broom and he inspects the television wires and innards, Bob hears the high-pitched noise and is so disturbed by it that he contacts Jeff and arranges to come over. While driving in his car, Bob notices his dog, Patch chasing after him. As he drives on, Bob is visibly distressed by the strange sound while his dog sensed the presence of something disturbing. Bob is so affected that he soon crashes through a fence before his car plunges over a precipice and explodes into flames.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“I expected it to cool down by evening, but it's getting hotter”</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dqcUM0wWCi26iS0irBIzer9r_XYOtFhz0H8Wh5H1JCpLyJSPY4HD696avYWEQF6lEjq5q8X90mbayjz-22kTgcZLUuuRtq15Z061nDI6cYKqWCMfjcfA7P0_nxIULpbt-Sm7zfUfLExjD07tskNvi_4vCn4P61MqyZb3Vj1jhTncL5yY7J03py7F2-mH/s246/images%20(2).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="246" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dqcUM0wWCi26iS0irBIzer9r_XYOtFhz0H8Wh5H1JCpLyJSPY4HD696avYWEQF6lEjq5q8X90mbayjz-22kTgcZLUuuRtq15Z061nDI6cYKqWCMfjcfA7P0_nxIULpbt-Sm7zfUfLExjD07tskNvi_4vCn4P61MqyZb3Vj1jhTncL5yY7J03py7F2-mH/w400-h224/images%20(2).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Back in the Inn’s kitchen, things are about to heat up even further despite Angela’s attempt to cool her hot sweaty body with ice cubes. (Oh Yeah!) The conversation between Frankie and Angela takes on the feel of a verbal duel between them. It begins with Angela asking Frankie if she gets bored with the isolation before leading to the circumstances of Jeff’s last secretary leaving who it turned out was sacked because she had taken a fancy to Jeff. Frankie rather pointedly suggests to Angela “that made her a complication and Jeff doesn't like complications” and that “she didn't mean a thing to Jeff.” Rather ironically, Frankie adds, “I'd have known if she had.”Angela then poses the question, “but if he were just having fun, would you know?” bringing it even closer to the circumstances of the existing love triangle. Frankie confidently proclaims that “Jeff doesn't play around. It'd be all or nothing!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The tension mounts along with the increasingly hot atmosphere as Angela suggests that “it's a pity that such an attractive man should shut himself away” and that Jeff would need a very good reason to come to live “in a place like this.” That reason according to Angela being, “it's obvious he's running away from something.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Living on the edge, excitement, thrills and a sense of danger seem to be aspects of life that Angela thrives on. In this case, she takes matters right up to the point of confessing that Jeff had personally asked for her as his secretary, that she more than just knew him before and that Jeff who is just like any other man, had been kissing her within half an hour of her arrival.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angela’s apparent confession to the affair has served to elicit a sense of shock and disbelief from Frankie. Angela then tells Frankie she was lying in anger and gets her to admit that she was warning Angela off. <i>En garde! Allez! Lunge! Parry! Riposte! Touché!</i> The two women’s verbal duel seems to serve as a response or reaction to the events around them which are apparently beyond their control.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“If this heat goes on increasing, it could drive us all insane”</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hanson meanwhile has gone out to inspect the dead sheep. After taking a photo of one sheep, he removes a knife from a metal box.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angela addresses Jeff by his first name and then corrects herself by asking him, “you don't mind if I call you Jeff?” Jeff informs Angela and Frankie that he has not seen Bob and hands the manuscript to Angela for her to type, countering her attempt at familiarity in the presence Frankie and establishing exactly what her role is supposed to be.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg85K1BO359vVoVOYAjhcbMTXk0NYupFzd7OCBZBDozXabETZVUlzV7DOnZMeC8ljCEopY88CeMlMOCwY0Hv-MVij30MwR7t1ZwALSJflek_yDlY4XAxnsPE8evc_KtVMSpdGnjUZ802l6XeLfqDTKU1j_cSxZy2ctJOeV4Vqq-0Et1XV7fSr7Fz99xfYP/s1280/morrow-and-allen.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg85K1BO359vVoVOYAjhcbMTXk0NYupFzd7OCBZBDozXabETZVUlzV7DOnZMeC8ljCEopY88CeMlMOCwY0Hv-MVij30MwR7t1ZwALSJflek_yDlY4XAxnsPE8evc_KtVMSpdGnjUZ802l6XeLfqDTKU1j_cSxZy2ctJOeV4Vqq-0Et1XV7fSr7Fz99xfYP/w400-h225/morrow-and-allen.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angela is not to be deterred though. After Frankie goes inside, Angela returns and asks Jeff for a light. As he goes over to her and attempts to light her cigarette, she grabs his trembling hand and places it full on her left breast. Angela then declares, “you know you want me. Why try to deny it?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The high-pitched sound is heard again and Frankie comes out and tells them that </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“something just landed over by the hill” and that “it landed in the field.” She also observed that “there was a glow coming from it” along with a “whirring, whining noise.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“He's crazy. Whatever he's doing, he's obsessed by it”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">The trio venture out to the hill and observe Hanson returning carrying a bag. They consider what Hanson is up to. Jeff then questions Frankie about what she saw before instructing the two women to wait where they are while he goes to take a look. They are not keen on doing that and prefer to get out of there and wait until the next day. Jeff says that he has “had enough of Hanson creeping around” and will go and confront him about what he is up to.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZhVHpHgw5O1g0JatmNrB-JuSmN3ciBI9kyDakb580fmmDKGAgdsC6HAEgo_8ksLzmZyNfdOsFpSsyHAX25Mdv6iNHIibpTD8WbJ2iJojQ4QmFjHAcaphUynYIYHSMM3hMWc0Hq8Ngx2Yti1MHSe_VG-Ai7JiphfqO6AeQcVBjGpcnixp7l4WPgvvblVD/s230/MV5BZjFhMDZlY2EtNGVlMy00Y2Q5LTk4ZTctOTRjZThlNWNmNDU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQWxiaWFtb250._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="229" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZhVHpHgw5O1g0JatmNrB-JuSmN3ciBI9kyDakb580fmmDKGAgdsC6HAEgo_8ksLzmZyNfdOsFpSsyHAX25Mdv6iNHIibpTD8WbJ2iJojQ4QmFjHAcaphUynYIYHSMM3hMWc0Hq8Ngx2Yti1MHSe_VG-Ai7JiphfqO6AeQcVBjGpcnixp7l4WPgvvblVD/w398-h400/MV5BZjFhMDZlY2EtNGVlMy00Y2Q5LTk4ZTctOTRjZThlNWNmNDU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQWxiaWFtb250._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We next see Hanson developing film in his room under a red light when Jeff appears and knocks on the door to demand answers from him. Hanson refuses to open the door, and Jeff threatens to break it down. Hanson then tells him to wait a few minutes, but Jeff will have none of it and kicks in the door. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A furious Hanson shuts the door to protect the photographs from being exposed to the light. Jeff then questions Hanson about what he is doing and why he was on the hill that night. Hanson tells Jeff that for the past week he’s “been convinced this island is the centre of an invasion: A landing point for beings from another planet” and that is “what has caused this inexplicable heat.” He goes on to tell a sceptical Jeff that he has been spending his time on Fara collecting and analysing specimens such as soil and the blood of a sheep. Hanson tells Jeff that he ruined the photos he was developing with his “crass stupidity.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We next proceed to the location where Hanson has set up his cameras. He had not been trying to take photos in the conventional sense. Hanson had been experimenting with a special camera with a red filter lens along with a mirror reflector. The rigged shutter would be triggered by anything crossing its line of vision. It apparently worked as Hanson had been developing a picture that would have given him the proof he so desperately needed – that is until Jeff blundered into his room and spoiled it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hanson draws Jeff’s attention to some black cinders which he says were burned by something that produces a high frequency heat “more intense than anything we can produce, even under strict laboratory conditions” and that “there's only one place where that kind of heat exists: Out there, where the cosmic gases ferment and generate a heat greater than anything we can imagine.” Hanson concludes “that's where those beings must come from.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jeff then goes to investigate Bob’s dog which is scrabbling and whining at the fence. Hanson calls Jeff over to see Bob’s burned car which had earlier broken through the fence. They look at what’s left and Hanson dispassionately observes that “every particle of energy has been sucked out of it.” Jeff is all for warning others about this, but Hanson wants more time to gather new evidence to prove the existence of the aliens. </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“This heat is bound to lead to irrational behaviour”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the Inn, Angela comes downstairs under the lusting and leering gaze of Tinker and Ken, the latter who remarks, “no wonder the temperature's up. Who's been hiding her? Angela informs Frankie that she will continue work on typing the manuscript.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmJol2WJgpnzIx1TpcAi-BBXb_B_X0NV0dn3SpiqMXZy5pt3R2tXCGHhS_1k-2jCnY_0sYYARt2sVHBrDTwUzrz5cgSzPa76XgHLuGmKY1z2_T5tvgpyDVlDLf7G25zSCr-HyH0IgBJrvdGeovP_fmj3-gNEFYW1y7bqtNkjJXUYlgZv06Ifteh8_glp0/s170/images%20(6).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="170" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmJol2WJgpnzIx1TpcAi-BBXb_B_X0NV0dn3SpiqMXZy5pt3R2tXCGHhS_1k-2jCnY_0sYYARt2sVHBrDTwUzrz5cgSzPa76XgHLuGmKY1z2_T5tvgpyDVlDLf7G25zSCr-HyH0IgBJrvdGeovP_fmj3-gNEFYW1y7bqtNkjJXUYlgZv06Ifteh8_glp0/w400-h384/images%20(6).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Not long after Jeff and Hanson return to the inn, bottles of beer suddenly begin to burst, resulting in Frankie being cut by a glass fragment. Jeff goes to get a first aid kit and enters the room where Angela is. Looking at her there with her blouse open, revealing her sweat-glistened cleavage, beer bottles are not the thing about to burst for Jeff. And wouldn’t you know it, Frankie chooses just that moment to enter and catch them kissing passionately. It’ll take more than the application of a plaster bandage to heal the hurt inflicted on Frankie.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBbYITKTHz9_W9g0G3GJ6uoDK1aB--XQ6R1Ci_Bndfksnz_ck3TjiPT-8e2AySg3R-VGcVqYvjK-pBwVr3OL5_RvU1e_-Bkw5VRK0j1vasVwNXOkJ4khuVWKt4VQfI2RQFEfEK-PtnbiwrVy0SLrJvSoxAC9GdhowqEQ_77BLxaDzl_pvpzuoKA1UNrk9/s947/MV5BZmQwNTQxZjEtYzEwZC00NmFjLTk3MDktYTI1YjkzMDVjMmE3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="947" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBbYITKTHz9_W9g0G3GJ6uoDK1aB--XQ6R1Ci_Bndfksnz_ck3TjiPT-8e2AySg3R-VGcVqYvjK-pBwVr3OL5_RvU1e_-Bkw5VRK0j1vasVwNXOkJ4khuVWKt4VQfI2RQFEfEK-PtnbiwrVy0SLrJvSoxAC9GdhowqEQ_77BLxaDzl_pvpzuoKA1UNrk9/w400-h376/MV5BZmQwNTQxZjEtYzEwZC00NmFjLTk3MDktYTI1YjkzMDVjMmE3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later, we see a clearly heat-affected Tinker enter the room where Angela is working. Tinker attacks her and brutally tries to rape her. During the attack, Angela is able to hit Tinker on the head and flees just as Ken, Jeff and Frankie come running in. While Ken goes to get Dr. Stone, Jeff and Hanson pursue Tinker. Jeff catches up to Tinker and tries to coax him come back to the Inn but Tinker strikes Jeff from behind with a stick and runs off. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Hanson meets up with Jeff, Tinker makes his way to his garage and lights a welding torch. Peering through the door, he is horrified by the sight of something approaching, the presence of which is indicated by his terror-stricken expression, a bright light and a high volume humming sound. Tinker drops the torch, and retreats inside to hide behind a car. He then covers his ears and screams as the noise grows in intensity. When Hanson and Jeff arrive, they see only burnt areas and a gas cylinder, “split open, just like the car battery. Completely drained of every ounce of energy.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“The indications are that we're approaching a crisis”</span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later, while discussing what happened with Tinker, Dr. Stone declares that “it's impossible” that “he'd do a thing like that, not under normal circumstances.” Hanson counters by pointing out that “these are not normal circumstances.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The discussion at the inn progresses on to Hanson’s theory that “the island is being used as a test base for an invasion” where the aliens “have to discover if they can survive in our atmosphere.” After all, “we probe space searching for information about other planets” so “it's logical that same thing might happen in reverse.” According to this theory, the creature that Frankie saw land that night was there to form “a spearhead to find out if life is possible for them on Earth.” If it were found to be possible “then, the main force will come.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is postulated that the aliens need heat energy to survive and with the temperature having risen three degrees in the last half hour to 108 degrees, the situation is becoming critical. With the telephones out of action there’s no hope of alerting the mainland. Stone suggests they go to the Met station where they can send a message for help. He offers to go and Hanson hands him a two-way radio he can use to keep in touch with them.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uJV61Wi1DPWrmxpeNqtgKViAqfN4dFobtwm04n-5J-HVMQtOB55Eend7KoG658BPdldssKmQ3ENrcKtfkbcF2VNnRZBVLYhoMqM0LHMKZK-qNtkva5OKGCxHTLLyJzRtQrMWSpkjkBiF1IWLh_3lCWIdw2USIgs-1UPtgxDvwmTY2QsRFu4ogqpE9-dF/s168/images%20(7).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="168" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uJV61Wi1DPWrmxpeNqtgKViAqfN4dFobtwm04n-5J-HVMQtOB55Eend7KoG658BPdldssKmQ3ENrcKtfkbcF2VNnRZBVLYhoMqM0LHMKZK-qNtkva5OKGCxHTLLyJzRtQrMWSpkjkBiF1IWLh_3lCWIdw2USIgs-1UPtgxDvwmTY2QsRFu4ogqpE9-dF/w400-h400/images%20(7).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It isn’t long before Stone reports that his car is overheating. As he approaches the station, the car stalls and Stone reports that he will have to walk the rest of the way. While he checks the car engine, a strange and menacing force approaches. With the unnerving sound increasing in volume, Hanson and the others at the inn entreat him to “get away from that sound.” They can however, only listen in horror when Stone screams as the alien entity closes in on him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jeff then volunteers to go next, but Hanson convinces him that he is more qualified to deal with the alien invaders. As Hanson leaves, he pointedly tells the others to lock all doors and windows. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angela suddenly screams and Jeff tries to comfort her as Frankie looks on. When Jeff rejoins Frankie, she accuses him of having known Angela before she came there and worked out that was the reason they moved to Fara. Behaving like a coward, Jeff lies to her by trying to deny it and fobbing it off on her being overwrought and affected by the heat like everyone else. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jeff now has little choice but to finally admit that he knew Angela before and that they in fact did move to get away from her. When Frankie asks if Jeff loves Angela, he tells her that he doesn’t and he just “wanted her body” and that “she's no more than a common slut” who never meant a thing to him and never would. It all boiled down to being strictly a physical attraction and that there is no comparison with the love he feels for his wife. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtsTkRte-l--4cgXL5lizzindbcRFr06_5VLQEqxgo0y3wHO2ZsJEs4-RprXUbPjD_i6CRQCH4_4CmiDhe4VBWUaZC743LJIhRqTqIL3seN4PF-hc6uEPLM5HTVrX_-w4OcwxxTwzP2iLLU3uLbwkwLa45QjLucwEqK1ew5krUAOqoB4xov5vt7ZGg76o/s796/MV5BMzg2NzgzZDUtZGRmMi00YjQ0LWFmNzEtZTIxOGE1ZDI0NmZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="751" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtsTkRte-l--4cgXL5lizzindbcRFr06_5VLQEqxgo0y3wHO2ZsJEs4-RprXUbPjD_i6CRQCH4_4CmiDhe4VBWUaZC743LJIhRqTqIL3seN4PF-hc6uEPLM5HTVrX_-w4OcwxxTwzP2iLLU3uLbwkwLa45QjLucwEqK1ew5krUAOqoB4xov5vt7ZGg76o/w378-h400/MV5BMzg2NzgzZDUtZGRmMi00YjQ0LWFmNzEtZTIxOGE1ZDI0NmZjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MTk2NzMz._V1_.jpg" width="378" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angela soon emerges from the study wondering where everyone is and wants to see doctor Stone. Jeff tells her the doctor can’t come but like a petulant child she insists that she needs him. Finally under duress, Frankie tells her the doctor is dead and Angela seems on the verge of unravelling emotionally. The flaws in her character and her emotional immaturity in the face of this new precarious situation are laid bare for all, especially Jeff, to see.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“We must destroy them before they destroy us”</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hanson, meanwhile locates Stone’s car to discover that the battery is drained. He uses the radio to report to the others that Stone is dead, “burnt to death, “just like all the others.” Hanson then spots a glowing light in the quarry and goes to investigate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Stella with her dog suddenly appear searching the area for her husband with a flashlight. Just as Hanson is about to warn her, Stella and the dog are killed and flames are seen coming from where they were last seen. Hanson retreats, dropping his flashlight, which goes out. It then occurs to him that the aliens are attracted to the light, which for them is a source of energy. After warning Jeff to turn off all the lights at the Inn, he informs him that he will drive to the station with his car lights switched off.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdh9FrrpTOGM6lu5YEePlOYGGcVkHXEnWAoFoZUByMszLBuFdr3YsqEOK5IfIhlnkz7RkvHE3lu0yqwCfMlPziO20IuNCL9F-ORcWS9Q97xC-bGtyHGvyYQtkpoBGlAnQp2w7BkBz7fqKMBRelU9YvJ5UTxc_wVqj3LWF8LQRGaCzNpJK87RxSJr9JRAN/s472/nightofbigheat_walkietalkie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="472" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdh9FrrpTOGM6lu5YEePlOYGGcVkHXEnWAoFoZUByMszLBuFdr3YsqEOK5IfIhlnkz7RkvHE3lu0yqwCfMlPziO20IuNCL9F-ORcWS9Q97xC-bGtyHGvyYQtkpoBGlAnQp2w7BkBz7fqKMBRelU9YvJ5UTxc_wVqj3LWF8LQRGaCzNpJK87RxSJr9JRAN/w400-h209/nightofbigheat_walkietalkie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">At the station, the radar operator notices peculiar interference patterns on the radar screen. He then proceeds to call someone about this on the phone when suddenly the screen explodes. As the electrical circuits spark, the high-pitched sound increases in volume and an intense light beams on the agonised face of the screaming radar operator.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFdUuIImnWv_VF3LP8hmyDOcSb5kArOWuXTjQQ4YWiLkJRble7i5dXIjEMURQ8tE1_nhIQdKAjhbnx8qxuFBEOcJjH9zIJsDvf1e8YYPt_YZPrB2eC5YBuHphCKt22tZwjvOZSnRWmUfmMGmHwRZV_WTgH_jL9DQM97arW1jA5Rn_SRO54ZNNrXIjCg2q/s264/images%20(4).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="264" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFdUuIImnWv_VF3LP8hmyDOcSb5kArOWuXTjQQ4YWiLkJRble7i5dXIjEMURQ8tE1_nhIQdKAjhbnx8qxuFBEOcJjH9zIJsDvf1e8YYPt_YZPrB2eC5YBuHphCKt22tZwjvOZSnRWmUfmMGmHwRZV_WTgH_jL9DQM97arW1jA5Rn_SRO54ZNNrXIjCg2q/w400-h232/images%20(4).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Unable to bear staying put at the inn any longer, Jeff, Frankie and Angela decide to drive to the station. Meanwhile, Hanson, Gerald Foster and Ken are at the burned out control room at the station. Hanson tells them about his theory concerning the aliens and their method of invasion. He says that the “station is the means by which these beings got here” and that for years we have been “sending out high frequency impulses to explore space” which to the alien beings “represent a life force” that served to attract them here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hanson goes on to explain that the aliens being “composed of high frequency impulses in heat form” must have homed in on the scanner and “transferred here like a TV picture, from a transmitter to a receiver using the station’s scanner as a receiver. “Then they materialised on Earth.” Because “the Earth's surface is dotted with TV and radar scanners…...if these beings succeed, they'll heat up the whole surface” with the result that “Earth will be just another hot planet.”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyhy_SELp6dF0yn7IV-ccxjPfsFa4s265shUoK6AXSzSymC0KqL5G5lTA33opmfg_YTugILqK0UCTg_cMz6FgF2arWuTuZO54h7hV8NaO_6a-vUG-krJm_69EmiJ9zim3zLFtrKLDM7beNkHtYuxd46fmnhaCJB6IQIjEJsOjzhE1d63K7oLJjEdM3ZWS/s149/images%20(1).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="148" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyhy_SELp6dF0yn7IV-ccxjPfsFa4s265shUoK6AXSzSymC0KqL5G5lTA33opmfg_YTugILqK0UCTg_cMz6FgF2arWuTuZO54h7hV8NaO_6a-vUG-krJm_69EmiJ9zim3zLFtrKLDM7beNkHtYuxd46fmnhaCJB6IQIjEJsOjzhE1d63K7oLJjEdM3ZWS/w397-h400/images%20(1).jpeg" width="397" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The three men at the station decide that they must stop the aliens by destroying them before they destroy the human race. The plan is to make use of explosives located near the quarry.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the car seemingly about to fail, Jeff, Frankie and Angela manage to run off into a ditch. Angela true to form begins to lose it and dashes off and lies face down on the road just as Ken drives up. Ken informs them about what has happened and helps them get the car out of the ditch.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The plan to destroy the aliens as proposed by Hanson will involve the group splitting up into two groups, setting fire to hayricks out on the point to bring the aliens out into the open, intercepting the aliens with dynamite and then doubling back to the top of the cliff and use the flares to alert the mainland.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuyglAC4g-IcIrT-s_ruR9a3IHQALUKyaT2vwt342T4tt80h5wLgOluxBXAtDfONqOvso6EuuKxMJkOQJjc21bmgpTSmG0zLjonmLyrH9GiJWapJuaxvkJrhVXpHpPHKmy69FBuQBye4MO7p4L87rBVT9zFIqa6rlMLsn80wIWYG3g7-N4m0rhEsofa1j/s162/download.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="162" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuyglAC4g-IcIrT-s_ruR9a3IHQALUKyaT2vwt342T4tt80h5wLgOluxBXAtDfONqOvso6EuuKxMJkOQJjc21bmgpTSmG0zLjonmLyrH9GiJWapJuaxvkJrhVXpHpPHKmy69FBuQBye4MO7p4L87rBVT9zFIqa6rlMLsn80wIWYG3g7-N4m0rhEsofa1j/w400-h365/download.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Seeing that Angela is having a hard time of it, Jeff asks Ken to look after Angela if things go pear-shaped so he can be with Frankie. After a flare is spotted, they proceed to the quarry, where Hanson can be seen setting fire to the hayricks with his flare gun. Ken and Jeff then shoot flares into the sky. Gerald, meanwhile lobs dynamite at the creature who we see for the first time as a glowing blob-like entity. Suddenly, Gerald manages to get his foot stuck and can’t move away despite Hanson’s entreaties for him to do so with alacrity. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With sticks of dynamite blasting the vicinity of the alien creature, Angela begins to unravel yet again and dashes toward the fires with Ken in hot pursuit. He manages to catch up with her and practically has to cajole her into accompanying him to a stone building at the edge of the quarry. Once inside, Angela goes into adolescent mode and indignantly asks Ken, “who are you to tell me what to do? It's my life.” Like the ‘classy’ and oh so mature chick she obviously is, she concludes her pouty oration with, “I hate you! Leave me alone!” Ken tries to reassure her that they should not give up hope. As he looks out the window, Angela spots the gun in his pocket. Oh, oh….we can guess what’s going to happen!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly the area is illuminated by flashes of lightning and thunder can be heard. Hanson runs up to warn Jeff and Frankie about the storm just as the creature is making its way towards him. Jeff tries to warn Hanson but to no avail as he too succumbs to the creature’s murderous power.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, as we thought would happen, Angela gets hold of Ken’s gun and points it at him. He does manage to knock it out of her hand, but she grabs hold of it once again, and tells him that she doesn’t want to kill him but will if she has to. Pointing the gun at her head she goes on to tell Ken that she’d “rather die like this than be burnt alive.” Ken then turns on a bit of the old reverse psychology and calls her bluff by saying “you're right. It's hopeless, completely hopeless, so for once, do something for someone else. Go on, shoot.” She can’t shoot him first and can only respond with a bitter, “Damn you!” Ken retrieves the gun from Angela and they can only hold on to each other as the sound increases in volume.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUcG37akQ7yyiDVWh1QsIv5nCDWElyMlJC0-w0oLEtQZadNj3-mwz1i0blnQmS_A2zFa-jueskkMRWPCJqlLB5a2nsrrFzoy5myeyNSZiB6GYiW3PGgoNCqx1HLra-0IM0W4mZmnwg4PjvnN0wFjnZnAP6N6u95-dFmLPoW2CeupNrbHDNoIxfW9fsVIx/s376/nightofbigheat_underseige.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="376" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUcG37akQ7yyiDVWh1QsIv5nCDWElyMlJC0-w0oLEtQZadNj3-mwz1i0blnQmS_A2zFa-jueskkMRWPCJqlLB5a2nsrrFzoy5myeyNSZiB6GYiW3PGgoNCqx1HLra-0IM0W4mZmnwg4PjvnN0wFjnZnAP6N6u95-dFmLPoW2CeupNrbHDNoIxfW9fsVIx/w400-h219/nightofbigheat_underseige.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">With Jeff and Frankie huddled together in a large depression surrounded by the alien presence and with no hope of escape, rain begins to fall. The film ends on a positive note of rejoicing and hope as the rain kills off the alien intruder.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Points Of Interest</u></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Night Of The Big Heat</i> was adapted from a science fiction novel by John Lymington. The novel had also been adapted for British television by ITV in 1960.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Filming took place at Pinewood Studios and on location in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. The exteriors for the inn where the action takes place were filmed at The Swan Inn in Milton Keynes Village. The opening shots of the island's meteorological station are of the transmitter station at Portland Bill, Dorset.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film has a very impressive cast that includes, Patrick Allen, Sarah Lawson (both married in real life), Jane Merrow and of course, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film’s director, Terence Fisher made three films for Planet Film Productions of which<i> Night Of The Big Heat</i> was the last. Fisher made many fine films for Hammer productions including various <i>Dracula & Frankenstein</i> horror films, <i>The Gorgon, The Mummy</i> and <i>Island of Terror. </i></span><i><br /></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Instead of relying on the use of special effects to provide its impetus, <i>Night Of The Big Heat i</i>s very much a character-driven film. It focuses more on ordinary people who find themselves in an extra-ordinary situation where they are isolated and cut off from the rest of civilisation. Within the claustrophobic setting of the inn, they are forced to confront and make decisions about the danger that’s facing them in the form of an alien invasion. The characters are also forced to confront certain truths about themselves and each other particularly in relation to the accompanying love triangle. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the temperature rises and the sweat pours forth from every pore, many of the characters begin to lose control of their minds and emotions and succumb to irrationality, anger and lust. On that basis, the characters are really just like anyone of us: flawed human beings who under certain stressful circumstances may act heroically and unselfishly but who may also have the capacity to behave in very inhumane and abominable ways. All this despite our fabricated public personas and manufactured social media autobiographical presentations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Take for instance the characters involved in the love triangle subplot. I’m afraid that Jeff comes across as a rather snivelling cad and bounder who seems to want to have his cake and eat it too without the consequences. Jeff doesn’t deserve either woman (especially his wife) both of whom could easily do far better. As for Angela, she does come across as a home-breaking little floozy who would have done better by putting it straight to Jeff that if he is at all serious about her he should tell his wife and leave the relationship before she will have anything further to do with him. Frankie, however should have just told Jeff to bugger off and take his little bitch with him. Under similar circumstances, how would any of us behave? Who knows?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> The time of year that the film was shot was not exactly conducive to generating streams of perspiration from the actors, so director Fisher had them smear glycerine on themselves to create the sweaty effect along with them having to wear damp shirts. Why Peter Cushing's character kept his jacket on in such temperatures, I’ll never know. None of the men even bothered to put on a pair of shorts. Even I’d be tempted to wander about in my Hawaiian shirt and budgie smugglers! Perhaps not….</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is also a wonder that so much booze is being consumed during such hot and humid conditions. After all, alcohol would tend to exacerbate the dehydration process. Lots of water would be a far better option.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> OK, we know about the less than impressive appearance of the aliens, but what can we expect considering the film’s budget? At least it was a good choice to create a sense of atmosphere by not allowing the viewers to see what the aliens actually look like until the end. Instead, there was a reliance on what is not seen and what is implied by focusing on the characters’ reactions to what they are confronted with together with the impressive sound effects and music to heighten the tension. Unfortunately, the final rushed climax along with the appearance of the aliens tended to be somewhat disappointing considering the build-up throughout the film.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SLN4tsTJb1WvsRxcgxvvlW0gWRlJT_N_ovl2UPJoGehaBp0C5FVHXvZs-v8QvGi2SHltpi-Q1IBtbkjCwcG7sMLZxizRnwFzXMyYidBVv1hmWysP_mUGa9X4IUfimsxHz1qdIq999-W10IPiXcf-BKdllbYn4H-DABSW-XqS_5W4C46cBav0zvcW_9Df/s2816/IMG20230725163502.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2816" data-original-width="1953" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2SLN4tsTJb1WvsRxcgxvvlW0gWRlJT_N_ovl2UPJoGehaBp0C5FVHXvZs-v8QvGi2SHltpi-Q1IBtbkjCwcG7sMLZxizRnwFzXMyYidBVv1hmWysP_mUGa9X4IUfimsxHz1qdIq999-W10IPiXcf-BKdllbYn4H-DABSW-XqS_5W4C46cBav0zvcW_9Df/w278-h400/IMG20230725163502.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial Black;">My 1961 Corgi Edition</span></div></span></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">John Lymington’s novel is set on an unidentified British island during an unnatural and unprecedented global heatwave. There is speculation that it might be due to the atomic bomb tests that have been taking place but no-one knows for sure. During the 1950s and 1960s Cold War period there were a lot of atmospheric and underground atomic bomb tests undertaken as part of an insane arms race.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Novelist and <i>White Lion</i> inn owner, Richard Callum meets secretary Patricia Wells who has arrived to help him edit his book. Almost straight away the two are attracted to each other, but there is one little problem - Richard is married to Frankie.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The inn is a ocal point for many of the locals. One of them, an airman from the local radar station, informs Richard that a strange radio signal is being beamed downwards onto the island. A stranger staying at the inn named Harsen keeps to himself and seems to be engaged in secretive activities in his rented room. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A story emerges that local, Bob Franker claimed to have recently seen a flying saucer along with creatures resembling spiders that emerged from it. Suspecting that something extraordinary is going on, Richard, Patricia and Frankie contact Vernon Stone, a local science fiction author to seek his assistance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A conclusion is arrived at that suggests that aliens are beaming themselves to Earth for an invasion, in much the same way as messages are beamed by radio from one place to another. There is initial speculation by the locals that aliens are attacking Earth with a heat ray. When it is instead thought that they are being beamed to the island, it is believed that this could be a reason for the heat as well and that the aliens themselves are extremely hot due to the radiation generated by the transfer process. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is later conjectured that the aliens have sent less evolved creatures in advance of an invasion in much the same manner as humans have sent monkeys up into space to determine if it is safe. If the advance party of creatures survive in Earth’s climate, then the intelligent aliens can follow to complete their conquest of earth. The nature of this alien species is speculated on and it is suggested that they may be similar to insects with similar evolutionary advantages.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The author never really provides us with a clear description of the creatures, instead giving the reader a sense of them via second-hand accounts and indistinct nocturnal glimpses of them. What is unseen can be far scarier and menacing than what is seen!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is an interesting concept to have an alien invasion employ a form of terra-forming a planet so as to make conditions untenable for the original inhabitants while making it suitable for the would-be conquerors. A far more efficient process than blundering in on ships and indiscriminately blasting away at people and infrastructure. It would not an easy prospect to try and subdue an entire planet of 8 or so billion irate and desperate inhabitants.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the time of writing this blog post, with the record-breaking summer time heat waves assailing the northern hemisphere throughout southern Europe, China, parts of Asia and north America, the reader might feel some empathy toward the characters in the film considering what real flesh and blood people are enduring right now in the middle of 2023 in the real world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The dreadful conditions that exist now, however are not due to the evil machinations of fictional alien entities, but are rather a result of a combination of factors involving the process of climate change, human exacerbation of a warming climate by the addition of C02 & methane emissions as well as a shift into El Nino weather patterns. Like the characters in the film and the book, the final outcome will depend on how we respond to the challengers posed by the new changed conditions and circumstances we find ourselves confronted with.</span><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OkcNt7JTqGo" width="320" youtube-src-id="OkcNt7JTqGo"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">Full Film</span></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Thank you for reading this post. Please feel free to download my</span> <i><span style="color: red;">FREE</span></i> <span style="color: #fcff01;">eBook, Sci-Fi Film Fiesta: The Big Fat Book of Sci-Fi films Of The 1950s. </span><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/p/sci-fi-film-fiesta-big-fat-book-of-sci.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></u></i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-55286848195223123842023-06-22T01:16:00.002-07:002023-06-22T01:31:29.461-07:00The Power (1968)<p><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPGpDWZ6yPo3-LF77iopbVAkVb7XxEKqBe7RBCcNKZuMsxNb57exL8kCC_kh4TYOUxXYG9WRSf6uPBu2Sg49D42GD9D5UHp_GFMqiczJnstLrGbxiqCbecwVtZeSEwr0DWh2NshE94KzpybHeiUNl71Q10QCYZaxR5MM0ycj4DlA9UcPfhViPEQ_dR7Ja/s1024/MV5BNTE5ODA4YTYtMWJiZC00ZGZjLTlkNzAtMTA4YmJkNzFkNWQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU3ODUxMTc@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="673" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPGpDWZ6yPo3-LF77iopbVAkVb7XxEKqBe7RBCcNKZuMsxNb57exL8kCC_kh4TYOUxXYG9WRSf6uPBu2Sg49D42GD9D5UHp_GFMqiczJnstLrGbxiqCbecwVtZeSEwr0DWh2NshE94KzpybHeiUNl71Q10QCYZaxR5MM0ycj4DlA9UcPfhViPEQ_dR7Ja/w263-h400/MV5BNTE5ODA4YTYtMWJiZC00ZGZjLTlkNzAtMTA4YmJkNzFkNWQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU3ODUxMTc@._V1_.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimhJPzboG99o626vHaBLRPr48VcxNt2lQpMSoP7aYpYxbrHLS1c03NYz3X-T4DnFH-TCPToAACCLq1fe0eB9ew4q8c6P_LsZaOXi8tFs2IWVy-BNUJ1fbWjGD5Ep4RvdvMUbmAZ5v4b3UV5FTn9uPNY4ZnTj2SVvc5YMSyjOffyBFc7M8JXRE9QdUx_kz/s1051/3%201-2%20stars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="1051" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimhJPzboG99o626vHaBLRPr48VcxNt2lQpMSoP7aYpYxbrHLS1c03NYz3X-T4DnFH-TCPToAACCLq1fe0eB9ew4q8c6P_LsZaOXi8tFs2IWVy-BNUJ1fbWjGD5Ep4RvdvMUbmAZ5v4b3UV5FTn9uPNY4ZnTj2SVvc5YMSyjOffyBFc7M8JXRE9QdUx_kz/w200-h39/3%201-2%20stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;">Certainly not a classic sci-fi film, but it is an entertaining oddity with an impressive supporting cast and good production values.</span></i></b></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Directed by Byron Haskin<br />Written by John Gay<br />Based on “The Power” by Frank M. Robinson<br />Produced by George Pal<br />Cinematography: Ellsworth Fredericks<br />Edited by Thomas J. McCarthy<br />Music by Miklós Rózsa<br />Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-May</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></b></span><div><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><u>Cast</u></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;">George Hamilton: Jim Tanner<br />Suzanne Pleshette: Margery Lansing<br />Richard Carlson: N. E. Van Zandt<br />Yvonne De Carlo: Sally Hallson<br />Earl Holliman: Talbot Scott<br />Gary Merrill: Mark Corlane<br />Ken Murray: Grover<br />Barbara Nichols: Flora<br />Arthur O'Connell: Henry Hallson<br />Nehemiah Persoff: Carl Melnicker<br />Aldo Ray: Bruce<br />Michael Rennie: Arthur Nordlund<br />Miiko Taka: Mrs. Van Zandt<br />Celia Lovsky: Mrs. Hallson<br />Vaughn Taylor: Mr. Hallson<br />Lawrence Montaigne: Briggs<br />Beverly Powers: Sylvia<br />Forrest J. Ackerman: Delegate A.C. Fogbottom<br />Daniel Elam: Scientist<br />William Burnside: Fun House Onlooker<br />Ken DuMain: Fun House Onlooker<br />Frieda Rentie: Fun House Onlooker<br />Boyd 'Red' Morgan: Merry-Go-Round Operator<br />Robert Deman: Young Man<br /><u>Party Guests:</u><br />David Armstrong<br />Minta Durfee<br />Ed Haskett<br />George Holmes<br />Kenner G. Kemp<br />Joseph La Cava<br />John Pedrini<br />Anthony Redondo<br />Hank Robinson<br />Arthur Tovey<br /></span><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Chalky Williams</span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></b><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dysHJAotJtmujndlRUxShSXyZtKo81UzRaecBVMBp9djQ8hPmYpyFsIf0r3uM4MKAFI8xJW4aN6yMZzDvVUJg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Key Scene</b></div></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;">The power of telekinesis used not only to move just objects!</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Members of a special project team being killed off one by one by means of telekinesis!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><div style="text-align: center;">Who has the mind power to commit murder?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">How can he or she be stopped?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></i></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Biologist Dr. Jim Tanner is chairman of a committee of scientists (The Committee on Human Endurance), based at the laboratory of the Space Research Commission in San Marino, CA. Tanner and the committee is tasked with tasked with;</span><br /></span><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Determining the limits of human endurance involving the human body's ability to survive pain.</span></b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Ascertaining the factors that would enable a human being to survive extreme physically stressful situations and make instant life-saving decisions in an emergency.</span></b></span></li></ol><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Little does Tanner realize, that he will soon find himself being pushed to the very limits of his own endurance…….</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Read on for more....</i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>(Spoilers follow below....)</i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“You might call us the sado-masochists of the space program”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0I4QLTpxX7uhWDRWK0Ezs1FzOpjfhwp8NV3AkBGsdbdAgwWL8Wj-2ZInAQ2hxnkHLjmkTOo1sFZlJrfqw3zv30WC528HoMZQuNhit88azofMncN2zDJXw5snBRCrnq6Xq_C64MCr2gm18_1U7t0dYK9wOAU8SdO2jgIbAM5MjBQWfu00broPdzexDhTiM/s442/the-power_11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="442" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0I4QLTpxX7uhWDRWK0Ezs1FzOpjfhwp8NV3AkBGsdbdAgwWL8Wj-2ZInAQ2hxnkHLjmkTOo1sFZlJrfqw3zv30WC528HoMZQuNhit88azofMncN2zDJXw5snBRCrnq6Xq_C64MCr2gm18_1U7t0dYK9wOAU8SdO2jgIbAM5MjBQWfu00broPdzexDhTiM/w400-h250/the-power_11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">It is “tomorrow” and on this particular day, Mr. Arthur Nordlund, US Naval liaison, visits the futuristic-looking San Mineo laboratory where Dr. Jim Tanner conducts his research. Before entering, Nordlund stops to briefly contemplate a large metal outdoor display of a world globe.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-m2eYJCKwbwmnJ41b5Lk_jwZxrRo1uC2zdVNVl2pCcJ4ku9nq2tiURhDuzGdyucihuto4Plle44wKPZe5jpq04aOsBYWUKv2_hb7bAdcK62N3XCVRgNKvrHA75QnPuinEnGrm1N5dkcOhgXWLofN2IBt4w9G62PtnaEIER5lSGbnlYuGHB_ggYSnERUP/s494/The-Power-1968-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="494" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-m2eYJCKwbwmnJ41b5Lk_jwZxrRo1uC2zdVNVl2pCcJ4ku9nq2tiURhDuzGdyucihuto4Plle44wKPZe5jpq04aOsBYWUKv2_hb7bAdcK62N3XCVRgNKvrHA75QnPuinEnGrm1N5dkcOhgXWLofN2IBt4w9G62PtnaEIER5lSGbnlYuGHB_ggYSnERUP/w400-h203/The-Power-1968-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Nordlund abruptly enters a room where test subjects are undergoing endurance tests and is curtly yelled at to “close that door!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The tests consist of neural stimulation, immersion in ice-cold water, extreme heat, and high g-force acceleration in a centrifuge. The US space program at this point in time has a number of hurdles to overcome and questions yet to be answered particularly in relation to the limitations of the human body when subjected to extreme levels of stress during liftoff, prolonged exposure to zero gravity and the extremes of temperature and radiation beyond Earth’s atmosphere. NASA has therefore been funding a program of pain research, in which student volunteers are paid quite well to undergo Dr. Tanner’s tests of extreme physical discomfort. As Tanner explains to Nordlund, “how can we protect him in space if we don't know how much pain he can take?” When it comes to the all important matter of expense, Tanner responds with “no matter what the answers, Mr. Nordlund, they will not come cheaply.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Tanner and Nordlund are speaking, biologist Talbot Scott enters and asks Tanner to talk with him privately. Scott is concerned that one of their colleagues, anthropologist Henry Hallston who is scheduled to present his report on his human-intelligence survey, is convinced that all the committee members are "being watched" by “the unknown.” Scott is convinced that Hallson has “flipped….gone right off the deep end” and that his “mind is right on the ragged edge.” Scott is afraid that Hallson will embarrass the Committee in front of Nordlund, who will also be in attendance. If Hallson is “going to blow the lid on those questionnaires” and “goes wild” Nordlund will end up thinking they’re “all a bunch of crackpots.”</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;">“This person, whoever he is, he could do what he wants with this committee”</span></i></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The committee meeting goes ahead as scheduled and comprises chairman and biologist Dr. Jim Tanner, geneticist Dr. Margery Lansing, physicist Dr. Carl Melnicker, biologist Dr. Talbot Scott, Dr. Norman Van Zandt, and government liaison Arthur Nordlund. Also in attendance, of course is Dr. Henry Hallson, anthropologist who has designed a series of anonymous questionnaires to screen people with “a greater survival capacity,” using other committee members “as sort of a dry run before they're given to the students.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Despite Tanner’s not so subtle attempts to dissuade him, Hallson manages to reveal his findings. According to him “there's only one questionnaire that counts” the results of which “show an intelligence quotient beyond the known limits of measureability.” The one person on the committee who made the responses to the questionnaire “has a force of intellect far superior to anyone else known on this earth today!”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">If that is the case then that individual would be in possession of powers that would render anybody else powerless to resist. He or she could do whatever they wanted with the rest of the committee and even “with the whole project.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>In light of Norlund’s presence, the other members express their skepticism and try to dismiss Tanner’s conclusions as being a product of a “gag,” or as a result of overwork and tiredness. Interestingly enough, it is Nordlund himself who seems to want to hear and learn more. </b></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABgv3RkiniTPu6-XNRe2ubnR3BAOpbjhLWjA3_DVfwQmT1DSMKsvVfJpk5R5cEDBt9Ziw902Vx7rdDZ0CkV-yZi1xH_o7GoTliJO-bguAHgH7Zq3tBo9la8zeqjnPtB97ycdAxjOr_OKhlp_Xm3X-fjK4DpTl-YY8iSEJezRkxnNFpjy47TuBeLSA2cXI/s400/1286404212_5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="400" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABgv3RkiniTPu6-XNRe2ubnR3BAOpbjhLWjA3_DVfwQmT1DSMKsvVfJpk5R5cEDBt9Ziw902Vx7rdDZ0CkV-yZi1xH_o7GoTliJO-bguAHgH7Zq3tBo9la8zeqjnPtB97ycdAxjOr_OKhlp_Xm3X-fjK4DpTl-YY8iSEJezRkxnNFpjy47TuBeLSA2cXI/w400-h168/1286404212_5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">With no means of getting anyone on the committee to admit to having the supposed psychic energy or psychokinetic powers, Dr. Melnicker with perennial cigarette dangling from his lip and ash sprinkling the front of his jacket, suggests a simple telekinesis test using a psi wheel consisting of a sheet of notepaper placed on an improvised spindle, in this case a pencil supported within the pages of an upright standing book. Without touching it, all of the committee members concentrate on the spindle together, which incredibly sends the wheel spinning, gradually and slowly at first, then more and more rapidly.</span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Who among the committee members possesses………</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><i>THE POWER?</i></span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">**********</span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">“One extraordinary combination of genes like four Royal Flushes in a row”</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While getting into the swing of a night of intimacy with his lover Dr. Lansing, the matter of what happened in the meeting comes up but Tanner would rather dismiss the whole thing what with other things of immediate importance at hand. Lansing, however is not so sure and hypothesises that “genetically speaking, it's entirely possible to produce a man of tomorrow right now.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The telephone soon rudely interrupts proceedings and Tanner reluctantly answers the phone to a frantic Sally Hallson on the other end of the line who informs him that her husband had gone to the lab to pick up his questionnaires but had not yet returned home.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We learn in fact that Hallson never made it out of the lab due to the fact that some force has acted on his mind convincing him that the entrance door to his office has grown considerably taller before then seeming to turn into an entire solid wall. Whether induced by the shock of it all or by the unknown force acting on his physiology, Hallson appears to suffer a heart attack and collapses at his desk.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After some urging from Marge, Tanner drives back to the lab with her. After being checked in by security, Tanner and Marge check Hallson's office, only to find some papers strewn around the desk. Among the papers, Tanner retrieves a piece of paper with the name "Adam Hart" written on it.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1DxRFD5R7E7ha5h4WuXvTq5B46OxiaHB3c-4tIq3D0dv2aQ17GnDKnBDGgXww_EQPuEzb_NvpZrK4t5Sf-xzE_EsuPtIc7LrQXKIzf6OSPNpo2j8MqHOOLZjXE1wapWgS1v3NxAsiCHwChnA1JLGG_rJzCQHPn1Ksxsxm88DO4ozV-wsRJHbjw9LaRdA/s300/1286404212_6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1DxRFD5R7E7ha5h4WuXvTq5B46OxiaHB3c-4tIq3D0dv2aQ17GnDKnBDGgXww_EQPuEzb_NvpZrK4t5Sf-xzE_EsuPtIc7LrQXKIzf6OSPNpo2j8MqHOOLZjXE1wapWgS1v3NxAsiCHwChnA1JLGG_rJzCQHPn1Ksxsxm88DO4ozV-wsRJHbjw9LaRdA/w400-h224/1286404212_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly the noise of the centrifuge starting up is heard and Tanner and Marge rush to the centrifuge control room. Despite their efforts they cannot stop the increasingly accelerating centrifuge. Tanner then races off down the hallway to pull the main switch, which results in the centrifuge gradually coming to a stop. Tanner and Marge open the centrifuge where they are confronted by the horrifying sight of a deceased Hallson, his eyes and tongue protruding from his face due to the extreme acceleration forces his body was subjected to.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The next day a police detective, Mark Corlane supervises the removal of Hallson's body and proceeds to conduct an investigation of the professor’s death. In the meantime, Tanner asks the grieving Mrs Hallson if she had ever heard of Adam Hart.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">She informs him that her husband had mentioned that name once and that it was the name of his childhood friend. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the investigation begins, things start to go awry for Tanner. For instance, the centrifuge's controls now work properly, when previously according to Tanner “none of the controls would work.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With all that has taken place so far, Tanner during a discussion with Talbot Scott, begins to speculate on the possibility that a superhuman could exist with capabilities far beyond that of normal humans, due to some kind of evolutionary leap:</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">“Supposing, just supposing there was a guy who jumped a generation or two, or ten!…...don't you see how far advanced he'd be over us?”</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Talbot Scott, however vehemently denies such a possibility. In fact, he declares </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">that “It would be impossible,” not based on any rational argument but because he chooses to deny it. He points out (using what he terms as his own “manufactured personality” as an example) the danger to the world inherent in the possibility of having a “superman running around and everyone wanting to be a copy of just one man.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“No one ever heard of you”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the police investigation into Hallson's murder proceeds, Tanner finds himself becoming the prime suspect. An apparent lack of documentation suggests that he has lied about his academic credentials. To Tanner’s horror, all records pertaining to his past have somehow been erased. Academic institutions (Wanesburg Pennsylvania, Princeton and Virginia tech) he had attended or worked at have no record of his attendance or graduation. Tanner now finds himself in the inexplicable and unenviable position of being accused of academic fraud. Even Talbot Scott with whom he just had a conversation refuses to have anything to do with Tanner.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Having been forced to resign his position and reduced to being a "person of interest" in a murder investigation, Tanner exits the facility and wanders aimlessly along the streets of San Marino. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">All that can be known for sure is that <i>something</i> killed Hallson and that behind that something, there was <i>someone</i>... on the Committee:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tallbot Scott? - “a mad combination: brains, brawn...and always on the make.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Professor Melniker? - “certainly a superior human being, but whether he could...</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">kill anybody or not...”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Professor Van Zandt - “mind like a steel trap.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Nordlund? - “he's not on the Committee…..but he was in that room (during)….</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">the experiment.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tanner? Lansing? - “It doesn't have to be a man.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As far as the police are concerned, there is a problem surrounding Tanner and Marge’s account of what took place. It turns out that Mrs. Hallson doesn't remember calling Tanner at his place on the night they discovered her husband dead.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In addition, despite the guard at the facility’s gate having made a record of Tanner and Marge’s arrival, “somehow there doesn't seem to be any trace of that record at all now.” Even the guard himself isn’t certain.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><i>“I don't know who and I don't know what, but I know he's real”</i></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While wandering around the tourist section of San Marino, Tanner notices through a window a water-dunking bird on display that suddenly straightens up, winks at him, drinks from the water glass and then squirts a small stream of water right in his direction. Comical, yes. Weird, certainly! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In another display window, a troupe of toy soldiers march into view, halt and then aim their muskets at Tanner and open fire! Suddenly, a gorgeous blond woman accosts Tanner with a tempting invitation oozing out of every pore of her body. Somehow managing to pass up on that offer, Tanner moves on and attempts to cross an intersection. While waiting for the pedestrian lights to change, he notices the signal changing its message from “DON'T WALK” to “DON'T RUN.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Feeling panicked and discombobulated, Tanner beats a hasty retreat from the intersection and blunders into a fun house where he experiences a disconcerting cacophony of sights and sounds that assault his senses. He then finds himself on an empty carousel on which one of the horses unexpectedly winks at him. Suddenly, the carousel begins to spin in a manner and with a speed that is reminiscent of the centrifuge in which Hallson was murdered. Before the same fate befalls Tanner, the carousel operator pulls the main switch to stop the machine.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">By this stage, Tanner is certain that the mysterious “Adam Hart” was likely that unidentified someone who was at that Committee meeting and that he has set Tanner up by murdering Hallson, framing him with the murder and erasing Tanner's academic records. Finally, this mystery man, Adam Hart has tried to kill Tanner “but for some reason he didn't succeed” suggesting “there's a limit to his power.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Before Adam Hart can succeed with another murder attempt, Tanner decides to track him down himself by going to “Joshua Flats, Henry Hallson's home town, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">where he first met Adam Hart.” Hopefully, “there must be somebody there who </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">still remembers him” and that Tanner can obtain some kind of identification.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztOa4ZhnA9r7olDy0JNMxZ-QBn0jpg1eKErR84Qrjf0Sxx3a8TmHjuj04B_PDL6VSOjAzSMLyuAXdMXeBKF9N-INbXToLYBzRmac_H2_JZyQDKaLbERg9QIeZoyA9rdrkmUW0lJmiti8M-f0nsZM6WRENYKk3sPa-dOwr1dkPV3vYg7LzLYjN8LnT-RWf/s546/Power-Nichols.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="546" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztOa4ZhnA9r7olDy0JNMxZ-QBn0jpg1eKErR84Qrjf0Sxx3a8TmHjuj04B_PDL6VSOjAzSMLyuAXdMXeBKF9N-INbXToLYBzRmac_H2_JZyQDKaLbERg9QIeZoyA9rdrkmUW0lJmiti8M-f0nsZM6WRENYKk3sPa-dOwr1dkPV3vYg7LzLYjN8LnT-RWf/w400-h188/Power-Nichols.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When Tanner arrives at Joshua Flats, he stops at a local cafe / filling station and asks Flora, a waitress a few question concerning Hart. She’s a bottle-blond somewhat past her best years and gives the impression she’s made a wrong life-choice in leaving New York for a dump like Joshua Flats. Like the younger blond back in San Marino, Flora eyes Tanner in a manner that suggests that she along with her “goose-bumps” would easily turn this film into something more ‘X’-rated! However, Tanner probably is becoming aware that he has entered a realm where he cannot be entirely sure of what is real and what is illusion or the product of an unknown force or power aimed at deceiving and ultimately destroying him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tanner learns from Flora that Hallson “was always around. Like a shadow. One step behind Adam.” According to Flora, Adam Hart had “blond hair, blue eyes, and a look in those eyes that made you burn inside.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When later visiting Hallson's parents, Tanner learned after suddenly being assaulted by the old mother’s fly swatter that “she always hated Adam Hart because Henry took to him so.”</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tanner also learned from the elderly father that Hart was of gypsy heritage and that the shack in which his whole family lived “burned to the ground not two days before Adam left town.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Added to this horrible but rather suspicious-sounding incident, the father described Adam Hart as having “coal-black, shifty eyes…..black gypsy eyes! Hair to match!” Apparently, he was also as “smart as they come…..there was nothing he didn't know, nothing he couldn't do.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The differing testimonies as to Adam Hart’s appearance, character and nature seem to suggest that those who met him saw him in ways they wished to see him or…….were made or influenced to view him in a particular manner. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Flora’s partner, the filling station operator / mechanic, drives up and appears to be uncharacteristically jolly and all-too willing to please. He offers to take Tanner to Hart's old place but after travelling for a while, Tanner soon realizes that something is amiss. A brief struggle in the jeep ensues and Tanner is eventually dumped and stranded in the middle of the desert in close proximity to an Air Force firing range. Tanner is almost killed when a squadron of Air Force jets strafe the area with rockets. He manages to escape when he lights a fire in the brush attracting the attention of the pilots who break off the exercise. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In a rather foul mood, Tanner makes it back to the filling station, enters through a window and bursts into the operator / mechanic’s bedroom, and at gun point forces the man to confess that Adam Hart gave him an order ten years previously to kill anyone who enquired about him. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is all too obvious now that Tanner is dealing with a murderous individual possessing the kind of abilities or powers that Hallson had feared. Hallson, having grown up with Hart became aware that Hart was a very dangerous person and as a result of that awareness he was now dead. If Tanner is not careful, he will be next!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLD5PyS3TqfzAwTcNiOhBZ_v9y2c8Hb_6lWi7cIdcdA4LPZzApJE-zPUdDu9DOWqVdAZc_mGpVIiu5chINA7ojrSszpvpR30qRD43vXffD9qrqaLn8Ft4sxIlKpBnsIBcNMN-0Sxq50lhKXdNgo3xlsAw3LYCyOwvHsqJTd_9yp70RPrTnoDk2sKn8zCz/s429/Power-De-Carlo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="429" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLD5PyS3TqfzAwTcNiOhBZ_v9y2c8Hb_6lWi7cIdcdA4LPZzApJE-zPUdDu9DOWqVdAZc_mGpVIiu5chINA7ojrSszpvpR30qRD43vXffD9qrqaLn8Ft4sxIlKpBnsIBcNMN-0Sxq50lhKXdNgo3xlsAw3LYCyOwvHsqJTd_9yp70RPrTnoDk2sKn8zCz/w400-h219/Power-De-Carlo.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The next person Tanner pays a visit to is Hallson's widow, Sally. However, she appears intent on pickling her brain with alcohol and displaying her still shapely pins to Tanner and lassoing him onto the sofa with them. Interestingly enough, Sally can’t seem to remember the name Adam Hart, despite the fact that Tanner had asked her about him on the night her husband died and that she said her husband “knew him years ago.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The reason for Sally’s amnesia becomes more apparent when the man’s face in the picture featuring the supposed Adam Hart and her husband “seems to be blurred.” Added to this is that Sally “threw everything out” including anything else that might help in the identification of Adam Hart.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is more than just the fog of alcohol, the emotional and psychological shock of her husband’s death or even the passage of time that could account for how Sally feelings for him seem be slipping away and that “just today” she “could hardly remember what he looked like.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“If we threaten his survival, he'll try to destroy us”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When Tanner returns to the home of Marge Lansing, he is surprised by a violent attack from Carl Melniker, who had earlier entered Marge's home, tied her up and waited for Tanner believing that he was the one who had killed Hallson. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After quite an impressive dust up, Tanner manages to overcome Melniker and convince him that he is no threat. While Tanner and Melniker are being cleaned and patched up, they along with a now unrestrained Marge consider what they're up against and what to do about it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Melniker states that he knows “what a man's power can do: the raw power of one man, one man alone to kill millions of innocent people.” From his observations, he believes that “this world is going to hell in a handcart” but what if (he asks his fellow scientists) “it's being pushed?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Despite the danger to themselves, the three scientists decide they’ve got to survive themselves, stay together and not fall asleep.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“I'm certain we're being watched”</span></span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tanner, Marge and Melniker make their way to a hotel in Santa Lisa, where a kitchen salesmen's convention is taking place and where they decide to invite themselves. While there, Tanner seems to suffer another bout of discombobulation as he hears music coming from the instruments being played by a gypsy-style band. He then spots several copies of a newspaper emblazoned with a partial headline, ‘DON'T RUN!’ Sound familiar? This turns out to be part of a large banner headline concerning the city's mayor telling an opposing candidate not to run against him. The question is however, who is really saying what, about what and to whom?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As part of keeping with a crowd and staying awake, the trio manage to wangle their way into one of the many parties that are being held at the salesmen shindig. At the party we are treated to the pathetic sight of old guys ‘dancing’ like Elaine Benice from Seinfeld, to the beat of swinging sixties tunes with bum and boob-shaking broads and hookers sporting black window awnings for eye-lashes. Just watching sixties-style and go-go dancing gives me a hernia!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8MSFeRPQcft21_dE5FNBUy6eLpdzbx5AYYUR7WNbiKA_Y6moU5QNXa1NTAWemom3xKeWrNySUFK9xYyKtzJWBSXKw37QRH-AodmQH-zBig3xubbxyHQPGcts3QS1exNiTgoQfrAeDstMpNLbDPzH-UEbv6by7YWH3WhMgQSeSiIzv4Zmy1_g2b32Dn6k/s149/download.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="149" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8MSFeRPQcft21_dE5FNBUy6eLpdzbx5AYYUR7WNbiKA_Y6moU5QNXa1NTAWemom3xKeWrNySUFK9xYyKtzJWBSXKw37QRH-AodmQH-zBig3xubbxyHQPGcts3QS1exNiTgoQfrAeDstMpNLbDPzH-UEbv6by7YWH3WhMgQSeSiIzv4Zmy1_g2b32Dn6k/w400-h397/download.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Later on, with the dregs of the party littering the floor, Sexy Sylvia of the woman in red variety, wakes up all perky and someway ironically calls out, “what's everyone dying or something? Let's get a little life going here.” She then proceeds to perform a strip tease (which I firmly believe is a great way to start the day and wake up to). Despite her best efforts to rouse Melniker with whom Tanner earlier partnered her up with (much to Melniker’s surprise), the horrible realization soon dawns on her that she has just planted a kiss on a dead man’s lips! And no, cigarette smoking was not the cause of his death.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“We're too much like dogs plotting to catch the dog catcher”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tanner and Marge hastily flee from the hotel room and drive to the apartment complex where Arthur Nordlund resides. Tanner feels that they’ve “got to start somewhere” and that if they can just “question him, threaten him, bluff him” they might be able to get him to utter “just one word, one word that will give him away.” Marge, however is skeptical. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When Marge and Tanner drive into the apartment complex parking garage, they observe Nordlund suffering what appears to be a heart attack. Norlund stumbles into an elevator which ascends at first before starting back down. The elevator then gets stuck between the third and fourth floors. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BOrkWKvEyM4uMhZkcbx68d8OuDGH1MP29FxHnKIkZZ2te9leg1wBd3DcSoo7pAZzicf2kgiWinCx9Vx-gc2HJBpM0uOMS4UhmhbFkEKwYuQK9aM_hBSm1BhuaMMeA8gdYcHiI_TgsR85b5RLu-gcEsc0iO0ZLz5Otsem51lOoLQVAj_4tiLuVxWyVCva/s818/Power-1968-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="818" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BOrkWKvEyM4uMhZkcbx68d8OuDGH1MP29FxHnKIkZZ2te9leg1wBd3DcSoo7pAZzicf2kgiWinCx9Vx-gc2HJBpM0uOMS4UhmhbFkEKwYuQK9aM_hBSm1BhuaMMeA8gdYcHiI_TgsR85b5RLu-gcEsc0iO0ZLz5Otsem51lOoLQVAj_4tiLuVxWyVCva/w400-h378/Power-1968-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Tanner rushes up the stairwell to the top floor and enters the elevator shaft. He attempts to climb down to the elevator by means of the cable when suddenly the elevator begins to ascend. Trying to avoid being crushed to death, Tanner opens the top hatchway cover and lowers himself down into the elevator. Once inside, Tanner finds Nordlund slumped in a corner and he sets about trying to get to focus on him, his name and his voice before he succumbs to whatever force he is being subjected to. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With Hallston and Melniker dead, with Nordlund having apparently been attacked, and Tanner sure that he himself along with Marge are not suspects, the candidates for a potential murderous superman can be narrowed down to either Van Zandt or Scott. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Nordlund is all for eliminating both potential suspects but Tanner without knowing which man is the right, disagrees. It is proposed that Nordlund keep his upcoming 2.00pm meeting at the Space Research Commission in session as long as possible and that Marge accompany him as it would be safer with having people around them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the meantime, Tanner decides to pay a visit to Van Zandt's home. Once there, he only succeeds in speaking to Mrs. Van Zandt who informs him that her husband is not there when in fact he is. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After being told that Van Zandt is not expected back until much later, Tanner hears voices coming from another room in the house and he goes to the window to eavesdrop, where he discovers that Adam Hart is expected soon. Suddenly outside the house, Tanner barely escapes with his life when someone attempts to run him down with a car. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With a crushing psychic force acting on his body, Tanner drives away in the hope of getting himself out of range. However, the other unidentified driver is in close pursuit while his own vehicle is out-of-control car with brakes that don't work. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As a bridge is being raised, Tanner’s car side-swipes a truck and smashes through a side railing before plunging into a river. Tanner escapes by unfastening the convertible’s top, before swimming to the river bank where he is picked up by police. </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">'The Babble Pit, Friday Night'</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We next find Tanner in a hospital room, where detective Corlane informs him that he is under arrest for the murders of Dr. Van Zandt and his wife. “The Van Zandt house was burned to the ground” and it is thought that “he and his wife were caught in the blaze” soon after Tanner’s visit there. The detective also informs Tanner that “no one's seen Nordlund since yesterday afternoon” and that “he was supposed to attend some kind of a meeting at the Space Research Commission” but “he never showed up.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, Talbot Scott has locked himself in the “Babble Pit” auditorium at the laboratory where he indicated in a note that he demanded to meet with Tanner. Tanner convinces Corlane that if he can talk to Scott he’ll be able to reason with him. The detective agrees and accompanies Tanner to </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;">the laboratory, t</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">ogether with a contingent of police officers and detectives.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After Tanner tricks Corlane into being locked in room of the lab, he confronts Scott in the auditorium where the latter nervously and pleadingly babbles on about knowing that there was something about Tanner that was different from the rest of them. Pleading for his life, Scott promises that he will do whatever Tanner says.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the police arrive, Scott realizes that Tanner actually thought it was he who is the superman genius responsible for the deaths of the committee members. A frantic Scott tries to escape but all exits are cut off by the police. At the lectern, he aims his gun at Tanner but he seems to be under the control of a force that redirects his gun in the direction of the advancing officers. Scott is then shot dead in the ensuing gun battle with the police.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">“No more running”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Having fled the scene of the shooting, Tanner is in no doubt who is responsible for his being set-up and the murders of his fellow committee members. Tanner walks along a corridor and peruses some notes in a folder concerning the effect of intense pain on the human heart. Marge then appears from another room and Tanner asks her why she stayed to which she replies, “would it help to go on running?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As to why Marge has been spared until now, she tells Tanner, “to be certain that he'd finally get to you…..and then there were none.”</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhem0F1V1l8EcrWIYpWM-G0Fjj5AT86aLjlp2ZBxkIc2-SPp63im3-Ay2sEYDtVPLu5ywLmvdY-fFoV4Sjyt3bj-nPgvuAnAnvUl50Et-NTmzGxGyd-OzW09NDYrItMB7Ud-rBOdoJdsVyHgfSWZvV3ukNh1SpnpCpxxKQYl08Dqj0h36JA9hqIh0kWLUO5/s668/MV5BNWQzMTQ5MDItMGRmNy00YjQyLWJlZDctNzUwOTZmMGUwMTBhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE2NzA0Ng@@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="668" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhem0F1V1l8EcrWIYpWM-G0Fjj5AT86aLjlp2ZBxkIc2-SPp63im3-Ay2sEYDtVPLu5ywLmvdY-fFoV4Sjyt3bj-nPgvuAnAnvUl50Et-NTmzGxGyd-OzW09NDYrItMB7Ud-rBOdoJdsVyHgfSWZvV3ukNh1SpnpCpxxKQYl08Dqj0h36JA9hqIh0kWLUO5/w400-h180/MV5BNWQzMTQ5MDItMGRmNy00YjQyLWJlZDctNzUwOTZmMGUwMTBhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE2NzA0Ng@@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">As the couple hug each other, Norlund / Adam Hart appears from around the corner of the corridor. Once again the mounting tension is accompanied by the rhythmic sound of a heart beat as Nordlund directs his full telepathic & telekinetic power against Tanner, convincing him that his heart is beating faster; that he can’t move his arms and legs; that it is becoming very hard for him to breathe; that he can see himself getting colder to the point of his body being covered by white crystals; that he is being burned, scorched and boiled all to the very “limit to the intensity of pain.” Beyond that - “Then what?”</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4jcHwT8IAJHAuVDkJVNbnTeI0b1g5CuolhlrnultPcQvo9IwJxHZF-bemjyZOLuOgYwdkYEcAmBZW5nFBWq4j-ovC-ERC-171PUjrz4-lEZCbrqrBKNrj8cr7RkJFnx1jq9FGLqR3sCl3eq9Ys-oRV2DUev1NeioavbQvYNInFojxBlbQ4DlXo2Ltv8N/s499/tumblr_4b544f20be73c28708003b718fae5e7c_28699044_500.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="499" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4jcHwT8IAJHAuVDkJVNbnTeI0b1g5CuolhlrnultPcQvo9IwJxHZF-bemjyZOLuOgYwdkYEcAmBZW5nFBWq4j-ovC-ERC-171PUjrz4-lEZCbrqrBKNrj8cr7RkJFnx1jq9FGLqR3sCl3eq9Ys-oRV2DUev1NeioavbQvYNInFojxBlbQ4DlXo2Ltv8N/w400-h169/tumblr_4b544f20be73c28708003b718fae5e7c_28699044_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the point of feeling that he has to just let go and “give it up” by falling into the void, Tanner collapses but manages to survive. Amazingly, Tanner seems to be able to draw on the same source of power as that possessed by Norlund / Hart and fights back by telekinetically squeezing his adversary’s heart and killing him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The world is too small a place for two people to possess such absolute power and that was why Nordlund / Hart wanted Tanner dead. Marge worked out that Norlund / Hart was willing to eliminate all of the committee members just to get to Tanner who was deemed to be “the only real threat he had” and that Tanner “never knew it, never even dared to guess.” Don’t forget that Nordlund / Hart never took Hallson’s test. The superhuman scores must have belonged to someone. Norlund / Hart could not reveal himself at the initial meeting by making the paper spin. Someone however, did make it spin and that someone was Tanner even though he didn’t know it at the time. Now he does.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As Tanner and Marge leave the laboratory, they stop in front of the world globe sculptural display and speculate on the old adage about how “power corrupts...</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">and that absolute power…” What influence will Tanner’s power have on him and the rest of the world? <i>That</i> is the question…..but <i>what</i> is the answer, “I wonder?”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Points Of Interest</span></u></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>The Power</i> (1968) is based on the 1956 science fiction novel <u>The Power</u> by Frank M. Robinson. The novel’s protagonist Tanner, a researcher discovers evidence of a person with psychic abilities among his co-workers. The story follows his attempts to uncover the mysterious and elusive superhuman. As the mystery unfolds, Tanner’s very existence is being erased and his associates murdered, until the climactic showdown with a seemingly invincible opponent. I strongly suggest that you try to read the novel first as it’s told from the protagonist's viewpoint and the unfolding mystery has more meat to it than does the film version. Certain events from the novel don’t appear in the film probably due to time and other constraints. It's a good read if you like thrillers.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRYPXqt96wndfQif59jgHO5Pcwmvhnj6PTf7FORuDiQys6TSDtCKlCqSJALB9qLvMc0kN0RBuD5tXv4ekEdDFreXqObVfXPdeiufdU9H8f7cnm3RHnwTZ3Aaf2dXQqiVEt2y-BGPgU1wBa8zPEuwsfmc-BcuAlUdSnw5bhiM_6g-ySB7xpvD64hhIn9J0/s2838/IMG20230622153435.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2838" data-original-width="2080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRYPXqt96wndfQif59jgHO5Pcwmvhnj6PTf7FORuDiQys6TSDtCKlCqSJALB9qLvMc0kN0RBuD5tXv4ekEdDFreXqObVfXPdeiufdU9H8f7cnm3RHnwTZ3Aaf2dXQqiVEt2y-BGPgU1wBa8zPEuwsfmc-BcuAlUdSnw5bhiM_6g-ySB7xpvD64hhIn9J0/w294-h400/IMG20230622153435.jpg" width="294" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">My 1959 Corgi Edition</span></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The story was first televised live as a one hour <i>Studio One</i> Episode aired on Jun 4, 1956.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>The Power</i> (1968) was shot at Culver City and Santa Monica</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film is rather a hybrid type of film combining elements of murder mystery, conspiracy thriller and science fiction.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>The Powe</i>r was competently directed by Byron Haskin who had worked in Warner Brothers Special Effects department. Haskin was also responsible for Walt Disney's first live-action film, <i>Treasure island</i> (1950) and from the mid-1950s he began a partnership with producer George Pal. A memorable result of that association was the classic science fiction film, <i>War of the worlds</i> (1953). Other sci-fi collaborations between Pal and Haskin include <i>Conquest Of Space</i> (1955) and <i>Robinson Caruso On Mars</i> (1964). All three science fiction films are featured elsewhere in this blog.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A strong cast has been assembled with the then younger co-stars, George Hamilton and Suzanne Pleshette being supported by well-known veterans such as Michael Rennie, Yvonne de Carlo, Aldo Ray, Richard Carlson and Earl Holliman. Some of these characters seem to have been very much under utilized. Suzanne Pleshette for instance, is part of that cohort of lovely 1960’s female actors that include Jane Fonda, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch and of course, Barbara Eden. In this film, however it is hard to pin down her role or function. She just seems to be...there. As for Earl Holliman! Talk about miscasting! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>The Power</i> contains sufficient thrills, mystery, suspense, intrigue and plot twists to keep it entertaining and even though generally well-paced there are some slow-moving plodding scenes and moments. The film also comes across as do many others of the era as being quite dated despite its efforts to be modern and even on the verge of being futuristic. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The main feature of the film is the mystery surrounding the identity of the Adam hart character and Tanner’s efforts to find who he was in the past and who or what he has become. During the course of the film, the audience isn’t given the chance to warm to any of the characters and is never certain who can be trusted, as they are being strung along throughout. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Miklos Rosza's score is sufficiently eerie and effective in enhancing the tension and suspense through the use of a cymbalum / dulcimer instrument, a Hungarian folk instrument. The soundtrack also featured the rhythmic sound of a beating heart to signal the various psychic mind-control attempts</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Over the years much has been made concerning the alleged power of the mind in science fiction films and pseudo-documentaries. How often have we heard mention made of the claim that human beings only utilize a fraction of the capacity or power of their brains. If only (so the fallacy goes) we could unlock the ‘full’ potential of the mind, what powers we could unleash! How easily fallacy becomes fact. The human brain uses exactly what it needs to use in terms of performing its various functions and is quite active even when we are asleep. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Certainly there can be little doubt that the mind can be used with sufficient discipline and practice to regulate such physiological processes as heart rate, respiration, memory recall, mental equilibrium, tolerance to pain and other uncomfortable stimuli. Claims about more superhuman mental and psychic powers should be treated with caution unless definitively proven to exist. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyJtNofqwAfIVv8EwiTsokThcwpFDntt4WCVHLlCg3Ggc9WLLR_1gF9kVPZoYCHFoQpVVOTV3SeqQikjNynJQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">I do recall the Cold War experiments in the former Soviet Union involving telekinesis and the US / CIA efforts with remote sensing using supposed psychic powers. There were also the appalling experiments using psychoactive and hallucinogenic drugs on army personnel who were little more than guinea pigs in the hope of producing super soldiers.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxWh-IPX77lfKyWQcEqnabaRDmy0J63Gj3gZDsHBNA6JI0_AIv22s8aWvwF_sicGiqssAgDOpk72T-DylMMVA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">I think that it is safe to say that it will be by means of technology that will enable the human mind to act on the environment in which we live by enabling humans to remotely control our devices and appliances, communicate with anyone anywhere, access unlimited information and so on. So, it then begs the question: <i>who</i> or <i>what</i> might end up controlling us? </span></div></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxnIY33D8Y1miAvsPlpdxDki9l0KVoyP6OIBctr9ByeMtGQSLeAYU_9F2FaXw4loV-YYOzGhgXxN2b915Kvsg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">What we need to be aware of is the kind of power that is concentrated in the hands of the few (human or artificial intelligence) and exercised over our thoughts, perceptions and view of reality as a means of absolute control. For <i>that</i> would be the kind of power we should fear – the power that corrupts...absolutely!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ay0fXRU2QM0" width="320" youtube-src-id="Ay0fXRU2QM0"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">Full Movie</b></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Arial Black;">Thank you for reading this post. Please feel free to download my </span><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial Black;">free</span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: Arial Black;"> eBook, <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta: The Big Fat Book of Sci-Fi films Of The 1950s</i>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial Black;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u><i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/p/sci-fi-film-fiesta-big-fat-book-of-sci.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></i></u></span><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-54756647012984705552023-05-13T01:36:00.004-07:002023-06-04T23:12:53.035-07:00The Phantom Planet (1961)<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvDf_Plg6LAlRWlXsoRBcf83mvDk7ZOLKf9dBgSOM-lBGzoGjtvnk-3FFq3WPM5h85G80sgUDDKa3dtqTN5YKBgnuiOZ3jAPZt1g9_zeogWSLjnoyPIsQY9dRHOOxRSAWYmKgd1Tm48Brd1IhODCsEilRWy03Bw88dki7r4Dup53EV-6FgtV1LjAWzw/s1061/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1061" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvDf_Plg6LAlRWlXsoRBcf83mvDk7ZOLKf9dBgSOM-lBGzoGjtvnk-3FFq3WPM5h85G80sgUDDKa3dtqTN5YKBgnuiOZ3jAPZt1g9_zeogWSLjnoyPIsQY9dRHOOxRSAWYmKgd1Tm48Brd1IhODCsEilRWy03Bw88dki7r4Dup53EV-6FgtV1LjAWzw/w400-h271/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_NE2R2wnXyWEU2DC-7TwRqkr6AZcbmzScsu-ue5gxpPx6wVgXEdTlLxDSbNVULGEsO0S_3LPv6S6EosGQQjGsi2xQAg2qWkxwCXkt6hcaxJBzGDmpb_kkAXb3fz8BDQtySsVO62cLFng1KgiYqdJet38A-mzE3Kup-jClSHnU_Z0bXhIPZBHDWWPkRQ/s1051/2-1-2-stars.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="1051" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_NE2R2wnXyWEU2DC-7TwRqkr6AZcbmzScsu-ue5gxpPx6wVgXEdTlLxDSbNVULGEsO0S_3LPv6S6EosGQQjGsi2xQAg2qWkxwCXkt6hcaxJBzGDmpb_kkAXb3fz8BDQtySsVO62cLFng1KgiYqdJet38A-mzE3Kup-jClSHnU_Z0bXhIPZBHDWWPkRQ/w200-h39/2-1-2-stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">A fun sci-fi film with minimalist production values and special effects, both matching its budgetary constraints but with interesting ideas such as anti-gravity and magnetic fields. Unfortunately, it fails to launch far enough away from the world of 1950s film sci-fi and take the viewer into the brave new world of the future. Phantom Planet will, however grow on you after a couple of viewings, especially the colourised version.</span></i></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Directed by William Marshall<br />Screenplay by William Telaak, Fred De Gorter, Fred Gebhardt<br />Story by Fred Gebhardt<br />Produced by Fred Gebhardt<br />Cinematography: Elwood J. Nicholson<br />Edited by Hugo Grimaldi<br />Music by Leith Stevens<br />Production company: Four Crown Productions Inc.<br />Distributed by American International Pictures<br />Running time: 90 minutes</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><u>Cast</u></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dean Fredericks as Capt. Frank Chapman</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coleen Gray as Liara</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anthony Dexter as Herron</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Francis X. Bushman as Sessom</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jimmy Weldon as Lt. Webb</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dolores Faith as Zetha</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Richard Weber as Lt. Ray Makonnen</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Al Jarvis as Judge Eden</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dick Haynes as Col. Lansfield</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Earl McDaniels as Capt. Leonard</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mike Marshall as Lt. White</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Richard Kiel as The Solarite</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Merissa Mathes as Juror</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Angelique Pettyjohn as Juror</span></span><br /><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwIdvII9tq2NYJZtnIQnOPGUobIQmnEGwQVLO8YB4k9ndJXFrTHyIICb9yoOaqpv-eKHi8yJK5-vKjTHtlc2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Trailer</span></b></div></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Will the real Captain Frank Chapman please stand up!</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There has been a great deal of thought being devoted to the increasing use of artificial intelligence technology in recent times. On the one hand, A.I. is viewed as a useful assistive tool able to accurately handle and direct complicated and time-consuming tasks thereby freeing us to concentrate our energies on more meaningful endeavours. On the other hand, such technology is increasingly being seen as posing a potential threat to our very existence as it becomes a more pervasive fact of life in our lives.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Take the recent development of <i>Chatbot gpt.</i> On the surface, it’s capacity to learn, interact with users and generate relevant material is quite astounding, not to mention its potential applications. However, such technology raises the spectre of blurring the lines between what is accurate, true or factual and what is quite plainly, ‘fake.’ As it becomes more sophisticated, how will we be able to tell the difference? This may have profound implications for our very system of democracy, learning and education, the provision of news and information, and so on. Could we in fact over time become intellectually lazy (if we’re not already there) by being over-reliant on such technologies? Will we fail to detect the human-generated mistakes and biases that could gradually creep into the technology and wind up governing the way we live our lives and see reality? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">If we are not careful, we may be setting the stage for our own demise as a species as our own technology simply by-passes us and views humans as being an irrelevant irritant or nuisance that needs to be replaced, superseded….</span></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">eliminated! At the very least, we may be faced with a new kind of technological and algorithmic dictatorship or tyranny.</span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Anyway, to lighten things up and generate a bit of thought on the matter, I have included below four journal entries written from the point of view of the protagonist, Captain Frank Chapman after the events depicted in the film, <i>The Phantom Planet</i> (1961.) This task will require a knowledge of the film’s plot and an exercise of imagination. One version has been written by me, a human being more or less, while the other three were composed by Chatbot gpt. Just for a bit fun, can you guess which one is the product of a human mind? No. 1, 2, 3 or 4? The answer will appear at the end of this post. (If you know the film it should be pretty obvious)</span><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">**********</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibDNXQtE4FrPbao4KMYUZG9PFyH1yoCRfn0h3Jdl6W5BStGoqcbdSBDVPYSL6NpN10gjlkrEgiz3a8G39-C_1abwL-tsscOTHsEhkPLmRgidMwdTpTjjs5TlvNuhtPkTQV0pOeSWj7GQSKUsT3kEB4f2uSifKtKk6vstvBN_-eHkJtndaoLO1jrszVw/s157/MV5BNWI1YjEyNWYtYTg3Zi00YmJiLTlkNTEtMTVlYjA2MzQ3MjQxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_UY200_CR78,0,200,200_AL_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="157" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibDNXQtE4FrPbao4KMYUZG9PFyH1yoCRfn0h3Jdl6W5BStGoqcbdSBDVPYSL6NpN10gjlkrEgiz3a8G39-C_1abwL-tsscOTHsEhkPLmRgidMwdTpTjjs5TlvNuhtPkTQV0pOeSWj7GQSKUsT3kEB4f2uSifKtKk6vstvBN_-eHkJtndaoLO1jrszVw/w200-h164/MV5BNWI1YjEyNWYtYTg3Zi00YmJiLTlkNTEtMTVlYjA2MzQ3MjQxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_UY200_CR78,0,200,200_AL_.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvOoD_GHzg75qwCnizIVMGk9pAGbzeg7zhwFcOuwlJdSY2lgS6nS3tcQzvOQdF4i5Mijn9sdipwtmTjQmSBZ94Grcv49J3h1wt2I-RbRlO60JLXMBhHlmRdvL4aAsagxi72woN_rTev-kUE_KR_OK5CBGEloIO-ajL2Q7pg9_kcAhGCNWDvL1qUZT7w/s381/Phantom-Planet-photo-2-400x300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="381" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvOoD_GHzg75qwCnizIVMGk9pAGbzeg7zhwFcOuwlJdSY2lgS6nS3tcQzvOQdF4i5Mijn9sdipwtmTjQmSBZ94Grcv49J3h1wt2I-RbRlO60JLXMBhHlmRdvL4aAsagxi72woN_rTev-kUE_KR_OK5CBGEloIO-ajL2Q7pg9_kcAhGCNWDvL1qUZT7w/w200-h149/Phantom-Planet-photo-2-400x300.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzosZLAWxMkAOAzP4wpAiZCY3eShloyDru68ro-bPkhuZGXWztSgNz7RoIALYAYX4jlSDYER9nczzAv5249AwcmwZSDoL4sLvKOi-BT-PizX4R4gQoR-uUhLIj0tHhs5VlVdpfFfKHzIdGWtVeQmQvW-LPG34M3KCf4JhzokjrRBNmsVPphElIP56-tQ/s345/phantom%20planet%201%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="345" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzosZLAWxMkAOAzP4wpAiZCY3eShloyDru68ro-bPkhuZGXWztSgNz7RoIALYAYX4jlSDYER9nczzAv5249AwcmwZSDoL4sLvKOi-BT-PizX4R4gQoR-uUhLIj0tHhs5VlVdpfFfKHzIdGWtVeQmQvW-LPG34M3KCf4JhzokjrRBNmsVPphElIP56-tQ/s320/phantom%20planet%201%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: medium;"><u>No 1: Journal Entry: May 10, 1961</u></span></span><br /><br /><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Captain Frank Chapman,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It's been a day since the astonishing events that unfolded on our mission to the mysterious Phantom Planet, and I find myself struggling to put into words the extraordinary experiences we encountered. The cosmos has never ceased to amaze me, but this mission has taken me to the very edge of my understanding.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We set out on this journey with hopes of exploring an uncharted asteroid, but little did we know that it held the key to a hidden world beyond our wildest imaginations. The Phantom Planet, as we came to call it, was a realm of unknown dimensions, filled with wonders and perils that stretched the boundaries of human comprehension.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Our spacecraft, the MR-1, was enveloped by a strange energy field upon entering the planet's atmosphere. It became apparent that we had been miniaturized to a microscopic size, and our entire crew found ourselves in a surreal new reality. The planet was inhabited by a race of invisible beings, who guided us through their invisible cities and taught us the secrets of their existence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I cannot adequately describe the awe-inspiring sights we witnessed. The Phantom Planet was a tapestry of vibrant colors, floating islands, and ethereal landscapes. Every step we took brought us face to face with a breathtaking vista, as if we had been transported into a cosmic dream. The rules of physics seemed to have been rewritten, with objects defying gravity and time losing its meaning.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">But amidst the beauty, danger lurked at every turn. We faced colossal beasts, hostile forces, and treacherous terrains that tested our courage and resilience. The invisible beings, who had initially aided us, became divided in their intentions, and we found ourselves caught in the middle of a conflict we barely understood.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Through it all, I relied on the unwavering loyalty and bravery of my crew. Lt. Ray Makonnen, Dr. Andre Ferneau, and Lt. Webb Sherwood stood by my side as we navigated the unknown. Their unwavering commitment to the mission and their unwavering belief in the power of discovery fueled our determination to survive against all odds.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the end, we managed to restore harmony to the Phantom Planet and find our way back to our own dimensions. We emerged from this incredible adventure forever changed, with a renewed sense of wonder and a humbling respect for the mysteries that lie beyond our reach.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As I pen these words in the quiet confines of my cabin, I am filled with a mix of emotions. Relief, certainly, that we made it through the ordeal unscathed. But also a profound sense of gratitude for the opportunity to be a witness to something so profoundly extraordinary.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Phantom Planet will forever occupy a special place in my heart and mind. It serves as a reminder that there are countless uncharted territories awaiting exploration, both within ourselves and in the vast expanse of the universe. And as long as there are dreams to chase and stars to guide us, humanity will continue to journey into the unknown, seeking answers to the questions that define our existence.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Captain Frank Chapman, Mission to the Phantom Planet</span><br /></span></i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">***********</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Read on for more......</i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span></b></span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbvf6t4icFR9tbg9VGhlk8VhkamK3ZJ7fq0itdoq99b87wJMkpqskjSPUIxHMr_N0qvtR3pqjzTRBlXnTklc-sAp-pBf9XTbBM4_s5is2Rp_roX8uVjpV3g_oXYn-_1KFXN6ihANDuBOk3Pb-_4LbdHp4F1wPsbAkJ-d-Cpa5-NvOY3MZCRaS91YkBg/s1200/Phantom-Planet-1961.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1200" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbvf6t4icFR9tbg9VGhlk8VhkamK3ZJ7fq0itdoq99b87wJMkpqskjSPUIxHMr_N0qvtR3pqjzTRBlXnTklc-sAp-pBf9XTbBM4_s5is2Rp_roX8uVjpV3g_oXYn-_1KFXN6ihANDuBOk3Pb-_4LbdHp4F1wPsbAkJ-d-Cpa5-NvOY3MZCRaS91YkBg/w200-h138/Phantom-Planet-1961.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjir5kthZDcyBoymUC44CpC28sWmReZ0u_N0SCnrxfkaX43zooYsJwwPgnxfvf32KDreiMNMxRbTd5_MgHkPYlFbCldKd2jnb1SE3Xx1BIEH6g64_Jq3V95woC68tHXunzR-1ZgZDmPH_05eLOWCOxWWR2kah35t-_Sm48aMF0OTvJaR7QfdycB-HZRsg/s500/tumblr_10b172422b9a39c3ce25059307c44845_c595e8ef_500.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjir5kthZDcyBoymUC44CpC28sWmReZ0u_N0SCnrxfkaX43zooYsJwwPgnxfvf32KDreiMNMxRbTd5_MgHkPYlFbCldKd2jnb1SE3Xx1BIEH6g64_Jq3V95woC68tHXunzR-1ZgZDmPH_05eLOWCOxWWR2kah35t-_Sm48aMF0OTvJaR7QfdycB-HZRsg/w200-h150/tumblr_10b172422b9a39c3ce25059307c44845_c595e8ef_500.gif" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: medium;"><u>No 2: Journal Entry: May 9, 1961</u></span></span><br /><br /><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It's been quite some time since the events that unfolded aboard the spaceship Cyclops, and yet the memories continue to haunt me. Today, I find solace in pouring my thoughts onto the pages of this journal, hoping that it will provide some release from the weight of the experiences I've endured.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We embarked on a journey like no other, a mission that took us to the far reaches of the universe, beyond anything I could have ever imagined. As the captain of the spacecraft, it was my duty to lead my crew through the unknown, navigating the treacherous cosmic currents that lay ahead. Little did we know the magnitude of the challenges that awaited us.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The discovery of a rogue planet, Rheton, held the promise of immense power, a force that could shape the destiny of our world. As we landed on its desolate surface, we encountered a civilization of beings known as the Therons, ethereal creatures living in a state of suspended animation. They possessed knowledge beyond our wildest dreams, and we became pawns in their timeless struggle.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Therons pleaded with us to help them save their dying planet by transmitting our life energy to rejuvenate it. The weight of that decision rested heavily upon my shoulders. Was it our place to interfere with the natural order of the universe? But the Therons' desperation tugged at our hearts, and we made the choice to assist them, unaware of the consequences it would bring.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the process, our bodies became intangible, existing in a state between the physical and the spiritual. We became ghosts, invisible to the world we once knew. It was a disorienting and surreal experience, as we struggled to comprehend the nature of our existence. We traversed time and space, witnessing the wonders and horrors of the cosmos, clinging to the last remnants of our humanity.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As we ventured further into the void, we encountered other phantom-like beings, doomed souls who had lost their physical forms in the pursuit of power. Their haunting presence served as a grim reminder of the dangers that lurked beyond the bounds of comprehension. Our very identities were at stake, threatened to be consumed by the vastness of the universe.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the end, we managed to restore balance, allowing the Therons to revitalize their planet and finding our way back to the material world. But the scars of our journey run deep, etched into our souls forever. We returned as mere mortals, forever changed by the knowledge and experiences we gained during our extraordinary sojourn.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Now, as I sit here, penning these words, I can't help but wonder if it was all worth it. The wonders we witnessed, the terrors we faced, and the sacrifices we made. The line between heroism and folly feels blurred, as if we were swept up in a cosmic dance beyond our control.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yet, despite the uncertainties and the lingering sense of unease, I am grateful for the opportunity to have ventured into the great unknown. It is through such journeys that we truly come to understand our place in the universe and the limits of our own existence.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Captain Frank Chapman, Former Commander of the Spaceship Cyclops</span></span></i><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">*********</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxYSW3-Qy1gexCGS1_q_HSGdHChXI5DFWXjgdWVT0s4PSKPsI9BBGQ4EUmSpyhJxQwFxGm6zMaixh3YVc4Kg-iG6pORuSWJvZ1HJTldKKlmEv367jgZXHvbtaBQD-MM_aZr4JQ3XB8swOTwu3yK3i6KArFIbMi0r10yJLUnbyw5930br3j8dhz7v05w/s443/hqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="443" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxYSW3-Qy1gexCGS1_q_HSGdHChXI5DFWXjgdWVT0s4PSKPsI9BBGQ4EUmSpyhJxQwFxGm6zMaixh3YVc4Kg-iG6pORuSWJvZ1HJTldKKlmEv367jgZXHvbtaBQD-MM_aZr4JQ3XB8swOTwu3yK3i6KArFIbMi0r10yJLUnbyw5930br3j8dhz7v05w/w200-h151/hqdefault.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9F0YQcRwoUUOKvlZVCHsiA1lOrqnYE8THwDs6FznheV5huq0fODo_BhuHLRbNH_BZue9MW5sOjbniTkVmk4-C1azG4K7v0dSx_OLj8pb0BJkU7VpeB-v86186SYJ_4Xpj9r4bukD2z_MA7ftrsI2WluY-D1AlQ23HNeDszt4xbMbDpB1DYtOlKJM2Sg/s461/the-phantom-planet-1961.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="461" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9F0YQcRwoUUOKvlZVCHsiA1lOrqnYE8THwDs6FznheV5huq0fODo_BhuHLRbNH_BZue9MW5sOjbniTkVmk4-C1azG4K7v0dSx_OLj8pb0BJkU7VpeB-v86186SYJ_4Xpj9r4bukD2z_MA7ftrsI2WluY-D1AlQ23HNeDszt4xbMbDpB1DYtOlKJM2Sg/w200-h150/the-phantom-planet-1961.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>No 3: Journal of (former) Captain Frank Chapman (USAF Space Exploration Wing) </u></span></span></span><br /><br /><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Since the splitting of the atom only a few decades ago and through his god-given genius of science, man at last has succeeded in penetrating further and further into the unknown vastness of space. The moon has become the launching base for advance exploration. From this pivotal point astronauts at the risk of their lives set out to conquer nature's mysterious forces, yet many questions remained unanswered:</span><br /></span></i><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">What is his earth in relation to the inconceivable number of other worlds?</span></i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">Is his speed truly the fastest?</span></i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">His achievements the greatest?</span></i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">Or is he a mere unimportant piece of driftwood floating in the vast ocean of the universe?</span></i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">Could there be life similar to our own on other planets?</span></i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">Is it not possible that atmospheric conditions of relative environments control their shapes and forms?</span></i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">If so, would they be giants…. or could perhaps the opposite be true?</span></i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">Could their intellect have reached a scientific level far above man's dreams?</span></i></span></li></ul><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">What then will the future reveal” should the story I am about to set down here somehow finds its way into the public domain, is believed and constitutes “only the beginning?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Humanity had been drifting on a cloud of smug self-satisfaction since the first manned moon mission at the end of the 1960s. Since then we had established lunar bases and at the start of the 1980s we were on the eve of a mission to Mars. Suddenly just over a year ago things started going wrong.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">On 16th March 1980 Pegasus 3 while on its last day of space reconnaissance research flight 361 for the US air force Lunar Base One and at 21 000 miles from the base, encountered a large planetoid object on a direct collision course with the ship. The uncharted planetoid had somehow failed to register on the ship’s long-range sensors. After Captain Leonard reported having lost control of the Pegasus, his ship seemed to have just mysteriously disappeared. Another spacecraft had inexplicably vanished seemingly without a trace and without a reason.</span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As rumors began to spread involving space monsters and phantom planets, I together with my navigator Lt. Ray Makonnen were ordered to investigate. Well, for me there went the Mars project for which I had been preparing!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">All that was known was that there were two ships on routine missions both with flight controls and rockets in order having gone missing in less than a month with nothing within thousands of miles of their position. Despite all this, they somehow managed to crash into something that appeared suddenly on our radar big enough to be a planet and then the next instant it disappeared “against all theories of space.” This mysterious planet seemed to come and go at such speeds it was impossible to track. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There was nothing for it but to conduct a reconnaissance for “something out there that isn't supposed to be.” Otherwise, if this Phantom planet mystery wasn’t cleared up and the rumors surrounding it dispelled, there wouldn’t be any Mars project for me or anyone else to be on.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Lt. Ray Makonnen and I soon began our search aboard Pegasus 4. Our mission involved us charting the same course Pegasus 3 took. At 18 000 miles out at 270 degrees azimuth and 47 degrees ecliptic with our speed at 4.6 miles per second, we felt that we weren’t getting anywhere considering the fact that this mysterious phantom planet was dashing about all over the place. We therefore decided to change course. After all, “lightning never strikes twice in the same place” and all we could do was be patient even though we ran the risk of going nuts just waiting for something to happen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly the electrostatic meters started going haywire. Lunar Base One then informed us that we were completely off course. We had entered a heavy magnetic field resulting in several instruments failing and with others about to fail.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With all this happening and despite an impromptu course change, Pegasus 4 sustained damage from a meteor shower, requiring Lt. Makonnen and I to go outside our ship to make repairs. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It was a fairly routine procedure to effect the required repairs, but as luck would have it a micro meteor struck and pierced my suit’s air hose rendering me unconscious. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Lt. Makonnen managed to repair the hose, but as we were at the entrance to the airlock hatch, he must have been fatally struck by a similar micro-meteor. Before being propelled into deep space, it seems that Lt.,... Ray had somehow managed to push me inside the ship and close the airlock hatch. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When I came to I found Ray gone and try as I might, I discovered I was unable to communicate with the lunar base. I then decided to record a log entry outlining what had happened and what course of action I would take now that Pegasus 4 was completely out of operation and that I was unable read my position.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The only choice I felt I had was to make a forced landing on a near-by asteroid that was somehow exerting a force on Pegasus and pulling the spaceship in towards it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Having successfully landed on the asteroid and still feeling the effects of the EVA accident, I donned my spacesuit and exited the ship. I literally couldn’t believe my eyes for as I began to collapse I observed what appeared to be tiny six inch humanoids warily approaching me. Once my helmet visor was opened, I found that I could breathe but what happened from this point on although hazy and unclear at first, set me on a path toward a destination where I now find myself committing my experiences to paper before they dissolve into the realm of fantasy and dreams.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When I came to my senses, I discovered that I was no larger than any of the inhabitants of this planetoid which I found out is called Rheton. Even more disconcerting was the fact that my ‘welcoming party’ had dragged me off to the caves in which the diminutive inhabitants dwelt to appear before their elder ruler Sessom and their highest juridical authority, Judge Eden. I was there to face criminal charges!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I suppose you’ll wind up thinking that my story sounds like something out of Gulliver’s Travels, but I tell you it’s true! In this alien land of Lilliput, I had no trouble understanding what was said to me as they apparently had the ability “to translate all languages through voice tone waves,” whatever that meant.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Although only six inches in height, the inhabitants of Rheton are physically the same as human beings in appearance. I know this fact doesn’t help my case in terms of my story’s believability, but who’s to say what alien life has to look like or that intelligence must be determined by size?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There I stood accused of causing injury to one of their people, even though “I thought I was being attacked and I defended myself” and that I didn't even want to come to their world. I tried to explain that I had lost control of my ship and that it was like being pulled toward their planet by an enormous gravitational force.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Sessom explained to me that though my craft was brought down safely by their gravitational tractor beam, they had not been able to do same with the other Earth spaceships which were completely destroyed when they strayed too close and crashed on Rheton's surface. It was explained to me in terms of managing just in the nick of time to control my landing by releasing the pressure in their “space warp’ – whatever the hell that also means!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It soon became pretty clear enough that my real offense was that of being an outsider for which I was duly found guilty with no penalties being lodged against me ….and get this…..sentenced to be made “a free citizen of Rheton!” I was not permitted to leave so that their security would be assured, but at least I would be accorded all the rights of a citizen of Rheton. Great!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the meantime, as I slept my spaceship was sent into space to keep Rheton's existence secret, along with their world's gravitational technology which allows them to navigate their world through space.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I guess if there was a saving grace from my forced stay on Rheton it would have had to be a couple of beautiful women, one of whom I could marry once I became accustomed to living on Rheton. One of the Rhetonian females was called Liara who was Sessom's daughter. Boy, was this gorgeous blonde broad self-confident to the point of being smug and cocky! A real spoilt brat type of gal. The other woman whose name was Zetha was the complete opposite. She was shy and gentle and uncommonly quiet, that is until I discovered that she was in fact a mute. But there was something about her that really attracted me to her.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I learned that Rheton’s atmosphere, together with some acceleration from the Rhetonians’ gravitational control, had reduced me to ‘normal’ size, at least from their perspective. It seems that there are other worlds out there that have “creatures larger or smaller according to the size of their world.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I also learned that the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere would restore me immediately to my regular size. At that stage a rather mute point considering I was never to see my world again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As I was later informed by Sessom, I was expected to accept my fate of being a permanent resident of Rheton and to set about finding a way of being productive.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I also got a bit of a history lesson on Rhetonian civilisation. Despite possessing technology and knowledge hundreds of years ahead of our science, their mode of living appears on the surface to be relatively primitive.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> It turns out that the Rhetonians once had machines do all their work for them to the extent that they became “completely free of all labor” and “practically of all responsibilities” with the consequence that they “became soft and lazy.” It was soon apparent that they “did not know how to cope with their free time” and so they then “started to fight amongst themselves.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As a side note, with all our automation, technology and artificial intelligence one can’t help but notice that “people on earth are beginning to face the same problem: too much free time….too little work.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In order to solve this apparently universal problem, the Rhetonian forefathers decided to return to ‘primitive ways’ and to toil for their living. As a result “they became much stronger, much happier, much more valuable.” However, they did not forsake all of their scientific achievements. They retained the secret of the gravity control for their survival in space along with the secret of their food production for their survival on their barren planet.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Whatever the case, I was set the task of becoming acquainted with the ways of Rheton whether I liked it or not. I was soon to find out that would not be smooth sailing for the inhabitants of Rheton were so alike human beings not just physically but also in many ways emotionally and psychologically.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I spent quite a bit of time interacting with Liara who it turned out was one of two females I was expected to choose for my (for want of a better word) wife. The other was the enigmatically silent, Zetha.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I did manage to learn from Liara that the Rhetonians make their food chemically as nothing grows on Rheton. The physiology of the inhabitants is such that they require very little food due to the nature of the air they breathe.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">No matter which way you look at it, as a stranger in a strange land I was in fact a prisoner despite the assurances given to me that I was free to go anywhere on Rheton. As already alluded to, even if I had wanted to I could not return to my ship as it was no longer on Rheton, having been sent off into space while I was asleep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Unknown to me at the time, but quietly suspected and hoped for, a rescue ship had been dispatched from earth to discover what had happened to Pegasus 4 in the interests of the crew’s safety and for future space missions. It seems that Pegasus had eventually been located adrift in space and that my recorded message was heard.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later while in a state of frustration and feeling the need to know more about the Rhetonians’ gravity control, I learned from Sessom the predicament his people faced. He informed me that the high density of their planetoid made it possible for them to advance gravity and that the atoms on Rheton “have narrower electronic orbits than the atoms on most other planets.” The smaller they become the easier it is for them to control and take advantage of positive and negative gravity. Apparently this is why Rheton was becoming smaller. The planetoid was “slowly using up the energy that holds the atomic particles together” with the result that Rheton could very well disintegrate into nothing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The more immediate danger for Rheton was that sudden bursts of concentrated heat directed by their enemies toward the planetoid “might suddenly speed up the process of time.” These enemies of the Rhetonians are called the Solarites who would like nothing more than to possess their knowledge. The Rhetonians are always in a constant state of alert in expectation of an attack by the Solarites. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Danger of a more personal nature soon came my way in a rather familiar human-type dilemma. After Liara had been interacting with me for quite a while, she declared her love for me but I admit that I didn’t feel the same about her. Besides, I was too preoccupied with finding a means of returning to Earth. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I later managed to spend some time with Zetha, even though the conversation was somewhat one-sided. She struck me as being “more different than the others” in terms of being “warmer...more sensitive.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yet another side was added to this complicated emotional triangle in the form of an individual called Herron, who it turned out was in love with Liara. He lied to Sessom by accusing me of imposing myself on both Liara and Zetha. As far as he was concerned this constituted an insult to Liara whom he loved, a direct insult to himself as well as a crime against the people of Rheton. As a consequence, Herron demanded Sessom’s permission to challenge me to a duel…..to the death.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Herron never liked me from the get-go and always seemed to be strutting about with a surly expression on his face. For two-bits I would’ve loved to have hung one on him. As it was, an opportunity seemed to afford itself in the form of this “duel of bravery” which to my way of thinking “might clear the air a little.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Well, for starters there were no rapiers or pistols at 20 paces involved. Instead, we had a form of combat where opponents holding on to a rod between them aim to push each other on to gravity plates set on such a high intensity that they will cause immediate disintegration when touched. The rules: no quarter can be called and no quarter given. “The fate of the victim is in the hands of the victor.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Nothing in my sporting endeavours or military training could have adequately prepared me for the sheer intensity and difficulty of this kind of combat. Fortunately I did have the necessary skill and luck on my side to manoeuvre Herron onto a plate, but I just couldn’t bring myself to kill someone for no good reason. At the last moment, I let Herron go.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You know something? While Herron and I were fighting for our lives, I had the distinct impression that Liara was quietly enjoying the fact that she and her honour was a factor in his duel between one man she loved and another who obviously loved her. It was clear that Liara was simply “waiting to see which one of us won and then take the one that was left over.” I tried to make her understand the fact that “you can't make someone love you. It's got to come naturally; you can't force it.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Speaking of love developing naturally, that was definitely the case between Zetha and me. Totally out of the blue and unexpected.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Equally out of the blue and unexpected was Herron’s offer to help me escape. His plan centred on the fact that my space-suit’s oxygen tank contained air from earth which meant that I could revert back to my ‘normal’ size once I had inhaled it. The other part of the plan was based on the probability that my own people from earth would be searching for me and would eventually zero in on Rheton. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Two nights a week Herron was left alone in complete charge of the master control centre. On those nights while Sessom slept, Herron would manoeuvre Rheton within a distance of the earth's moon resulting in an investigation by earth and with me being eventually located.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Of course, it was Herron’s love for Liara that was the main motivating factor behind his decision to assist me in my escape from Rheton.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Of more immediate concern however, was the realisation that Rheton was at that moment being attacked by the Solarites or "fire people," aliens from an unidentified "sun satellite." For generations they had been after Rheton’s universal gravity control because they wanted to avoid being pulled into the sun. Their aim was to attack and destroy Rheton with flaming fighter spacecraft in order to steal the secret of gravitational control. If they weren’t stopped they would eventually attack the earth. This conflict between the alien races also explained Rheton’s seemingly random and erratic movement through space.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Believe it or not, one of the Solarites captured during the last war several years previously was being held prisoner. The presence of the Solarite showed clearly the kind of diversity of life-forms that must exist throughout the universe. It also revealed just how little we do know about what awaits us and how unprepared we really are for what’s out there.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">From our planet’s perspective, the creature I saw would’ve stood over 7 feet tall and was immensely powerful. On Rheton, standing at roughly 7 inches tall, this bizarre-looking biped had long thin limbs, a bulbous forehead and bulging eyes. Yet, it was obviously intelligent belonging as it did to a space-faring race that travels on flaming ships and possessing the ability to destroy an entire planetoid, such as Rheton.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There the creature stood smashing rocks against an invisible force-field which instantly disintegrated the rocks when they made contact with it. These invisible prison bars were a product of the gravitational control by which a high magnetic field was used to “lock molecules so closely together that they form a solid wall.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Without the wall, the Solarite could have easily escaped and killed us all. I’ll come back to the Solarite prisoner a bit later.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Returning to the battle between Rheton and its enemy, the conflict had to be decided then and there once and for all otherwise the Rhetonians would be forced to live in constant danger. They had the gravity control but the greatest danger to their survival was posed by the Solarites’ high intensity heat bombs. They had enough concentrated heat to blow up Rheton instantly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For a while the battle raged with Rheton being bombarded with heat bombs, but Sessom and Herron positioned Rheton for attack by facing the enemy when it did attack. With a little help from me, Sessom and Herron managed to destroy the enemy fleet using the gravity beam. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Unknown to us during the course of the battle, the Solarite prisoner managed to escape when the gravity barrier holding him failed. As it roamed the subterranean corridors of Rheton, the creature captured Zetha, who on a previous occasion during her childhood had been rendered mute by an encounter with its species. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> Sessom himself was then attacked by the Solarite. During a search for the creature,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Zetha's muteness suddenly ended when she saw that I was about to be attacked by the creature and she was able to scream, thereby warning me. After a tense struggle with the Solarite and with the assistance of Herron, I was able to manoeuvre and push the Solarite onto a gravity plate with the result that it was disintegrated. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the danger averted and now that Zetha could express herself, she was able to declare her love for me. The happiness we felt would be short-lived though for I knew I had to return to my home world, a destiny to be denied to Zetha. There I was on this strange world and I had “found perhaps what I've been looking for all my life” and the cruel irony of it all was that I had to leave despite everything within me wanting me to stay.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The chaos of battle had brought us closer to Earth’s moon than had ever been the case. Rheton would then be slowly and steadily manoeuvred even closer and the travel time would be short. As soon as we would be within range of the moon, Herron’s men were to carry my suit out into the open. Whoever would come from Earth to investigate, would be pulled into Rheton’s gravity and have their landing directed. Meanwhile, I was to enter my suit and seal it up so I wouldn’t be exposed to Rheton’s atmosphere. The air from my own tanks would hopefully enable me to revert to my ‘normal’ size. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A team on a search mission from Earth finally located me and I carried out the plan involving me crawling inside my spacesuit, and after being exposed to atmospheric gases from Earth, returning to my ‘normal’ size. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As I reluctantly left Zetha and her diminutive world behind I remember thinking that no-one would ever believe me if I told them the story of Rheton and what I saw and experienced there. Even with the little piece of her world that Zetha had given me as a keep-sake, no-one would ever believe me. The rock was now little more than the size of a pebble, not even big enough to be paper-weight! The secret of Rheton’s existence would indeed be kept safe.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Perhaps the crew of the rescue ship was right. Had I in fact been dreaming? Was it possible that I was delirious as a result of the shock of the crash-landing on the rogue planetoid? No, this journal and the little pebble I have will give the experience I had a sense of solidity and be a constant reminder of its reality.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I was never the same after my experiences on Rheton and after a series of medical and psych evaluations, I was pronounced unfit for further duty and honourably discharged from USAF. I now do private consultancy work for the private sector.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yep, there went my Mars mission opportunity alright! Not long after the events I have just described, an unmanned test launch was conducted involving the kind of vehicle to be used for the eventual manned mission to Mars. Unfortunately, he launch was a complete disaster with the spacecraft exploding a few seconds after take-off. And yet, the powers that be classified it as a “success!” So that’s how we now define success! Why? Because it somehow gave us new insights into how to avoid future problems and would help us to better tackle the unknown. They did much the same thing with my own mission to locate the rogue planetoid. We’ve yet to schedule a launch of the first manned mission to Mars, the one I was slated for as commander had I not been reassigned to sort out the mystery of the missing spacecraft and the phantom planet.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yes, in front of cameras and congressional hearings the political, military and bureaucratic big-wigs talk, spin and act big but they really think small. Children panicked by phantoms. None of them have any clue about the kind of reality that’s waiting for us out there or what to do about it when we eventually confront it.</span></span></i><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">***********</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3MWRnGNJ1k0g_0DBYGuNDX_THN2M70452--pVrf0KLc-WuW-W5HY09F6x-U1zKChZi6bknpL5yiOa38tD9v1A56--D-S4WEUkeSy-wMpb6_zKa7ezVcIEW9N1-kc9fMFWu3tKaJXSOEQKPIwfRCvsIlctFctLhKc6-R3-__HY159v5CFpiVH__d2fg/s229/tppfight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="229" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3MWRnGNJ1k0g_0DBYGuNDX_THN2M70452--pVrf0KLc-WuW-W5HY09F6x-U1zKChZi6bknpL5yiOa38tD9v1A56--D-S4WEUkeSy-wMpb6_zKa7ezVcIEW9N1-kc9fMFWu3tKaJXSOEQKPIwfRCvsIlctFctLhKc6-R3-__HY159v5CFpiVH__d2fg/w200-h150/tppfight.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8Z-CWuSIoeE8IfKIFYkAxFA-5P6jeiJxQGFcY2ExQG1UqCOKqhHuTfNg1J6B6QOI5PbP54T7XUp1u83RaBmse0o9wXcn-TfddKr3XTqwjY-j69gkJpB1MTyOsV2WnhPvyo8r3NxzefJUBIzZqWRETLxayXAhJuHPEoAaGCAU-AWz01IBM_cON3qV6Q/s1294/MV5BYjAyNjkyYzYtZDNkNC00ODYxLTgxMjctYTk1MGM4N2VkYmFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1294" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8Z-CWuSIoeE8IfKIFYkAxFA-5P6jeiJxQGFcY2ExQG1UqCOKqhHuTfNg1J6B6QOI5PbP54T7XUp1u83RaBmse0o9wXcn-TfddKr3XTqwjY-j69gkJpB1MTyOsV2WnhPvyo8r3NxzefJUBIzZqWRETLxayXAhJuHPEoAaGCAU-AWz01IBM_cON3qV6Q/w200-h113/MV5BYjAyNjkyYzYtZDNkNC00ODYxLTgxMjctYTk1MGM4N2VkYmFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: medium;"><u>No 4: Journal Entry - May 9, 1961</u></span></span><br /><br /><i><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It's been several weeks since my unimaginable ordeal on the rogue planetoid Rheton, and I still find myself struggling to comprehend the surreal nature of my experiences. As I sit here, penning down my thoughts, I can't help but wonder if anyone will ever believe the fantastical tale I have to tell.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">My name is Frank Chapman, former Captain of the starship "The Phantom." Our mission was to explore uncharted regions of space, but little did we know the unfathomable journey that awaited us. It was on that fateful day, surrounded by the vastness of the cosmos, that we stumbled upon Rheton, a minuscule celestial body concealed within a mysterious force field.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The moment our ship made contact with the force field, an otherworldly energy engulfed us, distorting time and space. When the chaos subsided, I found myself marooned on the surface of this enigmatic planetoid, utterly cut off from the universe I once knew. The vast emptiness and silence were overwhelming, as if the universe had forsaken me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">But Rheton was far from lifeless. I soon discovered that this minuscule world was home to a civilization of diminutive beings known as the "Phantoms." Despite their small stature, they possessed incredible scientific knowledge and had mastered the art of molecular transformation. They had the power to manipulate matter and change their size at will—a truly remarkable ability.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Phantoms were wary of me at first, but through gestures and perseverance, I managed to communicate with them. They were a peaceful people, seeking to expand their understanding of the universe through diplomacy and mutual exchange. They shared with me the history of their race, their struggles, and their wisdom.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In time, I grew fond of the Phantoms and their way of life. They showed me the beauty of their world, with landscapes that defied logic, shimmering with colors I had never seen before. They taught me to appreciate the smallest wonders in life and to find solace in the vastness of the unknown.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">But as much as I grew to cherish my time with the Phantoms, an insurmountable yearning for home enveloped me. I missed the embrace of gravity, the sight of stars dotting the night sky, and the camaraderie of my fellow humans. I longed to share my incredible experiences, to let others know of the wonders that lie beyond our reach.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Then, one miraculous day, the Phantoms found a way to restore me to my original size and send me back to my ship, The Phantom. The farewell was bittersweet, as I knew I was leaving behind a world that had forever changed me. With a heavy heart, I bid farewell to the Phantoms, promising to share their story and uphold the spirit of their civilization.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As I sit here, aboard my ship, I can't help but marvel at the stars that surround me once more. The journey back felt like a dream, and I fear that soon, the memories of Rheton will fade away. But I am determined to keep my promise. I will recount my extraordinary adventure, hoping that others will find inspiration in the boundless wonders of the universe and the unity that can be found across dimensions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Captain Frank Chapman, reporting his return from Rheton, signing off.</span></span></i><br /><br /><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">**********</span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQObWRoPwY_oSIN0-bwCRAg0NMa7tz4s8i_-t_hV74UNjAc2VDTLBj0_1p83MAbmcDPdcekuo1UtRVbOXUf6w1DROO0z6Gv5KoteDwu5CU32hyZQ8Cw6izPWenSVgwHlMwNY3vxjJ5l3R37iX2WwqvyKR_LS5je0Tdfyu5Z23z9kVINq0AJuUjvGBRow/s400/KeO3.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQObWRoPwY_oSIN0-bwCRAg0NMa7tz4s8i_-t_hV74UNjAc2VDTLBj0_1p83MAbmcDPdcekuo1UtRVbOXUf6w1DROO0z6Gv5KoteDwu5CU32hyZQ8Cw6izPWenSVgwHlMwNY3vxjJ5l3R37iX2WwqvyKR_LS5je0Tdfyu5Z23z9kVINq0AJuUjvGBRow/w200-h150/KeO3.gif" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZwGsWFzuQpHtj5Wt3urlX4uPyd95Z-ywTMSiBD97r1m3ygr-ks72sGO4iG8a-396ogQNVHaR7uMjH1GX6cov58YVFm9HNrapcUww7lyNOwGh3IoEd3d4jfZflP0Cw5yxUJbTA9Lvsu7s0h0wm0S_Uz0zaUPiYPrqEYYpqvPdpaAlmMmqc2BIWgVfTw/s500/tumblr_8b2c8873d111beb48993fc6726bc6529_ef432261_500.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="500" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZwGsWFzuQpHtj5Wt3urlX4uPyd95Z-ywTMSiBD97r1m3ygr-ks72sGO4iG8a-396ogQNVHaR7uMjH1GX6cov58YVFm9HNrapcUww7lyNOwGh3IoEd3d4jfZflP0Cw5yxUJbTA9Lvsu7s0h0wm0S_Uz0zaUPiYPrqEYYpqvPdpaAlmMmqc2BIWgVfTw/w200-h151/tumblr_8b2c8873d111beb48993fc6726bc6529_ef432261_500.gif" width="200" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1nhF7XMbSaENgpUz65IrJsCAt0y8CNuCfCqoJFt7vEiUSvjcOUXqF1CI6vy2L9eXHT-jS_iiE-pyF3NV2t5C0E_mT2aNe32Sb8KMsHr9d0p58nBF-OJARAYGhpn8K0EvAWt4FJXk185u9kyH0XtDsl-Naf5EwBtvdkVZrLNPBRbguJO2GW_ptKDN0A/w320-h180/MV5BYTdkOTMwOTgtZTY1MC00NjRmLTliZDAtOWFkMzI0OGRlM2M1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLggOs_Zo-ln_4MdhN8UK873lAebJyPcLuEdc0kl3G97_PpYu2iM1JWxLw87oRXusK1YcaNQBZ1V4D6LJM61X41ujQTOrt3ub6n1OBLR4Km7CM3qQfW0vUoltfqGA8vYp1fsBugpc8Bl8hnoTzx2T91WjQoip5ENquicKJau64KpOl753GuVz6yABSjA/s1058/MV5BZTZmNmI0M2EtOTY2MS00MTNjLWFhMTEtNDVkYmYzY2RlODRhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1058" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLggOs_Zo-ln_4MdhN8UK873lAebJyPcLuEdc0kl3G97_PpYu2iM1JWxLw87oRXusK1YcaNQBZ1V4D6LJM61X41ujQTOrt3ub6n1OBLR4Km7CM3qQfW0vUoltfqGA8vYp1fsBugpc8Bl8hnoTzx2T91WjQoip5ENquicKJau64KpOl753GuVz6yABSjA/w320-h227/MV5BZTZmNmI0M2EtOTY2MS00MTNjLWFhMTEtNDVkYmYzY2RlODRhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">YES! You were right. It is No.3 that is the human-created version. So, what gave it away and what does it all say to you?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ibrhZnquucQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="ibrhZnquucQ"></iframe></div></b></div><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;">Full Movie</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>(Colour)<br /></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b>Thanks for reading! Please get your free copy of my new eBook, <i>The Sci-Fi Film Fiesta Big Fat Book Of Sci-Fi Movies Of The 1950s,</i></b> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><u><b><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/p/sci-fi-film-fiesta-big-fat-book-of-sci.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b></u></i></span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-39248857779897814992023-03-28T16:58:00.003-07:002023-04-01T23:05:58.897-07:00Speculations & Ruminations - The Lost Last Volume 12 of The Sci-Fi Film Fiesta eBook Series<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">The Lost Last Volume 12</span></b></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">“Speculations &</span></i></b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">Ruminations”</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9EEkoEFqcN2YS3RCGCkK9i7tCrWOfTzS5IdY9_rQJt7m440L_hk5fYI8PJ_J1s_JkviOZde-_wJjTP8utgc6cN_O6d8aHxV7gT7Sokbc_9_vIL_uy-kODvrRB20a4vi6-fOYJBdCc_1gFLnFJLf9bou0WkRzoGpWH_vjUFasYnRTorw_lv0ZM4n02A/s2250/Vol12%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9EEkoEFqcN2YS3RCGCkK9i7tCrWOfTzS5IdY9_rQJt7m440L_hk5fYI8PJ_J1s_JkviOZde-_wJjTP8utgc6cN_O6d8aHxV7gT7Sokbc_9_vIL_uy-kODvrRB20a4vi6-fOYJBdCc_1gFLnFJLf9bou0WkRzoGpWH_vjUFasYnRTorw_lv0ZM4n02A/w251-h400/Vol12%20cover.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff;">The Lost Last Volume That Was Never Meant To Be!</span></b></div><b><br /></b></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"> The Lost Last Volume 12 “Speculations & Ruminations” deals with various implications, themes and ideas that often arise out of the world of science fiction films and literature referenced in the other volumes of this eBook series. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">All of this material is organised into four broad sections:</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Part 1: “Going Forward”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Part 2: “Dystopia Now”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Part 3: “Poetic Ponderings”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Part 4: “Sci-Fi Future Is here & Now”</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">The content of this </span><i><u><span style="color: red;">FREE</span></u></i><span style="color: #fcff01;"> volume is intended to encourage a bit of thought and debate about the world we live in, the kind of future we would (and wouldn’t) wish for ourselves and for future generations, along with an appreciation of the sometimes abused, tenuous and fragile nature of what many of us take for granted such as freedom of thought and speech and our system democracy.</span></b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u>CONTENTS</u><br /><br /><u>Introduction</u><br /><br />**<u>PART 1: GOING FORWARD</u><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Going Forward</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Who Will Be To Blame?</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>What If? Sci-Fi Film Scenarios</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>You will comply</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Biometric Technology & Government Surveillance</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Digital Dictatorship</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Giant Leap Turns Into A Stagger</b></span></li></ul></b></span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div>**<u>Part 2: DYSTOPIA NOW</u>!</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Speech &Thought Policed & Prescribed</b></span></li><li><b>Sci-Fi & The Future of language & Thought</b></li><li><b>Stalinist Wasteland</b></li></b><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">**</span><u style="font-family: verdana;">PART 3: POETIC PONDERINGS</u><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>World In Upheaval</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>O Grave New World!</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Once more unto the Moon, dear friends, once more!</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Technology & World Control</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>A Warning</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Sci-Fi Blues</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Future Fears For Now</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Quest For Immortality</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Invisible Invaders</b></span><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">*</b></span></li></ul></b></span><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;">*</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;">*</span><u style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;">PART 4: SCI-FI FUTURE IS HERE & NOW</u><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Mind-controlled exoskeleton suit</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Look, Up in The Sky! Is It A Bird? Is It A Plane?No, It’s A…..Drone</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Surveillance Society Sneaks Into Our Lives</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Big Brother Casts A Shadow</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>To Be Known, Or Not To be Known? –THAT Is The Question!</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Surveillance Society Starts At School</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Gene Editing</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>3D Printing Human Organs?</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Pig brains partially revived four hours after death?</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>In A Pig’s Eye! Or…..</b></span></li></ul></b></div><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><u>Afterword</u></b><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div><u><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></u></div><div><u><span style="color: #fcff01;">The Complete Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series:</span></u></div><div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 2: “Into Space”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 3: “Other Worlds”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 4: “Journeys Within”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 5: “Alien Contact”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 6: “Alien Invasion”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 7: “The End Is Nigh!”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 8: “Big Bugs & Crazy Critters”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 9: “Accidents & Experiments”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 10: “Supersized & Miniaturized”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 11: “A Tribute To….”</span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 12: “The Lost Last Volume – “Speculations & Ruminations”</span></b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nkK2TqMHQaDkKUQZDItp5snYuGs4WKaZ/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kBk7_Cb_v1BaTnd87iVOGENs-KVB7nIX/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wSBTvM4zEqdBIeHAlPSnrP3iDJqid250/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/13hmS8RdUgY6F94aUHug9eMZDlxxumRMm/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">KINDLE DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EopH4RFykqRMmTHM7GIPnIgjFf6jhBVt7jMde5thUkQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/124ZYy_pIdpfTYABhILpIiPCYfZ0UhWk_/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">FRONT COVER IMAGE</a></u></i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;">Also</span> <i><span style="color: red;">FREELY </span></i><span style="color: #fcff01;">available at;</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/philosophy/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-The-Lost-Last-Volume-12-Speculations-Ruminations" target="_blank">Free-ebooks.net</a></u></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=5iK2EAAAQBAJ&hl=en_GB&gl=US" target="_blank">Google Play Books</a></u></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>This will definitely be the <u>last and final</u> volume of the <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta </i>eBook series. There will be no 'baker's dozen! Thank you so much for reading and please check out the other volumes in this series if you haven't already done so. I'll soon get back to presenting some great classic sci-fi films of the 1960s -1980s in this blog, so stay tuned.</b></span></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-12191858709197434122023-03-03T22:19:00.002-08:002023-03-11T20:21:17.143-08:00Sci-Fi Film Fiesta - Volume 11: 'A Tribute To.....' Final Volume in the eBook series<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYALRVxRUNXcWUzTZ12A5csKzt3kKQSjEJXVKvBeVEoq05Ims69aYMZfgsRiADJOCigpoIDIYmzuA4Fn8vykNsszdxyn0SEqHFEyzhvTk0SXnBv69uCp5vwsNSzAP84ceHyuyDIOgwTXVYGnyq4TyS30OS19-bTrlo2ErqNg_IX7sMC1BiK-swgFWpoQ/s2250/1950s%20PIONEERS%20OF%20SCI-FI%20CINEMA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYALRVxRUNXcWUzTZ12A5csKzt3kKQSjEJXVKvBeVEoq05Ims69aYMZfgsRiADJOCigpoIDIYmzuA4Fn8vykNsszdxyn0SEqHFEyzhvTk0SXnBv69uCp5vwsNSzAP84ceHyuyDIOgwTXVYGnyq4TyS30OS19-bTrlo2ErqNg_IX7sMC1BiK-swgFWpoQ/w251-h400/1950s%20PIONEERS%20OF%20SCI-FI%20CINEMA.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>This 11th volume “A Tribute To….” of the <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</i> series is dedicated to the actors, directors, producers, special effects artists, writers and other involved in the pioneering work of science fiction movie making.<br /><br /><i>Part 1: A Tribute To</i>…. focuses on some of the prominent directors, producers, actors and special effects people involved in science fiction films of the 1950s. Brief biographical information is provided on each one, along with their contribution to the pioneering work of sci-fi film-making in the 1950s.<br /><br /><i>Part 2: A Tribute To Classic Sci-Fi Ladies</i> provides a brief introduction to each of the female co-stars and supporting actors in the films featured in the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta eBook series.<br /><br /><i>Part 3: A Tribute To Science Fiction Authors</i> references some of the works of fiction that inspired and were adapted into various classic 1950s sci-fi films.</b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>CONTENTS</u><br /><br /></b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Introduction<br /><br />***<i><u>Part 1:</u> A Tribute To….<br /></i><br />Ray Harryhausen<br />George Pal<br />Roger Corman<br />Richard Carlson<br />Jack Arnold<br />Richard Denning<br />Faith Domergue<br />Hugh Marlowe<br />Whit Bissell<br />Morris Ankrum<br />Ishirō Honda<br /> Russell Johnson<br />John Zaremba<br />Peter Graves<br />Beverly Garland<br />Paul Birch<br />Peggie Castle<br />Paul Blaisdell<br />Val Guest<br />Willis O'Brien<br />John Agar<br />Bert I. Gordon<br />Eugène Lourié<br />Warren Stevens<br />Yumi Shirakawa<br />Robert Wise<br /><br />***<i><u>Part 2</u>: A Tribute to…..Classic Sci-Fi Ladies</i><br /><br />***<i><u>Part 3:</u> A Tribute To…..Science Fiction Authors </i><br />(& The Inspiration They Provided) <br /><br />John W. Campbell Jnr<br />Paul W. Fairman <br />W. J. Stuart<br />Harry Bates<br />Raymond F. Jones<br />Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer<br />John Wyndham<br />Jack Finney<br />William F. Temple<br />H.G. Wells<br />John Mantley<br />Curt Siodmak </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>I hope you'll enjoy this final volume of the <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta eBook</i> series along with the other volumes. My original intention in writing about classic science fiction films of the 1950s was to present it in the form of a book but I instead chose to do so via this blog. Having completed featuring sci-fi films of the 1950s and moving on to films of the 1960s through to the 1980s, I decided to go back to my original idea. With the amount of information such a book would encompass, I then decided to present it in a freely available eBook format consisting of 11 manageable volumes devoted to various general themes for easy reference.</b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /><u>The Complete Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series:<br /></u><br />Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”<br />Volume 2: “Into Space”<br />Volume 3: “Other Worlds”<br />Volume 4: “Journeys Within”<br />Volume 5: “Alien Contact”<br />Volume 6: “Alien Invasion”<br />Volume 7: “The End Is Nigh!”<br />Volume 8: “Big Bugs & Crazy Critters”<br />Volume 9: “Accidents & Experiments”<br />Volume 10: “Supersized & Miniaturized”<br />Volume 11: “A Tribute To….”</b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11ZImHHco4gTcHxXVtMekb4M4iXY1bbtR/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U8k0Bg11pVi36tlW-HGyLCPC-miad_PF/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iSI8Qa256IqLZGjNxxHoIJdKIQ71-zBO/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/13TB-z4oOZDr3BlAauD3yBR0qZ-Uzrdt74kGIUyFGKoI/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD</a></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Also available at....</b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=HOuxEAAAQBAJ&hl=en_AU&gl=US" target="_blank">GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS</a></u></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-11-A-Tribute-To" target="_blank">FREE EBOOKS.NET</a></u></i></b></span>
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Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-30677968409553570942023-02-02T21:53:00.002-08:002023-03-11T20:23:58.771-08:00Volume 10: Supersized & Miniaturized - New eBook in the "Sci-Fi Film Fiesta" Series<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large;"><i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large;">Volume 10:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large;">"Supersized & Miniaturized"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9Vw0y2UWBdPtv7GMpJBHugLsljavO2x3gwKeKygok4S-Gfmwtr5esdiOwzPmResdZXexdOrg7RY9FdMjwKdhM7CQ9ViQ6aUo3olr5IZr8IOPAduMW8zepxhioZA7Memr7xEQvAHZDrSrz2CxOCWE0PbGHUbtv916bXR0MXcAcgC3k_9cRak-ki5dDw/s2250/Sci-Fi%20Film%20Fiesta.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9Vw0y2UWBdPtv7GMpJBHugLsljavO2x3gwKeKygok4S-Gfmwtr5esdiOwzPmResdZXexdOrg7RY9FdMjwKdhM7CQ9ViQ6aUo3olr5IZr8IOPAduMW8zepxhioZA7Memr7xEQvAHZDrSrz2CxOCWE0PbGHUbtv916bXR0MXcAcgC3k_9cRak-ki5dDw/w251-h400/Sci-Fi%20Film%20Fiesta.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-weight: bold;"> This 10th volume in the <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</i> eBook series features a handful of films from the 1950s, all of which have managed to achieve a kind of iconic status and a level of cultural significance. Collectively, the five featured films serve as a metaphor for much of the human condition and are therefore of relevance to audiences of any era. </span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><u style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Contents</span></u></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Attack Of The Puppet People (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>War Of The Colossal Beast (1958)</b></span></li></ol><div><b><br /></b></div><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">The five featured films do depict the amazing spectacle and notion of people being enlarged in size or being miniaturized. They also have quite a lot to say <i>to</i> us <i>about</i> us and do so in some very interesting ways.</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vG_lt24RRAkRWIXz5SB31y2k2SyQVrvJ/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19pUCuI0-QgGSbE-ysQfc5IKsTUJjGDH_/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/13gK_UD_6B1CyFggMLZW3N-P0UYLqUHMp/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD (with images)</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Uz7uDTNUoo4g6EYaNOW6_euCze6Eb4Dm/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">KINDLE DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kJR13aedrdNc6k5tnT_YmOvOvtaGeNCD/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15bRo_T6B3gcEbfdjMw93Ngpty9NgSVUe9XE2g-EaEdM/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD</a></u></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;">Also available at - </span></b><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><i><u><b><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=UIurEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS</a></b></u></i></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-10-Supersized-Miniaturized" target="_blank">FREE EBOOKS.NET</a></u></i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Keep an eye out for Volume 11: “A Tribute To…..” <br />It will be the final volume?? in the <i>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</i> eBook series featuring science fiction films from the 1950s.</b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-31904457773154575752023-01-21T20:31:00.003-08:002023-03-11T20:26:51.136-08:00ACCIDENTS AND EXPERIMENTS: Volume 9 in the "Sci-Fi Film Fiesta" eBook series!<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;">SCI-FI FILM FIESTA</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;">Volume 9:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><i>"Accidents & Experiments"</i></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz60vcZ6Uvb28y2GXnkevL7aIXBsYzT6NgffsxpRQ_nc_Xc53XgSAndkms58TTvbKiVDxIIfUkySFMYMAiza8Vjuy7wvjmzt5yFt8a9KWdN_VUnEYgrcBQn_Zvgy_GOestuabJ9UuQVveYZOX8KSUFb-FbXv4rCqcKB0gTm6401CBSQY8G9wqO6MamAw/s2250/Volume%209%20accidents%20and%20experiments.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz60vcZ6Uvb28y2GXnkevL7aIXBsYzT6NgffsxpRQ_nc_Xc53XgSAndkms58TTvbKiVDxIIfUkySFMYMAiza8Vjuy7wvjmzt5yFt8a9KWdN_VUnEYgrcBQn_Zvgy_GOestuabJ9UuQVveYZOX8KSUFb-FbXv4rCqcKB0gTm6401CBSQY8G9wqO6MamAw/w251-h400/Volume%209%20accidents%20and%20experiments.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b> This 9th volume “Accidents & Experiments” of the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta eBook series features classic science fiction films from the 1950s whose subject matter involves discoveries and breakthroughs made through experiments or even by sheer accident. The important point about such discoveries, though are the consequences that result from them.<br /><br />The collection of entertaining cautionary sci-fi screen tales from the 1950’s raise interesting questions about humanity’s drive to command, control and master nature and treat it as if it exists purely for our own benefit, while often ignoring the price to be paid for doing so.</b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"><u>Featured Films:</u><br /><br /></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Magnetic Monster (1953)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Donovan's Brain (1953)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Four Sided Triangle (1953)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Atomic Man (1955)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Gamma People (1956)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>X: The Unknown (1956)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Unearthly (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Teenage Monster (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Terror from the Year 5000 (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Curse of the Faceless Man (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Giant from the Unknown (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Colossus of New York (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Fly (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The H-Man (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Woman Eater (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>4D MAN (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Manster (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Terror Is a Man (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Hideous Sun Demon (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Killer Shrews (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Tingler (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Head (1959) </b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Wasp Woman (1959)</b></span></li></ul><div><br /></div></b><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b><u style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v_btSzhWTPVBPRyNu1WFH7qKl_tdealm/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k02ONkN5dIGjP_kc5CKI-FoRQoBTpO2f/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j3cwqGqgE-Uehv9ukhDAVqklccUyn6WX/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD </a></u>(with images)<br /><br /><br /><u style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kxz1G400E9SAvJx25E1ES1Je6GkJt85i/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">KINDLE DOWNLOAD</a></u><br /><br /><br /><u style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z0Cn_4KEgdCSxWBW_ggBZs3zta71nU7i/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD</a></u><br /><br /><br /><u style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jlw-2E29BTbuZ87r5QKRHsLu9RgGbZFPrJ7TryWv3E8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD</a></u></b></span></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Also available at;</span></b></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=BMeoEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play Books</a></u></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-9-Accidents-and-Experiments" target="_blank">FREE EBOOKS.NET</a></u></i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><br /><br /><div><div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Other eBooks in the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series:</span></b></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br />Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”<br />Volume 2: “Into Space”<br />Volume 3: “Other Worlds”<br />Volume 4: “Journeys Within”<br />Volume 5: “Alien Contact”<br />Volume 6: “Alien Invasion”<br />Volume 7: “The End Is Nigh!”<br />Volume 8: “Big Bugs & Crazy Critters”</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-5801230069444654632022-12-29T23:26:00.002-08:002023-03-11T20:29:24.106-08:00Big Bugs and Crazy Critters: Volume 8 in the Sci-F- Film Fiesta eBook Series<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">SCI-FI FILM FIESTA</b></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Volume 8:</b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>BIG BUGS &</i></b></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>CRAZY CRITTERS</i></b></div></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgea8ziXGgyKJJAjWMoXNliBpz28CjQ4UccuO1PizMaxGffRgCKpulIlYPYxNuURKInlvpA_1SgKeif9pxD-AfomoGr4_ijS0eXvSYlTyF0rElR2SqVFml6NhY_0lNn44miYOHiAWsyt-OBZ-dC4lGWbkiahGa8ItGEnQkmOtWbtAQvhkq_LIlstWfNDw/s2250/Volume%208%20Big%20Bugs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgea8ziXGgyKJJAjWMoXNliBpz28CjQ4UccuO1PizMaxGffRgCKpulIlYPYxNuURKInlvpA_1SgKeif9pxD-AfomoGr4_ijS0eXvSYlTyF0rElR2SqVFml6NhY_0lNn44miYOHiAWsyt-OBZ-dC4lGWbkiahGa8ItGEnQkmOtWbtAQvhkq_LIlstWfNDw/w251-h400/Volume%208%20Big%20Bugs.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The classic science fiction films from the 1950s in this <i>FREE</i> volume 8 “Big Bugs and Crazy Critters” of the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta eBook series, deal with forces of nature going haywire and seeming to strike back at humanity with a veritable menagerie of colossal critters, reminding us just how insignificant and powerless we are in the face of forces over which we really have little control.</b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Featured Films include;</b></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Them! (1954)</li><li>Tarantula (1955)</li><li>Beginning of the End (1957)</li><li>The Black Scorpion (1957)</li><li>The Deadly Mantis (1957)</li><li>The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)</li><li>Earth vs. the Spider (1958)</li><li>Monster from Green Hell (1958)</li></ol></div></span></b></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div><b style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gO3OUeQRSk55fPHuuWpUJDF1CUaesbIH/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TbjPxq6FVWftAWzkXfNCcItNQemEDmYh/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD</a></span></b><br /><br /><br /><b style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CchXfDLLaSocKKAPZQIpUlNNpTUlTMqn/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD </a></span></b><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b>(with images)</b></span><br /><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #01ffff;"><u style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BPzbxrLZ8NcnUTn73AtYpURCK0iDWgId/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD</a></u><br /><br /><br /><u style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fKAND2X4hvEg8M3zh1sVFtxE8CAwTpXj/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">KINDLE DOWNLOAD</a></u><br /><br /><br /><u style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E8V1ReHuhcpGU7d2CTTDcRZ31f_9WYPmwevQCiWnmgE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD</a></u></span></b><br /><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Also available on;</span></b><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=mrCkEAAAQBAJ&hl=en&gl=US" target="_blank">GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS</a></u></i></b></span></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-8-Big-Bugs-Crazy-Critters" target="_blank">FREE EBOOKS.NET</a></u></i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-weight: bold;">If humanity is not more careful, it could very well be…..</span></span><div><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i>The Beginning of the End!</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCLHN9JNZEOeQxIZTIbfq8i8obi-yw7R8GvHD4UdbhnwIAvT0bUXwtru6rm-x4iQoncFt82vMu2hIu4zmsMNOmfJp0QEL-GqT1mIAmohzeres4NHpZ5zgIiPBnYurtTSo0Rey4O4NKoFuMs4ntw_p1r4Zr3CijReNWkJ0CAli43EtvPxx7SQMykpUYg/s320/Deadly%20mantis.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCLHN9JNZEOeQxIZTIbfq8i8obi-yw7R8GvHD4UdbhnwIAvT0bUXwtru6rm-x4iQoncFt82vMu2hIu4zmsMNOmfJp0QEL-GqT1mIAmohzeres4NHpZ5zgIiPBnYurtTSo0Rey4O4NKoFuMs4ntw_p1r4Zr3CijReNWkJ0CAli43EtvPxx7SQMykpUYg/w400-h225/Deadly%20mantis.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: red; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="color: red; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Other FREE volumes in the "Sci-Fi Film Fiesta" eBook series:<br /></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Volume 2: “Into Space”</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Volume 3: “Other Worlds”</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Volume 4: “Journeys Within”</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Volume 5: “Alien Contact”</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Volume 6: “Alien Invasion”</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Volume 7: “The End Is Nigh!”</b></span></li></ul></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div style="color: red; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></div></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-91634151133721076392022-12-19T21:50:00.003-08:002023-03-11T20:31:40.963-08:00THE END IS NIGH! The 7th volume in the SCI-FI FILM FIESTA eBook series.<div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>SCI-FI FILM FIESTA</b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>VOLUME 7:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>THE END IS NIGH!</i></b></div></b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJR3ACrRh6msbsCnWqfNDkhx0w1mXKRXBNQPt5mqeqC1bANkO9bom_pdkCFJh9vuu-r55kxL9vLDkLrdMM0GGkRidPSV42ySazHKvuOa3hbrG9BRNzQ4wd2wrd2unIk8GlzjLNY41KAKLaGm0UYaGxDcXhAs8I4RA0Fk2u7S2CNlDbzQ6yUyM4Affm6A/s2250/Volume7%20Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJR3ACrRh6msbsCnWqfNDkhx0w1mXKRXBNQPt5mqeqC1bANkO9bom_pdkCFJh9vuu-r55kxL9vLDkLrdMM0GGkRidPSV42ySazHKvuOa3hbrG9BRNzQ4wd2wrd2unIk8GlzjLNY41KAKLaGm0UYaGxDcXhAs8I4RA0Fk2u7S2CNlDbzQ6yUyM4Affm6A/w251-h400/Volume7%20Cover.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /></span></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b> The many ways by which human civilization could be brought to a crashing end have from time to time been the subject of science fiction films. In the 1950s and throughout the Cold War period, the threat of nuclear annihilation was for many people a very real prospect. </b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>This 7th volume of the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series: “The End Is Nigh,” features sci-fi films of the 1950s that depict end-of-the-world scenarios as well as post apocalyptic and dystopian futures.</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><u><span style="color: #fcff01;">CONTENTS</span></u><br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>When Worlds Collide (1951)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Five (1951)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>1984 (1954)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Day the World Ended (1955)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>World Without End (1956)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Night the World Exploded (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Monolith Monsters (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)</b></span></li></ul></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TIWmouLC_hXJ3JgP1rtrqJyK4blSgC_1/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Aca0amEIIkyM8-t3xNaeFZXdkbbL3IiO/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD</a></u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Aca0amEIIkyM8-t3xNaeFZXdkbbL3IiO/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> (Text)</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-AqDllpot2OIfIsxCQNjWPsH8owQXqGM/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><u>PDF DOWNLOAD </u>(Images)</a><br /><br /><br /><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nXVrCHdr8KLUnqlfn_WoWdp91JG8xzx9/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">KINDLE DOWNLOAD</a></u><br /><br /><br /><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1voZcMLhsb8CElpvDYcdKDtMBT_ncHabw/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD</a></u><br /><br /><br /><u><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ykeuvzrOXcxYYv7MrfSZE2nIneuE-KHbKOcJPGKkF1Q/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD</a></u></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: medium;">Also available at;</span></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=jCajEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play Books</a></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-7-The-End-Is-Nigh" target="_blank">FREE EBOOKS.NET</a></u></i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Other eBooks in the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series:<br /><br />Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”<br />Volume 2: “Into Space”<br />Volume 3: “Other Worlds”<br />Volume 4: “Journeys Within”<br />Volume 5: “Alien Contact”<br />Volume 6: “Alien Invasion”</b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Keep an eye out for Volume 8: <i>Big Bugs & Crazy Critters</i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-5156298045355939572022-12-07T22:06:00.003-08:002023-03-11T20:34:46.803-08:00Alien Invasion - Next volume In The Sci-Fi Film Fiesta Ebook Series!<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff;">Volume 6:</span></b></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Alien Invasion!</span></i></b></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></i></b></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhK7JFuW1DyLo_5HmOIt8u1nFAImQIFfJlpdGUxJan_Jc9_L2m6PmkfdemndMsp11OJFPW6Hu_Mkmne3WxP7wDUVFz88CecwIQKCKK8tZNKMgBIRBr6Vv0bv8mxoeMrclB7MufIG4qRuxMhOSENwbw6v8PEsPB4wqTAnmzMnqlnA1ymi3vaypSJMvz6g/s2560/Book%20Cover%20vol6%20alien%20invasion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhK7JFuW1DyLo_5HmOIt8u1nFAImQIFfJlpdGUxJan_Jc9_L2m6PmkfdemndMsp11OJFPW6Hu_Mkmne3WxP7wDUVFz88CecwIQKCKK8tZNKMgBIRBr6Vv0bv8mxoeMrclB7MufIG4qRuxMhOSENwbw6v8PEsPB4wqTAnmzMnqlnA1ymi3vaypSJMvz6g/w400-h640/Book%20Cover%20vol6%20alien%20invasion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></i><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Many of the classic science fiction films from the 1950s featured in this sixth volume of the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta eBook series: "<i>Alien Invasion," </i>reflect and play on the fears and paranoia of the Cold War period. But, what if our planet was to be actually subjected to an alien invasion, incursion of infestation? Could it happen? What could happen?</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Featured films:</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Invasion USA (1952)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Invaders from Mars (1953)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The War of the Worlds (1953)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Target Earth (1954)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>This Island, Earth (1955)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Earth vs the Flying Saucers (1956)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>It Conquered the World (1956)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Kronos (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Not of This Earth (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Night of the Blood Beast (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Space Master X-7 (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Blob (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Trollenberg Terror (1958)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Atomic Submarine (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Battle in Outer Space (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Invisible Invaders (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Teenagers From Outer Space (1959)</b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Terror In The Midnight Sun (1959)</b></span></li></ul></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><u style="color: #01ffff;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11paFRDBmvw2sJmgt6hz1BIORaS2JBfFE/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Epub Download</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eS4LaOZWLDVTjrb52-hF0KILE8M5ToW3/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF Download</a> </u><span style="color: #fcff01;">(With Images!)</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/15cFsUaZgd7rN4R9vI5XbHmOvZkHCiCFP/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #01ffff; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">Kindle Download</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C-bU8D8ON9cRSy7fXBvAIXNJ4ydnQnNL/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #01ffff; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">MOBI Download</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ikhl-IgIJDLUBfxmINIEhNeTOwQ2eVSt2f-X9W5TfmM/edit?usp=sharing" style="color: #01ffff; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">ODT Download</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v-w3QftHgCi2IDpqFr2-L4uqXMmc08CPNoMbKOrBZfQ/edit?usp=sharing" style="color: #01ffff; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">TXT Download</a></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><u>Also available from.....</u></i></b></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=J66gEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play Books</a></u></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-6-Alien-Invasion" target="_blank">FREE EBOOKS.NET<br /><br /> </a></u></i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Other Volumes freely available in the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta eBook Series so far;</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”<br />Volume 2: “Into Space”<br />Volume 3: “Other Worlds”<br />Volume 4: “Journeys Within”<br />Volume 5: “Alien Contact”</span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Keep an eye out for Volume 7: "The End Is Nigh!"</b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">Have a wonderful and safe Christmas and may your world be invaded by happiness and good cheer!</span></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div></div></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-74812563507240872522022-11-22T21:36:00.007-08:002023-03-11T20:37:34.474-08:00ALIEN CONTACT - Volume 5: New eBook of Sci Fi-Film Fiesta Series<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</b></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">VOLUME 5:</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">“Alien Contact”</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclPamTe_7ONhFKL8vmHj5rA0EPbtgyGK5mmKAtdW51rRLdCP6dDQ2rzj9QcEUIZrI8tBSqbJPmXd7SAJSKQ3dEGRDm0QpxG-24SMLCLi2eAvRjf_h1lztOOfjYRttc2OBB1pO7S2dN8VBPUXBl2s9H2MrJrB4mwHxWsm6Xch3MtY2HSmOLjcaScOHww/s2250/SCI-FI%20FILM%20FIESTA%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclPamTe_7ONhFKL8vmHj5rA0EPbtgyGK5mmKAtdW51rRLdCP6dDQ2rzj9QcEUIZrI8tBSqbJPmXd7SAJSKQ3dEGRDm0QpxG-24SMLCLi2eAvRjf_h1lztOOfjYRttc2OBB1pO7S2dN8VBPUXBl2s9H2MrJrB4mwHxWsm6Xch3MtY2HSmOLjcaScOHww/w251-h400/SCI-FI%20FILM%20FIESTA%20(1).jpg" width="251" /></a></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The science fiction films from the 1950s that feature in this volume imaginatively depict what could happen during a time of alien contact in the form of transmission of messages and visitations to the planet earth.</b></span><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Such films also serve to reflect the kinds of fears that were prevalent at the time as well as offering commentary concerning the state of human affairs on our own planet. It is interesting to note just how much of this can apply to our own era in the 21st century!</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eDPhVyRHePoHTy0ITS-o5W6P2TDQUz0Z/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD</a></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zv5ylaSbHjLN7myWP5C7evy1PoJbysk-/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD</a></u></i></span> <span style="color: #fcff01;">(with images)</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dVIyGM_p5JMbiSe010_bHflatzERLMnR/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><br /></a></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dVIyGM_p5JMbiSe010_bHflatzERLMnR/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">KINDLE DOWNLOAD</a></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/10BWpLmfy4orJW2oaDu4fpRXQR_geGCm8/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD</a></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/153iPKAgl0PoVo3hxC9KZ9At6yxJfX8XVhv096BQUdok/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD</a></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;">Also available from;</span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u><i><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=wJOdEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play Book Store</a></i></u></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-5-Alien-Contact" target="_blank">FREE EBOOKS.NET</a></u></i></b></span><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Other eBooks in the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series so far:</span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><u><span style="color: #01ffff;"><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2022/10/here-be-monsters-new-ebook.html" target="_blank">Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”</a></span></u><br /><br /><br /><u><span style="color: #01ffff;"><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2022/10/into-space-new-ebook.html" target="_blank">Volume 2: “Into Space”</a></span></u><br /><br /><br /><u><span style="color: #01ffff;"><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2022/10/other-worlds-new-ebook.html" target="_blank">Volume 3: “Other Worlds”</a></span></u></i></span></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: medium;"><i><u><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2022/11/journeys-within-new-ebook.html" target="_blank">Volume 4: Journeys Within"</a></u></i></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Keep an eye out for the up-coming Volume 6: <i>Alien Invasion</i></span></b></span></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-70531845148998993732022-11-09T21:28:00.004-08:002023-03-11T20:41:52.971-08:00JOURNEYS WITHIN - NEW EBOOK!!<p> </p><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Volume 4: </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>"Journeys Within"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoqF4YgGLLV4_DwsOCkGgWXz1TVmk0tGhyCfNIlOw6dgP6s6hIbBD369PBflosiWxvF6UH0L3-SHXRrJ6z73uWKgWC-4zkIL52D24_tmYk10ZzD2FHiQ6LnvXIRu3MIub91e8Im5KWGbw6s8IfOfZ6_-G2v5SOHWjcqpYkG19PXKMs3pF0dtycloapg/s2250/sci-fi%20film%20fiesta.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoqF4YgGLLV4_DwsOCkGgWXz1TVmk0tGhyCfNIlOw6dgP6s6hIbBD369PBflosiWxvF6UH0L3-SHXRrJ6z73uWKgWC-4zkIL52D24_tmYk10ZzD2FHiQ6LnvXIRu3MIub91e8Im5KWGbw6s8IfOfZ6_-G2v5SOHWjcqpYkG19PXKMs3pF0dtycloapg/w251-h400/sci-fi%20film%20fiesta.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Here is Volume 4 of the SCI-FI FILM FIESTA free eBook series. This brief volume, "JOURNEYS WITHIN" features classic science fiction films from the 1950s depicting strange and exotic worlds that await discovery deep within the bowels of the earth and deep down in the fathomless depths of our oceans. Let’s now turn our gaze from the heavens and peer into worlds within a world that may exist under our very noses…... </b></span><p></p><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XP_rWE4pjTViGctMvjU_MVs-HJZYxe5o/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1csocKUK533sNSp2NOeGbRVndT-72RFoB/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">KINDLE DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fW2G1CNeFsnlDxrZZHoy2C9ZRWvDV5nw/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Osfsy5aQvvowmSi08u00qfAwmV7SdALe/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD </a><span style="color: #fcff01;">(with images)</span><br /><br /><br /><u style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1psI5hgJW_67y1XA-ERqUm4hj2JK5eqSkrsP0znE8Lx4/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD</a></u></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Also available at;</b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-4-Journeys-Within" target="_blank">Free-eBooks.Net</a></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=02ObEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play Books</a></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>Other eBooks in the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series so far:</b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><b><i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2022/10/here-be-monsters-new-ebook.html" target="_blank">Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”</a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2022/10/into-space-new-ebook.html" target="_blank">Volume 2: “Into Space”</a></i></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span><b style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2022/10/other-worlds-new-ebook.html" target="_blank">Volume 3: “Other Worlds”</a></i></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div><br /></div></b></span><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Keep an eye out for the up-coming Volume 5, <i>Alien Contact.</i></span></b></span></div></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-92232025819051170622022-10-28T22:53:00.004-07:002022-12-01T20:24:21.266-08:00OTHER WORLDS - NEW EBOOK!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</b></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">VOLUME 3:</div></span><div style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">“OTHER WORLDS”</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">By Chris Christopoulos</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><i><br /></i></span></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKQC-u22DL0J3RjMqGOfLuJJXCNYIcllYq3EatMK7aogzqrsH3xVn0iftJP5fYGIFz1PsLqVu3Xwpp6ZBQOy847lkfTpoeEHCrC15X4lVQtNEEMfiMpJe0ikta3B1WgC34r9L7XGdx6ih4HyPcjxG21CwLa6Srmaui8KXK7AkUZl5QtxVO6TWFp9yhQ/s2250/Vol3%20Other%20worlds%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKQC-u22DL0J3RjMqGOfLuJJXCNYIcllYq3EatMK7aogzqrsH3xVn0iftJP5fYGIFz1PsLqVu3Xwpp6ZBQOy847lkfTpoeEHCrC15X4lVQtNEEMfiMpJe0ikta3B1WgC34r9L7XGdx6ih4HyPcjxG21CwLa6Srmaui8KXK7AkUZl5QtxVO6TWFp9yhQ/w251-h400/Vol3%20Other%20worlds%20cover.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">This volume of the “Sci-Fi Film Fiesta” series: VOLUME 3: "OTHER WORLDS" features</span></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"> these classic sci-fi gems from the 1950s; </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><ul style="font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Destination Moon</i></b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Rocketship X-M</i></b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Flight to Mars</i></b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Cat Women of the Moon</i></b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Forbidden Planet</i></b></span></li><li><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The Angry Red Planet</i></b></span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Each film</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> presents an imaginative scenario involving humanity’s exploration of alien worlds.</b></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Volume 3 "Other Worlds"<i> </i>is the third eBook in the<i> Sci-Fi Film Fiesta </i>series and is free for you to download.</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">**********</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b><i><u style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PxiZDM5YZ_0XuKiYyUi-YT2AXensEgnZ/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD LINK</a><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PfAPZpd5V1fqf8lsLMU2_eDPjB8SYffU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD LINK</a></u><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PfAPZpd5V1fqf8lsLMU2_eDPjB8SYffU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> </a></span>(with images)<br /><br /><br /><u style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PyF1NvBQBzoR20yqGIVZ8yr1KLfkJkPs/view?usp=sharing">KINDLE (azw3) DOWNLOAD LINK</a></u><br /><br /><br /><u style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q6rZdfXi9BlETJDNqaGWT6HR9b1VdIzr/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD LINK</a></u></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QB2LzqIAqgs31kVjL-iT7GGVeEn8xcWW/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT DOWNLOAD LINK</a></u></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;">Also available from;</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-VOLUME-3-OTHER-WORLDS" target="_blank">FREE-EBOOKS.Net</a></u></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span><span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_Christopoulos_Sci_Fi_Film_Fiesta?id=d7OYEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play Books</a></u></i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b><i><u style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></u></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b><i><u style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></u></i></b></span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Keep an eye out for Volume 4, "Journeys Within."</b></span></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-50267750689104656272022-10-17T22:33:00.003-07:002022-12-01T20:25:07.741-08:00INTO SPACE - NEW EBOOK<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</span></b></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Volume 2:</b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>"INTO SPACE"</i></b></div></b></span><div style="color: #01ffff; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">In this post I’d like to offer the reader another FREE volume from the “Sci-Fi Film Fiesta” eBook series. This second volume is titled, “INTO SPACE” and contains some individual classic films from the golden age of science fiction of the 1950s. These films feature imaginative presentations of humanity’s tentative and often dangerous steps into the great unknown realm of outer space. Let’s hope we never forget that space is in fact an extremely dangerous, unforgiving and potentially lethal place for human beings to be working and living in. If we become complacent and lose respect for the environment of space for which we are unsuited, it can and will kill us.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KXchOkdWKMY6HshQySeJqkWp_YDgzqwrmi6ncEulprtWAeM1kRvdLVHDjNPr4pAdpL0Q4Kj10AadIlReUZe8y6WadG2R9vCCwpR0lUOmWScUCobhLRXyrx6HEgTGL8GbzXpHa3xP8GB8iiKE2OZrOMU8pF1GBg9jmPIdDCd4J6sJs_KUqK2XCEe_NQ/s2250/SCI-FI%20FILM%20FIESTA%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KXchOkdWKMY6HshQySeJqkWp_YDgzqwrmi6ncEulprtWAeM1kRvdLVHDjNPr4pAdpL0Q4Kj10AadIlReUZe8y6WadG2R9vCCwpR0lUOmWScUCobhLRXyrx6HEgTGL8GbzXpHa3xP8GB8iiKE2OZrOMU8pF1GBg9jmPIdDCd4J6sJs_KUqK2XCEe_NQ/w251-h400/SCI-FI%20FILM%20FIESTA%20(1).jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OOPEdzhzFD2lBr5iEfwy9EzuxIGyRF28/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB DOWNLOAD LINK</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OYitzL8B7l9fXK2ziZwAuTXIwv0non3W/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">PDF DOWNLOAD LINK (With images)</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AiMdGXA0ynXpqITxOct_1vKx1P3__JQ-/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">MOBI DOWNLOAD LINK</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1515dYX_wk4kr_x4AanBm-Ia5aJ7VvICF/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">KINDLE DOWNLOAD LINK</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OiOg8-7JNKpWam6Uq9w0Qf-U9mTWdFAe/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">TXT VERSION</a></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b>Also available from;</b></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><i><u><b><a href="https://www.free-ebooks.net/reference/Sci-Fi-Film-Fiesta-Volume-2-Into-Space" target="_blank">Free-eBooks.net</a></b></u></i></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=SQaWEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank"><u>Google Play</u> (Books)</a></i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>Keep an eye open for Volume 3: “Other Worlds”</b></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>©Chris Christopoulos 2022</b></span></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-24614081989561085832022-10-08T22:49:00.011-07:002022-12-01T20:25:39.599-08:00HERE BE MONSTERS - NEW EBOOK<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>Sci-Fi Film Fiesta</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>VOLUME 1:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i>“HERE BE MONSTERS”</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlnl7Y_73KcGirO3_YhyB-ei1mo5K5_HiBdMHgr9XBPsirQRmo5rOvXzVCAwzt3gNCxG2HJNMGnamSpEje_5ltgDP25pvV2AwdGb9nlTwGDjiGaF0ujg7W7Nf_7AaFm1KARDBWBaz4dM80AaJptktOrD_rsvqBFFPgQ4ntnEi2PvV9ky1uXp1RKEF6Q/s2250/SCI-fi%20film%20fiesta.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlnl7Y_73KcGirO3_YhyB-ei1mo5K5_HiBdMHgr9XBPsirQRmo5rOvXzVCAwzt3gNCxG2HJNMGnamSpEje_5ltgDP25pvV2AwdGb9nlTwGDjiGaF0ujg7W7Nf_7AaFm1KARDBWBaz4dM80AaJptktOrD_rsvqBFFPgQ4ntnEi2PvV9ky1uXp1RKEF6Q/w251-h400/SCI-fi%20film%20fiesta.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b>By Chris Christopoulos 2022</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">The Sci-Fi Film Fiesta blog is being turned into an eBook series featuring science fiction film classics from the 1950s. </span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">The series will consist of several volumes each featuring particular films consisting of a different theme, genre or aspect of that decade's science fiction film offerings.</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"> Here, we'll begin with Volume 1, "Here Be Monsters"- Movies featuring classic monsters including of course, monsters of our own making.</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">This volume is part of a series intended (as in the case of this blog) as a salute to the pioneering work of science fiction film makers from the ‘golden age’ of science fiction films of the 1950s. </span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">The films in this volume feature monsters that stand as metaphors for the fears of the time when people had genuine concerns about atomic power and the atom bomb’s potential for the first time in human history to bring about the end of human civilization. For instance, in the case of <i>Godzilla</i> (1954) the film is an allegory for the destruction and devastation unleashed on Japan by the atomic bomb, with the 400-foot-tall mutant dinosaur Gojira, serving as the visual metaphor. Such monsters represent forces of nature awakened by human science that once brought into being cannot be controlled.</span></b></div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JJPw2rIgeh85yzRVB4Y8D_vOVfC3MMna/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">EPUB BOOK LINK DOWNLOAD</a></u></span></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/17PkuG_funk0wK4sFx2HLeogLQSoI1roo/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">PDF DOWNLOAD LINK</span></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span>(With Images)</i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>(Blank pages might appear on initial PDF preview. Be sure to <u>download PDF from Google Drive</u> to read using your PDF reader. 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Roth, Stanley O'Toole<br />Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt<br />Edited by Stuart Baird<br />Music by Jerry Goldsmith<br />Production company: The Ladd Company<br />Distributed by Warner Bros. (through Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors)<br />Running time: 109 minutes<br />Budget: $18 million (approx)<br />Box office: $17–20 million</span><br /><br /><br /></b></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Cast</u></b></span></h3><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Sean Connery as Marshal William T. O'Niel</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Peter Boyle as Mark Sheppard</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Frances Sternhagen as Dr. Marian Lazarus</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">James Sikking as Sergeant Montone</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kika Markham as Carol O'Niel</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Nicholas Barnes as Paul O´Niel</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Clarke Peters as Sergeant Ballard</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Steven Berkoff as Sagan</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">John Ratzenberger as Tarlow</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Bill Bailey as Hill</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">James Berwick as Rudd</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Norman Chancer as Officer Slater</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Stuart Milligan as Officer Walters</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hal Galili as Officer Nelson</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Anni Domingo as Officer Morton</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Manning Redwood as Officer Lowell</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angus MacInnes as Hughes</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Eugene Lipinski as Cane</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Pat Starr as Flo Spector</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Sharon Duce as Prostitute Attacked By Sagan</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Marc Boyle as Nicholas Spota</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Richard Hammatt as Russel Yario</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">P. H. Moriarty as Hitman #1</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Angelique Rockas as Maintenance Woman</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Doug Robinson as Hitman #2</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><i>Titanium ore mining outpost Con-Am 27, operated by Con-Amalgamate on the Jovian moon of Io.</i></span></b></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><i><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i>Federal Marshal William O'Niel is assigned to a tour of duty at the mining colony.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Miners begin dying while suffering psychotic episodes.</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Illegal selling of amphetamines takes place to increase productivity and bonuses.</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Marshal O’Niel refuses to look the other way.</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The new marshal now has a target on his back.</i></div></span></i></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz9UxMYN9t_UDAiO2LiOvF6HQ0MlMJ9vFsMauloIHMvFIqJOdhSr2iC31pAhS8h4lY5UmHIl485ZkbrxoxumQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">Trailer</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><i><b>Read on for more......</b></i></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span><i>(Spoilers follow below.....)</i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRAZVHwk8mPmr69MIzTTEhidLZUWnle8VsYDEPwAdDZBHW6ObbULMm40c32_K23BJywzavq5cxK5HOwSCd_KdMHeVkyrlKmIb6xMXvIHVKxvIjJAbUzTUuQq73sISIJlmOkG-dUp0zO1NZG_g5Bwbn-k572NjWfjYyODDCLcSsC4xR6wtWDC0R0rRpw/s1200/tumblr_1eaf06cac2904f9e4ccd5128eb663276_df9f9e8b_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRAZVHwk8mPmr69MIzTTEhidLZUWnle8VsYDEPwAdDZBHW6ObbULMm40c32_K23BJywzavq5cxK5HOwSCd_KdMHeVkyrlKmIb6xMXvIHVKxvIjJAbUzTUuQq73sISIJlmOkG-dUp0zO1NZG_g5Bwbn-k572NjWfjYyODDCLcSsC4xR6wtWDC0R0rRpw/w400-h286/tumblr_1eaf06cac2904f9e4ccd5128eb663276_df9f9e8b_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film’s story is set some time in the future, at Con Am 27, a titanium ore mining outpost on Jupiter's third moon Io franchised to Con-Amalgamate by the League of Industrial Nations located on Earth. The moon is about 2,275 miles in diameter and located 275,000 miles from Jupiter. The colony's population consists of 2,144 men and women (1,250 labor, 714 support personnel, and 180 administration and maintenance crew). The conditions are difficult with low gravity and no breathable atmosphere. Miners have to perform their tasks wearing cumbersome atmospheric work-suits. Their work shifts are long but they are paid significant bonuses as an incentive to boost production. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">This is not some bright and breezy optimistic scenario fueled by an eager spirit of discovery and exploration. Federal Marshal William T. O'Niel is assigned to a one-year tour of duty in a place infused with a dark and gritty pragmatism motivated by profit and self-interest. Corporate capitalism has accompanied and spear-headed humanity’s venture into outer space, the beginnings of which we are witnessing even in our own time as venture capitalist billionaires bounce about in zero-g and private enterprise takes over functions once performed only by NASA and state entities.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“Somebody help me get it out of my suit!”</i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeh1P9p5_MAvV2CGAjDes4vzKNnEqyKM2rsaDeMWxKBIOrdcAIWwuaqs-oJNLX72nIDb7FCSwj4mJyHUAN4PK1U2ZwOrAOf34cG5eGw-xtEyKryQ6oSK7p8cJndFl5gpR-hKdVRf3WfHecEJehftgvpNU0wXB3S734jZyeaFrdgS3fjmtzfoP7iYxk-w/s250/tumblr_p85mc0N88B1r5hb9jo1_250.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="250" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeh1P9p5_MAvV2CGAjDes4vzKNnEqyKM2rsaDeMWxKBIOrdcAIWwuaqs-oJNLX72nIDb7FCSwj4mJyHUAN4PK1U2ZwOrAOf34cG5eGw-xtEyKryQ6oSK7p8cJndFl5gpR-hKdVRf3WfHecEJehftgvpNU0wXB3S734jZyeaFrdgS3fjmtzfoP7iYxk-w/w400-h221/tumblr_p85mc0N88B1r5hb9jo1_250.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Right from the outset trouble begins when Tarlow, a miner suffers an apparent psychotic attack and screams out that he sees spiders and that they are entering his space suit. To the horror of his disbelieving workmates, Tarlowe then rips open his spacesuit resulting in his death by explosive decompression.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later while receiving a report on the above incident, O’Niel is informed by Sergeant Montone that “it happens every once in a while up here.”</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGH-r_dPW6Lnz--kM146TjGjtHKAHLX-22-bgptYzXwhF4PuDHpUjSxHtt-sYXsLTwrRHqo5x5wnu_yOBVY0ReHoBRaahIgX0V9WXO9X7Uj1TgzEgP8ZFPnvO9ST37CaYsNGXGW5WIKUhad_hXZhTgdRHqRrOW4mSIQvN6lBuJKnKK2tnmADBYIvQsQ/s1602/MV5BMTU1Mjk4NDAzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjE3NDU4Mw@@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1602" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGH-r_dPW6Lnz--kM146TjGjtHKAHLX-22-bgptYzXwhF4PuDHpUjSxHtt-sYXsLTwrRHqo5x5wnu_yOBVY0ReHoBRaahIgX0V9WXO9X7Uj1TgzEgP8ZFPnvO9ST37CaYsNGXGW5WIKUhad_hXZhTgdRHqRrOW4mSIQvN6lBuJKnKK2tnmADBYIvQsQ/w400-h270/MV5BMTU1Mjk4NDAzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjE3NDU4Mw@@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As O’Niel gets ready to go to work, there is something about his wife’s demeanor that suggests that all is not as it should be. First there is her apparently evasive response to her husband’s questioning about two tickets she arranged for the weekly shuttle, the revelation that O’Niel’s assignments have not been easy for her and her almost desperate clinging to him as he departs for work suggesting that somehow she may never see him again.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“Things run smooth, they make their money.”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During the meet and greet session with the new marshal in town, Mark Sheppard, the head of the mining colony, boasts that since he took over as general manager of the facility, productivity has broken all previous records. There is a definite purpose behind his words and that is to provide the new marshal with a message. Sheppard points out that O’Niel is simply to there to “have a pleasant tour” and he’ll discover that “like every other mining town, there's never much trouble” and that “good work only comes from contented people.” The underlying message from the general manager is that the new marshal’s job is not to create waves. The exchange of looks between Sheppard and O’Niel suggests that the message has indeed been received loud and clear but foreshadows an inevitable conflict if and when the proffered advice is not followed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Sheppard’s final comment, “Drop by my office; we'll talk some more” seems to imply that any doubts on O’Niel’s part will be sorted out and that he’ll be made to understand by this “powerful ass-hole” that his purpose is to simply to ensure that “things run smooth” so that those in charge “make their money.”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“I just can't take it anymore. That's what it amounts to.”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later, O’Niel learns via a video message that his wife, Carol feels she cannot raise their son Paul on Io and that their relationship cannot endure the constant move from one assignment / posting to the next. Despite the assurances “that the next place will be different” she knows full well “it never is, it can't be.” Carol has decided to leave with their son to the Jupiter space station to await a shuttle that will take them back to Earth where Paul can have a real childhood and “a chance </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">to breathe air, real outside air.”</span></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While O’Niel struggles within to cope with his new posting on Io and with sorting out his priorities in terms of work duties and his commitment and responsibilities to his family, another another incident involving a miner occurs. On this occasion, a miner named Cane has entered a lift to the mine without wearing his work-suit, and as a result dies horribly from decompression. He too seems to have suffered a psychotic episode, the cause of which we are well aware from the drug deals that have been taking place. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During a debriefing session among the security personnel, Cane’s death is dismissed as having had to be a suicide seeing that the airlock had been sealed from the inside. Suddenly, the atmosphere becomes a bit more tense as O’Niel asks if Cane had left a note, otherwise how would they know for certain it was suicide? It appears, however that O’Niel has been assured that the verdict of suicide is the only explanation, but it is obvious that asking difficult questions is not part of established procedure on Io.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O’Niel next pays a visit to the cynical and acerbic Dr. Lazarus in order to continue his investigation of the recent deaths whereby “yesterday, a man went into the </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">atmosphere without his pressure suit” and “a couple of days before, another </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">man cut his suit open on purpose.”</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE_7eXWl6AUxoXuKEONeCE82AlJEiOHXUVhIPEi-HpJd8aYG_tgwy964IWb1WCfiaEqI93dF2yMefG6z5f6aL5YIcHPIcrJAFc7g4LoWQqlqxS-SpmZ3x4yAxIeC01fY8jhoYMCh6SZ1FitKHW1_RO3MzRdQfZuKapp1KdIH8R0mpiOp8EsVQ8qL01g/s460/a73YPNx_460s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="460" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE_7eXWl6AUxoXuKEONeCE82AlJEiOHXUVhIPEi-HpJd8aYG_tgwy964IWb1WCfiaEqI93dF2yMefG6z5f6aL5YIcHPIcrJAFc7g4LoWQqlqxS-SpmZ3x4yAxIeC01fY8jhoYMCh6SZ1FitKHW1_RO3MzRdQfZuKapp1KdIH8R0mpiOp8EsVQ8qL01g/w400-h225/a73YPNx_460s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Lazarus informs O’Niel that no autopsies were performed because among other things “the Company wanted the bodies shipped out quickly.” The haste in which the bodies are dispatched would be enough to raise eye-brows and suggest that something is being hidden for some reason.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As O’Niel aks Lazarus for “a report of all of the incidents happening over the past 6 months,” he is now definitely set on the path of “becoming a nuisance.” To whom and why will soon become clearer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While these incidents and the difficulties on the personal domestic front occupy O’Niel’s mind, Montone comes across as being someone who understands what he’s going through and that he will be there for him. One has to wonder at his motivation behind telling O’Niel to call him if he needs anything, even just to talk. It seems that Montone is perhaps trying to gain O’Niel’s confidence and keep tabs on this potential trouble-maker. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Just to show that things tend to happen in three’s, there is yet another incident. This one involves a worker named Sagan who is threatening to kill a prostitute he is holding hostage with a knife. The strange aspect of this incident, is that Cane is a crane operator who has been on Io for 11 months, and has “never caused trouble.”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqrMjwHKeB7YAmloqUJrMkNoKIi74-_qstX2pqSn9YW8vOh5nfftGvPipbkIealH7AlKSdW68cvAvP_XLePhxfwwH9-_0qTMK0r-_yJ_RiOq7a9dVHCoJIcx4-NJpYUw_HlIn-H7EFlaIO5ettlgrh5sh3s7I3e6eMGG8ym5XTiFnsKBewZvTv0BnHA/s1118/1118full-outland-screenshot-4.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="1118" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqrMjwHKeB7YAmloqUJrMkNoKIi74-_qstX2pqSn9YW8vOh5nfftGvPipbkIealH7AlKSdW68cvAvP_XLePhxfwwH9-_0qTMK0r-_yJ_RiOq7a9dVHCoJIcx4-NJpYUw_HlIn-H7EFlaIO5ettlgrh5sh3s7I3e6eMGG8ym5XTiFnsKBewZvTv0BnHA/w400-h166/1118full-outland-screenshot-4.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When O’Niel arrives at the scene, he attempts to calm the man and enter the room by the main door, while sergeant Montone makes his way to the room via an overhead air duct. Just as O’Niel completes a countdown to entry, Montone exists the air duct and shoots Sagan dead before O'Niel can have a chance to talk with him. Very convenient indeed!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O’Niel continues the investigation by returning to Lazarus where he discovers there has been 28 such cases in the last six months and 24 in the six month period before that. Go back a further six months and there were only 2 cases. Added to this interesting and suspicious pattern of deaths is the fate of the bodies. Lazarus informs O’Niel that “they usually ship them out on the next shuttle. They wrap them up and jettison them halfway to the station.” Which begs the question: why the haste and why in that manner?</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“I did good, didn't l? For a wreck”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxODivSAXJAbKjA1cTIR6cvZvQpiLL2W2eR7YzPKNCoQeYFoBmKXB9KXgewV6UKTHiAPYpVKIiBd19kZBmBbLGftLj0_dqc_i6INv4L-EYwvq63Yc1CO9WFzpMSx2xGzTh0aw3DPwwiYVsFuO1Tdm6F0JHicUT3XCkVB_5PMnR35fshzhQc5LIcdjTtA/s250/tumblr_p85mc0N88B1r5hb9jo6_r1_250.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="250" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxODivSAXJAbKjA1cTIR6cvZvQpiLL2W2eR7YzPKNCoQeYFoBmKXB9KXgewV6UKTHiAPYpVKIiBd19kZBmBbLGftLj0_dqc_i6INv4L-EYwvq63Yc1CO9WFzpMSx2xGzTh0aw3DPwwiYVsFuO1Tdm6F0JHicUT3XCkVB_5PMnR35fshzhQc5LIcdjTtA/w400-h221/tumblr_p85mc0N88B1r5hb9jo6_r1_250.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O'Niel takes a sample of blood from the dead Sagan in the morgue and has Lazarus examine it in her lab. She feels as though she’s out of her comfort zone and limited in this area of medical expertise having to “analyze a new molecule.” Despite this, Lazarus and O’Niel discover the common denominator linking all the deaths: a powerful but lethal amphetamine called "polydichloric euthimal" in their bloodstream and as noted by Lazarus, it’s the “strongest thing you ever saw.” This drug “makes you feel wonderful” allowing the user to “do 14 hours of work in six hours.” Army tests revealed the consequences of taking this drug in that “it made everybody work, all right, then it made them psychotic.” After 10 or 11 months of use, the drug “fries your brain.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Being a synthetic drug, it has to be shipped in. Those who die after using it don’t have autopsies performed on their remains but nobody asks any questions so long as “the workers are producing more” and “the Company's making bigger profits.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dr Lazarus’ cynical façade is beginning to melt away as a mutual bond of respect is building between her and O’Niel and as the good doctor realizes that there is indeed at least one person who is prepared to show that he cares about what goes on. Larzarus now has a purpose in her life apart from the meaningless and compliant one constructed for her by the Company.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“I don't want you. I want him.”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6A4TTt-6YQV4SGqzMl5bGwvb7fEXDDnQ1U_p91mMcXFgRfjFCn_KDKHLDCBXTabfUEcDM_Ih_QpTwzVdrpFONFuQGjL6oGuotzcwnmq2Kwz-maSoX_8e-CfKRopHQ6kSdC_53-Fbp7z5bTlgxZdTpqb4epTBRQqwWurZHubIWzFwmIWiJP-Sf8RKFOg/s1200/sec3a1n-connery-in-outland-1981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1200" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6A4TTt-6YQV4SGqzMl5bGwvb7fEXDDnQ1U_p91mMcXFgRfjFCn_KDKHLDCBXTabfUEcDM_Ih_QpTwzVdrpFONFuQGjL6oGuotzcwnmq2Kwz-maSoX_8e-CfKRopHQ6kSdC_53-Fbp7z5bTlgxZdTpqb4epTBRQqwWurZHubIWzFwmIWiJP-Sf8RKFOg/w400-h263/sec3a1n-connery-in-outland-1981.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O’Niel uses good old police investigative work to uncover the drug ring responsible for distributing the drug to the miners. Employing surveillance cameras, O'Niel observes the obvious connection between Sheppard, Montone and two drug dealing miners with criminal records. One of the miners is Nicholas Spota, whom O’Niel captures after a spectacular chase through the facility. The sheer determination of O’Niel can be gauged by his willingness to plunge his hand into a pot of boiling sauce to retrieve a vial of the drug that had been cast into the pot by Spota.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkvWONwftSqUI2j_thhY2j6eMaxkh0MKYY0RvltpVvpL91d1GtgVv9qF_DfBq4iyraDc_4Es_f9j7_ZblBRnDMwGpuhhIQJLrYOkiUt_dYwU40jjaxkkxCac8zL-hYhlh12hwRlAqIaOt-OCXCWNBZVagDhSIjDi7rDbwefxq_LS88Yfi0Kqx0UqMlA/s1777/MV5BYjg4YjI3YTAtZWVhOS00ZTU4LWEyNjQtODE3YTk2NTJhM2U5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_SX1777_CR001777740_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1777" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkvWONwftSqUI2j_thhY2j6eMaxkh0MKYY0RvltpVvpL91d1GtgVv9qF_DfBq4iyraDc_4Es_f9j7_ZblBRnDMwGpuhhIQJLrYOkiUt_dYwU40jjaxkkxCac8zL-hYhlh12hwRlAqIaOt-OCXCWNBZVagDhSIjDi7rDbwefxq_LS88Yfi0Kqx0UqMlA/w400-h166/MV5BYjg4YjI3YTAtZWVhOS00ZTU4LWEyNjQtODE3YTk2NTJhM2U5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_SX1777_CR001777740_AL_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During a game of squash, O’Niel lets Montone know that he is aware of his part in Sheppard’s operation. Montone warns O’Niel that if he tries to bust Sheppard he’ll be up against someone who is tied to “big money, people and places that we only know from letterheads” and that “this guy is connected with more than just the Company.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O’Niel points out to Montone that he is only interested in getting Sheppard and that the sergeant should just keep taking his money and continue “looking the other way.”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“You meddle, I want you to know what you're meddling with.”</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">O’Niel places Spota in isolation in cell 36. The effect is psychological in which O’Niel lets Spota know that;</span></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • He was in possession of “4 ounces of Polydichloric Euthimal, which is 400 doses.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Sheppard had been paying him.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Given time in the cell he’ll “start to go crazy at night.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • He might suffocate if the air tether gets knotted.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • O’Niel has witnesses and evidence to convict him.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Sheppard will just laugh “his ass off” while Spota does his hard time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O'Niel then confronts Sheppard in his office while he practices his golf putting but the general manager appears to be completely unphased and smugly proceeds to put the situation that O’Niel has found himself in plainly before him. Sheppard points out to O'Niel that he </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">runs a franchise in which he is “hired to dig as much ore as possible out of this hellhole.” He goes on to inform O’Niel that when the workers are happy, they dig more ore. They get more bonus money. When they dig more ore, the Company's happy. When the Company's happy’ so is he. That is the status quo arrangement set by the corporate establishment and when someone like the marshal with his 'big mouth’ tries to upset this system of criminal vested interests they are simply “sent from one toilet to the next.” If they continue to persist with upsetting the apple cart the by vowing to</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"> expose the entire scheme, then......</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojuoOu-m2miPxZP5okr3NHOPqKweZRwOlaX4mQ1dYlSFOjdUr8joQVdRqm25fRSVKYOBflUFG_mm_jIVMLdP1CwyyIoq6hynmAuOfqITXeea24H5LLCb6ZRnwu7R0-4Tso9iu8o7vGSIfieQCpx79TSxeP9xz-DA2c4_vAfJDdMSrprHJ_WkX9tOMGQ/s500/6a0168ea36d6b2970c0176170de8d3970c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="500" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojuoOu-m2miPxZP5okr3NHOPqKweZRwOlaX4mQ1dYlSFOjdUr8joQVdRqm25fRSVKYOBflUFG_mm_jIVMLdP1CwyyIoq6hynmAuOfqITXeea24H5LLCb6ZRnwu7R0-4Tso9iu8o7vGSIfieQCpx79TSxeP9xz-DA2c4_vAfJDdMSrprHJ_WkX9tOMGQ/w400-h166/6a0168ea36d6b2970c0176170de8d3970c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In addition to the killing of Spota, O’Niel discovers Montone’s dead body in his quarters. He had been garroted. He then locates the latest shipment of drugs which has been hidden in a food shipment recently arrived from the Jupiter Space Station. There he is attacked by another dealer, Russell Yario, but O'Niel prevents Yario from strangling him to death by means of a concealed neck collar (really!!) O’Niel knocks Yario out and destroys the shipment of drugs. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“Marshal. You're dead. Do you hear me?”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Back at Sheppard’s quarters while he is woking on his golf swing on the golf simulator, O’Niel informs the general manager that he “threw the hamburger in jail </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">and the PDE in the toilet.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Sheppard’s earlier smugness is toned down a bit and is replaced with something like bravado tinged with menace. To his way of thinking O’Niel is not stupid but is obviously crazy and that he is out of his league as he’s chosen to deal with the “grownups.” O’Niel knows full well that he has hit the mark when he informs Sheppard that “whoever sent that shipment will be mad that you lost it.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As O'Niel leaves Sheppard’s quarters, it is clear that he die is now well and truly cast….</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O'Niel has clandestinely arranged to have Sheppard's communications monitored. He observes Sheppard as he contacts his supplier, Bellows aboard the orbiting space station who is obviously less than pleased about what has taken place. It is arranged that professional hit-men will be sent to Io to take care of the marshal. Sheppard also tells his contact that he has an inside man “who'll spread the word.” He assures the contact that O’Niel will not receive help from anyone as “no one here </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">will stick their neck out for anyone.” The contact warns Sheppard that if the hit on O'Niel fails, the next assassins the company sends will be coming after Sheppard himself.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“Don't worry. He's a dead man”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">From now on the countdown is really on with the tension being gradually ramped up as the time to the shuttle’s arrival is repeatedly revealed over the 70 hours duration it takes from the shuttle to travel from the space station to arrive at Con Am 27.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Mnn6dHnLrBdX6p4INKBG82gEDpk6aNskEN2N3XMBbUP48b8hc2hzLiOcrtSQhAkrga0RPjM7shjXZHD-rHxkA5R5NR2JaGVNCWKqOsYpIfzBUfn0_UlbWbTU-GBW2AuGCSRgfAlavmy9n8n3tsMeGba8fXFRdM05oSxZMdnWRhtXXm21pxgf1MEfJA/s399/Outland-1981-Movie-Scene-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="399" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Mnn6dHnLrBdX6p4INKBG82gEDpk6aNskEN2N3XMBbUP48b8hc2hzLiOcrtSQhAkrga0RPjM7shjXZHD-rHxkA5R5NR2JaGVNCWKqOsYpIfzBUfn0_UlbWbTU-GBW2AuGCSRgfAlavmy9n8n3tsMeGba8fXFRdM05oSxZMdnWRhtXXm21pxgf1MEfJA/w400-h348/Outland-1981-Movie-Scene-18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The tension spreads throughout the facility as everyone is aware that the shuttle is bringing with it professional assassins sent to kill O’Niel, along with the fact that no-one is prepared to risk their lives to help him. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Apart from pure self-interest and gain being a motivating factor in O’Niel receiving no support, there is also the element of fear. When O’Niel asks sergeant Ballard how many he can count of from the security force to assist him, the sergeant replies, “well, you see… most of us are...most are young. We have families. I have a family.” There are indeed many ways that those in charge can get at the individual and enforce compliance.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“You're a stubborn son of a bitch”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the odds stacked against him, why does O’Niel persist with his current course of action? He confides in Dr Lazarus, the only person who is prepared to support him and the only one who can understand. He realizes that he has been sent “here to this pile of shit” probably because those in charge think he belongs in such a place where the “whole machine works because everybody does what they're supposed to.” O’Niel simply wants to know if they are right in their assessment of him and of their ability to force him to be something he didn't like.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Lazarus replies with the observation, “your wife is one stupid lady.” Even O’Niel’s wife failed to grasp the fact that O’Niel as a man has to prove something important about himself to himself and to those closest to him. Somehow he could never explain this adequately to his own wife. Even when she contacts him later and asks him “what is so important?” all he can muster by way of explanation is, “I'm too tired to try to explain.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O’Niel’s wife questions whether O’Niel can make any difference by doing what he’s doing and that he’s merely giving up his family by pursuing his current course of action. The effect of the enormity of what O’Niel has elected to do is apparent from his demeanor when he speaks to his son, Paulie. His son is the very reason he has chosen to stay on Io and perform his duty as sheriff. By doing what is right will set the example for his boy and hopefully his son will have a future where compromise, corruption, greed and selfishness is not the order of the day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The countdown is about to run out when the shuttle arrives early. O'Niel observes via the surveillance cameras two assassins disembarking. They are armed and separate from the rest of the miners and proceed to track down their quarry - O'Niel. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“I'm not displaying character...just temporary insanity.</i><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKK3Evy5P952XbPOWy38bkojTk_WsuoU3WNtBr9_z4hQ-O1y1xExcrWsUAUurxvqVJ4cDfL7ozd7NqhZVxr7OzHYK-erePk-zhG9iKRP9uZ0tWaF9e8ZTrr0G9w0LwYQ5Nd8ceo09wmetemfG4Xn7hYvHpzLHy6AcWl1h8eQPHiWZyfWrojLzFjKFW9Q/s1590/MV5BMTQzNjUwNDQ3Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTA3NDU4Mw@@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1590" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKK3Evy5P952XbPOWy38bkojTk_WsuoU3WNtBr9_z4hQ-O1y1xExcrWsUAUurxvqVJ4cDfL7ozd7NqhZVxr7OzHYK-erePk-zhG9iKRP9uZ0tWaF9e8ZTrr0G9w0LwYQ5Nd8ceo09wmetemfG4Xn7hYvHpzLHy6AcWl1h8eQPHiWZyfWrojLzFjKFW9Q/w400-h266/MV5BMTQzNjUwNDQ3Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTA3NDU4Mw@@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the sole assistance of Dr. Lazarus, O'Niel prepares to engage in a fight to the death battle with the assassins. Early in the desperate chase, O’Niel is ambushed and wounded in the left shoulder by one of the assassins.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KdnjzvEOreUHw_Xi_JnYe36E1Gvhk7PuPkxUcBXYoRkcytOOY_5L0t-s90MDDfVSJFo9bno5VKyzryAtLpparXNewZlYU_fNH7JW3bAaHmwYJJ55NQJ-MgkpNRsh5Ucm1A937_gFsPpS72JFLtQi8vLYQMTgfqPkM7cubgyXpu1dL5ZBCaeq7vqaqw/s580/outland-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="580" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KdnjzvEOreUHw_Xi_JnYe36E1Gvhk7PuPkxUcBXYoRkcytOOY_5L0t-s90MDDfVSJFo9bno5VKyzryAtLpparXNewZlYU_fNH7JW3bAaHmwYJJ55NQJ-MgkpNRsh5Ucm1A937_gFsPpS72JFLtQi8vLYQMTgfqPkM7cubgyXpu1dL5ZBCaeq7vqaqw/w400-h141/outland-lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O'Niel wearing a space suit, exits the facility where he manages to dispatch one of the assassins when Dr. Lazarus traps him in a pressurized corridor. O'Niel then activates a bomb, causing an explosive decompression that kills the assassin.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The second assassin enters the colony's greenhouse where O’Niel tricks him into shooting at a panel he has dislodged and cast down outside the glass. The greenhouse rapidly depressurizes after one of the glass windows is shot out and the assassin is sucked out to his death into the vacuum of space. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUYJbq1TsdJ7EzTkyqR3tQofNKUyOAURJFmlQB-CEG5uHSRNdIsP0yNKUiNmPwO9vReOqx-xVO05xVjlZ7rwvBZL10VKu_NImwhAU21OMSIkrWqktrgVjVgLU_96x2MPfz6TkdvUKgG37xow0k1WuD1bCn_aGzrpbJJjJlCs_Fg409EwrxHohIF7cjQ/s348/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="145" data-original-width="348" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUYJbq1TsdJ7EzTkyqR3tQofNKUyOAURJFmlQB-CEG5uHSRNdIsP0yNKUiNmPwO9vReOqx-xVO05xVjlZ7rwvBZL10VKu_NImwhAU21OMSIkrWqktrgVjVgLU_96x2MPfz6TkdvUKgG37xow0k1WuD1bCn_aGzrpbJJjJlCs_Fg409EwrxHohIF7cjQ/w400-h166/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Unknown to O'Niel there is a third assassin, sergeant Ballard who has also ventured outside the facility armed with a shotgun and is intent on killing him. After a desperate life-and-death struggle with Ballard, O’Niel manages to disarm him. O'Niel then pulls out an oxygen tube connected to Ballard’s spacesuit causing the sergeant to die from depressurization as he plunges into an electrical generation station, before vaporizing on impact. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A short time later to everyone’s surprise, a wounded and battle-weary O'Niel confronts Sheppard in the bar. Too exhausted to inform Sheppard of his rights before arresting him, O’Niel knocks him out with a punch and then limps slowly and unsteadily out of the bar. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Presumably, Sheppard will either be brought to justice or liquidated by his criminal associates, or the entire criminal executive arm of Con-Am will face prosecution. Whatever the case, one single individual who tried to do the right thing may indeed have made a difference. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“You were a good friend”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">O'Niel's tour of duty is now at an end and he is free to retire. Before leaving on the shuttle to the space station to accompany his wife and son back to Earth, O'Niel bids a fond farewell to Lazarus – his one true friend during his torturous journey to finding himself.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Points of Interest</u></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As to the oft-mentioned reference to <i>Outland</i> simply being a sci-fi rehash of the classic western<i> High Noon</i> story, I say ‘who cares?’ Science fiction lends itself well to incorporating and combining multiple genres such as in the case of this film – sci-fi, western, crime, mystery, murder, detective, thriller and so on. Besides we would be hard pressed to find a totally original idea in any field of endeavor whether it be in cinema, literature, politics, music, art and more.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The character of Dr Lazarus strikes me as the female equivalent of the irascible doctor McCoy from the <i>Star Trek</i> series. One could be forgiven for thinking that had circumstances been different in terms of time, place, situation, circumstances, chronology, etc., Lazarus might have been the perfect partner for O’Niel. Although O’Niel does love his wife, there appears to be a lot more of a connection or synergy between he and Lazarus in terms of understanding, temperament and regard. I bet many of us have at one time met that one person we instinctively know we have a connection with but due to circumstances have been unable to do anything about it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is refreshing to see on film a positive male role being depicted in the character of O’Niel. Here is a man who is prepared to stand by his principles and not compromise them by taking the easy option of playing the game and looking the other way when wrong deeds are committed. He is introspective and seeks to make himself a better person by not simply being a part of the collective bovine stupidity of the herd happily chewing the cud of compliance, compromise and collusion. O’Niel is someone who does care in a world that has become jaded and cynical, where wrong-doing is tolerated and where greed and self-interest are the prime motivating forces.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Instead of the expected 21st century depiction of the absent / deceased father / husband, the abusive spouse or the limp lettuce irrelevant goofy male, we have in O’Niel a strong positive role model for his son. And who better to play that character on screen? Why none other than Sean Connery, not as a traditional screen version James Bond-style hero, but as a very human, fallible and vulnerable human being with strength of character.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Outland’s</i> special effects and the depiction of the mining colony on Io employing the use of miniatures are very effective.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Outland </i>was released theatrically with the "Megasound" sound system format, a movie theater sound system created by "Warner Brothers." Theaters equipped for Megasound had additional speakers mounted on the left, right, and rear walls of the auditorium. Selected soundtrack events with lots of low-frequency content such as thuds, crashes and explosions were directed to these speakers at very high volume, creating maximum impact for the audience.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Outland</i> was also the first movie to use the “IntroVision” front projection process, which allowed an actor or other live-action element to be sandwiched by a projected background and foreground element, all in the same shot. In the film, the foreground, mid-ground and background elements are combined in the camera, enabling the characters to convincingly walk around miniature sets of the mining colony.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Artemis, Space-X, Virgin Galactic! My, the future of mankind’s venturing into space seems so technologically optimistic, shiny and squeaky clean! <i>Outland</i> probably may prove to be closer to the truth about our presence in space in terms of the grubby and sordid aspects of human nature that will accompany human beings as they depart Earth and spread like a virus through the cosmos. Despite treaties, stay tuned for the inevitable militarization of space, the corporate carve-ups, the spread of neo-venture capitalism and geo-political maneuverings and game play. The ‘alien’ space monsters we will encounter in the future may indeed be ourselves.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="color: #01ffff;">Jupiter's moon - Io</span></u></b></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyqj3uMij6-yIO7UlaxxbshVAFRKq6njk-31AyFEiZ6lMxyRQrqzvPBANobnuphA0sSMIAt3xW2UW0qfoY0LQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><u><a href="https://archive.org/details/popeye-1980_202106/Outland+1981.mp4" target="_blank">Full Film Link</a></u></i></b></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>©Chris Christopoulos 2022</b></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-77696886122154844752022-08-18T00:48:00.000-07:002022-08-18T00:48:07.696-07:00Ikarie XB 1 (1963) / “Voyage To The End Of The Universe” <div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUbxACURzOhJCr0Tp4d2iIWZYVxqrRDH9R6YK4rlmSJ_wCrNCN_phJ89XJDsf82uCeQfknQR8N4xDY8jLo5lj8xRrW18Vaz0Ycv5CGJ07h3EUz1edVQUy0QEQxYfrNvG1hVLSH42DRnbnkAlvHMqhwxigFHgKwZOGNnITff3O80x4evauq0CEPRAiuA/s700/MV5BZTk3NzcxYjktZmVlYy00N2ViLThiMjktNzM5Njc5MDIxODk0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjQzNDI3NzY@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="496" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUbxACURzOhJCr0Tp4d2iIWZYVxqrRDH9R6YK4rlmSJ_wCrNCN_phJ89XJDsf82uCeQfknQR8N4xDY8jLo5lj8xRrW18Vaz0Ycv5CGJ07h3EUz1edVQUy0QEQxYfrNvG1hVLSH42DRnbnkAlvHMqhwxigFHgKwZOGNnITff3O80x4evauq0CEPRAiuA/w284-h400/MV5BZTk3NzcxYjktZmVlYy00N2ViLThiMjktNzM5Njc5MDIxODk0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjQzNDI3NzY@._V1_.jpg" width="284" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnW7L4jx8M5xLBf1TN1gHgbWqHoeZQwiIDU2H6FCDSnNcdcepELE7EeIqVd1hhmsILiPHz8xuZ4FzBGsDIuUaJ_iE0AI74qPsdVNsKMyycrZFtMtSPmIEnb6lO9Yy_B2E0w5P2ub3acOFUcEJwtNQxwbK9-uxKm7-odUbLi-o-RnkGkzxnrTODwxtKQ/s1011/Star_rating_4_of_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="1011" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnW7L4jx8M5xLBf1TN1gHgbWqHoeZQwiIDU2H6FCDSnNcdcepELE7EeIqVd1hhmsILiPHz8xuZ4FzBGsDIuUaJ_iE0AI74qPsdVNsKMyycrZFtMtSPmIEnb6lO9Yy_B2E0w5P2ub3acOFUcEJwtNQxwbK9-uxKm7-odUbLi-o-RnkGkzxnrTODwxtKQ/s320/Star_rating_4_of_5.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">Ikarie XB 1 is an overlooked compelling science fiction film that was ahead of it's time and which focuses on complex human drama instead of cheap sci-fi razzamatazz</span></i></b></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Directed by Jindřich Polák<br />Screenplay by Pavel Juráček, Jindřich Polák<br />Based on “The Magellanic Cloud” by Stanislaw Lem<br />Cinematography: Jan Kališ<br />Edited by Josef Dobřichovský<br />Music by Zdeněk Liška<br />Production company: Filmové Studio Barrandov<br />Distributed by: Ústřední půjčovna filmů, American International Pictures (USA<br />Release dates: July 26, 1963 (Czechoslovakia); September 1964 (US)<br />Running time: 86 minutes<br />Country: Czechoslovakia<br />Language: Czech</span><br /><br /></b></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Cast</u></b></span></h3><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zdenek Stepánek: Captain Vladimir Abajev</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Frantisek Smolík: Anthony Hopkins - mathematician</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dana Medrická: Nina Kirova - sociologist</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Irena Kacírková: Brigitta</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Radovan Lukavský: Commander MacDonald</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Otto Lackovic: Michal (coordinator)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Miroslav Machácek: Marcel Bernard</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jirí Vrstála: Erik Svenson (pilot)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rudolf Deyl: Ervin Herold (pilot)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaroslav Mares: Milek Wertbowsky</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Martin Tapák: Petr Kubes (biologist)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Marcela Martínková: Steffa (Wertbowsky's wife)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jozef Adamovic: Zdenek Lorenc (coordinator)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaroslav Rozsíval (The Ship's Doctor)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ruzena Urbanova: Eva (historian)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Svatava Hubenáková: Rena (MacDonald's wife)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jan Cmíral: (crew member)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vjaceslav Irmanov : (Coordinator)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Marcela Batková: Clenka posádky</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Karel Duba: (crew member)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Miroslav Abrahám: (crew member)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nadezda Blazícková: Danseuse</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zdenek Jelínek: Pianist</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bohumil Klika: Danseur</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jan S. Kolár : Dead man</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vera Kresadlová: crew member</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alena Martinovská : Danseuse</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ladislav Mrkvicka: Romeo in movie</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vladimír Navrátil: coordinator</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Olga Navrátilová: crew member</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Marie Popelková: dead women</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hana Prazanová: Julie in movie</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Olga Schoberová: crew member</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gustav Vobornik: crew member </span></span><br /><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxg_UwQKvwlC6bD7yQV_4FSz24wIqWUvVXox1xLOMpcClbRw0sl9Wxtx4VWJYkHub-v5wtvHMhOBp2GepXZVQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-size: small;">Trailer</b></div></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><u>Year</u>: 2163</span></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Starship Ikarus XB 1</u>: a giant spaceship carrying 40 people to Alpha Centauri.</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Mission:</u> the mysterious "White Planet" orbiting the star Alpha Centauri & search for signs of life.</div></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Duration:</u> 28 months at near light speed (15 years time elapse on earth due to relativity effects)</div></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">Adjusting to life in space.</span></span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Encountering a derelict 20th century nuclear armed spaceship.</span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">A radioactive dark star.</span></i></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Malfunctioning computers.</i></div></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Tensions among crew and passengers.</i></div></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A crew member’s mental breakdown threatening the entire mission.</i></div></span></i></span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">These are the hazards & dangers to be faced by the passengers and crew of…….</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Icarus XB 1</span></span></div></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">as they</span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large; font-weight: bold;">Voyage To The End Of The Universe!!</span></div><br /><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>(Read on for more.....)</i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span><i><br /></i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>(Spoilers Follow Below.....)</i></b></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><i>“We have travelled billions of kilometres; </i></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">We are almost at the end of our journey.”</i></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The film opens with the ship, </b></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ikarie XB 1</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> nearing the end of its voyage along with the sight of an apparently mentally deranged crew member, Michael wandering through its interior and yelling out, “Earth is gone. Earth never existed!” The mentally and physically disheveled man resembles a silhouette that has lost its way within an illuminated symmetrical geometric landscape.</b></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwooJb8s6VFtXgK550-ScxbEAzedGdk39TneQRSNnRtCGjuT1Nb0125NdgvNIv6PL8ynkuBZt1MwdsOpthOhQxqUyZP37weyA7si1OPRq1gNEohoEQBRuhBmjyVcKMsL9jE2pGQLHx3kAYDB3nkGxbZQpjBEeMlan6vtlvgcT55ytNjhwoYEYTGiOVg/s168/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="168" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwooJb8s6VFtXgK550-ScxbEAzedGdk39TneQRSNnRtCGjuT1Nb0125NdgvNIv6PL8ynkuBZt1MwdsOpthOhQxqUyZP37weyA7si1OPRq1gNEohoEQBRuhBmjyVcKMsL9jE2pGQLHx3kAYDB3nkGxbZQpjBEeMlan6vtlvgcT55ytNjhwoYEYTGiOVg/w400-h400/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We are then taken via flashback, to the beginning of the mission which will no doubt fill in the picture of what had taken place leading up to this point. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We learn that after 8 years of preparations, the space vessel <i>Ikaria</i> has ceased to be a stationary satellite of Earth and is now “a small space town for forty inhabitants” that is on a journey toward Alpha Centauri, “chosen as the destination of the mission not only for being a star closest to Earth” but due to it being “similar to our Sun and has several planets orbiting it, where the existence of life is anticipated.”</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">As the <i>Icarus</i> is about to exit the solar system, our attention is drawn to the interactions among its crew and passengers where we’ll no doubt be introduced to the accumulating effects that long duration space travel will have on human beings, mentally, socially, emotionally, professionally and psychologically.</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGXte4VfepV_eWzvKva7BTMZuDijLZaob6wUxSeCn-Fn9n-LrnpCd2qmRZzB1r6oj-tNwi51Yh39C_tMeo1HZVwKRMTR3jNvG_qhlwry4jE0cy3797t1uSPFWWelUvtX6zGS68cZu-DLL82Oj3d_5LiggIX--S5cuckm16_B4ZDXcx9LGuQJScB7DtA/s538/MV5BZDBjNWM4YzEtZjYwMy00OTM1LWI2NzEtZTBmNGJjMGY2YTE5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjIxMzMyMQ@@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="538" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGXte4VfepV_eWzvKva7BTMZuDijLZaob6wUxSeCn-Fn9n-LrnpCd2qmRZzB1r6oj-tNwi51Yh39C_tMeo1HZVwKRMTR3jNvG_qhlwry4jE0cy3797t1uSPFWWelUvtX6zGS68cZu-DLL82Oj3d_5LiggIX--S5cuckm16_B4ZDXcx9LGuQJScB7DtA/w400-h228/MV5BZDBjNWM4YzEtZjYwMy00OTM1LWI2NzEtZTBmNGJjMGY2YTE5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjIxMzMyMQ@@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Imagine how it must feel to know that one’s link with family, friends and all that’s familiar back on earth is as tenuous and fragile as a radio signal that will over time and distance become both unreliable and impractical. One of the spacefarers, MacDonald speaks to his wife, Rena who is worried that when he returns she will be older than him and that he’ll have a fifteen year old daughter whose childhood he as a father will have missed out on. If the mission was of longer duration, everyone the crew and passengers had known on earth would be long dead. As she asks her husband to give her regards to Stephanie, it seems that Rena has inwardly resigned herself to some matter which only she is privy to.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“He's so lonely, no one understands him”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>After some humorous episodes involving an obsolete malfunctioning robot, a lame wooing attempt and grown men avoiding taking their vitamins, we come across a disturbing incident involving one of the space travelers which may be a manifestation of more serious trouble ahead. </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The lonely loner, Michael finds himself encased within a technological “metaphor” that twists the familiar human certainties and emotions conjured up by Shakespeare’s words in the video play version of <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> describing day following night: “Look, love, what envious streaks do lace the severing clouds in yonder east / Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.” Instead, an unsettling concept of the passage of time is occurring within their world aboard the <i>Icarus</i> as well as back home on Earth in which it can be the “18th in the morning and Christmas after lunch” and the next moment New Year celebrations.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>The shear immensity of the universe and our place in the scheme of things cannot be escaped as is shown by the question posed, “Why hasn't anyone ever flown to Earth?” The answer that “our solar system is of little interest” and that “it's too far from the center of the Galaxy - 26,000 light years.” Knowing that “we're the backwoods of the Universe” would for some people put things into proper perspective while for others this realization could very well be disturbing and unsettling to their psyche.</b></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“When one looks at the same faces for so many months...”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Later on, one of the other men onboard the ship talks with Michael about the possibility of life “out there; at least on one of the planets” and whether “there's life somewhere like on Earth.” However, he doesn’t think as deeply about such matters as Michael as the next second he’s asking about someone else who brought his piano with him. Michael suddenly explodes and yells at the man telling him to “stop saying ‘you see, you see!’ ... And stop doing this!” but soon collects himself and apologizes.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>In Michael’s tortured mind it must seem that his fellow travelers don’t really appreciate or fathom what he perceives to be the enormity of their situation and are instead content to focus their concerns on trivialities. His is not the kind of personality that can tolerate being confined for long duration with the same faces, petty concerns, personalities, mannerisms, habits and foibles of his fellow travelers. Such social and psychological factors will need to be addressed for our own future long duration space flights and planetary colonization missions. Evolution has not prepared us well for such unnatural endeavors.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">For the humans within <i>Icarus</i> and indeed for humans living and working in space and on other worlds, one of the most profound struggles or conflicts will prove to be psychological in nature. For the characters in the film, there is the enormity of their 15-year interstellar voyage versus the fragility of the human mind and the seeming insignificance of their human lives.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“It will be the first case in history. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">No child has ever been born under such circumstances.”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Another future consideration for humans travelling in space in say, multi-generational voyages or living in colonies on other planets is the inevitability of “extra-terrestrial” births. What will be the future status and indeed loyalties of people who are born and raised in places other than the ‘home world,’ Earth?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">On board the <i>Icarus</i>, the crew have to come to terms with the “risky experiment” of Stephanie's pregnancy. It turns out that she had fallen pregnant on Earth which makes MacDonald wonder why his own wife couldn’t have been included on the mission. In fact, Rena knew about the pregnancy but being older than Stephanie, she feared what might happen and gave her place to Stephanie.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The inhabitants of <i>Icarus</i> are beginning to suffer the effects of boredom and despondency due to being confined in their ship for four months and knowing full well that they’re “not even halfway there.” Not even routine tasks aboard ship nor keeping busy can compensate for feelings of confinement and isolation, feelings many of us are familiar with from long periods of lock down due to Covid. On board the <i>Icarus</i>, fewer and fewer people seem to be bothered with engaging in physical recreation activities in the gym.</span><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XNYxtqfn0vVYIV6fHkceQh37MZk-dJXhaIPC9gkAW1SGxCUh5bhILbpVWicvNj97nGxbmNM6kTFfocSkGaT3AuP-OrX-6UCPO-jc1jZhL9rO0OXAG_c_xcZd9WNPkTxq-QSlT7raiPnDknmChL58liwmyW3RmJsPCEA3yrpj14WYd_UqzS0XwSk8kA/s220/images%20(3).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="114" data-original-width="220" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XNYxtqfn0vVYIV6fHkceQh37MZk-dJXhaIPC9gkAW1SGxCUh5bhILbpVWicvNj97nGxbmNM6kTFfocSkGaT3AuP-OrX-6UCPO-jc1jZhL9rO0OXAG_c_xcZd9WNPkTxq-QSlT7raiPnDknmChL58liwmyW3RmJsPCEA3yrpj14WYd_UqzS0XwSk8kA/w400-h207/images%20(3).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>What better way to perk up flagging spirits than putting on a social dance party for the passengers and crew! The dance sequence, however comes across as being rather strange. On one level, the dancers seem to be harmoniously enjoying themselves with lots of smiles all round, but it almost comes across as being staged and choreographed much like their synchronized movements. There is little in the way of discordant but genuine individual emotion and passion showing through the social group dance and music which seems to form a kind of commentary on humanity of the furure which in its technological progress has perhaps managed to lose something important that makes us human like spontaneity and individual creativity.</b></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“An object of the 7th order detected in the second safety zone!”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Suddenly the Master Computer interrupts the pleasantries with an alert and a summons for the human crew to report to their posts immediately. It isn’t long before they discover that they have encountered a mysterious derelict vessel without power floating aimlessly in space along their flight path. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Composition:</u> Iron, titanium, germanium and traces of common elements.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Volume:</u> 57,900 cubic metres.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Weight:</u> 15,844 tons.</span></span><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">To the crew’s surprise, the vessel contains “organic substances,” and that it appears to be a primitive spacecraft. These observations and the fact that no signal or response has been received from it, leads to speculation among the crew about the nature of the beings on board the ship about whom they know nothing: </span><br /><i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Ikaria may seem primitive to them.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Why are they silent?”</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“Maybe they're afraid of us.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“If they are afraid, then they are similar to humans.”</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Even our own concepts of intelligent alien life are often colored by our anthropomorphic view of intelligent forms of life as necessarily conforming to human standards of thought, behavior, motive, emotions, etc.,</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The <i>Icarus</i> crew then move on to imagine what things might be like from another intelligent life-form’s point of view should they decide to send robotic devices over to explore the derelict vessel: “Just suppose... What would we say if they came to us, opened the door, and out came a dozen machines. How would you deal with them?” Instead, the crew decide to send two of their number over to the vessel in the explorer shuttle.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiFJ8rKj0GVFowJZHh6l5CMjCvzF9E2Q3QVKeTCOXie9gQ8MweZ6s7gPwWqEpeMvmw8ROpzve1DxoUbpswCx9EatfduqQmEy47XGAZo3fPrQAnL6gzZIgoORaoqN5JhJbO48dDXTBXEMjlQgXSV5ewr6IDMoVYRUEN5vnWfGAYsVPHOoNqtiNWRe7Wg/s720/BiYStcZ.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="720" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiFJ8rKj0GVFowJZHh6l5CMjCvzF9E2Q3QVKeTCOXie9gQ8MweZ6s7gPwWqEpeMvmw8ROpzve1DxoUbpswCx9EatfduqQmEy47XGAZo3fPrQAnL6gzZIgoORaoqN5JhJbO48dDXTBXEMjlQgXSV5ewr6IDMoVYRUEN5vnWfGAYsVPHOoNqtiNWRe7Wg/w400-h226/BiYStcZ.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It isn’t long before the two-man boarding party is dispatched to the derelict vessel where they soon discover that it was an early American Earth ship from the year 1987. All of the crew and passengers have mysteriously died and their bodies have been perfectly preserved in the vacuum within the vessel. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The evidence on board suggests that the ship had launched during a nuclear conflict and that those on board attempted to escape the conflagration back on Earth. Despite the gambling activities, the piles of cash clutched in cold dead hands, and the dice strewn about the floor, it would seem that their ‘gamble’ did not pay off as they all are long dead – perhaps murdered with poison gas (“Tigger Fun”) or suffocated due to lack of oxygen. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It seems that no matter how far or fast humanity may move and progress, it is impossible for it to outrun its past, the horror of its degeneracy, its greed and its corruption. As easily and shockingly as the skin falls away from the dead captain's face, the crew of the Icarus are forced to confront the fact that they have not discovered a new alien life form, but have instead “discovered the 20th century." For the representatives of a new future humanity, their past had lain there in the void all along, waiting for them to discover it and understand.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEauFh0WVfIcSkmb72mfGIla0IVCYPfQnUKUzHPCfkG2wPSZYN0bcJeyx3fd6ad1YotVeR7NX5hkMMed7CYLoY5KLhNVHpiWSv6IZRzdPGB-ROtAX2Qlwz9-GQ-9uJ7NHeQa5d2oXhxyyJJt3cA9j9VRmJydepORtt15TzmLQ597IprIdqyrWW1gYN_Q/s167/images%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="167" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEauFh0WVfIcSkmb72mfGIla0IVCYPfQnUKUzHPCfkG2wPSZYN0bcJeyx3fd6ad1YotVeR7NX5hkMMed7CYLoY5KLhNVHpiWSv6IZRzdPGB-ROtAX2Qlwz9-GQ-9uJ7NHeQa5d2oXhxyyJJt3cA9j9VRmJydepORtt15TzmLQ597IprIdqyrWW1gYN_Q/w400-h275/images%20(1).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The demented logic of that human past and the legacy that might have so easily resulted is the realization that the derelict vessel is loaded with live nuclear weapons. With the accidental triggering of one of these still functional weapons, we watch in horror as the two Icarus crewmen attempt to make their way through the airless and lifeless crypt, but to no avail as they along with the vessel and all that it represented are consumed by the fearful flash of a thermonuclear explosion.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later aboard the <i>Icarus</i>, a discussion ensues between two of the men about the dead representatives of a by-gone century, now wiped out of existence in a flash by their own devices. It would be too easy to deny that they are the ancestors of the inhabitants of the <i>Icarus</i> and instead merely assign them to being 20th century “human trash that left Auschwitz, Oradour and Hiroshima behind them.” In fact, those aboard the bright shiny and optimistic technological metaphor of humanity’s future speeding toward Alpha Centauri, are also indeed products of the likes of “Honegger - also the 20th century.”</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“This moment was the beginning of lethal danger to us”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">As the <i>Icarus</i> is being repaired, the vessel drifts into a radiation field emitted by a near-by 'dark star.' An alert is soon broadcast throughout the ship, “Alert! Third deck! Lying person! Non-responding person!” The radiation gradually causes the crew and passengers to succumb to a kind of lassitude followed by a form of sleeping sickness. One-by-one, all on board are rendered unconscious, except for Commander MacDonald who struggles valiantly but vainly against the inevitable.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8gF_jY1uvjyt0E3oMnv65A5gjjEXGmstShFcW5bM7izwwaQcz3ufo-wTWbSAoa0-SfZhnWrzI20CAoi05htbwIPajwmPTDCxOpii0IRMuJkN9iapiHCniTEnzV6Ujf5pFDhH2Uomd_9WT7paVp1e8ECNE0DCkOUN4Ndka23yJR4dBSfJonfCIBWohg/s839/Ikarie-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="839" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8gF_jY1uvjyt0E3oMnv65A5gjjEXGmstShFcW5bM7izwwaQcz3ufo-wTWbSAoa0-SfZhnWrzI20CAoi05htbwIPajwmPTDCxOpii0IRMuJkN9iapiHCniTEnzV6Ujf5pFDhH2Uomd_9WT7paVp1e8ECNE0DCkOUN4Ndka23yJR4dBSfJonfCIBWohg/w400-h266/Ikarie-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Before the cause of their dilemma can be determined, the passengers and crew have no idea what is happening to them. Unable to cope with the fatigue and drowsiness, they are “forced to activate more and more automatons to keep Ikaria running normally.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">How does humanity deal with obstacles that are beyond its understanding or capacity to deal with? The enormity of the unknowns that the crew are confronted with seem to dwarf any certainties about their understanding of the workings of the cosmos. They are forced to concede that the nature of the Dark Star’s radiation is </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“simply beyond anything we know” and that they can’t be certain how long the effects of the drowsiness will last. For all they know the fate of their mission has already been decided and they will be reduced to being mere “castaways’ in space.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclTOkHAwCm_jgQE-i27Lwi2xF0CoVVaHJHMqp9RTsXtjhArUISWLWQ0Q_csDMhFplw3oHwMZZPL8mGirCO7OHgeEclU3Gc1Sl6hBesOVSz75yomM5edHGglgiUsR6YAfMrdI3NpZHEzOv2A_WWpEwTiyR7AWmg7Uk-kIwTdJ8oEeigMN-lSaUzbQJSg/s234/images%20(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="145" data-original-width="234" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclTOkHAwCm_jgQE-i27Lwi2xF0CoVVaHJHMqp9RTsXtjhArUISWLWQ0Q_csDMhFplw3oHwMZZPL8mGirCO7OHgeEclU3Gc1Sl6hBesOVSz75yomM5edHGglgiUsR6YAfMrdI3NpZHEzOv2A_WWpEwTiyR7AWmg7Uk-kIwTdJ8oEeigMN-lSaUzbQJSg/w400-h248/images%20(2).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Their message in a bottle will be in the form of valuable data about this and other anomalies sent back to Earth in a module – back home to where it had been “insisted that nothing new could be discovered in the Universe,” a conceit “they've been proclaiming…..for 300 years.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>MacDonald rails against their predicament and can only see a way out of it by force of will power whereby “those who want, will survive.” His mentality can only accept the tangible and what can be given a label and only then can he “respect it.” Until then, it just doesn’t exist. Belief and faith are to MacDonald’s way of thinking mere words and that human endurance must be based on certainties in life. Instead of placing his belief in the possibility that he and the others will eventually wake up, MacDonald is certain that he can get the </b></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Icarus</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> to head back to the solar system using the automated systems. And yet, despite his denial of what he can’t materially perceive through his senses and his confidence in a reality he can mold and control through the strength of his own will power, MacDonald finally surrenders to his fatigue.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">A lack of understanding and appreciation of the past; hubris, overconfidence and complacency in the present and unawareness of what is to come…...</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><i>“Master Computer proceeds with the auto-regulation process. End of first shift. Second shift unmanned”</i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ei89-h7wLhxZBZkvNjDK20xiK0t4INjm_kuBKaF_AKu7GbeelN3BpoGGFfjpcDe7MNkXNgb1TGIq0sMMRt9_V-U7j8Hnq7WgMsiDyw7QGS9zAfMYc3LZHTFonSGLR0Nscxxa2FBZcEBXPYOt8-h0IVyVLFRXtQoSi2qDEjIp_fyLS9U5VEFJSUsu0Q/s212/download%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="212" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ei89-h7wLhxZBZkvNjDK20xiK0t4INjm_kuBKaF_AKu7GbeelN3BpoGGFfjpcDe7MNkXNgb1TGIq0sMMRt9_V-U7j8Hnq7WgMsiDyw7QGS9zAfMYc3LZHTFonSGLR0Nscxxa2FBZcEBXPYOt8-h0IVyVLFRXtQoSi2qDEjIp_fyLS9U5VEFJSUsu0Q/w400-h225/download%20(1).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">We soon have a glimpse into a possible future in which the only signs of life are the ship’s robotic and automated systems. Reminders are issued and meals are served as Anthony’s robot, Patrick wanders the ship aimlessly and pathetically calls out Anthony’s name. But humanity is absent for now and all that remains of its existence is its technology. The very same technology that had the ship launched without a human crew, would at this point return the <i>Icarus</i> back to earth. The lack of a human crew would mean the absence of belief and faith, necessary ingredients for human progress and advancement. Perhaps this sequence serves as a clue as to the ultimate but not desired destiny of human evolution.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“Coincidence exists among us humans, but not among the stars”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After 19 hours, the crew awakens and a possible explanation is offered for what had happened to them: “Some kind of a force field was generated between the <i>Ikaria</i> and the Dark Star…...A force field that intercepted the radiation.”<u><i> Or</i></u> had their “organism simply got accustomed to it?” In short, none of them know for sure. And when in doubt, there’s always “coincidence” as a possible handy explanation. The question is, do things just simply happen or do they happen for a reason? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Far from getting out of their dilemma without consequences, the effect of the Dark Star's radiation is having a detrimental effect of both Erik and Michael who had been outside the ship and were fully exposed.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiSUXM2dngZnf7A-7u6E4-cvUsOIQ2OZS2h6p4zF3pImjG2UjfhTOo88YxDHJUCgBC_XnyMQxoO-pW9w5ie5-4wGYDHVXH5BhNTg1-CnBA4vuUESkU28eDwLWyckvHeB7UDb2Vn65f_7flcDzRAv64MOc08UI8DObgfNoMhVwFGy9wp4KHdpxZLi_SA/s146/images%20(4).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="145" data-original-width="146" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiSUXM2dngZnf7A-7u6E4-cvUsOIQ2OZS2h6p4zF3pImjG2UjfhTOo88YxDHJUCgBC_XnyMQxoO-pW9w5ie5-4wGYDHVXH5BhNTg1-CnBA4vuUESkU28eDwLWyckvHeB7UDb2Vn65f_7flcDzRAv64MOc08UI8DObgfNoMhVwFGy9wp4KHdpxZLi_SA/w400-h397/images%20(4).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Michael is soon found to be wandering the corridor on deck zero. He is intent on returning to Earth even if it is by the explorer shuttle craft. Michael is posing a danger to the others having deactivated the robots and is potentially able to destroy the ship’s cooling system or oxygen regenerators. Michael continues his wandering through the ship and in an agitated, bewildered and aggressive state declaring that "Earth is gone," and "Earth never existed."</span> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecBvFHjQ1H11RysiTCe9ETpP4H0xtIGMfHM0xwH3a7gd9Wwyn0vRcPwnd36l9FVbciBktcJga5XUSZb5scbqWl_anGe7GV9pkRddkgeYCtfnDF6BU6q0lctJRDvSqhD8H-G7pY-_OwTvH7vVjHfs6x89A7j7u6GlMo3pWEisu2D0MPUDEfj_ZVaIZvQ/s223/1867ikars4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="223" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecBvFHjQ1H11RysiTCe9ETpP4H0xtIGMfHM0xwH3a7gd9Wwyn0vRcPwnd36l9FVbciBktcJga5XUSZb5scbqWl_anGe7GV9pkRddkgeYCtfnDF6BU6q0lctJRDvSqhD8H-G7pY-_OwTvH7vVjHfs6x89A7j7u6GlMo3pWEisu2D0MPUDEfj_ZVaIZvQ/w400-h328/1867ikars4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Eventually MacDonald is able to get through to Michael whose sense of humanity overrides his mental and emotional state and is able coax him back to where the others are. He will receive care and consideration and not meet with a sticky end as might happen in many Hollywood films.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile it has been determined that there is an energy transmitter that apparently located the <i>Icarus </i>as it entered the sphere of the Dark Star, enclosing them in a force field and protecting the ship from radiation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">From this indisputable fact it can only be concluded that “there's life on the White Planet!” As one of the crew observes, “we set out into the Universe to discover life, while life discovered us.”</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9glopdqXE3awsXcJIbl3dUVXFXUPEP-VqBqFBrMM_6j6j1t3OjRA5Ne38rU__IGXtG2YHwtz1KhKlcfj-01CyaFiOFnLxQmcBfuLJtIfXEz2PGUk0UV5C25MSBlb_fgJWONOAi2amDNSPkPfYqYRRkQWIRJfKB_Tiefg0GGmlsRTjQPVitBB7abUUA/s310/images%20(5).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9glopdqXE3awsXcJIbl3dUVXFXUPEP-VqBqFBrMM_6j6j1t3OjRA5Ne38rU__IGXtG2YHwtz1KhKlcfj-01CyaFiOFnLxQmcBfuLJtIfXEz2PGUk0UV5C25MSBlb_fgJWONOAi2amDNSPkPfYqYRRkQWIRJfKB_Tiefg0GGmlsRTjQPVitBB7abUUA/w400-h210/images%20(5).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The onboard birth at this point (coincidence?) adds to the sense of wonder and future hope as the </b></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ikarie</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> approaches their destination, Alpha Centauri’s ‘White Planet’ obviously inhabited by an intelligent and advanced civilization. Mission accomplished!</b></span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">******************************</span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicT48grTy9ECDAfoURiB1LmHNxRarKv_UGtDsX3gkORMprhdAAgY33odY0GmsM6-vai3m93VK8nI_-EMC2Yd4ZfFNKlNbs8E2m7lTpD51_gRmgSyMdDvW5DB95xE1X_rYwUHqreWT4jLRLXwzHF4SnuCWrGKAnBIRnscGYLV7Wjwcjh6xivBn4k0zssw/s1475/29371id_010_w1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="1475" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicT48grTy9ECDAfoURiB1LmHNxRarKv_UGtDsX3gkORMprhdAAgY33odY0GmsM6-vai3m93VK8nI_-EMC2Yd4ZfFNKlNbs8E2m7lTpD51_gRmgSyMdDvW5DB95xE1X_rYwUHqreWT4jLRLXwzHF4SnuCWrGKAnBIRnscGYLV7Wjwcjh6xivBn4k0zssw/w400-h225/29371id_010_w1600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Points of Interest</span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Ikarie XB 1 </i>is based on a 1955 novel, <i>Oblok Magellana/The Magellanic Cloud</i> by Polish science fiction author, Stanislaw Lem who also published his best known work, <i>Solaris.</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Ikarie XB 1</i> in many ways stands head and shoulders above what was generally on offer at the time much like <i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2015/02/forbidden-planet-1956.html" target="_blank">Forbidden Planet</a></i> (1956) and <i><a href="https://scififilmfiesta.blogspot.com/2021/10/2001-space-odyssey-1968.html" target="_blank">2001: A Space Odessy</a> </i>(1968) </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the film we have; </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • The daily activities of the crew on its 28 month mission to Alpha Centauri. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • The dangers of space travel with hazards from without such as radiation from the Dark Star and hazards from within as suggested by Michael’s breakdown. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • The rewards of space exploration.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> • Cooperation and interaction between a multi-national male and female crew.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • A serious tone permeating the film focusing on the social and psychological aspects of human endeavor in space.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Commentary of humanity’s predilection for warfare.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • A positive message about humanity in space with man and not machine being the driving force as shown by the crew’s capacity for hope being the reason the <i>Icarus</i> continued with its mission.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>• The </b></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ikarie’s</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> encounter with the perfectly preserved space relic from the 20th century forcing us to imagine how our descendants might view us and the era that encompassed world wars, regional conflicts, sectarian violence, climate catastrophes, genocides, atomic weaponry and more.</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We don’t have;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> • Massive CGI fueled space epics in which the fate of the universe is at stake.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Lashings of expected Communist and Pro-Soviet propaganda along with anti-Capitalist admonishments.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Typical space drama trials and tribulations involving mad scientists, killer robots, lashings of techno-babble and hardware. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5XR-QsnjCQdH3QQkvwtL-RbvZMnPWqGuhAKJZcU3FtUU_6iYS_TyTnNUnXX3RfTVgvY8PyNaNmzdFESh2QzpejhVUY2GUft2avJD7JitPU6qW270BB7sD8saZLEfPBzpBiQunDmEAiVg5nQxvCTS5zT4-4uuWK0iBDoRATaplNwyeBtvql_Zcp1U3w/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5XR-QsnjCQdH3QQkvwtL-RbvZMnPWqGuhAKJZcU3FtUU_6iYS_TyTnNUnXX3RfTVgvY8PyNaNmzdFESh2QzpejhVUY2GUft2avJD7JitPU6qW270BB7sD8saZLEfPBzpBiQunDmEAiVg5nQxvCTS5zT4-4uuWK0iBDoRATaplNwyeBtvql_Zcp1U3w/w400-h225/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I’m not going to waste anyone’s time by mentioning in any detail the American butchering of the film with the <i>Voyage To The End Of The Universe</i> AIP dubbed version, or references to how the film supposedly influenced Gene Roddenberry’s<i> Star Trek</i> and <i>Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odessy</i>. Perhaps it did, perhaps it didn’t. Who knows? Really, who cares?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The original Czech version of the film won the main prize at the 1963 Trieste International Science Fiction Film Festival. The restored original Czech version was screened as a "Cannes Classic" at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcxKihzO_H-R1QvzqUcL5oCIvxBHH-Vr8ZYp1NuPJ2ILuye60xAiQHJGaSDNYZpBekB0W9E5gFW3WHmkt902l7MsdSzZW5W3_KMSGmIhJm74-f3VFY5SyGnqJgLGQ66Whguyb7r730_3i1t6Yq7-16oDtaS_xMmSDtsvzGhHbEszOGFWFvlq8YfEvvQ/s288/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="121" data-original-width="288" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcxKihzO_H-R1QvzqUcL5oCIvxBHH-Vr8ZYp1NuPJ2ILuye60xAiQHJGaSDNYZpBekB0W9E5gFW3WHmkt902l7MsdSzZW5W3_KMSGmIhJm74-f3VFY5SyGnqJgLGQ66Whguyb7r730_3i1t6Yq7-16oDtaS_xMmSDtsvzGhHbEszOGFWFvlq8YfEvvQ/w400-h168/download.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The exterior sets and shots probably reflect the technology available at the time but were adequate enough. It is however, the interior set designs that stand out. In many ways parts of the ship’s interior remind me of the sets on the Doctor Who TV series with the geometric shapes and circles. Shots of individual crew members are framed in such a way that they appear dwarfed by the open spaces and towering technology of the ship. This serves to highlight the apparent insignificance of human beings in the face of their own technology and the sheer immensity of the universe and what is being undertaken. </span><br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">We keep being told how human beings already have the technology to begin establishing its presence on other planets such as Mars. However, I still think that at present our level of optimism far exceeds what we are in fact capable of realistically achieving. The film shows how even mundane problems can arise to thwart and jeopardize our endeavors in space. First, there is the sense of boredom and despondency experienced by the crew. Then there are the frayed nerves resulting from being confined with the same faces and annoying individuals and their equally annoying habits for extended periods of time. Just think about how often work colleagues can give you the shits but at least you can go home at the end of the day. Now imagine being stuck with them in a habitat on Mars or on 28 month voyage in a ship travelling to Alpha Centauri! It wouldn't take long before there’d be the first space homicide or at least he sight of a poor soul curled up in a fetal position on the floor, sucking his thumb and cooing softly to himself….</span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">A warning to the rest of the universe: If you see us coming, for your own sakes.....RUN!!!!!</span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WwodJW1ikFo" width="320" youtube-src-id="WwodJW1ikFo"></iframe></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Full Film</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br />©Chris Christopoulos 2022</span></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-18769070388920635352022-07-24T00:15:00.001-07:002022-07-31T22:27:04.366-07:00Capricorn One (1977)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOnkMKaL1gS19g5oVD9wzR6xQEusyWe-uKwzjWuqOY1uAPVXLrBHFj5HKwvKv2BVmn0NlsioB9nCdbqX6aoD81NXqfwLF3qqEiITMZqWewE_7blGGplt6HjD2x1S9e2CMtbrxdPIyE2Ys9fdohnfyYnpdVw78rZC-HkP2XSAchaEGSlQzFtnePAgI6w/s355/capone1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="238" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOnkMKaL1gS19g5oVD9wzR6xQEusyWe-uKwzjWuqOY1uAPVXLrBHFj5HKwvKv2BVmn0NlsioB9nCdbqX6aoD81NXqfwLF3qqEiITMZqWewE_7blGGplt6HjD2x1S9e2CMtbrxdPIyE2Ys9fdohnfyYnpdVw78rZC-HkP2XSAchaEGSlQzFtnePAgI6w/w269-h400/capone1.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuKf28YAGLLNIp2qBnE6A4jUfrSYsOqrdzDEs7ob_qyj8b5xwJUftS54Tnl-i7NWwGnlt4mzm7nu7Z9rwfiouiFmFil52JwHfpP1EG7Q3LvsG1YClekYSXKV5_TtADjVymSgARWS6V437PGKikFWw6enVJlHq-2sgWhfoaoy39_6Pys5UGNH5PUIyCg/s200/4dman1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="39" data-original-width="200" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuKf28YAGLLNIp2qBnE6A4jUfrSYsOqrdzDEs7ob_qyj8b5xwJUftS54Tnl-i7NWwGnlt4mzm7nu7Z9rwfiouiFmFil52JwHfpP1EG7Q3LvsG1YClekYSXKV5_TtADjVymSgARWS6V437PGKikFWw6enVJlHq-2sgWhfoaoy39_6Pys5UGNH5PUIyCg/s1600/4dman1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">A great sci-fi political thriller reflecting the increasingly prevalent cynicism of the 1970s through to the present day</span></i></b></div><b><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br />Directed by Peter Hyams<br />Written by Peter Hyams<br />Produced by Paul N. Lazarus III<br />Cinematography: Bill Butler<br />Edited by James Mitchell<br />Music by Jerry Goldsmith<br />Production company: ITC Entertainment<br />Distributed by Warner Bros.<br />Running time: 124 minutes<br />Budget: $5 million (approx.)<br />Box office: $12 million (US and Canada rental)</span><br /><br /><br /></b></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><b><u>Cast</u></b></span></h3><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Elliott Gould as Robert Caulfield</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">James Brolin as Charles Brubaker</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brenda Vaccaro as Kay Brubaker</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sam Waterston as Peter Willis</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">O. J. Simpson as John Walker</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hal Holbrook as Dr. James Kelloway</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Karen Black as Judy Drinkwater</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Telly Savalas as Albain</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">David Huddleston as Hollis Peaker</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">David Doyle as Walter Loughlin</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lee Bryant as Sharon Willis</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Denise Nicholas as Betty Walker</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Robert Walden as Elliot Whitter</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alan Fudge as Capsule Communicator</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy0J3zMR9mfkJdBNJlNaPxnKF26-UHyzhh180w4uKslvMYgRendF8oLPGe9x1px_l2Bq6gmwNaGFN-hcFVrfg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-size: small;">Trailer</b></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">“Capricorn One,” NASA's first manned mission to Mars.</span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Seconds before the launch, the crew is pulled from the capsule!</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The rocket leaves earth unmanned!</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The life support system is faulty!</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>NASA fears the publicity of a scratched mission!</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>An unthinkable plot is hatched!</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>An investigative reporter puts pieces together of an unthinkable mystery involving..</i></div></span></i></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: red; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Humanity’s greatest achievement</span></i></div><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial Black;"><i><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">OR</span></i></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><i>Its greatest....</i></div><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hoax?</span></i></div></span></i></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Read on for more.....</i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Spoilers follow below….)</i></span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><u>JANUARY 4</u></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“Well, gentlemen, let's go to Mars”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">At Cape Canaveral, Florida on the morning of January 4, NASA readies the spacecraft <i>Capricorn One</i> for launch. It is to be the first manned mission to Mars.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2XvfawLx_7F26ulpXunMM7sBVXdyqYUP2fzzAtEBh9Rj7w8qUAGDTiZCQGFRoUI80IfxyYemhXgUND88prGPPgog3LipWsKMW72cVxIp43cfRGIicpFZxnICemC1AK4pScqiHmoOvQrAXISjwWsJrkOZQBy_Y9OtlsKcnAQAjAWkYXohy7KM8fo0YQ/s408/capcom14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="408" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2XvfawLx_7F26ulpXunMM7sBVXdyqYUP2fzzAtEBh9Rj7w8qUAGDTiZCQGFRoUI80IfxyYemhXgUND88prGPPgog3LipWsKMW72cVxIp43cfRGIicpFZxnICemC1AK4pScqiHmoOvQrAXISjwWsJrkOZQBy_Y9OtlsKcnAQAjAWkYXohy7KM8fo0YQ/w400-h400/capcom14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">A silhouette gradually emerges from the darkness into the dawn of a new day with the gradually rising sun as a backdrop. It is as if the spacecraft is pointing upward to a new beginning, rising from the dark mire and morass of the times in which the nation has been wallowing of late.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQakLJ9eVLc43BaKyrcpMC_-YiL3-ZDr22Goj-BGmAUKStfiyNBwuxKffAM-buEENainoyg6BBqSOnNjmCUdYoqd8WvCBsYiTdAveDeTLw83MziGzWp568R-n96pJpdN8JyQQlUlYZzuu0TaxUY89oCtdzJVfsfVWYPdRasZBGF3RZ5UQqwmcTLhnzfA/s297/capone4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="297" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQakLJ9eVLc43BaKyrcpMC_-YiL3-ZDr22Goj-BGmAUKStfiyNBwuxKffAM-buEENainoyg6BBqSOnNjmCUdYoqd8WvCBsYiTdAveDeTLw83MziGzWp568R-n96pJpdN8JyQQlUlYZzuu0TaxUY89oCtdzJVfsfVWYPdRasZBGF3RZ5UQqwmcTLhnzfA/w400-h315/capone4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As the crew, Colonel Charles Brubaker (the Command Pilot,) Lieutenant Colonel Peter Willis and Commander John Walker prepare to enter the spacecraft, one of the support team by the name of Horace addresses them. He tells them that he has spent his whole life on just this mission and that all he has worked for has meaning on this very day for which he has great pride. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">We often forget that a person’s entire career may be devoted to the conception, preparation and undertaking of just one single mission in the space program. Imagine then what it would mean for someone who has so much of their being invested in one single enterprise, should that mission fail for any reason. Worth keeping in mind as the rest of the story unfolds. Consider also the irony of the <i>Capricorn One </i>crew being handed a bible prior to launch and just how much of what is intangible in terms of people’s trust along with human principles and values they would be taking with them on their journey. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial Black;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial Black;">“There are many people who feel that we have problems here, on Earth that merit our attention”</span></i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The gathering of the political and military elite as spectators of the launch provide us with an insight into the machinations and motivations that often lie behind such an enterprise. Take Congressman Hollis Peaker for instance who is a politician used to getting his own way and that anyone who cooperates like young Mark Hughes who shows the congressman that he can “learn pretty quick” will surely “do all right.” The message being: tow the line and do what you are told.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The fact that the US President is unable to attend the launch due supposedly to </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“some pressing matters that needed his attention in Washington” speaks volumes about the priority of the mission and how political factors might take precedence, “like getting re-elected?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is also surprising how much in-fighting, rivalry, undermining and lack of goodwill and cooperation can exist between departments and various sections of the political establishment despite outward public demonstrations of unity of purpose. Take the underlying hostility between Congressman Hollis and the Vice President. Hollis is obviously chagrined by the President’s evident lack of support for the Mars mission program and sarcastically expresses the wish that “he would only be a little more helpful with this program here.” The Vice president counters with the current political imperatives that the administration has to consider, namely the “many people who feel that we have problems here, on Earth that merit our attention before we spent billions of dollars on outer space” and that “there are no more pressing problems than our declining position in world leadership.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Nowhere in the exchange between the two politicians is any consideration given to the ideals of human exploration of the unknown or the quest for knowledge. Everything is viewed through the lens of political expediency and advantage.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“Colonel, I know this sounds strange, we are all working for the same thing. We are not your enemy”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Meanwhile back aboard the spacecraft, Command pilot Charles Brubaker and his fellow astronauts, Peter Willis and John Walker, perform final checks inside the capsule. Suddenly a suited official opens the hatch and demands that they leave the craft immediately due to an emergency. They reluctantly comply.</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">From the launch site, the astronauts are flown by Learjet to an abandoned military base in the desert while their spacecraft is being launched. Unknown to the rest of the world, Capricorn One is unmanned! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the base, the NASA director, Dr. James Kelloway enters the room where the three astronauts are impatiently waiting and begins to explain what is happening. He starts off by appealing to them on a personal and emotional level by referring to his 16 year friendship with Charles Brubaker.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu14slUy0Ah-GZB1WCgI15qWy2TDEaY_jJZNweMo7tTbavVUX3a9YGTyenKafCtfQi_EC1vtbReO3cLS1KfauW0pjCZdXN2-_-VFLhrFERyY2_bZaZJWgT7K3rQ1XcsrzHcxwDJRRau8LfhTWC9fRk0KC7dMFPOswIT13Sck1rhCSUR0gqeI3G2_10w/s160/capcom13.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="124" data-original-width="160" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu14slUy0Ah-GZB1WCgI15qWy2TDEaY_jJZNweMo7tTbavVUX3a9YGTyenKafCtfQi_EC1vtbReO3cLS1KfauW0pjCZdXN2-_-VFLhrFERyY2_bZaZJWgT7K3rQ1XcsrzHcxwDJRRau8LfhTWC9fRk0KC7dMFPOswIT13Sck1rhCSUR0gqeI3G2_10w/w400-h310/capcom13.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kelloway then makes reference to the public’s declining interest in the Apollo lunar missions and how by Apollo 17 “people were callin' up the networks and bitchin' because reruns of I Love Lucy were cancelled.” The initial hopes and dreams that were associated with the space program had been replaced by the hard practicalities of everyday life with people more concerned “about how much everything cost” and whether it was “really worth twenty billion to go to another planet.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Having established a collective connection between himself and his three-man audience, Kelloway goes on to add that “after all those hopes and all that dreaming” the President informs him that they “can't afford a screw-up” and does not even bother to make a personal appearance at the launch of<i> Capricorn One</i> as a result of a political calculation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Kelloway then moves on to solidify the notion of their collective plight by further demonstrating how they have been let down by the administration in charge of the program and by those who are associated with it materially and economically. He informs the astronauts that the life-support system was supplied by “the good people from Con-Amalgamate” and that it was “cheap enough so they could make a profit on the deal.” However, the life-support system was recently discovered to be faulty, and it would have only kept the astronauts alive for three weeks. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">If Kelloway reported on what had happened and the mission is scrubbed then “Congress has its excuse, the President still has his desk and we have no more program.” The result: 16 years worth of hopes, dreams, work and reputation down the toilet. The decision as to what to do next leads to perhaps the central motivation behind what is about to unfold - “the moment of the truth.”</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“You have to help!”</span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">”And what if I don't?”</span></i></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>“You <u>have</u> to help!”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div></span></i></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7bgaDtnJpwWNctFQabjZZp2WsbcPSF92mAXBPPqk8v0OfQXTa-J-efluMCUhMmHqYUP_00wNM0p15y1R9C0b1WN_6FW-k6cHa8ieGPRXrAOjalafOkH1YDMCnI_OG4AAtV_MvtJHacHFLx410QCLEg02PVTMXhunnN28cA831w7cv2ZGljYCMMnUkQ/s320/capone5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="135" data-original-width="320" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7bgaDtnJpwWNctFQabjZZp2WsbcPSF92mAXBPPqk8v0OfQXTa-J-efluMCUhMmHqYUP_00wNM0p15y1R9C0b1WN_6FW-k6cHa8ieGPRXrAOjalafOkH1YDMCnI_OG4AAtV_MvtJHacHFLx410QCLEg02PVTMXhunnN28cA831w7cv2ZGljYCMMnUkQ/w400-h169/capone5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The truth lies in a warehouse where a film- set has been constructed consisting of a mock-up of a space capsule on the Martian surface. Even mission control in Houston is unaware of this staging with “all the telemetry….coming from </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">the Command Module” along with the astronauts’ “voices and medical data” that had been recorded “from the practice simulations.” All that is needed from the three men are “actual television transmissions during the flight and the Mars landing, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">that's all.” But <i>is</i> that all?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When the module returns to Earth, “the spacecraft will land two hundred miles off target” and the astronauts will be flown to an island near that point from where they’ll be transferred to a helicopter that will fly them to the space capsule. After an hour and a half inside the capsule, the men will be retrieved by the recovery forces.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It seems as though everything has been thought of concerning this conspiracy, this hoax, this cover-up. But what of the <i>morality</i> of such a scheme which may lead the three central players to refuse to participate?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Kelloway proceeds to take the high moral ground by reminding the three men just how much they’ve achieved and appealing to their sense of patriotism in terms of what they and the program means to their country, a country where “nobody gives a crap about anything any more” and where “there's nothing more to believe in.” Kelloway shifts the burden of responsibility on to the shoulders of the three men by implying that they will be judged as guilty of being “the ones who give everyone another reason to give up.” Listening to Kelloway’s rationalization and justifications of his actions, it is as if he were attempting to convince himself more so than the three astronauts.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Seeing through Kelloway’s disgraceful ruse to convince them to cooperate, the three men question the morality of the hoax enterprise. Kelloway is forced to play the last ace up his sleeve and it concerns the coercive exercise of power by powerful interests and “forces out there who have a lot to lose.” Kelloway in a desperate and sniveling demonstration, attempts to distance himself further from any personal responsibility for betraying his friends and indeed his country, by suggesting that the affair has become too big and is out of his hands and that a plane carrying the men’s families to Houston has been rigged with an explosive device that will detonate if they refuse to cooperate. Far from being out of his hands and devoid of personal responsibility, much depends on what message is relayed by Kelloway to the shadowy powerful forces behind the conspiracy. His guilt consists of his participation in and cooperation with the scheme.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><u>March 16</u></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Outside Brubaker’s house, the astronaut’s wife is being interviewed by a pack of reporters whom she informs that she’s “very excited and proud” and that her family will “try to maintain a normal existence” during the course of the Mars mission. Her unassuming manner and the fact that “Dr. Kelloway called to say that Bru and the crew were in excellent spirits,” serves to highlight the brutally cynical, inhuman and criminal nature of the entire hoax enterprise.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“I have a problem, sir”</i></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><u>May 14</u></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, Elliot Whitter, a technician at mission control in Houston, notifies one of his superiors, Dr. Bergen that after running a check on the transmission on his own, he has noticed that the television signals from <i>Capricorn One</i> seem to be coming in ahead of the spacecraft signals. It would seem to suggest that “like they're closer or something...Much closer.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dr. Bergen assures him that his console 36 is the source of the problem as it had previously malfunctioned and that it will be checked. Bergen thanks Whitter for showing initiative, but it seems that initiative is the last thing that those in charge want to see their underlings displaying. As we saw with the politicians at the launch, what is wanted are ‘yes men’ who simply do what they are told and don’t create waves. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The above episode also shows how any cover-up or conspiracy involving a sizeable group of people cannot foresee every potential problem or take account of every variable. The first hole in the fabric of the scheme through which pokes the finger of truth reveals itself when Elliot continues to research the data he’s obtained at home.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH5X0U6ITuglSXaXOWzCsjQNo0E5443AnXTSIDUyF1n6cib2ahj_w-h8u28N1qgZePtbpV-Y52uVltmDG1Srp0gcd7JE-f0U-medjfArG4II8fPR9WGS8eHj3oFaUo8HS0MgIb78Z_ztZviuMdd1LWSnedh_GmGoHpOEyiaN5OSjzp3SP-zYirm3vRQ/s432/capone3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="432" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH5X0U6ITuglSXaXOWzCsjQNo0E5443AnXTSIDUyF1n6cib2ahj_w-h8u28N1qgZePtbpV-Y52uVltmDG1Srp0gcd7JE-f0U-medjfArG4II8fPR9WGS8eHj3oFaUo8HS0MgIb78Z_ztZviuMdd1LWSnedh_GmGoHpOEyiaN5OSjzp3SP-zYirm3vRQ/w400-h305/capone3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, the astronauts are being virtually held captive during the mission’s duration and their landing on Mars is in fact being filmed on the Martian surface stage set inside a makeshift TV studio at the base. The wives of the flight crew are at Mission Control to witness what they and everyone else believes to be their husbands becoming the first humans to set foot on Mars which makes the tragedy of the whole situation even more poignant.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After sharing his earlier concerns about the transmission signal with Kelloway as he had with Dr Bergen and receiving the same kind of response from him, Whitter arranges to meet with his TV journalist friend, Robert Caulfield. During a game of pool, Elliot indicates to Caulfield that his calculations must be wrong as they suggest that the television signals from the spacecraft are no more than 300 miles away. A cleverly timed telephone call suddenly interrupts their conversation. Soon after taking the call Caulfield returns to the pool table only to discover that Elliot has disappeared!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“Houston, this is Capricorn One. We have landed.”</i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With the landing seemingly accomplished, it is time for the astronauts’ EVA where the whole world hears the words of the “very pleased” President’s message which serves to provide us with the grim irony surrounding the reality of what has taken place:</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="color: #fcff01;">“….We will never be the same, for this moment more than any moment in our history has made all of the people in the world realize that we are part of the planet that is part of the system, that is part of the Universe. We are a small energetic species capable of pettiness, yet capable of brilliance. We know how bad we can be. Now you, the men of Capricorn One, have shown us how wonderful we can be by showing us how high we can reach….. you have shown us what we are: people….a single people. You are the basic truth in us. You are the reality. We will never let you down and we will always be grateful.”</span></i></b></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Should the truth of the matter be made known then most assuredly things will definitely not be the same again and we (and the universe) would come to know what our species is truly capable of and what exactly we are!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><i>“I'm not gonna do it”</i></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Later on at the Mars set, Charles informs his crew mates that he will no longer cooperate and lie to his wife during the next day’s broadcast. He can no longer bring himself to be setting such a bad example for his children while his two friends are concerned for the fate of their families and the capabilities of those who have placed them in this predicament. It’s a case of being prepared to stand up for one’s principles versus compliance with what you know to be wrong due to fear of the consequences. I really wonder what any of us would do in such a situation? Who can really know for sure until one is forced to face such a choice? Or perhaps such choices have already been made by us, are being made and will continue to be made whereby we compromise our principles and settle for compliance out of fear, for personal advantage or for the sake of convenience?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The three astronauts are smart men and yet they have failed to consider that their conversation might be overheard. Guess what? It has been, by one of the technicians.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0racnZoOagD4qLlMvZoXt0nufIkI9O-cZZ2heUuG4f3yA8n1AWLma47M4mjJXGmQDR7P5Kp0jzqQ9w5ctARQjCCJ1ejylYreGBweu6R-rJbFSwKtIzaBQr6_aP4u6m7fYLu3Ewugr0dqK33UKI360TVwpN1njNR2_qzGiYSXfYPLvY_yxrg1TrQoEg/s214/capcom12.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="109" data-original-width="214" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0racnZoOagD4qLlMvZoXt0nufIkI9O-cZZ2heUuG4f3yA8n1AWLma47M4mjJXGmQDR7P5Kp0jzqQ9w5ctARQjCCJ1ejylYreGBweu6R-rJbFSwKtIzaBQr6_aP4u6m7fYLu3Ewugr0dqK33UKI360TVwpN1njNR2_qzGiYSXfYPLvY_yxrg1TrQoEg/w400-h204/capcom12.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><u>July 22</u></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“It's hard to believe you really are that far away in space”</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBJ-_tRwcFz69YIgOPG_ya-yGt4PbDPZdHhI6o0eXxG70jP9ZM2cehIKNZVL0TtqlNwkNkv_IOP4figtAu05wWXwaxkBmW0fGzJtnWfHPAdL9fmYFDoPmTb5KQG_A9zpfblGvaHTx9n-ZgHMrvNaLErjr19DMoB8N8CTeHnNbvHgdeGBm7_Qa38qXAw/s809/capone6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="809" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBJ-_tRwcFz69YIgOPG_ya-yGt4PbDPZdHhI6o0eXxG70jP9ZM2cehIKNZVL0TtqlNwkNkv_IOP4figtAu05wWXwaxkBmW0fGzJtnWfHPAdL9fmYFDoPmTb5KQG_A9zpfblGvaHTx9n-ZgHMrvNaLErjr19DMoB8N8CTeHnNbvHgdeGBm7_Qa38qXAw/w400-h225/capone6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">At “T-plus 223 days, 6 hours, 32 minutes” and with all systems go and all lights green, it is time for the astronauts’ final communication before landing. They are scheduled to speak to their wives from the capsule. The three men’s subdued demeanor seems to be at odds with the prospect of their imminent return to earth and suggests that something is not quite right.</span> </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0L007QF0vAZ_UmHe0vjr4h1OC-sA_FtJaRRRi47N26tyURFpqySkzgIQvvFjgMS2YgCvopCPBIEq7UjTHfx2n7TYyb46pRNNTgOkEGtaP76AYTukbpfbXkM_xBh4TNCiG-EYhWz5RJeFoeQ8f9I4nO9FCu35hUNAB4_HSbPCbsQbd3SJ3bLthwPMVA/s171/capcom9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="127" data-original-width="171" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0L007QF0vAZ_UmHe0vjr4h1OC-sA_FtJaRRRi47N26tyURFpqySkzgIQvvFjgMS2YgCvopCPBIEq7UjTHfx2n7TYyb46pRNNTgOkEGtaP76AYTukbpfbXkM_xBh4TNCiG-EYhWz5RJeFoeQ8f9I4nO9FCu35hUNAB4_HSbPCbsQbd3SJ3bLthwPMVA/w400-h297/capcom9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>At mission control, Kelloway observes their reactions closely and is poised to cut the transmission if Charles attempts to expose the plot. It would have taken a super-human effort on Charles’ part not to do so considering the school composition from his son that his wife reads out to him:</b></span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">"My father is far away from me now. He is flying to Mars.</span></span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I miss him very much. I always miss him when he goes away. I'm not sad, though. I used to be sad when he went away.</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>One day he told me that people can't live only for themselves. He said he was trying to do something that would be good for everybody.</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I know that is what he is doing now. He is doing something for everybody, to give them a better life. That means he is doing something for me, too.</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>So even though he is far away, he is thinking about me and I am with him.</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>That is why I'm not sad. That is why I'm so proud of my dad.</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I love him so much."</i></div></span></i><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">His son’s words only serve to bring home to Charles the fact that he is letting his boy down and just when it seems he is about to expose the hoax he simply tells his wife that he is going to take their son to Yosemite again as they did last summer. With that, another hole is being poked through the fabric by the finger of truth for reasons that will become apparent a little later…..</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Upon learning that Elliot's phone has been disconnected, Caulfield goes to his friend's's apartment the next day, only to discover that someone else is living there and that all traces of Whitter's presence has been erased.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEQcGCO3-m6lXZwjxWduNN83aJr-hGlgipZ4fuaX0QSOHebQEkFvVLdXaBuKzvpAkhokfyI0wwjlobJ3_yr2nxJUFmuZ7tvJQu9K-s0Pa2WjruF2aHv6rzgs3UrZN4R-3jkxmlEP1IoTmzVk2l_g3c28i6b0ZLybPKDNlDK2SRq5mEhpH72z-9TYxVQ/s1758/capone17.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1758" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEQcGCO3-m6lXZwjxWduNN83aJr-hGlgipZ4fuaX0QSOHebQEkFvVLdXaBuKzvpAkhokfyI0wwjlobJ3_yr2nxJUFmuZ7tvJQu9K-s0Pa2WjruF2aHv6rzgs3UrZN4R-3jkxmlEP1IoTmzVk2l_g3c28i6b0ZLybPKDNlDK2SRq5mEhpH72z-9TYxVQ/w400-h170/capone17.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">As Robert puzzles over the disappearance of his friend while driving away, the brakes on his car fail to work and he is unable to stop the car as it steadily picks up speed and careens through the streets. Eventually his vehicle flies off the end of a bridge and plunges into the water. Fortunately, Robert manages to survive the ordeal. That is yet another way the powers that be set about stitching up emerging holes and loose and fraying ends in the fabric of their scheme of deception.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><u>September 19</u></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“We are advised that there appears to be a malfunction”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With “23 minutes, 12 seconds from the beginning of the re-entry phase” all indications have shown that “all systems are normal” and “all lights are green” with “the prime recovery ship, the U.S.S. Oriskany … in position and that “an on-target landing should result in recovery time of 18 minutes from splash-down to the opening of the hatch.” Celebrations will culminate in a “victory banquet topped by a special dessert: A 40 feet red cake, depicting the Martian surface.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">This will be the most Pyrrhic of victories based as it is on lies and deception and as Charles, Peter and John on board the Learjet bound for the capsule's landing site in the ocean will soon find out, it will come at too great a cost to their very lives. An alert has been received at mission control in Houston, indicating that the heat shields of the capsule have disintegrated during reentry. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, the astronauts are now certainly dead. The implications of this event will soon become apparent to the three men. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After the astronauts are returned to the military base in the desert, Charles suspects that there was a problem with the reentry, which means they are now considered deceased which also means that “if anybody ever sees us again, the whole thing falls apart.” Their continued existence cannot be tolerated! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhempLbNW-nkrGpVG_W0etMKLAGpqRZDXeQo2OZ8xoW8Q78Lqd2fq6uAztd-kKzGgp3YDQIwVdBw2eBTPFHInrUnJMVzN_N8o8T_JYtPDG9ooeTPERlVxA0OSlOkKjyCRTqjYqBU8GmKT4eSFTmf8JaruhYH6yVzFJwhx4ErO5gPPTyd0ilG6yypm4utA/s303/capone7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="303" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhempLbNW-nkrGpVG_W0etMKLAGpqRZDXeQo2OZ8xoW8Q78Lqd2fq6uAztd-kKzGgp3YDQIwVdBw2eBTPFHInrUnJMVzN_N8o8T_JYtPDG9ooeTPERlVxA0OSlOkKjyCRTqjYqBU8GmKT4eSFTmf8JaruhYH6yVzFJwhx4ErO5gPPTyd0ilG6yypm4utA/w400-h286/capone7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Charles is also correct in assuming that “right now Kelloway is making a speech </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">about what brave, wonderful guys” they all were. We repeatedly cut to Kelloway’s sanctimonious speech which drips with hypocrisy and duplicity as he describes the presumed dead astronauts as being “an integral part of the family here in the program” as well as how the “President has been a constant source of encouragement to all of us in the program” and how “this mission meant as much </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">to him as it did to us.” </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Of course, we know that none of the above is true along with the assertion by Kelloway that the three men “died striving for a goal.” Yes, they died for a goal but it had nothing to do with achieving their dreams. They died to serve the goals and self- interest of others who had a stake in suppressing the truth. In that sense, it was these influential people and vested interests behind the scenes who had given up on the real dream and in that sense the so-called mission and the deaths of the three astronauts “was all for nothing.”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“I think we're on Mars”</i></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Having joined the dots as to their likely fate, Charles proposes that he, Peter and John escape the compound at once. They soon manage to overcome Kelloway's men and commandeer the Learjet.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6oKS48FM26twgQeRCTcPa9bL3cL_WPmLV_wiLMjh8YE1n4F1mBp8v9LO4nUcrUPmsh-y2Ho7KJ0nCW1aFAgrWIZleDhSX06yaKcFtSAegdjwU2_H5SQNcmHf7mDsvWgccl89vJ_XW5Wr1RZHeWpJwpHGGPgsYiylW6nCqvuOFILzZaX_7Sr6fK1t6Q/s225/capone2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="225" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6oKS48FM26twgQeRCTcPa9bL3cL_WPmLV_wiLMjh8YE1n4F1mBp8v9LO4nUcrUPmsh-y2Ho7KJ0nCW1aFAgrWIZleDhSX06yaKcFtSAegdjwU2_H5SQNcmHf7mDsvWgccl89vJ_XW5Wr1RZHeWpJwpHGGPgsYiylW6nCqvuOFILzZaX_7Sr6fK1t6Q/w400-h267/capone2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">After a very close call, the jet takes off but soon runs out of fuel. Charles is forced to make an emergency landing in the desert. After dividing the contents of a survival kit between themselves, the three astronauts begin heading off in different directions to seek help and are to fire their flare guns if captured by Kelloway’s men.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxGQsKx3me8_UxRhqun7PTyJ0EX5B7gLaNy47R2HISiyGBkpvn4X0N9kMa0eMk3SK49CW5wempAOiqmomz1Ez3N_6pl5BIPcTRgoTbZRzeWR23CeJafkHzgb0opeaB169-ruQaBfuKYZomR6fhYfpfVOHorE-Bg3UQZ9YENPeMkmmfycm3B1jQpTKQw/s262/Capcom10.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="262" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxGQsKx3me8_UxRhqun7PTyJ0EX5B7gLaNy47R2HISiyGBkpvn4X0N9kMa0eMk3SK49CW5wempAOiqmomz1Ez3N_6pl5BIPcTRgoTbZRzeWR23CeJafkHzgb0opeaB169-ruQaBfuKYZomR6fhYfpfVOHorE-Bg3UQZ9YENPeMkmmfycm3B1jQpTKQw/w400-h130/Capcom10.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Robert meanwhile replays footage of the astronauts' conversations with their wives and takes note of Kay's facial expression when Charles referred to a vacation at Yosemite. It turns out, however that Kay and Charles’ family vacation the previous year was not in Yosemite, but was instead at Flat Rock, Arizona. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Back at the desert jet landing site, Kelloway's hornet-like helicopters locate the abandoned Learjet and begin a search for the astronauts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Not long after each astronaut begins his trek, the effects of exhaustion and dehydration begin to make themselves known. They need not go as far as Mars in order to experience survival in a Martian-like terrain. It is there before them in the form of an arid desert here on Earth. As was the case for their mission, they will now have to draw on all of their training, experience and personal reserves just to survive. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> We see John as he collapses in a dry riverbed and mumbles deliriously to himself, “dehydrating...Signs...Manual says...look for signs. Water. Manual says...signs for water.” Somewhere within himself, almost subconsciously, John tries to draw on his training to survive, but to no avail. There is no water to be had and as John is about to succumb to despair, the helicopters corner him. His fate is signaled to the other two men by his signal flare. </b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NYkrhR4p6NtXifsSN7mqD359o9glLcNhXE64YmuQDYmRKT9Le1d45aJgV8tCeVyO43FRlKw_YbLsu899VN4PBEu0qkq3onw1setNu9BdLEGj_bpZ2bB_oa9bRV5CQH6YLQ3u1I9Mul6nVLEF6AI-atjpK9IAeY2i5wNQ9gyIrEIeEKvYy_7TTxfwzw/s287/capone8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="287" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NYkrhR4p6NtXifsSN7mqD359o9glLcNhXE64YmuQDYmRKT9Le1d45aJgV8tCeVyO43FRlKw_YbLsu899VN4PBEu0qkq3onw1setNu9BdLEGj_bpZ2bB_oa9bRV5CQH6YLQ3u1I9Mul6nVLEF6AI-atjpK9IAeY2i5wNQ9gyIrEIeEKvYy_7TTxfwzw/w400-h208/capone8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Peter, however finds himself confronted by an almost insurmountable obstacle – a cliff (or mesa?) His way of dealing with life’s obstacles is to see the humor in everything and laugh it off. So as he struggles to climb the cliff he recites a joke to himself: “So the guy says to his brother: ‘How's Mom?’ And the brother says: ‘She's on the roof.’ Get it? ‘She's on the roof.’” Yes he has reached the top only to find that the joke is on him when he discovers the helicopters waiting for him at the top – on the roof so to speak. The search now proceeds towards the west, in Charles' direction. </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In contrast to his two crew-mates, Charles is able to rely on both his training and his instincts for survival by avoiding detection by hiding in the sand from the helicopters and seeking shelter in a cave in which he kills and consumes an irate rattlesnake. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, Robert continues his investigation by visiting the ‘wild west’ movie set town of Flat Rock. Suddenly a gunshot is fired in his direction as a warning to end his investigation, or else! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Undaunted, Robert returns to question Kay some more and winds up watching home movies from her family’s Flat Rock trip, which feature a film being shot in the town. Kay recalls that Charles “couldn't get over how something so fake could look so real. He kept on saying that with that kind of technology you could convince people of almost anything.” (A sentiment vigorously supported by conspiracy theorists!) It has occurred to Caulfield that Brubaker would never make such a mistake during his earlier conversation with Kay and that he had likely been sending his wife a message.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">“My Dad went to Mars”</span></i></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“Yes! Yes, he did!”</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Kelloway’s hypocrisy and lack of real empathy knows no bounds as he pays a visit to the grieving ‘widow’ Kay and informs her that “it would be good for everyone if you could go with me to the service” and that her husband “died doing what he wanted to do.” Kay, on the other hand, does not believe that “it was important enough for him to die for.” Something that grieving spouses, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters must struggle with upon learning of the deaths of their loved ones in times of war.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">“They spend a lot of their time checking little things...like facts”</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>One of my favorite parts in the film involved David Doyle as Walter Loughlin, Robert’s assignment editor. I like the way he takes great relish in drowning Robert with a spray of sarcasm upon hearing of yet another scoop: </b></span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">“So this friend of yours who works at NASA, gives you a tip, then disappears. And it turns out that he never lived in his apartment, he never worked at NASA. This is the guy that gave you the tip on your cosmic scoop - and you think I won't believe you?”</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">And then there is the absolute bliss he feels at being able to tell Robert after bailing him from jail that he is fired. Robert’s previous dismal track record as a journalist and the sheer stretching of credulity surrounding the events of his current investigation conspire to almost torpedo his efforts of getting at the truth.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Still, as his now previous boss pointed out to him, “Woodward and Bernstein were good reporters. That's how they did it.” Is he a ‘good’ enough reporter and like they, can he ‘do it?’</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">“You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney”</span></span></i></div></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Prior to his being detained and then fired, our intrepid reporter Robert continues his investigation, when suddenly federal agents break into his home and arrest him for possessing cocaine which they planted in his medicine cabinet. The conspiracy extends its tentacles of corruption all the way to the very heart of the nation’s law enforcement agency.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the spirit of spending “time checking little things...like facts,” Robert, on the basis of information from his colleague, Judy Drinkwater, drives to the desert to investigate the facility of Jackson, the “abandoned base they used for training during World War II” and the only one within a 300-mile radius of Houston. There, inside a large structure he finds on the dirt strewn floor a pendant with the inscription, "Bru from Kay." Another hole poked through the fabric.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">“The test of the greatness of any nation is how that nation pulls together in a time of crisis”</i></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Charles awakens to find himself with a scorpion traversing his cheek. After evicting the eight-legged intruder, he discovers that he’s only a stone’s throw away from a deserted gas station. Meanwhile, Robert hires a rough and ready crop duster by the name of Albain to fly him over the desert to search for Charles. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the gas station, Charles telephones Kay but as luck would have it, she has just left the house with the children to attend the memorial service for the dead astronauts. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuo19fop3-RW9wrelHhDraLG4k3oieuJMmJ9UGuqQTCmIRm_1upxdvHyVTWYZVFKEjvuI4VPYmfLlcYyx1UcmgUmGrLcFy7aY--J_YO3atxJBLdji9I-oYvPXiptCs4eJNE-kOuJKmrSZIwpTyZ4rTJNnKwmdWItXRgNZx86qIRHInxRnE4zLEN41AQ/s600/capcom15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="600" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuo19fop3-RW9wrelHhDraLG4k3oieuJMmJ9UGuqQTCmIRm_1upxdvHyVTWYZVFKEjvuI4VPYmfLlcYyx1UcmgUmGrLcFy7aY--J_YO3atxJBLdji9I-oYvPXiptCs4eJNE-kOuJKmrSZIwpTyZ4rTJNnKwmdWItXRgNZx86qIRHInxRnE4zLEN41AQ/w400-h171/capcom15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Albain and Robert spot Kelloway's helicopters and track them to the gas station where Charles is. They arrive just in time to rescue the fleeing Charles, who manages to hang precariously on to the wing of the bi-plane. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During the midair pursuit, Albain is able to unleash his load of crop dusting spray, which causes the pursuing helicopters to crash into the cliffs. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While the President of the United States is addressing the astronauts’ wives, families and the entire nation at the memorial service, Charles and Robert arrive unexpectedly. The film then closes with Charles running in slow motion with Robert behind him to where Kay and the others are sitting. The fabric has finally been torn asunder and the truth emerges for everyone to see under the glare of TV coverage. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">How now will the nation pull together in this time of crisis brought on by the revelation that the <i>Capricorn One</i> mission was a hoax involving corruption and cover-up by those charged with the responsibility of giving the nation “something to take pride in....a dream that should not be allowed to die” and a reminder “of the limitlessness of our hopes?”</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Points of Interest</u></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is definitely refreshing to be able to enjoy the style of film making displayed in a film like <i>Capricorn One </i>with its long, slow and deliberate shots that actually allow the viewer to examine and take in details. How unlike the shaky camera and rapid-fire cutting together of shots in many of today’s films which make the viewer want to seek some kind of psychiatric counselling. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It is also refreshing that instead of the kind of CGI saturation we are accustomed to these days, we are instead entertained with a dangerous live action plane and helicopter chase stunt sequence, along with an out of control car racing through traffic-laden streets. In fact, a stunt pilot in the film, Frank Tallman, who flew the red Stearman plane, claimed that the dog-fight sequence was “the most dangerous and complex aerial sequence ever executed for a movie."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Despite the story’s tension, humor is occasionally introduced without taking anything away from that sense of tension. For instance, Telly Savalas (who in real life was afraid of flying) plays the ornery crop-duster pilot, who out-haggles the city-slicker reporter who in his eyes is a “dumb ass.” Also as previously mentioned above, there is the scene involving Elliot Gould’s character enduring the torrent of sarcasm from his boss, played by David Doyle who also plays "Bosley" on the original <i>Charlie's Angels</i> series.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />The acting performances by the cast were mostly pretty solid, especially with some well-recognized actors of the era like Hal Holbrook and Brenda Vaccaro. Although Karen Black had a rather minor role, I have to admit that I’d watch anything with her in it. In this film though, her talents are somewhat wasted. I do, however find that Elliot Gould tends to deliver his lines in most films as if he’s just reading the words from the script. I have never found him to be a very convincing actor and to me he comes across as rather wooden.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the matter of scientific accuracy and detail, criticism can be made. For instance, the notion of using the Saturn V for the manned mission to Mars and the lunar-styled LEM for the Mars landing. There’s a whole host of potential difficulties inherent in a manned-mission to Mars, among them being food, water and fuel, despite the over-optimistic suggestions about obtaining all that is required for such a mission from the planet itself. If ever such a mission eventuates, I’d be surprised if it would be any earlier than the middle of this century and <i>that’s</i> being over optimistic. Those who would break their necks to leave earth on a (most likely one-way) future Mars mission, really have no idea of what they’d be in for physically, psychologically and emotionally!</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Ironically, the villainous player in the film’s conspiracy, NASA actually provided the technical assistance, in the form of mock-up spacecraft, sets and expertise. Go figure!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Two different authors wrote novelizations of the film. Ron Goulart's version was published in the U.S. and Bernard Ross's (aka Ken Follett) was published in the U.K.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i>Capricorn One</i> was nominated in 2001 by the American Film Institute for their "AFI's 100 Years . . . 100 Thrills" Top 100 list.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">**************</span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Would you be shocked to find out that the greatest moment of our recent history may not have happened at all?"</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">According to the film's writer-director, Peter Hyams when referring to the Apollo 11 moon landing was reported as saying: "There was one event of really enormous importance that had almost no witnesses. And the only verification we have . . . came from a TV camera." Well, check again, mate!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>Capricorn One’s</i> story was unmistakably inspired by conspiracy theories surrounding the supposedly faked Apollo Moon landings which have persisted to this day. It cleverly explores just how far a government might go to cover up its own corrupt activities and even its own incompetence and failings and then set about silencing anyone who dares get in its way.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Do conspiracies exist? You bet they do. Do cover-ups happen? You bet they do. One need look no further than the events surrounding the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up. Not to mention the recent official admission concerning the existence of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena! However, there is a fine line between critical investigation and questioning to elicit the verifiable existence of criminal, corrupt and deceptive activity <u><i>and</i></u> the deluded edifice of conspiracy theory constructed on the flimsy foundations of belief, innuendo, fantasy, speculation, false premise and wishful thinking. The latter makes us feel special as if we are part of a privileged group in possession of information denied to and hidden from those not in the know. And knowing what we know now makes us feel that we have power! “My precious! My precious!” And off we rush onto YouTube and Facebook </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;">firmly</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> clutching our little round baubles of knowledge in a bony embrace.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>It is incredible how readily people have accepted the idea that the 1969 moon landing was faked by a government desperate to win the space race. Yes, such a notion certainly makes a shockingly brilliant and disturbing premise for the plot of a film. It also like most conspiracy theories, however fails the test of evidence and relies on people’s feelings of distrust and lack of knowledge concerning history, physics and basic scientific principles. For instance, just consider why America’s Cold War rival, the former Soviet Union and indeed present day Russia, have not tried to embarrass the US by disclosing what “evidence’ they possess on the matter? Also considering the fact that a cover up such as Watergate eventually was revealed, how is it that a supposed conspiracy involving an entire space program consisting of hundreds of thousands of personnel seems to have remained firmly concealed for half a century! And of course, there’s the hi-resolution photographs of the lunar surface taken by probes that show the existence of Apollo hardware at the landing sites. But we mustn’t let boring old facts, evidence or the truth get in the way of an exciting conspiracy theory, must we? Better to diminish and sully the reputations and efforts of those who strove to put together and participate in a human endeavor of historic proportions.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yes...Yes...we know. You keep telling us that the election was stolen; that there's a global conspiracy to establish a New World order; that vaccinations are part of a plot to control humanity; Covid-19 was designed by government as a bio-weapon; that the government colludes with aliens and possesses alien technology; we’re being lied to about the earth being round when it is in fact flat; we aren’t being told the truth about the earth being hollow and that Nazis have had a base under Antarctica since the Second World War? What else aren’t THEY telling us? And on, and on and on and QAnon, the conspiracies theories go…..as long as there are gullible idiots enough prepared to believe uncritically and irrationally the alt-truth swirling around their particular social media info-silo eco-systems!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Instead of grand conspiracies among governments and various authorities, there is one thing you can count on – incompetence combined with self-interest. That’s what really makes things go, or not. More often than not, Captain Chaos reigns supreme! Thank God for critical thinking based on fact and evidence, true investigative journalism and the efforts of whistle-blowers.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><u><a href="https://archive.org/details/Capricorn.One.1978.720p" target="_blank">Full Film</a></u></i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fmw1R5AsI58" width="320" youtube-src-id="Fmw1R5AsI58"></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Alternative 3 1977</b></div></span><p></p></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>[I remember this TV Hoax broadcast that was presented as a world wide exclusive telecast. It was very cleverly done but the obvious clue was its April 1st date!]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></span><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>©Chris Christopoulos 2022</b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></span>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5991083451225521019.post-88869628067914085222022-06-27T01:28:00.000-07:002022-06-27T01:28:12.473-07:00The Andromeda Strain (1971)<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqftvoqnXaef4A301VmkU_A4vSVI-PLS7VxWUn0LqYbBtsyiCFFze54d3iaXlRV2NMLOcgOKh_LCS8qAd8WemqKhJHdYZT35_4QWD9b8Fx7kP32CFR0Thbt-kfqhKdofzZgwaf0PeDeSkm1ao7cTPkRtGW2H4uNyaw5KHjURcvRqRsSMdQV2GMe-hb8w/s2233/virus19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2233" data-original-width="1461" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqftvoqnXaef4A301VmkU_A4vSVI-PLS7VxWUn0LqYbBtsyiCFFze54d3iaXlRV2NMLOcgOKh_LCS8qAd8WemqKhJHdYZT35_4QWD9b8Fx7kP32CFR0Thbt-kfqhKdofzZgwaf0PeDeSkm1ao7cTPkRtGW2H4uNyaw5KHjURcvRqRsSMdQV2GMe-hb8w/w261-h400/virus19.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYc0eGlc_3oA_WClC0Mm3t4Mf5_2akjAAQ0KdUsTEkFcHdYR70_CxMphdQnWTML_NM-So9GuLNBTv1c3aWHOUIxQNze_RBPrimSutCgPOIx9i55NKjg_3qFj-ZK2WBAacRhI8uOwOigF-mmjm-uohmwsYsDJbwLYJ0V3btqir_VqFMJrf-XlI4cgizlw/s512/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="118" data-original-width="512" height="46" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYc0eGlc_3oA_WClC0Mm3t4Mf5_2akjAAQ0KdUsTEkFcHdYR70_CxMphdQnWTML_NM-So9GuLNBTv1c3aWHOUIxQNze_RBPrimSutCgPOIx9i55NKjg_3qFj-ZK2WBAacRhI8uOwOigF-mmjm-uohmwsYsDJbwLYJ0V3btqir_VqFMJrf-XlI4cgizlw/w200-h46/unnamed.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This sci-fi thriller cleverly builds tension throughout a well-structured plot. It contains wonderful set designs and the actors deliver intelligent and credible performances. A film that stands the test of time.</span></i></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directed by Robert Wise</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Screenplay by Nelson Gidding</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Story by Nelson Gidding, Robert Wise</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Based on The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Produced by Robert Wise</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cinematography: Richard H. Kline</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edited by Stuart Gilmore, John W. Holmes</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Music by Gil Mellé</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Production company: Universal Pictures</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Distributed by Universal Pictures</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Running time: 130 minutes</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Budget: $6.5 million</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Box office: $12.4 million</span></span><br /><br /><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana;"><u>Cast</u></span></h3><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arthur Hill as Dr. Jeremy Stone</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">James Olson as Dr. Mark Hall</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">David Wayne as Dr. Charles Dutton</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate Reid as Dr. Ruth Leavitt</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Paula Kelly as Karen Anson (nurse, laboratory technician)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">George Mitchell as Mr. Peter Jackson (Piedmont)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Jenkins as Lt. Shawn (Piedmont Team)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peter Helm as Sgt. Crane (Piedmont Team)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Joe Di Reda as Sgt. Burk (Wildfire Computer Technician)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ramon Bieri as Major Arthur Manchek (Scoop Mission Control)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carl Reindel as Lt. Comroe (Scoop Mission Control)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Frances Reid as Clara Dutton</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peter Hobbs as General Sparks</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kermit Murdock as Dr. Robertson (White House Science Advisor)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Richard O'Brien (II) as Grimes</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eric Christmas as Senator Phillips (Vermont)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ken Swofford as Toby (Technician)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">John Carter as Capt. Morton (military police)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Richard Bull as Air Force Major</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">James W. Gavin as Dempsey (helicopter pilot)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Garry Walberg as a scientist</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Emory Parnell as Pete "Old Doughboy" Arnold</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Georgia Schmidt as Old Lady (Piedmont)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Victoria Paige Meyerink as Additional Character</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don Messick as Alarm Voice</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Crichton: non-speaking cameo appearance during the scene where Dr. Hall is told to break scrub, because he has to report to the Wildfire research facility.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why have nearly all of the residents of Piedmont, New Mexico suddenly died?</span></span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What is ‘Project Scoop?’</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">What does it have to do with the deaths of Piedmont’s citizens?</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Why have a team of scientists been recruited?</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">What is the role of the top secret sealed and secure ‘Wildfire’ facility?</span></i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">What is….. ‘Andromeda?’</span></i></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div></span></i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzlvkFHtTPmA1jyWzWhb08veFgePbT6doh0FhGS9Lq1kauBHa0OLM6eQVMr2HOpDbVGpRISoHbmdasOsAqYSQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #01ffff; font-size: small;">Trailer</b></div></i></span></i></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">Read on for more.....</span></i></b></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><b><span><a name='more'></a></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><i><span style="color: #01ffff;">(Spoilers follow below….)</span></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UESJcGwCCwNCETLLVZXx4ApzgDuL_XCPSlQ4JLWB0bO9Qun-GHhGFzLTPfWB3AYmkY7N9x4mNR1LH8pcPyxE9x5xI8PWhl7xGXfG-kAiN-zpZYtcbyHBtTuAj3PmGM9ldSl5JC5Mffv-sJaKbW1oX6_ftwJC5wysm9gLUNQ_BAqYtsuLltSvEWnhOA/s300/virus15.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="86" data-original-width="300" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UESJcGwCCwNCETLLVZXx4ApzgDuL_XCPSlQ4JLWB0bO9Qun-GHhGFzLTPfWB3AYmkY7N9x4mNR1LH8pcPyxE9x5xI8PWhl7xGXfG-kAiN-zpZYtcbyHBtTuAj3PmGM9ldSl5JC5Mffv-sJaKbW1oX6_ftwJC5wysm9gLUNQ_BAqYtsuLltSvEWnhOA/w400-h115/virus15.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: "Arial Black"; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Public report of the findings</span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: Arial Black; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">of the</span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">Senate Committee on Space Sciences</div></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">Washington, D.C</div></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">April 1, 1972</div></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Project Scoop, Wildfire & The Andromeda Strain</u></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The following account contains a report of a “four-day history of a major American scientific crisis.” put together with the assistance and from the testimonies of many people attached to </b></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Project Scoop</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> at Vandenberg Air Force Base and the </b></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Wildfire</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> Laboratory in Flatrock, Nevada. This committee is determined to set forth “the story accurately and in detail. The documents presented here are soon to be made public. They do not in any way jeopardize the national security."</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The following events are also based on the testimony of Dr. Jeremy Stone who appeared before the United States Senate Committee on Space Sciences on April 14, 1971:</span></span><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #01ffff;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">(Summary)</span></span></h3><span style="color: #01ffff;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> • February 5 1971 crash of a US. government satellite near Piedmont, New Mexico.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> • Nearly all the town’s residents were discovered deceased. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> • Vandenberg Air Force Base military team attempted satellite recovery but was unsuccessful. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> • Satellite suspected of bringing back alien organism.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> • Elite team of scientists recruited to investigate and contain organism.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> • Discovery of highly virulent microscopic alien organism as being cause of the deaths in New Mexico. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> • The life form assigned the code name "Andromeda." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> • It was determined that Andromeda; </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 1. Is inhaled through the lungs and kills biological life almost instantly by means of a blood clot in the brain and blood clotting causing asphyxiation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 2. Contains chemical elements such as hydrogen and carbon, the necessary requirements for terrestrial life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 3. Appears to have a crystalline structure, but lacks the DNA, RNA, proteins, and amino acids, the basis of all terrestrial life, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 4. Directly transforms energy to matter with no evident by-products. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 5. Mutated into a non-lethal form that degrades synthetic rubber and plastics.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 6. Can survive only within a narrow range of blood pH.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">7. Would thrive on the energy of a nuclear explosion and would consequently be transformed into a super-colony that could destroy all life on Earth. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u>DAY ONE:</u> (February 5, 1971)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Two Air Force men, Lt. Shawn and Sgt. Crane conducted reconnaissance on the small town of Piedmont, New Mexico, population 68, using night vision equipment. They drove their van into town, while maintaining direct communication with Vandenberg AFB, Scoop Mission Control. The following is a transcript of their </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">report:</span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">'This is Caper One to Vandal Deca. Caper One to Vandal Deca. Are you reading Over.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">‘Yes, I'm reading. Over.’</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">'We're about to enter the town of Piedmont and recover the satellite.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">‘Very good, Caper One. Leave your radio open.’</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">'Roger. We're now inside the town. It's kinda spooky. I see a church steeple ahead on the left. It's quiet here. It's the damndest thing. There's no sign of life. The signals from the satellite are getting very strong. Sir! You see that, Lieutenant?</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">- 'See what, Crane?'- Over by the fence. It looks like a body. - ‘Easy, Crane. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">You're imagining things. Holy…' - Sir, it's another one. - ‘You're right. Looks dead.'-</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yes, sir, shall I… - ‘No! Stay in the van.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">‘Vandal Deca to Caper One. What's happened?’</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">'We see bodies, lots of them.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Are you certain, Caper One?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">'Dammit, Comroe, of course we're certain.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">‘Your orders are..."Proceed to satellite and retrieve."’</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">'Roger, Vandal Deca.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Stay at your stations! Hit that security button! Get me Major Manchek.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">'Somehow they don't hardly look dead, Lieutenant. They're all over the place. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Must be dozens of them.'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">‘Dammit, get this call through!’</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">'Good chri...! - ‘Do you see that thing in white?'-Yeah, it's coming toward us.'</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Realising that something horribly strange had been going on with Caper One, Lt. Comroe contacted Major Mancheck of Scoop Mission Control A-12.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Major Mancheck requested a reconnaissance flyby over Piedmont, New Mexico with Gunnar Wilson assigned to conduct an Infrared F.L.I.R. scan using an F-4 Phantom jet crisscrossing the area and taking photographs.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6a4_H3zu7Vzj3HDD_MI3eaBJN_A7oEUrfy7q52fkwUKjBL7Arj232A7oquPhfampiEVdw5u0wrtLaZQr6K9pxhXg_gIQU9pLPP3Y6NOaK3UV2a2VYQ5VMS_D_PwJYEfauSYduUv6naKYzsrFy0PVKzfu9_9O8ftqjDCn6Babent24lEJxPwfn_PkQg/s251/virus1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="121" data-original-width="251" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6a4_H3zu7Vzj3HDD_MI3eaBJN_A7oEUrfy7q52fkwUKjBL7Arj232A7oquPhfampiEVdw5u0wrtLaZQr6K9pxhXg_gIQU9pLPP3Y6NOaK3UV2a2VYQ5VMS_D_PwJYEfauSYduUv6naKYzsrFy0PVKzfu9_9O8ftqjDCn6Babent24lEJxPwfn_PkQg/w400-h193/virus1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After reviewing the film and the shocking sight of so many dead bodies over such a wide area, Mancheck declared a State of Emergency and restricted all personnel to base. Everything seen and heard in the room where the film was viewed was declared top secret.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As per procedure, Mancheck made use of a red telephone to call a special number on which left a message declaring a Wildfire Alert based on the filmed evidence of “unnatural death caused by Scoop 7 returning to earth." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As part of the<i> Wildfire</i> protocol, a team of five scientists would be activated to investigate and deal with the situation: Dr Jeremy Stone, Dr Ruth Leavitt, Dr Charles Dutton, Professor Kirke and Dr Mark Hall.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Each scientist would have been made well aware of the protocol involved in the event of activation: Authorized personnel would have appeared in person to collect each scientist no matter what the circumstances might have been, whether they were hosting a party or even in the middle of performing surgery or a crucial experiment. This would not have been delivered in the form of a request. Instead, each scientist’s presence would have been ‘insisted’ upon. The scientist concerned would have been alerted to the nature of the official visit by the coded phrase: "There's a fire, sir."/ ma'am. Furthermore, all outside communications and requests for information from the scientists’ families were monitored and restricted “for reasons of national security.” </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> All the members of Dr. Stone’s team had been quickly cleared and called in, all except for Professor Kirke who was apparently in hospital undergoing an appendectomy.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u>SECOND DAY:</u> (February 6, 1971)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The next day, Doctors Stone and Hall were flown by helicopter from Vandenberg AFB at 8:00 a.m. and conveyed to Piedmont, New Mexico. It was suspected that the satellite may have brought back a space germ. Dr Hall’s inclusion was based on his position as an MD and his knowledge of blood chemistry. Another factor in Hall’s selection which will be explained shortly, is that he was single. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the earlier closed hearing of the Senate Committee on Space Sciences in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1971 testimony from General Sparks indicated that Dr. Stone was unaware of <i>Project Scoop</i> and that he and Dr Stone were consultants with NASA on the Lunar Receiving Lab. General Sparks testified that Stone believed that a more advanced lab was needed to isolate and study any extra-terrestrial germ that may be encountered in the future. Dr Stone wrote a letter urging that a facility be funded and built for such a purpose. A copy of that letter is included below:</span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"In a true biological crisis which our exploration of space could bring about, the present lunar receiving laboratory might prove inadequate. I therefore urge </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">the establishment of a facility to deal specifically with an extraterrestrial form of life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"The purpose of this facility would be to limit the dissemination of such an unknown organism from outer space, and to provide laboratories for its analysis.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>"I recommend that this facility be located in an uninhabited region of the United States, that it utilize all known isolation techniques, and that it be equipped with</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">a nuclear device for self-destruction in the event of an emergency.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Yours very truly,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Jeremy Stone."</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">When the helicopter carrying Doctors Stone and Hall arrived over Piedmont, gas canisters were dropped to kill the birds that were scavenging the dead bodies lest they spread any possible infection further afield.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeK9VsmZ1TbVR4LtnH5IwEbdw33aDAsFuGnKXEK-kr6nna8NITfJxo8d-ioOkmKLOVuj-tmZ9kB7nPS8T-lg3iMmaph_3n9zucqYxv_IiFwmxt_brtDI2Y5YPEN6JGBCZtA2vtMYUgo7ASh6dlQGjlPJlPl7k5dC1nRdWQcIbcIkOWhcqJdFrIhd9uA/s230/virus10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="123" data-original-width="230" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeK9VsmZ1TbVR4LtnH5IwEbdw33aDAsFuGnKXEK-kr6nna8NITfJxo8d-ioOkmKLOVuj-tmZ9kB7nPS8T-lg3iMmaph_3n9zucqYxv_IiFwmxt_brtDI2Y5YPEN6JGBCZtA2vtMYUgo7ASh6dlQGjlPJlPl7k5dC1nRdWQcIbcIkOWhcqJdFrIhd9uA/w400-h214/virus10.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Wearing bio-hazard protective suits, Stone and Hall were lowered to the ground to begin their investigate of the town, while the helicopter hovered a safe distance away. Amid an eerie silence, the two men discovered a number of the townsfolk appeared to have been cut down in mid-stride. Some of he dead appear to have committed suicide.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXx-KjMLELkm-ACo46feUc3M7ureLkKbSp_Z5Y7KG5Fxc-5IBDlDwOYvztYdD2Y-NPFZkU9zCNLDj8oE8XJddjsKjAbHzmTXiE-FGibBmejNg-AX8A475QQ_AzAlJzre-yNapHW-6gSVA6WUy_MzBI7fO6dyUqhuQTgURgAqyk1LefrATrWP4KUFvY_Q/s429/virus18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="429" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXx-KjMLELkm-ACo46feUc3M7ureLkKbSp_Z5Y7KG5Fxc-5IBDlDwOYvztYdD2Y-NPFZkU9zCNLDj8oE8XJddjsKjAbHzmTXiE-FGibBmejNg-AX8A475QQ_AzAlJzre-yNapHW-6gSVA6WUy_MzBI7fO6dyUqhuQTgURgAqyk1LefrATrWP4KUFvY_Q/w400-h131/virus18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">One of those who had taken their life left a note which read as follows:</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">"The day of judgement is at hand. Have mercy on my soul and to hell with all the others. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Amen."</span></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Such behaviour seemed to indicate that it took the victims time to do such things and that therefore there was a chance that someone was still alive.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Shortly after the grim discoveries, the two doctors managed to retrieve the satellite from the residence of Dr. Alan Benedict, the local town doctor. They discovered that the town's doctor had opened the satellite in his office and that all of his blood had crystallized into a powder. It had become apparent that most of the town's victims' blood had also crystallized, causing rapid death. The potential danger posed to the world by the organism that brought such death to one small town had become all too real. </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">With minutes remaining before they had to leave, Stone and Hall discovered to their utter astonishment two survivors: a six-month old infant by the name of Manuel Rios and a 69 year old alcoholic named Peter Jackson. Before they left, Stone informed Mancheck by radio, that the town was finished having being contaminated beyond all salvation and that he should order up a "7-12."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A "7-12" involves a Presidential order to “cauterize” a certain area by means of thermonuclear weapons should said area become contaminated in a manner similar to that experienced by Piedmont and thereby potentially adversely affecting national security. Due to concerns that such a course of action could be viewed as being “against the Moscow Treaty of 1963 to fire thermonuclear weapons above ground," it was decided that the National Guard would cordon off the area around Piedmont, and a decision to cauterize the area, via a "7-12," would be delayed 24 to 48 hours.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The <i>Wildfire</i> facility in southern Nevada is disguised on the surface to look like an old building run by the Department of Agriculture. Entry to the building, is gained by providing the correct pass-phrase code before entering a storeroom, the floor of which descends some distance underground to the first level of <i>Wildfire</i>. Stone and Hall would have entered a decontamination chamber in their white suits where they’d been irradiated.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cgH3uHwnaTiOJ6rG_cFy88mC68PgJrSO6RUUvt_lMuWtjKLON7ZGe2g4tkjz1zELBRMJIzEh3kcl-K57Vck7blmDNe7BmryppW6KdVPm1YDU_ogDBzoMvVfg-Ji9-OIEDEC8kgh2Bqze_HxnCzcg5OyNcGZDUgOCejINyUEmnuTx8rt3b63EqUE_cg/s778/virus12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="778" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cgH3uHwnaTiOJ6rG_cFy88mC68PgJrSO6RUUvt_lMuWtjKLON7ZGe2g4tkjz1zELBRMJIzEh3kcl-K57Vck7blmDNe7BmryppW6KdVPm1YDU_ogDBzoMvVfg-Ji9-OIEDEC8kgh2Bqze_HxnCzcg5OyNcGZDUgOCejINyUEmnuTx8rt3b63EqUE_cg/w400-h145/virus12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The final step before entry is a palm print analyzer, the purpose of which is to verify identification giving a “final clearance to enter <i>Wildfire</i>."</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuMM1clOAWX-SWnTZfElhM8pWRqijcjCrQMzeUs0Mzhi1hNYG9Z41b54Ybv-ZaSEM9zQP-byD_lIBu1Q2ZSqzqNTGyx7FS2zlVSiOWjxHgoOKgHmvY6-SLO1FM6MJd8xguqNtbj2eoiw1hDa5LfSRmYsffL7_fYhXPKnMrXJcVACLfCRB3gl3Rtlkiw/s1034/virus8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="1034" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuMM1clOAWX-SWnTZfElhM8pWRqijcjCrQMzeUs0Mzhi1hNYG9Z41b54Ybv-ZaSEM9zQP-byD_lIBu1Q2ZSqzqNTGyx7FS2zlVSiOWjxHgoOKgHmvY6-SLO1FM6MJd8xguqNtbj2eoiw1hDa5LfSRmYsffL7_fYhXPKnMrXJcVACLfCRB3gl3Rtlkiw/w400-h170/virus8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Doctors Stone, Hall, Dutton and Leavitt would have undergone quite extensive decontamination procedures while descending through four disinfection levels to a fifth level where laboratories are located in a technologically sophisticated complex.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh26ckTGJj0U3jvVLyEqdqjQWBLqWJyKRWhyIGRtOhPb_A1ZqXhTQAa56wPL80uuSaM2XCEP_n0_3JvOJSKM-r-lz8EOhC24W311kCg8HP762GYtjf6qSAmjoHet9xVxzhPsLQFQyTYDkWqekxoM0T0l9MTp_ufcC_PBpWbbjg7ypWMMP4-BC_zs6gsw/s360/tumblr_a7a078983bfed6b141fe5db284405e17_a7725690_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="360" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh26ckTGJj0U3jvVLyEqdqjQWBLqWJyKRWhyIGRtOhPb_A1ZqXhTQAa56wPL80uuSaM2XCEP_n0_3JvOJSKM-r-lz8EOhC24W311kCg8HP762GYtjf6qSAmjoHet9xVxzhPsLQFQyTYDkWqekxoM0T0l9MTp_ufcC_PBpWbbjg7ypWMMP4-BC_zs6gsw/w400-h183/tumblr_a7a078983bfed6b141fe5db284405e17_a7725690_400.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">If there were a threat of the organism breaching the <i>Wildfire</i> facility, an automatic nuclear self-destruct mechanism (as already alluded to in the copy of Dr Stone’s letter above) would ensure the incineration of all infectious agents. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">As part of the self-destruct protocol, there is a provision called the “Robertson odd man hypothesis” that states, "That an unmarried male should carry out command decisions involving thermonuclear destruct contexts." Under this provision, Dr. Hall was entrusted with the only key that could deactivate the self-destruct device, based on the belief that an unmarried male “the key man” is the most suited person within a group to make such a critical decision in a crisis situation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">After giving Dr Hall a special red metal key on a chain, Dr Stone would have armed the nuclear device at the bottom of the complex by means of a silver key that could not be removed. Only Dr Hall could disarm the mechanism by inserting his red key </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">in one of the substations located throughout the facility. In the event of this occurring, there would be a five-minute delay between the time detonation locks in </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">and the bomb explodes thereby giving Dr Hall a chance to think and terminate self-destruct process.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiI3CgglIsTXobjlgoVp-IJjMfKy02WRAAKep_Kf_vV2S_Qtez0FxeGH6OIy1rZ3B735FwaB4szKDRMeoQMSti5nEAxw2DrI6GPMX6ccRwZ_ryKebo7ZINbqTpxrQWqB4M11Of_dKiddweqo3IVHbCR5ogk0yvtslXx3Yb6mLtoCPJkXb6WSM3f5UOBQ/s299/virus14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="139" data-original-width="299" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiI3CgglIsTXobjlgoVp-IJjMfKy02WRAAKep_Kf_vV2S_Qtez0FxeGH6OIy1rZ3B735FwaB4szKDRMeoQMSti5nEAxw2DrI6GPMX6ccRwZ_ryKebo7ZINbqTpxrQWqB4M11Of_dKiddweqo3IVHbCR5ogk0yvtslXx3Yb6mLtoCPJkXb6WSM3f5UOBQ/w400-h186/virus14.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The time taken to descend to Level 5 while undergoing the decontamination and immunization process would have required 16 hours. On Level 4, the team were required to rest rest for 6 hours after which they were to meet in the cafeteria.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At this point we will pause to consider some important questions that have been raised as to the nature of the organism:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Had the capsule been deliberately brought back with the infection? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Could it be “an organism from another planet released deliberately?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Is its intention “to wipe us out?…..(or) just the opposite; to make friendly contact?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Was it “a kind of messenger to show us life exists elsewhere in the universe?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • While posing a danger to life on earth, was it perhaps “benign in its own environment?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Could the organism be “a new form of life” or representative of “intelligent life on a distant planet... no larger than a flea. Perhaps no larger than a bacterium?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Despite how far-fetched the theories and hypotheses appeared to be regarding the nature of the organism, it was felt by many that one couldn’t ignore any possibility, no matter how terrifying the truth…..</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u>THIRD DAY:</u> (February 7, 1971)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The investigation of the organism, designated “Andromeda” was divided into three stages by Dr Stone: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">1) detection, “that an organism is present.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2) characterization, “how's it structured, how does it work.”</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">3) control: containment and extermination.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The last point does raise the possibility that “without ever realizing it, we might destroy a highly intelligent form of life.”</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> At 4:33 a.m. the team proceeded to the final level, Level 5</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The investigation began with Dr Stone using robotic "hands" to open the satellite. A lab rat was then used to determine if the open capsule had contaminated the air inside the sealed work chamber. This resulted in the rapid death of the rat. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHRw8Lb4d2UwVa1hD6lDXgycbXo_GPnUfuUtBjnJ5VNUf44Q3rnQCsfNlODgTMjxw2hRU3jVpJJU7Gx20L88lHZuO3l-LoXOFUbXp5sgBzHxQZ3MtEKL9H2F3lebX5gAoWpVR_O6xGkEoegWK9xvjEpCau_qKKbd8HLf-MnczX1Qij-1tOPOuioq6jg/s144/virus2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="101" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHRw8Lb4d2UwVa1hD6lDXgycbXo_GPnUfuUtBjnJ5VNUf44Q3rnQCsfNlODgTMjxw2hRU3jVpJJU7Gx20L88lHZuO3l-LoXOFUbXp5sgBzHxQZ3MtEKL9H2F3lebX5gAoWpVR_O6xGkEoegWK9xvjEpCau_qKKbd8HLf-MnczX1Qij-1tOPOuioq6jg/w281-h400/virus2.jpeg" width="281" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Next, a rhesus monkey was exposed to the air, and it too expired in a few seconds. Doctors Stone and Leavitt then undertook to scan the capsule in the Main Control Room, while Dr Dutton performed the necropsies on the lab animals in the autopsy lab, and Dr Hall examined the two human survivors of Piedmont in the patient med-lab complex.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Dr Dutton and his assistant were able to verify that Andromeda was still present, active and lethal. They also confirmed that it is transmitted by the air, is definitely alive and being the size of 1-2 microns is as large as a bacterium or “big enough to be a complete cell.” There was also little doubt that Andromeda soon after it is inhaled, “the clotting begins in the lungs and spreads outward."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">During their scan on the inside of the satellite, Doctors Stone and Leavitt focused on a small pebble-sized bit of what appeared to be rock that contained a green substance that looked like paint. Under 440 magnification. the green substance was observed to spasm and grow in size. At 1,000 magnification the movement and growth of the substance was undeniable. Doctor Stone then removed the rock sample containing the organism and sent it off for microchemistry examination.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXSlPd8A6VePwDKrPJE_WKE9uAh90jC4ZurTcCvpcGl46HIAeDyvSM0KcPOVNWAPEEJ3zKy_NlZwQtQmxG6fkZavN8jVrioaCjnaIuS9eubtTbYoOKJvSGf04rBCT64USXi2pTzCp8ECkFMpoB-fAy2p-jDoIon8ryaBLXmNpXhffiuIrhRiNOV2asw/s291/virus5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="91" data-original-width="291" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXSlPd8A6VePwDKrPJE_WKE9uAh90jC4ZurTcCvpcGl46HIAeDyvSM0KcPOVNWAPEEJ3zKy_NlZwQtQmxG6fkZavN8jVrioaCjnaIuS9eubtTbYoOKJvSGf04rBCT64USXi2pTzCp8ECkFMpoB-fAy2p-jDoIon8ryaBLXmNpXhffiuIrhRiNOV2asw/w400-h125/virus5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Meanwhile, Doctor Hall examined his patients, reviewed the blood results and questioned Mr Jackson but initially didn’t obtain any useful information. He was able to determine that Mr Jackson's blood was too acidic, but was unable to arrive at a reason as to why. Stone learned that Jackson had an ulcer, but it still remained a mystery as to why the baby was still alive. It was yet to be determined what link there was between a 69 year old alcoholic with an ulcer and a six-month old infant.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At about the same time, a pilot flying an F-4 Phantom jet over the Piedmont area at 23,000 feet experienced trouble when his oxygen mask began to disintegrate. His jet then crashed in Utah near the Four-Corners area.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Soon after at the crash site in Utah, Major Mancheck learned from one of the investigators that the F-4 does not contain rubber, but instead employs a new synthetic called Polycron. It is similar in characteristics to human skin, which was quite evident from the human bones stripped of flesh found in the Jet. It was surmised that either a chemical reaction or a micro-organism had entered the cockpit and dissolved the pilot's Polycron oxygen mask which caused the pilot to become disoriented from lack of oxygen resulting in the crashing of the jet.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At the <i>Wildfire </i>Micro-chemistry lab, analysis of the apparent rock sample indicated it was a type of plastic. The green substance was found to be composed of just four elements: Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen while there was a total absence of amino acids as well as “no proteins, no enzymes, no nucleic acid.” All thought to be impossible as it is believed that “no organism can maintain life without them!” At least “no Earth organism” suggesting that Andromeda “must have evolved in a totally different way” and that “it doesn't come from here.” The scientific consensus has always been that “without chemical reactions there can't be life” and yet it was evident that Andromeda could grow and reproduce.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">At Wildfire, two crucial discoveries then needed to be made;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> 1. To find out what would keep the organism from growing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> 2. What Doctor Hall’s two dissimilar patients had in common thereby allowing them to survive.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u>FOURTH DAY:</u> (February 8, 1971)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">After learning that the "7-12" was never initiated over Piedmont, Doctor Stone stressed that it was imperative that the "7-12" be carried out under the mistaken assumption that the pilot was infected by Andromeda instead of being incapacitated by the dissolving rubber/synthetic materials of his equipment.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRw8V0TFmL3VqhKjiPFhsJi812mXkTMsDgtbyxGlwhZRbAUdEwVAIXcVlHl6rrMbj41VTywArXj8HJc8ugLnoP6a9LyjUM5FaLNHA-oOryZXkZlsRa-yH3OizyoTBhowlq8aOMfjsiYEcOqsQA0WMoL6NBWnqNJc8FMXk61F_kwzQTbB_WZAJIXsDOA/s202/virus3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="202" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRw8V0TFmL3VqhKjiPFhsJi812mXkTMsDgtbyxGlwhZRbAUdEwVAIXcVlHl6rrMbj41VTywArXj8HJc8ugLnoP6a9LyjUM5FaLNHA-oOryZXkZlsRa-yH3OizyoTBhowlq8aOMfjsiYEcOqsQA0WMoL6NBWnqNJc8FMXk61F_kwzQTbB_WZAJIXsDOA/w400-h238/virus3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The <i>Wildfire </i>team were soon able to isolate a cell of the green substance and discover that it was a crystal thus providing a reason as to why Andromeda could live without amino acids. The organism is able to convert energy into nourishment and can divide and multiply even “in a vacuum” and “bombarded by electrons” where “it shouldn't even be alive." In fact, Andromeda can live on anything, and it seems that "only gas and light affect it." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The horrible and terrifying conclusion to be drawn from the scientists’ findings was that a thermonuclear detonation would have allowed Andromeda to mutate and grow into a super-colony in just a single day. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Having “just found out Andromeda </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">works like a little reactor” by converting “matter to energy, energy to matter directly, …..the bomb would only provide a fantastically rich growth medium." Andromeda would have been able to divide and mutate with literally no Earth-bound checks and balances to prevent it. </span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzRrk70zFVzqNDnKPg5fiZwtIuXNFAh-fSU0IcIFJGSsGf5PP1hGIaoohH64A5y8vlftaNla7QpzVlYm2xGR2lT_vA37veoehBeU2TBgl0cAcqlhpniKxs4SdVbkqvM_tG9YBPtgk-LnrM08jm7GTiWOnYjQswz-dumW8JXsGQrolg_Z1nUW729o3Yg/s169/virus6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="117" data-original-width="169" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzRrk70zFVzqNDnKPg5fiZwtIuXNFAh-fSU0IcIFJGSsGf5PP1hGIaoohH64A5y8vlftaNla7QpzVlYm2xGR2lT_vA37veoehBeU2TBgl0cAcqlhpniKxs4SdVbkqvM_tG9YBPtgk-LnrM08jm7GTiWOnYjQswz-dumW8JXsGQrolg_Z1nUW729o3Yg/w400-h277/virus6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>A short time later, an alarm sounded signaling contamination due to a broken seal in the autopsy lab. Emergency procedures were immediately put into effect. The sense of fear and horror was conveyed to this committee first by the description of the reactions those who witnessed Doctor Leavitt’s epileptic seizure on the way to the autopsy lab, and then by the team members who witnessed Doctor Dutton’s terror at finding himself locked in the lab.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">While Doctor Dutton was being fed pure oxygen in the lab, it was soon surmised that the common factor that ensured the survival of Mr Jackson’s and the infant lay in “acidosis, rapid breathing.” The pure oxygen was then turned off in the lab and Dutton was instructed to breathe rapidly. Doctor Hall had then come to the conclusion that the answer lay not in the air but in the blood pH and it was determined that Andromeda could only survive in a narrow band of pH. If the blood is “too acid or alkaline, Andromeda can't survive in the body.” By breathing rapidly, doctor Dutton would have gone into “respiratory alkalosis.” He could not keep this up forever. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">It was noticed that the lab rat in the room with doctor Dutton was still alive and that therefore having been exposed as long as he was, it was apparent that “Andromeda mutated to a noninfectious form.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Suddenly a message warning of an "early degenerative change in gasket" indicated that the Andromeda virus had begun consuming the Polycron gaskets throughout the <i>Wildfire</i> facility, facilitating the spread of contamination. If Andromeda were to have breached the <i>Wildfire</i> facility and if the nuclear detonation had occurred, there may very well have been “a thousand mutations” and Andromeda would have “spread everywhere” without any means of being rid of it.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdkOG1HNxeQFheyegTdnLgT7vSMY3HV35E5y_RhFwTc6Ib5_2yms2KmI2Pn3Xs2hIUPLYhhZ1Apk7ZQUQ9Dd1jpUjtP1L4BrLJIo5nxldepMh1lXMbb1qlKp0h5DG0A48kqcNeuqSE2Mjmu_TCWZaVaG1ve7iOGkFeKbcNH6zBM7LS8ojQcyEMw35dg/s646/virus17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="646" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdkOG1HNxeQFheyegTdnLgT7vSMY3HV35E5y_RhFwTc6Ib5_2yms2KmI2Pn3Xs2hIUPLYhhZ1Apk7ZQUQ9Dd1jpUjtP1L4BrLJIo5nxldepMh1lXMbb1qlKp0h5DG0A48kqcNeuqSE2Mjmu_TCWZaVaG1ve7iOGkFeKbcNH6zBM7LS8ojQcyEMw35dg/w400-h219/virus17.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana;"><b>With Level 5 becoming sealed off, Doctor Hall was unable to access a substation to deactivate the 5-minute countdown to self-destruct detonation. Doctor Hall then heroically made his way to the central core where he ran the gauntlet of automated gas and laser defenses. After being struck by laser beams on a couple of occasions and suffering as a result from shock, Doctor Hall successfully made his way to Level 3 where he was able to reach a station and disable the nuclear self-destruct with his key with mere seconds to spare.</b></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXh8aNQ4hhEgUKWnZ99bK-oSqJSmhP0PXLzZ40oroKrmUj-YjgUkV6g_vWLqCNG0JfyHXma694NaqKfY-Rv4SdH0AITJ64kdDUmOD_IpbkgRCv_1tkjGiWNaqMvTu1AbwLnci_DPV5KlIBVRPwZf1L7iO6bmkxACunAqnW4n9wn8WXaXeT1RrYANhKUg/s355/virus13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="355" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXh8aNQ4hhEgUKWnZ99bK-oSqJSmhP0PXLzZ40oroKrmUj-YjgUkV6g_vWLqCNG0JfyHXma694NaqKfY-Rv4SdH0AITJ64kdDUmOD_IpbkgRCv_1tkjGiWNaqMvTu1AbwLnci_DPV5KlIBVRPwZf1L7iO6bmkxACunAqnW4n9wn8WXaXeT1RrYANhKUg/w400-h211/virus13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Cloud-seeding with silver iodide was later initiated over the Pacific Ocean causing the Andromeda colony to be swept from the atmosphere into alkaline seawater thereby rendering it harmless.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><u>Implications & Recommendations</u></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In relation to the cloud-seeding operation, while it appears “all reports indicate the experiment was successful" and that the alien pathogen has been contained, it remains unclear whether this will be the case in the future should a similar situation arise. Could the human race be faced with an equally unpredictable dangerous organism that may cause a catastrophic global pandemic in say 5, 10, 20 or even let us say...<i>50 years</i> time?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The factor of human error and unforeseen problems must be the subject of any investigation. An example of this is the recently disclosed fact that messages for the <i>Wildfire</i> team had been routed but the alarm, "was knocked out by a sliver of paper...the sliver had peeled from the roll and wedged between the bell and striker, preventing the bell from ringing." This simple failure was allowed to happen in a multi-million dollar supposedly technologically secure facility. The consequences of the communications foul-up became evident when Doctor Hall noticed that messages for the team were never relayed to them. The "7-12" was never carried out over Piedmont and the <i>Wildfire</i> team had not been informed of the Phantom Jet that crashed and the dissolving rubber / synthetic materials. With a 24-48 hour delay imposed for the bombing mission it was feared that by “then the disease could spread into a worldwide epidemic.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">There is also the matter of the condition of one of the team members, Doctor Ruth Leavitt – a medical condition which she had kept to herself and had not been picked up by anyone. As Doctor Leavitt reviewed the growth results, she missed a red flashing message, warning of "No Growth." This flashing light caused Doctor Leavitt to suffer an epileptic seizure resulting in her failing to hear the alarm for a midnight conference.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Up until the Andromeda incident, <i>Wildfire</i> had been like a game. Apparently simulation bio-war games had been conducted using volunteer live subjects. It seemed that no-one believed that such a crisis as that posed by Andromeda could ever really happen. Human complacency and the playing down of the seriousness of a situation may prove to be a bigger killer than any crisis we may be faced with now and in the future.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Hubris and overconfidence in the infallibility of our technology can cause us to overlook basic human negligence. For instance, in the case of the <i>Wildfire</i> facility, what if a scalpel had cut into a suit or if human hands were used instead of robotic hands in the handling of dangerous materials and test subjects? If such possibilities exists and can be considered then they are more than likely to eventually occur. Have we also become so dependent on our technology that we are unable to decide what to do when it fails us?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Other possible scenarios that need to be considered and by implication will probably occur (have already occurred and will occur again) are;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Extra-terrestrial organisms and life-forms coming into contact with our planet with consequences as potentially severe as Andromeda.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Extra-terrestrial life-forms that are unlike our preconceptions of what constitutes life and might even “be based on crystals of some kind” and like Andromeda “grows best in carbon dioxide and hydrogen, incubated under X-rays” and producing “no excretions, no waste of any kind.” A life-form “perfect for existence in outer space.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • National and international clandestine and ‘black projects’ being developed with bio-warfare experimentation and weapon development as their focus.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Virulent viruses and bacteria escaping from supposedly secure facilities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Increasing instances of animal-to-human transmission of viruses.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Increasing reliance on biological warfare and bio-terrorism.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • Political and economic imperatives taking precedence over scientific research and advice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> • Global catastrophes and severe climactic changes resulting in the release and activation of once considered extinct and dormant viruses and pathogens for which we have no defense.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"> • The evolving capacity for organisms and viruses to mutate and defeat our ability to contain and eradicate them.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ED7UxPmV1x2mjQgFAdwv59ScSec-uyzg6-ai9-LAd9XRVybrSNQsDRWB4061XLaaIc2JoTnGzPJqUFi23y0OWRcjWcUwe9Njv-82gTz0VaM6ptuak112nasXqcKziISU_dbP8-fIzN0HetPty0jDEKGCCbjUppSU0_OKZgKop9zhrLmQ23IQJ8fu9w/s1134/virus4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="1134" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ED7UxPmV1x2mjQgFAdwv59ScSec-uyzg6-ai9-LAd9XRVybrSNQsDRWB4061XLaaIc2JoTnGzPJqUFi23y0OWRcjWcUwe9Njv-82gTz0VaM6ptuak112nasXqcKziISU_dbP8-fIzN0HetPty0jDEKGCCbjUppSU0_OKZgKop9zhrLmQ23IQJ8fu9w/w400-h125/virus4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Due to the revelation that “the purpose of <i>Scoop</i> was to find new biological weapons in outer space, and then use <i>Wildfire</i> to develop them,” this current Senate Committee on Space Sciences strongly recommends a bi-partisan investigation into the development and activities of <i>Project Scoop </i>and the <i>Wildfire</i> facility, as well as the roles played by the relevant political, military and scientific personnel and authorities involved, up to and including the office of the President of the United States of America.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjE54SFihEEMdfTKEBBuAZMWljuVIdX3owIHCz1b3oIMkODmk61dT5OGWK9m1k9AABTiFBQCF8vzQA5TWPkNbSy6VS2vdlcx3-7k3gsPAbX86UP6ZjTLj7WE0IbGawtHudj2Bi56ihrP0oy3OcAplTXWcM_gwqPL1dFltD56f1a-WHlb9luCHP-hZPA/s193/virus9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="123" data-original-width="193" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjE54SFihEEMdfTKEBBuAZMWljuVIdX3owIHCz1b3oIMkODmk61dT5OGWK9m1k9AABTiFBQCF8vzQA5TWPkNbSy6VS2vdlcx3-7k3gsPAbX86UP6ZjTLj7WE0IbGawtHudj2Bi56ihrP0oy3OcAplTXWcM_gwqPL1dFltD56f1a-WHlb9luCHP-hZPA/w400-h255/virus9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A crucial question this committee would like to put forward is: Will we one day be faced with another code "601" type of scenario with implications and consequences for our very survival coming at us too thick and too fast for us to analyze and contend with?</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">“There's no guarantee that another so-called biological crisis won't occur again” and that therefore it is incumbent upon all of us to find an answer to the question, </span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">“What do we do about that?”</span></i></div><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Honourable Holden Wendell (Kentucky) (Chair)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Honorable Senator Eric Phillips (Vermont)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Honorable Senator David McKenzie (New Mexico)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Honourable Clifford Moss (New Jersey) </span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">Points of Interest</span></u></b></div></span><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>The Andromeda Strain</i> was produced on a budget of $6.5 million and managed to gross $12,376,563 in North America, earning $8.2 million in US theatrical rentals. It was the 16th highest-grossing film of 1971.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing. It was also nominated for science fiction's 1972 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Director Robert Wise’s body of work includes '<i>The Body Snatcher', 'The Day the Earth Stood Still', 'The Haunting', 'West Side Story', 'I Want to Live!'</i> and <i>‘Star Trek-The Motion Picture’</i> (the last which I enjoyed by the way, despite some negative views from some quarters!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The male scientist, Dr. Peter Leavitt in the Michael Crichton novel was replaced by the female Dr. Ruth Leavitt in the film version. Far from being eye-candy or love-interest material, Leavitt is portrayed as being a more interesting and down-to earth character in the film with her cynicism, sarcasm and wit. Actors Arthur Hill, James Olson, David Wayne, and Kate Reid who play the scientists may be familiar faces as supporting character actors, but they give top-notch convincing and believable performances in this film.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">David Wayne, who plays Dr. Charles Dutton, also had a rare leading role as a villain portraying the child killer (originally played by Peter Lorre) in the remake of ‘M’ (1951), which I watched just the other day. I highly recommend it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Filming took place in Shafter, Texas, used to depict the fictional town of Piedmont. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I liked the use of the multiple or split screen technique whereby different scenes and points of view can be shown at the same time. I’d like to see more of that used in films these days instead of the nausea-inducing shaky ‘found-footage’ camera-style garbage employed in many modern films. In <i>The Andromeda Strain</i> one also has time to take in and digest details of a scene rather than endure Attention Deficit Disorder-causing rapid-fire cutting from one scene to the next. Those who have been fed on that kind of music video style of film making will consider much of <i>The Andromeda Strain </i>as being rather slow-paced. You poor misguided slobs!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">In the film, the computer error "601" is received due to a ‘crash’ or system overload during an attempt to simulate Andromeda's growth and mutation. The error number is exactly half of the number of the computer overload error "1202" which occurred on the LEM during the first manned lunar descent in 1969.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>$250,000 of the film's budget of $6.5 million was used to create the special effects and </b></span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Andromeda Strain</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> was one of the first films to use advanced computerized photographic visual effects. Simulated computer rendering was used employing conventional film-making processes of a mapped 3-D view of the rotating structure of the five-story cylindrical underground <i>Wildfire </i>laboratory. The rotating holographic display of the facility was created using a projector and a piece of cardboard that was raised as each level was added.</b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The depiction of five circular levels of the <i>Wildfire</i> lab, each supposedly with a different colour was achieved simply by having only one small section of circular hallway created. As scenes in each colour-coded level were completed, shooting for scenes in other settings would occur while the hallway set was repainted for the next colour-coded level.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The monkey was depicted as being killed by the virus by being placed in a large set filled with carbon dioxide. The monkey's cage, which contained oxygen was then opened causing the animal to fall unconscious due to the CO2. A breathing apparatus was then quickly rushed in and used on the monkey to help it regain consciousness. Can you imagine the heads of PETA and animal rights activists exploding if that was done these days – despite being approved by the ASPCA who was present during the filming of the scene!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">I remember reading Michael Crichton’s 1960s novel and although I was largely impressed by it, I do recall being somewhat bored at various stages by some endless technical descriptions and wishing the story would get a move on. Strangely enough other readers seem to have had a different experience. I certainly did not have any feeling of boredom or distraction with the film adaptation despite it being over 2 hours long which says a lot about the film itself, I suppose.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><i>The Andromeda Strain</i> presents a very plausible depiction of the appearance and outbreak of a deadly new and unknown micro-organism, the kind of impact it can have, its identification and the efforts at combating and containing it. I know that in these jaded Covid times, there’s a plethora of arm-chair immunology and virology experts (and didn’t we hear from enough of them!) who might pooh-pooh aspects of the film. But, hey it was among the first of its kind in this particular genre. Even in the light of today’s Covid pandemic, <i>The Andromeda Strain</i> does have relevance and resonance for modern audiences. </span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><i style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">The Andromeda Strain</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> stands out from many other sci-fi films in that it is solidly based on and informed by science, all without straining our credulity. Refreshingly absent too is the finger-wagging moralizing and PC and wokish-wankerism we have become accustomed to of late in films. Yes, the message is received loud and clear: that technology <i>can</i> create many problems for us. But it is an undeniable fact and part of our way of life and it can also serve to help us solve many of the problems we face.</b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div></i></b></span><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7_gqOk5A7T4" width="320" youtube-src-id="7_gqOk5A7T4"></iframe></div></b></span></i></b></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Audiobook</b></div></span><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><u><a href="https://archive.org/details/the.andromeda.strain.1971/the.andromeda.strain.1971.720p.bluray.x264.yify.mp4" target="_blank">Full Movie Link:</a></u></i></b></span><br /></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>©Chris Christopoulos 2022</b></span>Chris Christopouloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14133128042645419657noreply@blogger.com0