Battle in Outer Space (宇宙大戦争 Uchū Daisensō) (1959)

We shall fight them in space! We shall fight them on the moon! We shall fight them on the earth! We shall never surrender!

Directed by Ishirō Honda
Produced by omoyuki Tanaka
Screenplay by Shinichi Sekizawa
Story by Jotaro Okami
Music by Akira Ifukube
Cinematography Hajime Koizumi
Edited by Ichiji Taira
Production company: Toho
Running time: 93 minutes

Cast

Ryô Ikebe: Maj. Ichiro Katsumiya
Kyôko Anzai: Etsuko Shiraishi
Minoru Takada: The Commander
Koreya Senda: Professor Adachi
Len Stanford: Dr. Roger Richardson
Harold Conway: Dr. Immerman
Elise Richter: Sylvia
Hisaya Itô: Kogure
Yoshio Tsuchiya: Iwomura
Nadao Kirino: Gravity Man
Kôzô Nomura: Rocket Commander
Fuyuki Murakami: Inspector Iriake
Ikio Sawamura: Lantern Man
Takuzô Kumagai: Alien
Katsumi Tezuka: Alien

HERE COME THE PLANET SMASHERS!

The Moon is Captured! The Earth is Next!

SPACE DECLARES WAR ON EARTH - OUTLAW PLANET CAPTURES THE MOON!

Space Wages War on Earth!

SEE! Space-shaking last battle of earth rockets vs. flying war saucers!

SEE! Space saboteurs juggle earth's bridges...ships...trains...like toys!

SEE! Earth's minds controlled by rays from outer space!

SEE…

The Biggest Battle Ever Put On Film!

Trailer

Read on for more......

The Atomic Submarine (1959)

A low-budget sci-fi thriller with overbearing narration, grainy stock footage, ordinary effects and cheap sets, but also containing some quite interesting concepts and plenty of action.

Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
Produced by Alex Gordon
Screenplay by Orville H. Hampton
Story by Irving Block; Jack Rabin
Music by Alexander Laszlo
Cinematography: Gilbert Warrenton
Edited by William Austin
Production company: Gorham Productions, Inc.
Distributed by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation (US); Warner-Pathé (original, UK)
Running time: 72 minutes
Budget: $135,000 (approx.)

Cast

Arthur Franz: Lt. Cmdr. Richard 'Reef' Holloway
Dick Foran: Cmdr. Dan Wendover
Brett Halsey: Dr. Carl Neilson Jr.
Tom Conway: Sir Ian Hunt
Paul Dubov: Lt. David Milburn
Bob Steele: CPO 'Grif' Griffin
Victor Varconi: Dr. Clifford Kent
Joi Lansing: Julie
Selmer Jackson: Adm. Terhune
Jack Mulhall : Justin Murdock
Jean Moorhead: Helen Milburn
Richard Tyler: Carney
Kenneth Becker: Frogman Powell
Sid Melton: Yeoman Chester Tuttle
Frank Watkins: Watkins

Trailer

 

It's 1968 – 10 years into the future!

Ships and submarines crossing the North Pole have mysteriously vanished!

The nuclear sub, Tiger Shark is sent out to investigate.

What they discover is not so much out of this world as…….

Deep within its waters!

Read on for more.....

4D MAN (1959) (THE FOURTH DIMENSIONAL MAN)

An imaginative low budget sci-fi film that strives to break the mould

Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr.
Produced by Jack H. Harris and Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr.
Written by Theodore Simonson and Cy Chermak
Cinematographer: Theodore J. Pahle
Art Direction: William Jersey
Makeup Dean Newman
Special Effects: Bart Sloane
Music: Ralph Carmichael

Cast

Robert Lansing as Dr. Scott Nelson
Lee Meriwether as Linda Davis
James Congdon as Dr. Tony Nelson
Robert Strauss as Roy Parker
Edgar Stehli as Dr. Theodore W. Carson
Patty Duke as Marjorie Sutherland
Guy Raymond as Fred
Chic James as B-girl
Elbert Smith as Capt. Rogers
George Karas as Sgt. Todaman
Jasper Deeter as Dr. Welles
Dean Newman as Dr. Brian Schwartz
John Benson as reporter

"A man, an idea, the equipment and a place to work in secret!"

A man possessed with the ability to walk through solid matter!

A man motivated by greed and jealousy!

A man using his powers for his own personal gain!

Ah, but at what cost to himself and to others?

Sneak peak

Read on for more……

SCI-FI ON FILM & THE YEAR 1959

We've finally arrived at the final year of our look at the golden decade of science fiction films. Let's start off by having a brief overview of the major events and people that helped to begin to shape our world for the last 60 years.

Review of the year 1959

Read on for more....

War of the Satellites (1958)

A typically fast and cheap Roger Corman sci-fi epic and certainly not his best!

Directed by Roger Corman
Produced by Roger Corman
Music by Walter Greene
Distributed by Allied Artists
Running time: 66 minutes
Budget: $70,000 (approx..)

Cast

Dick Miller: Dave Boyer
Susan Cabot: Sybil Carrington
Richard Devon: Dr. Pol Van Ponder
Eric Sinclair: Dr. Howard Lazar
Michael Fox: Jason ibn Akad
Robert Shayne: Cole Hotchkiss
Jered Barclay: John Compo
John Brinkley: Crew Member
Bruno VeSota: Mr. LeMoine
Jay Sayer: Teen
Mitzi McCall: Teen
Roy Gordon: The President

In the office of the head of Allied Artists, the phone noisily and hysterically cries out for the boss’s attention. The boss could tell just by the ring who it would be….

Walter: Hello, Roger. What can I do for you?

Roger: Hey Walt. You know how the Russians sent up that Sputnik last year and scared the hell out of everyone?

Walter: Yeah. What of it?

Roger: Well, I’ve just had a talk with Jack Rabin and he agrees with me that we could capitalize on this Sputnik hysteria with a nice little sci-fi movie of our own!

The wheels in Walter’s mind began to crank up faster and faster at the prospect just put before him by his pal, Corman.

Roger: Hello, Walt. You there?

Walter: Sorry, Roger. Sounds good. What timed frame are we looking at?

Roger: Well, you know me. No dilly-dallying. Just throw a few bucks my way and you’ll have a great little movie with a great story about satellites ready for distribution in about two or three months.

Walt: No kidding? Sounds fine to me Roger. I like the satellite angle. Let’s get the ball rolling! 

As Corman hangs up the receiver he notes that Walter had not even asked him about the story’s details. Good thing too! He figured he could get a first draft screenplay, a full cast and enough of a set together to begin shooting in….say…. a couple of weeks! Principal photography could be wrapped up in about 10 days and in about three months’ time, “War of the Satellites” would be up on US screens. Yes Siree! Don’t let anything stand in the way of a good story and good acting, coz that’s all ya’ really need!

Trailer

What happens when;

A mysterious alien force declares war against planet Earth?

The United Nations disregards warnings to halt its attempts at assembling the first satellite in space?

Read on for more......

War of the Colossal Beast (1958)

This sequel has competent acting performances, fair direction and ordinary special effects. An obvious attempt at milking dry an already successful formula.

Directed by Bert I. Gordon
Produced by Bert I. Gordon
Written by Bert I. Gordon (story), George Worthing Yates
Music by Albert Glasser
Cinematography: Jack A. Marta
Edited by Ronald Sinclair
Production company: Carmel Productions
Distributed by American International Pictures
Running time: 69 minutes

Cast

Duncan "Dean" Parkin as Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning/Colossal Man
Sally Fraser as Joyce Manning
Roger Pace as Major Mark Baird
Russ Bender as Dr. Carmichael
Rico Alaniz as Sgt. Luis Murillo
Charles Stewart as Captain Harris
George Becwar as John Swanson
Roy Gordon as Mayor
Robert Hernandez as Miguel
George Milan as General Nelson
Cathy Downs as Carol Forrest (flashback scenes)
William Hudson as Dr. Paul Linstrom (flashback scenes)
Larry Thor as Major Eric Coulter (flashback scenes)

Trailer

Spoilers follow below.
Words contained in inverted commas taken from film's dialogue.
Some creative licence taken.

TV News Report

“…..and that’s the latest report on the international scene. Now, on the lighter side of the news…a dispatch from Guavos, Mexico says that Mr. John Swanson is having a little trouble collecting insurance on his stolen truck. What happened to it? Well, according to his claim report, it disappeared without leaving any tracks! Mr. Swanson says something must have carried off his truck.” Perhaps we’ll find out more about this magical disappearing act in the coming days! “And here in Los Angeles…….”

*********

Read on for more.....

The Woman Eater (1958)

An entertaining film containing quite a good yarn sandwiched between a silly beginning and an awful ending. 

Directed by Charles Saunders
Produced by Guido Coen
Screenplay by Brandon Fleming
Music by Edwin Astley
Cinematography: Ernest Palmer
Edited by Seymour Logie
Production company: Fortress Film Productions
Distributed by Eros Films
Running time: 70 minutes

Cast

George Coulouris: Doctor Moran
Robert MacKenzie: Lewis Carling
Norman Claridge: Doctor Patterson
Marpessa Dawn: Native Girl
Jimmy Vaughn: Tanga
Sara Leighton: Susan Curtis
Edward Higgins: Sergeant Bolton
Joyce Gregg: Mrs. Santor
Harry Ross: Bristow
Vera Day: Sally
Peter Forbes-Robertson: Jack Venner
Alexander Field: Fair Attendant
Joy Webster Joy Webster : Judy
David Lawton: Man In Club
John A. Tinn: Lascar
Maxwell Foster: Inspector Brownlow
Peter Lewiston: Det. Sergeant Freeman
Roger Avon Roger Avon: Constable

Trailer

A crazed scientist feeding women to a flesh-eating tree!

A serum that can bring the dead back to life!

See the…

REIGN OF TERROR FROM EARTH!

In my previous post on the film, The Trollenberg Terror (1958), I concluded with a brief observation about the role of women in both vintage and modern era sci-fi and other genre films.

The Woman Eater presents us with an interesting insight into the exploitative nature of many films at the time in relation to the portrayal of female characters. It does this in an odd way by seeming to make use of and be almost enumerating every exploitative technique under the sun in its depiction of the female gender. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, The Woman Eater highlights the various ways in which a male-dominated society sets about using and as the title suggests, consuming women for its own benefit.

Such a situation in both the entertainment media of film and TV and in the wider society it reflects would inevitably produce a reaction that would take decades in the making. Consequently, we now have in film and in areas such as politics and the corporate world, more women being represented and brought to the fore either through personal merit, quota systems or positive discrimination.

Unfortunately, in many instances the reaction produced has turned out to be just as problematic as the original set of social circumstances that led to it. As women fill more prominent roles in film and the real world, they are often simply being asked to speak and behave in ways that are sadly indistinguishable from their male counterparts. Little that is unique or distinctive about women is allowed to be explored within an already established system whether it be the depiction of female roles in sci-fi and other films or female conduct in the world of politics and the opportunistic and self-serving corporate sphere.

Could an unintended consequence be the eventual creation of an expanded power elite consisting of an equal proportion of male and female members leaving the rest outside (as Orwell might have put it) looking from woman to man, and from man to woman, and from woman to man again; and being impossible to say which was which……

We seem to have moved away from a world that normalized the idiotic notion of females being seen as fragile and subservient beings in constant need of rescuing and have instead slipped down a rabbit hole into a bizarre world of elitist jack-booted feminism populated by angry and intense females with men being allocated the roles of irrelevant limp under-performing appendages! Such warped notions and outcomes surrounding gender roles and equality are being frequently depicted in modern films, particularly in sci-fi and action-type films.

So, what about this 60-year-old film, The Woman Eater? What makes it stand out from other similar films of its era?

Read on for more......