Beyond Reason

Next up is an obscure indie film from Australia. Beyond Reason (BR) was released in 1970 and probably did not see theatrical release beyond Australia. Yet, it’s nuclear-apocalypse topic has a lot in common with mainstream sci-fi films of the era, so it seemed a fun digression. BR was written, produced and directed by the same man, Giorgio Mangiamele. One-man-band projects usually suffer from lack of outside input, and BR is no exception. The cast is made up of local Australians. Some had television acting experience. A few had been in Mangiamele’s prior one-man-project, a film named Clay. Most of the cast were simply extras to fill out the crowd. BR is a basic bunker tale, told on a very tight budget.

Quick Plot Synopsis
At a large mental hospital institution, alarms sound. A nuclear strike is immanent. Staff and patients stream down stairs into a waiting bunker. Dr. White goes back up to fetch more people. He tells Rita (one of his higher-functioning patients) to close the bunker door if things look bad. She knows the combination. The earth shakes from explosions. Rita pushes the buttons and the big round metal door closes. Everyone is sealed in. More explosions buffet the bunker. Pounding and screaming is heard on the other side of the door. Under pressure from the others, Rita cannot remember the combination. Phone lines to the surface are dead. The closed circuit television shows only interference. Dr. Sullivan, Dr. DeGroot and nurse Marion are the only staff, with roughly 20 or so patients. For awhile, the tranquilizers hold out, and a relative (tense) calm is maintained. Richard, one of the patients, makes fixing the television his project. Eventually, the pills run out and tempers flare. Lydia is highly libidinous and prone to taking her shirt off. Marion goes libidinous too, and takes a romantic shine to Richard, who is becoming a somewhat sullen leader type. When Dr. DeGroot goes out to stop a brawl, Richard gets the pistol away from him and shoots him dead. Dr. Sullivan tries to maintain order, but the inmates are running the asylum. They try to tug the door open with a rope, but fail. Richard has the television fixed and says he’s seen the sun. Richard gives a monologue about the new world sweeping away all the unnatural things of the old world (laws, courts, rules) In another brawl, Rita taunts Charles, who then vows to kill her. When he has her trapped against the door, she remembers the combination. The door opens. They all go up to find rubble and ruins. Richard and another man hit Dr. Sullivan with bricks. The others (even Marion) join in stoning the doctor to death. They all then file out of the ruins into a bleak landscape. Fade in ballad. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
BR is another glimpse into how people of the Cold War era viewed the expected nuclear apocalypse. The bunker-view and all the metaphors are amusing food for thought.

Cold War Angle
The same sort of End Of The World As We Know It mindset that pervades many Cold War era stories is also at the core of BR. The premise that there would be a safe underground bunker stocked with a year’s worth of supplies was very much the Cold War way. The destruction when the patients emerge, is the total destruction people imagined.

Notes
Double Meaning — The title, “Beyond Reason”, gets mentioned literally when Dr. De Groot talks of the madness of everyone fighting a nuclear WWIII. Such mutually shared destruction was, in his words, “beyond reason.” Then, there is the “new world” in which the survivors are all mental patients following their instincts, not that old-world notion of reason.

Organ Rejection — The score in BR is like that old joke about the man hitting himself in the head with a hammer. Why are you doing that? his friend asks. Because if feels so good when I stop. The best part of the score in BR is when it’s not there. The warbley electronic keyboard (organ) is jarring and loud -- a migraine set to "music".

Natural Law — Even though writer/producer/director Mangiamele was born in the 1920s, so was of the “Greatest Generation”, he has the Richard character utter a rebelious-youth monologue about throwing off the old civilization and starting over with himself as the leader. Marion asks him what he could do for them. “Your world, your society, your imposed organization of all kinds. Laws and courts, and set ways of behavior. Nothing was natural. In the new world, it will be different. They’ll be free. I can give them freedom. They’ll obey their natural instincts.” Such was the common counter-culture philosophy. If it feels good, do it.

Anti-Establishment — Clearly symbolizing authority and structure, Dr. Sullivan tries to maintain order in the bunker. He berates Marion a couple times for having her nurse’s uniform unbuttoned. He breaks up fights. When the patients are lounging around lazily eating, Dr. Sullivan moves among them, taking away their dirty plates. When the door is finally opened, he leads them out. But when he finds a new supply of the tranquilizers he used to maintain order, he is quickly stoned and killed by the mob. Following Richard’s manifesto, the old order was to be swept aside.

Bottom line? BR is a very obscure film, so probably difficult to find any copies. Unless you happen to be a big fan of low-budget Australian indie films, bunker themes, or harsh electronic keyboard, BR might not be worth the effort to locate. But if, for some odd reason, BR were to be playing on television, fits in with films like Chosen Survivors and Twilgiht Zone’s “The Shelter” episode.

1970

New Years Eve is a good time to look back. The decade of the 70s started off modestly for sci-fi movies. 1970 saw the Vietnam war continuing, including the incident at My Lai, and protests escalating -- Kent State. The "hippy" era was in full swing. NASA had its close call with Apollo 13.

It was the start of the American sub-compact car era, with the debut of the Ford Pinto, Chevy Vega and AMC Gremlin -- all intended to counter rising Japanese imports from Toyota, Honda and Datsun. The year's sci-fi started off with a continuation of a very old sci-fi topic: Frankenstein.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed -- One of the last of Hammer Films' series. Victor blackmails a young couple to help him kidnap a doctor with brain transplant secrets.

The Revenge of Dr. X -- An over-stressed NASA scientist vacations in Japan, where he dabbles in botany and creates a giant carnivorous plant.

Moon Zero Two -- Sinister businessmen force fallen-hero space pilot to help them crash an asteroid of emeralds onto the moon where they can harvest them.

The Love War -- Lloyd Bridges is an alien disguised as an earthling, on earth to fight a showdown battle. Angie Dickenson co-stars. TV movie.

Colossus: The Forbin Project -- An American supercomputer, intended to assure nuclear peace, teams up with its Russian counterpart to take over the world. A classic techno-phobia story.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes -- Taylor's friend Brent looks for him on Ape Planet. The apes war against an underground human (mutant) remnant who have, and worship, a mega-bomb.

Gas-s-s-s -- A silly hippy comedy in which a nerve gas kills everyone over 35. The youth don't act much wiser than the adults did.

The Horror of Frankenstein -- A Hammer film, but without Peter Cushing as Victor. More gore, more risque, reinvents the basic story.

The Mind of Mr. Soames -- A 30 yr old man, in a coma since birth is made conscious. This baby in a man's body escapes, causing mayhem before recapture.

No Blade of Grass -- British post-apocalyptic tale. A virus kill grass plants (which include all grain plants) so global famine ensues. A group of refugees see a haven valley in Scotland.

Big Foot -- A gang of "motorcycle" youths discover a group of Big Foot creatures. The big feet capture buxom Joi Lansing as a sacrifice to a big bad Big Foot.

Horror of the Blood Monsters -- A team rocket to a planet of vampire cavemen, seeking a cure for a vampire virus outbreak on earth.

Trog -- Spelunking youths discover a thawed caveman. Scientists study him, but he escapes, kills, causes mayhem. The army shoot him dead.

Toomorrow -- "Lite" romantic comedy about a pop-rock band who soothes passing aliens with "good vibrations." Olivia Newton John stars.

Captain Nemo and the Underwater City -- Retelling the basic Jules Verne classic but with more romantic complications. Robert Ryan as Nemo. Chuck Conners co-stars.
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Captain Nemo and the Underwater City

The last sci-fi theatrical release of 1970 ( for Americans) was MGM's Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (CNUC). Produced in the UK and released in parts of Europe in 1969, CNUC made it to American on October of '70. The cast featured some big name American actors, such as Robert Ryan (who played Nemo) and Chuck Conners (who played Senator Fraser). Much of the rest of the cast were British, except for Luciana Paluzzi (who played Mala).

Quick Plot Synopsis
A storm sinks a ship bound from America to England. As some of the nearly drowned sink into the depths, scuba divers pull six of them into an ornate submarine. Senator Fraser, Helena Beckett and her young son Phillip, the two Bath brothers and a man named Lomax. They eventually meet Captain Nemo, who says they can never return, but are being taken to his underwater city: Templemere. The Bath brothers, Barnaby and Swallow, two-bit hustlers, are fascinated that so much is made of gold. Lomax is overly claustrophobic and nervous. They are all given tours and shown the wonders of Nemo's utopia. Farming from the sea, machines that make air and fresh water, produce gold as a byproduct, and everyone is so very content. Joab, Nemo's first mate, is keen on Mala, but she is more keen on Fraser. Lomax finds out about a pressure release valve which he thinks will be his way of escape. His plan fails and he only manages to drown himself in a flooded room. The Bath boys find out that there is a second sub -- Nautilus II -- and tell Fraser. He then shows interest in Nemo's operations and is taught to pilot Nautilus. While doing so, the monster manta ray, Mobula, attacks. Fraser shows piloting skill and stabs Mobula with Nautilus' spiky ram. Fraser is the city hero, which makes Mala all the more moony eyed. Joab, very jealous, arranges for Fraser and Bath boys to escape in Nautilus II. Fraser asks Mala if she'd consider living anywhere else. No. (rats). Fraser asks Helena if she wants to go back. Not really, she's gotten keen on Nemo. So, the three men escape in Nautilus II, but alarms are sound. Nemo gives chase in Nautilus. Fraser calls for full power, but the engines have a flaw. Nautilus II begins to break up. The crew don scuba tanks. Barnaby, obsessed with his treasure, grabs some, but his mouthpiece breaks free and he drowns. Swallow and Fraser make it to the surface and are picked up by a passing schooner. No one believes their tale, but that's okay with them. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
CNUC has the usual appeal of sci-fi set in victorian opulence. There is a modest steampunk quality to the film.

Cold War Angle
This is minor, but still lurking in the details. Nemo and Fraser have extended discussions on whether mankind is too corrupt to entrust with Nemo's amazing infinite power (i.e. nuclear). Then too, there is the subtle Godzilla reference. The monster ray, Mobula, was made into a giant murderous monster because of an explosion (nuclear?) during the construction of Templemere. Nukes make monsters!

Notes
Prequel? Sequel? -- Or none of the above. Some viewers consider CNUC as sequel to Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ('54), and a prequel to Columbia's Mysterious Island ('61). The thinking would be that Nemo doesn't die at the end of 20K, but goes into hiding and builds his underwater city. The story line in CNUC doesn't fit very well between those two, but with some continuity-forgiveness, it could be watched as the second part of a trilogy. Actually, the story in CNUC is more of a reworking of 20K but with Nemo's sub and loyal crew expanded into a utopian city full of loyal residents. The fact that Nemo and Templemere finish the film intact does suggest sequel potential for MGM.

Best Nemo? -- Some consider Robert Ryan to have been miscast (or misdirected) as Nemo. Some thought he was the best Nemo (at least he didn't die). James Mason played Nemo in Disney's 20,000 Leagues (54) Herbert Lom played Nemo in Mysterious Island (61). Robert Ryan plays Nemo in CNUC, of course. Jose Ferrer would play Nemo in the 1978 movie The Amazing Captain Nemo (or the Return Of… for the 3-part TV miniseries version). Which do YOU think was the best Nemo?

Snakes in Utopia -- 19th Century romantic notions imagined that if one could just provide a community's basic needs (food, shelter, etc.) that everyone would get along nicely. Templemere represents that. As long as their neo-god Nemo provided all they wanted, they were content and peaceful. But, there were snakes in Eden. The jealously of Joab showed how fallen man can derail utopia. Most utopias, whether they be economic or political or religious, seem to depend on all the inhabitants being of one mind. It only takes one, whose heart hankers off the prescribed path, to begin the ruin. Nemo thought he could maintain peace by providing all the stuff  his people could need. Desires are more difficult to control.

Comic Relief -- The actors who play Barnaby and Swallow Bath were well-known in the UK. Barnaby was played by Bill Fraser, who played Snudge in the long-running British comedy TV show, Bootsie and Snudge. Swallow was played by Kenneth Conner, who was in many of the Carry On… comedy films from the late 50s to the 80s.

Bottom line? CNUC is a moderately entertaining film with a heavy dose of victorian-era filigree in its sets. The scuba gear is only barely disused, evidence of a budget without as much filigree. The model work is reasonable, but secondary. The story is more of a drama in Verne-esque trappings. Not great, but worth watching.

Toomorrow

Both obscure and unusual, Toomorrow is a british sci-fi musical comedy. The film was intended to launch the pop rock group of the same name, (trying to repeat the Monkees' success) but the band's career never took off. The movie does star a young Olivia Newton John, many years before Grease ('78) would launch her stardom. The real band, Vic Cooper, Benny Thomas and Karl Chambers, play themselves, as art college students. Val Guest, writer of 50s sci-fi such as The Quatermass Xperiment ('55) and Quatermass II ('57), both wrote and directed Toomorrow.

Quick Plot Synopsis
An Alphoid space ship comes to earth orbit. It summons a man, Williams, living a genteel life in rural England. Williams is an Alphoid, in disguise as a human. He's been studying Earth for thousands of years, but has nothing interesting to report. The other Alphoids report that a crisis has developed in Alphoid-dom. Their "music" has lost its ability to soothe or stimulate. There is a growing "sterility of sound." Galactic Computer has picked up new "vibrations" which can save the Alphoids from blandness. The source is a group of London college students who have a band named Toomorrow. Williams must arrange their abduction so they can teach Alphoids this new vibration. Meanwhile, on earth, Olivia's alarm goes off. She makes breakfast tea for, Vic, Karl and Ben, all art college students. They are embroiled in the usual trite romantic complications of youth. They get a chance to play an important gig that evening, but need a place to rehearse. Williams offers his country home. They take him up on it, but as they leave, are beamed up to the ship. There, they get the whole back story, but refuse to be play on command. (chase around ship, some fake weightless effects. etc.) The Alphoids let them escape, deciding that they need a full-tilt concert with band AND audience to really get the vibrations they seek. Relationship trouble between Vic and his ballet student girlfriend Amy threaten to scuttle their big gig. Williams conjures up a blonde floozy to seduce Vic (and forget the petulant Amy) hoping to get the concert back on track. Various silly hijinks ensue as the floozy isn't too well programed. (Everyone she meets, she thinks is Vic Cooper). The many loose  plot threads resolve themselves and the band plays their gig. The audience is all grooving to the harmless pop tunes. Williams has them all beamed up to the ship. The band keeps playing, the audience dancing, despite being lifted into space. (fade to black) Olivia's alarm goes off, she makes breakfast, just like at the start of the movie. It was all a dream? Or was it? Vic finds the floozy's glasses on his keyboard. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
As a comedy, it's supposed to be fun. The humor is largely adolescent, so not all that funny. Olivia is best part. She's bright and perky and looks good in short shorts. The time-capsule aspect of the film, capturing the bopping innocent mid-60s is of some historical value.

Cultural Connection
Don Kirshner created a music commodity (perhaps not quite intentionally) with The Monkees in 1966. The TV show about a pop rock band actually generated some sellable music. Kirshner sought to repeat that success, but more deliberately with Toomorrow. The world depicted in Toomorrow is a clear example of the giddy, silly, pop days of the mid-60s -- an era of beach party movies, go-go dancers, tall boots, miniskirts and Volkswagens decorated with flowers. The band drive a yellow '64 Ford Cortina Estate, festooned with the stereotypic stick-on flowers. All this still exudes a vestige of the "innocence" of the 50s -- as viewed from a writer in his mid 50s viewing the youth culture of mid-60s. This was the "lite" world before the grittier Woodstock era reveled in grunge.

Notes
Lost Film Mashup? -- Imdb contains a curious "trivia" for this film. It says this movie was based upon an unreleased movie titled "The Gang" from 1967. Scant corroboration exists for this trivia. This date would be about right for a Monkees sequel, as they hit the scene in '66. So, it may be that Don Kirshner began his second movie-band project in 1967. Olivia said that it took two years to make the record. One setback came when the original drummer -- Chris Slade -- left the band and Karl replaced him. Any footage shot with Chris had to be replaced. The project may have also suffered from too many cooks and Kirshner not giving it his full attention. He was busy with another pop-band fabrication project, The Archies, in 1968. When Kirshner re-focused on Toomorrow again, he was disappointed in the direction it was going (without him) and left the project. Bruce Welch (Olivia's boyfriend at the time) tried to rescue the project, but the film company balked at expensive re-shoots. The result, appears to be the film we have now. Not terrible, but not that good either, and fatally passe by 1970 standards. One visual clue to the earlier-than-1970 filming was the car that Susan drove. She gets into a VERY new looking '67 Ford Anglia. (with its distinctive reverse-rake C-pillars) That model was discontinued in '68.

Irony Abounds -- In the movie, the band gets it's big break to stardom and succeed almost literally (stars). The movie was supposed to be the real band's big gig to stardom, but it failed. Cutesy pop with bright colors, gee-whiz smiles and tidy haircuts (The Monkees motif) were very mid-60s. Rock culture tastes had given way in just a couple years to grunge, angry eyes, shaggy hair, tie-dye, Hendrix and brutalism. Little wonder the market showed no interest. The band's name, Toomorrow, being ironic for a very yesterday look and sound. Ironic too, that the advanced aliens needed Formula Pop music, to re-invigorate their civilization.

Industry Parallel? -- Perhaps Val Guest wrote Tomorrow is a sort of metaphor for "garage bands". They dream of satisfying some need "out there" for their special blend of "vibrations." Young musicians (with a dash of youthful conceit) often imagine that they have the fresh new sound to replace the old "sterile" music of those who came before them. The climax of the movie -- when the aliens beam up the whole concert -- can be seen as a metaphor for the indie band fantasy of being discovered and "taken up" into the glittering universe of the music industry.

Neo-Bacchinal -- Another scene full of irony and revelation for our modern music-addicted culture, is at the Round House concert. The crowd (of extras) are directed to dance eagerly and 'really dig' the music with an almost bacchanalian zeal. Classical-fan Amy casts off her shoes and bops. Even Williams, the stoic alien, can't help but grin and dance all enthused. (From the Greek: en + theos = filled with the god -- in this case, the god of rock n' roll). Modern cultures since the 60s have elevated "their music" to demigod status. The irony is that the music they are supposedly so enthused by, is mediocre formula pop from middling staff writers -- not too far above elevator music.

Bad Timing -- A bit of silly script writing comes early on. The Alphoid captain tells Alphoid-Williams that he must hurry to abduct the band. They must leave orbit in 17 hours. "I hope there's time," says Williams. He then corrects himself to say that "time" means nothing to the Alphoids. Then why the deadline of 17 hours if time means nothing? Not one of Guest's better scripts.

Bottom line? Toomorrow is "lite" fare and mild entertainment. The sci-fi element is also "lite" and formulaic. The humor is juvenile and predictable. Fans of Olivia Newton-John may enjoy the film. She gets a good role and plays it well. Viewers who were alive and aware in the mid-60s may have some nostalgia value. If born later, one's inner-anthropologist can be intrigued studying the ancient lost civilization that was the mid-60s. Those lacking an inner-anthropologist will likely be annoyed.

Trog

In a surprising number of ways, Warner Brothers' Trog is like the half-brother to the films Bigfoot and Horror of the Blood Monsters. They have many similarities and parallels. Trog is the last big-screen appearance of acting legend Joan Crawford. The rest of the cast are British, a few have been in sci-fi films. Michael Gough, for example, was the lead alien in They Come From Beyond Space ('67). As a story, Trog lies at the periphery of sci-fi, but has just enough to merit inclusion in this study.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Three young men are exploring a cave. One of them goes deeper and is attacked and killed by an ape-headed shaggy man. The second boy tries to help but is hurt. He's taken to the lab/clinic of Dr. Brockton (Crawford). She's convinced there's something prehistoric in the cave. She and the other spelunker check it out. She takes a photo of it. Later, Trog comes out of the cave and into the media spotlight. Dr. Brockton tranquilizes him with her hypo-gun. Scientists study him. She tries to civilize him. They plant a chip in him that lets them (somehow), see what he sees in his mind. After showing him photos of dinosaur skeletons from a museum, Trog remembers live dinosaurs fighting. Doc thinks Trog lived millions of years ago but froze in a glacier. He only recently thawed out. Dr. Brockton spouts mumbojumbo about Trog being a missing link and proof of evolution. A court of inquest is held over the matter of Cliff's death. A local civic leader, Sam Murdock (Gough), has been fomenting to have the creature killed as it's bad for his housing project. The court adjourns for a few days. Meanwhile, Dr. Brockton and her scientists operate to give Trog a voicebox. He wakes up and almost sort of speaks. At the resumed inquest, Murdock objects one too many times and is ejected. The court adjourns again. Later that night, Murdock sneaks into the lab. He knocks out a guard, trashes the place and sets Trog free to take the blame for the damage. Trog beats up Murdock (to death) then flees into the foggy woods. He kills a couple of villagers. He comes upon a playground and captures a little girl with blond hair -- like the doll Dr. Brockton let him play with. He carries the fainted child to the cave and goes inside. The army arrive to kill the beast. Dr. Brockton goes into the cave and sweet talks Trog into surrendering the child. The army go in, guns ablating, and shoot up Trog as he stands on a ledge. He falls to his death on a sharp stalagmite. Roll credits. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
What is essentially another remake of the King Kong story on a lesser scale, gives Trog some interest. Other features of interest are cited below.

Cultural Connection
Missing Links, cavemen and dinosaurs were, apparently, hot stuff in the early 70s. It is interesting to note how many of these films posit that cavemen and dinosaurs were contemporaries. These date back to Lost World ('25) through One Million B.C. ('40) to Dinosaurus ('60), to One Million Years B.C. ('66) with many more in between them all.

Notes
Bigfoot Parallels -- Both this film and Bigfoot are remixes of the old King Kong story. In both films, the ape-man is touted as the "Missing Link" between modern man and Neanderthal. In both films, the ape-man is far more ape than even Neanderthal. Both ape-men take a shine to a platinum blonde. Both carry off their blonde to their private lair. Both are shot dead with many bullets after surrendering their blonde.

Horrors Parallels -- This film and Horror of the Blood Monsters, another film of 1970, share a significant stylistic parallel too. Both feature recycled footage from the mid-50s, which was tinted various colors to integrate it into the modern color footage. Horror used a black and white 1956 Filippino fantasy/adventure film about cavemen and really strange cavemen. For Trog, Herman Cohen arranged to use clips from a 1956 documentary by Irwin Allen titled The Animal World, also from 1956. It contains the museum skeleton shots and the stop-motion animated dinosaurs -- which were done by Ray Harryhausen.

Soames Parallels -- There are even some social commentary parallels to The Mind of Mr. Soames (another 1970 Brithish film). Both feature a primitive human who becomes enmeshed in a social tug-o-war. On the one hand, are the soft-hearted liberals, the doctors, who want to study him, rehabilitate and nurture him with toys. On the other hand are the hard-nosed conservatives who insist on justice, protecting the public and punishment. In both cases, the hapless subject gets loose into the 'civilized' world and runs afoul of civilization. Like Soames, Trog becomes an unfortunate pawn in the political power struggles. This trope will surface again in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.

Darwinian Blather -- As with most all missing link movies, the writers try to dress up their scenario with blather about evolution which usually makes an unintended mockery of Darwinism. For one, they all seem to accept that cavemen and dinosaurs walked the earth together. This gives modern evolutionists fits. Then there is the (now) quaint notion that modern humans descended in a single chain -- therefore the need for "links" missing in the chain. Evolutionists had long ago given up on the chain model, yet, such notions of evolution have percolated down into the culture such that even science-minded laymen will spew similar equally flawed darwin-blather with smugness. They may well have learned it from the movies.

Bottom line? Trog is not particularly good film. It has little science beyond evolution fluff. The caveman makeup is poor. Joan Crawford lends dignity to the film, but cannot save it. Trog is more interesting when viewed in context with its sibling films cited above. On its own, it's not worth much effort to find.

Horror of the Blood Monsters

Director Al Adamson was akin to a resourceful mother who could take several unrelated leftovers from the back of the fridge, toss in a few new ingredients and call it supper. His 1970 film, Horror of the Blood Monsters (HBM) was an ultra-cheap mashup of other people's movies, repurposed with some new footage. John Carradine stars in the glue segments as Dr. Rynning. Adamson's new space travel segments turned the old Filippino caveman film into a sci-fi. The story in HBM wanders, sometimes inserting unrelated material, but amounts to a spaceflight mission to a planet of vampire cavemen. HBM is an odd film.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Vampirism is spreading on earth. (Several people bite other people and become a vampire gang). The lurid narrator, speaking as one of the vampires, tells how the vampire virus came from a distant planet. A mission is sent to that planet to discover the cause and find a cure. Bryce, Willy, Bob, Linda and Dr. Rynning fly in a rocket to this planet. They encounter the usual random meteorite which damages their ship. They must set down for repairs. It just so happens that the nearby planet is the one they seek. Rynning must stay in the ship due to poor health. The other four trek around the planet with varying monochrome color. They see two tribes of cavemen fighting -- the Tagani and the Snake Men. They see some cavemen chasing a pretty brunette in a white one-piece swimsuit-cavegirl outfit. They shoot the pursuers and save the girl. They plant a communication chip at the base of Malee's brain so she can speak and understand english. Malee tells how the Tubaton, the vampire cavemen, always attack her peace-loving tribe, the Tagani, in order to suck out their blood. She was on her way with Sukie (Tagani boy) to the cave of the fire water, as only the fire water keeps away the Tubaton. Bryce figures out that "fire water" is crude oil. They can distill some crude oil to get the fluids they need to fix the ship. Malee shows them the way. We get to see the other Tagani group also headed for the cave. They encounter lobster men in the river and are attacked by Tubaton. Despite all this, they reach the cave. Inside, they are attacked by Bat Men. Sukie, Ramir and the other Tagani defeat the Bat Men, and carry off bags of fire water. Bryce and Bob go in after them to get some too. Meanwhile, at Ground Control, Colonel Manning and his wife (also a mission control engineer) are enjoying the electronic orgasmatron while they wait for word from XB-13. (?) Bryce and Linda carry back the oil cans. Bob and Willy go to help Malee's people. Bob is speared by a Tubaton. Willy gets sick from radiation (the colored world). Too late for Bob, but Bryce carries Willy back to the ship. They fuel up and blast off. Malee watches, all forlorn and fondling the necklace Willy gave her. Rynning theorizes that the planet once had intelligent life, but they developed thermo-nuclear fusion weapons and wiped themselves out. Watch the model ship "fly" over green-screen stars. Fade to black. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
HBM is a very scattered and zany film. At times, it almost makes sense -- but this doesn't usually last for long. But, how can you go wrong with Snake Men, Lobster Men and Vampire Cavemen? It's not cerebral, but it is certainly different.

Cold War Angle
The moral of the story -- if indeed there is one -- is that advanced thermo-nuclear weapons will destroy a civilization.

Notes
Filippino Footage -- Most of HBM comes from the 1956 Filippino film by Rolf Bayer. The original title, in Tagalog was Kahariang Bato. This film was then dubbed into english and retitled as Tagani. This original story was about a fight for survival by the peaceful Tagani tribe, beset by various evil fantasy tribes, such as the vampire Tubaton, the Snake Men and the Lobster Men. Amid all that, one Tagani named Takil has turned traitor. He helps the Tubaton kidnap the lovely Leela. Brave Ramir comes and rescues her. Bayer shot his film in black and white. It would seem that Adamson used the english-dubbed version. A few times, the original cavemen are speaking, but obviously dubbed. A few of the cavemen, such as wise grandfather, are voiced by Paul Frees.

Stock-osaurus -- The many "dinosaur" segments, Adamson lifted from the 1940 film One million B.C. These include the classic lizard vs alligator with fin glued on his back, both doing the death roll. Also, sharp-eyed viewers will see the "wooly mammoth" footage reused too. HBM then becomes just another in a long line of films which put cavemen and dinosaurs in the same time. Some evolutionary purists have a hard time with this.

Recycled Wizard -- Also recycled are all the space-travel segments. These were repurposed from The Wizard of Mars ('65, aka Horrors of the Red Planet). WoM also featured John Carradine as said wizard. Some of the rocket interior sets were either reused or built to match. (note the diamon-shaped-holes in the many tape reels). Some interior footage was reused if it didn't have any actors in it.

Orgasmitron? -- One of the total non-sequitur bits has Colonel Manning and Valerie -- who dutifully man the ground control consoles -- in bed under black satin sheets with electrodes stuck to their temples. They make out mildly, but overdubbed are heavy breathing and moaning, as the lights on the ograsmitron blink away. Manning has to go check and see if XB-13 had called in or not, but he promises to come back and turn the dial up to full, to give her the satisfaction she deserves. He does and she moans more. What has this got to do with anything? Did Adamson really wish to be making soft porn? These are very odd scenes.

XM Becomes XB-13 -- Fans of old sci-fi will note how the story (some of it) in HBM is a rehash of Rocketship X-M ('50). A rocket is diverted by a damaging impact. On the planet, they find mutant cavemen and some pretty ones. They find traces of a civilization that wiped itself out with nukes. One of the party is killed and left behind. Two of the crew are in love. Their repaired ship returns them to earth with the warning to lay off the nukes. Seem familiar? 20 years later, the basic story of RXM was still good enough to copy.

Bottom line? HBM is a very strange movie. It really can't decide what its story is. It starts out being about vampirism spreading on earth, but that gets forgotten. It's about a mission to another planet to find the cause of the vampirism, but they forget this and just try to come home. It's about modern electronic love. It's about cavemen and pretty cavewomen. It's about vampire cavemen. It's a love story. It's a film that somehow fails to equal the sum of its many parts. Yet, it has a train-wreck fascination to it. Don't watch HBM with any expectations. Just enjoy its eccentricity.

Bigfoot

Robert F. Slatzer wrote and directed Bigfoot. This film would normally fall outside of this study of science fiction movies, since there is virtually no "science" involved. It squeaks in as a James Craig double-feature, as he starred in the Frankenstein-with-plants film The Revenge of Dr. X. He plays a secondary role here. Bigfoot starred John Carradine, star of many other low-B-grade sci-fi from the 50s and 60s. He was the Cosmic Man ('59) and Wizard of Mars ('65) among others. Then too, there were other Yeti films in the ranks of semi-sci-fi. So, it is by these peripheral connections, that Bigfoot is included here. Completed in 1969, it was released in late October of 1970.

Quick Plot Synopsis
A buxom blonde pilot (Joi Lansing) has engine trouble over the rugged California mountains. He bails out. Once on the ground, she quickly strips off her functional jumpsuit, down to a skimpy deep-v micro-dress. (perfect for surviving in the woods!) A bigfoot comes out of the woods. She faints. It captures her. Meanwhile, a "gang" of youths ride their buzzy Yamaha motorcycles through the woods. One couple stop to neck. The buxom Chris is also captured by a bigfoot. Her boyfriend Rick is knocked out. Both Joi and Chris are tied to small trees. A group of "female" bigfeet clamor nearby. Rick comes to and goes for help. The sheriff (Craig) is condescending. A traveling peddler (Carradine) and his partner agree to help because they sense a lucrative carnival attraction. The rest of Rick's motorcycle friends eventually join in too. (apparently you can call a gang of bikers in the woods from a pay phone) Long scenes of searching through the woods pad out the runtime. The female bigfeet take Joi up the mountain to be "given" to the big bad bigfoot. While she is tied to trees, a bear "attacks". Big Bad Bigfoot (BBB) fights the bear. Joi gets loose and runs away. BBB wins and chases Joi. She faints, so he captures her. Jasper, Elmer and Rick have been captured by the female bigfeet and tied to trees beside Chris. The biker youths arrive and rescue them. Jasper and others go to save Joi and/or capture BBB for fun and prizes. BBB carries the unconscious Joi up into the mountains. When he stops to throw a foam boulder at them, Joi runs off again. BBB chases her again, and again captures her. The gang catch up and wound BBB in the leg. He sets down Joi and is shot several more times. One of the youth throws dynamite at him which blows him up. All walk away happy. Jasper tries to recruit Joi as an alternate sideshow attraction. Beauty and the Beast. Pan up. Fade to black. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Aside from the visual appeal of Joi Lansing, John Carradine's hammy portrayal of a grizzled southern "Johnny Reb" traveling pot salesman, is quite amusing.

Cultural Connection
The Patterson film, shot in 1967, purported to show "actual footage" of a bigfoot. This amateur footage invigorated a whole new round of bigfoot-mania. Slatzer's story and movie (only two years later) sought to capitalize on the craze. Slatzer tried to align his film with the new Patterson-film meme by filming his men in ape suits in the same sort of rocky woodlands that Patterson had shot his film. The fact that Slatzer and Patterson's imagery look so similar, actually undermines Patterson somewhat. We know Slatzer's bigfeet are men in ape suits.

Notes
Shallow Joi -- Slatzer cast Joi for her obvious and ample cheesecake qualities, but his script leaves her character hugely under-developed (irony intended). On the one hand, she's a pilot, which takes some brains, courage and skill. She also seems to know some anthropology, so she's well-read. Not a bad start. Modern intelligent women could be cute too. No rule against that. But, she's also written as a shallow "blonde". Where was she flying to, dressed in a skimpy micro-dress? Her line about the bigfeet is an enigma. "They're subhuman, but they live like animals." Huh? On the one hand, she's plucky and athletic enough to keep escaping and running through the woods barefoot, but she passes out more often than a fainting goat. In the end, this amateur anthropologist pilot had nothing better to do with her life than be a sideshow attraction? Seriously? Joi deserved so much better. Sadly, she died of cancer only a few years after this film.

They're After Our Women! -- The age-old trope was still going strong. That ancient tribal anxiety that rival tribes are out to steal out prime womenfolk, is told without any subtlety in Bigfoot. Rather blatantly, (it's even on the poster) the purpose of Bigfoot stealing OUR buxom babes, is to breed with them. Quite a few Abduction Scenes are sprinkled through the film. Big Bad Bigfoot even gets to capture Joi several times. One suspects that the writer was himself intrigued with the Abduction trope. The three "other" bigfeet were supposed to be females (you can't tell), but apparently, Big Bad covets the same thing human males covet -- a very buxom blonde in a skimpy micro-dress, or a pretty brunette in a bikini (this was her idea of motorcycling in the woods attire?). The baby bigfoot is then hinted to be a crossbreed human-bigfoot from a prior abduction of "a pretty young thing," told as backstory. Apparently, Big Bad liked "our" women better than his own.

Kong Gone Wrong -- There is more than a passing resemblance to King Kong in Slatzer's story. A large ape-like creature is "given" a pretty platinum blonde, tied to trees. The creature abducts pretty blonde and tries to climb high to get away. In the end, the creature puts down his blonde and is shot dead. Jasper even says, once the creature is dead, "Twas beauty that killed the beast." All too Kong-like. Slatzer's script, however, makes his mini-Kong so unsympathetic (he's basically a furry serial kidnapper/rapist) that there is no remorse at his death.

Small Star Gazing -- Judy Jordan, who plays the first captive girl, Chris, also played in The Love War ('70) as the (uncredited) perky information girl. Christopher Mitchum, who plays her boyfriend Rick, is the son of actor Robert Mitchum. Christopher's acting would get better, but after this film.

Scant "Science" -- What little science there is in Bigfoot lies in how Slatzer advanced the mythos of "bigfeet" that they were clearly primitive humanoids -- with enough DNA similarity to allow cross-breeding. They bury their dead and make tools (stone clubs). They can, apparently, make their own rope and can tie knots! Joi muses to Chris that the bigfeet were the "missing link" between Neanderthal and modern man. The shaggy ape costumes, however, look more a step before Neanderthal, if one buys the whole "steps" notion.

Bottom line? Bigfoot is a poorly done film, typical of low-budget B grade drive-in fodder. Yet, after watching The Revenge of Dr.X, a film like Bigfoot seems more polished…or at least coherent. The far-too-abundant filler scenes of trudging through the woods (real and sound stage), and motorcycles buzzing annoyingly along woodland paths, get tedious. There is precious little for a sci-fi fan. Fans of John Carradine or Joi Lansing get healthy doses of both. Otherwise, Bigfoot is a fairly forgettable film from the silly early 70s.

The Revenge of Dr.X

This review is a bit out of chronological order. The Revenge of Dr. X (RDX) was released in February of 1970. As such, it would have appeared at the same time as The Horror of Frankenstein, which is fitting. RDX is a variant on the Frankenstein trope, and a very low B-grade production that looks like a poor quality made-for-television movie. RDX went by many titles (see below). Some copies have the wrong credits. The film appears aimed at the drive-in market, as the topless pearl divers would obviously not have been television fare.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Dr. Bragan is an over-stressed NASA scientist. His rocket lifts off successfully, but he suffers a bit of a breakdown. His associate, Paul, suggests a summer vacation in Japan to dabble in botany, as a way to relax. Driving up to New York from Florida, he has car trouble. At the country gas station and snake pit, he collects a venus flytrap plant. He flies with it to Japan. Paul's niece, Noriko, will be Bragan's guide and assistant for the summer. She's a botanist. They travel to a remote abandoned hotel owned by her father. The caretaker is a creepy hunchback who like's to play Bach's Toccata in D on the pipe organ. Bragan sets up shop in the greenhouse, nurturing his venus flytrap. He also seeks a sea plant of similar habits. He and Noriko dive around but can't find one. Noriko enlists the aid of a group of topless pearl divers. They find one. Bragan packs it off to his lab. There, he grafts the two together surgically to create a human-sized plant man. He brings it to life with lightening from a storm. They figure out that it eats animals. Noriko worries about the monster, but Bragan sees it as his triumph. All it needs is the blood from a human heart. He sneaks into a sanitarium and withdraws a syringe of blood from a bare-chested patient. Once he injected the blood, the monster can move. It emits a sleeping gas which knocks out Noriko and Bragan. It escapes, terrorizes the village and kills some hapless villagers. The villagers turn out as a mob with torches. Bragan says he will destroy the monster, but really wants to rescue it and flee. He finds the monster in the rocky hills, but the two of them fall off a cliff and presumably die. Noriko carries the baby goat down the mountain. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
RDX is so low budget that it's almost fun to watch for its lack of production value. James Craig's manic over-acting can be amusing too. RDX is just bizarre enough to have a sort of eccentric charm.

Cultural Connection
The Frankenstein story was an easy sell (and easy to write). The market for really cheap second features for drive-ins was still there in 1970.

Notes
By Many Names -- RDX went by many names. Ed Wood Jr. is said to have listed a film called Venus Flytrap among his works. This film has also gone by the benign and cryptic title of The Double Garden. It has also appeared with the title Body of the Prey. The copy for this review carried the title The Revenge of Dr. X -- which doesn't fit very well, as Dr. Bragan is never called Dr. X, nor does he have any wrong to be avenged. He's just mad -- and angry.

Frankenstein Roots -- Much of RDX is a remake of Frankenstein, but with the mad doctor being a botanist instead of a biologist. Matching features include: The doctor sewing up various parts to make his man-like creation. The use of lightening to animate it. The creature is hoisted to the roof on a tilting table so the lighting can strike. It emerges off of a tilting lab table. Noriko says, "It's alive!" The doctor has a hunchback minion. The hunchback taunts the monster. The monster escapes and kills some villagers. The villagers assemble a mob with torches. The monster and its creator die.

Intriguing Loose Thread -- Nothing is made of it, but apparently Bragan was turning into a plant monster himself, after getting some plant juice in an open cut. He covered up one hand with a big black rubber glove, and put a mouse into it. The mouse never came out. His other hand is turning green. Curious that nothing was made of this thread.

In the Woods? -- The credits on some copies of the film are for a completely different film -- the Mad Doctor of Blood Island. Conventional wisdom says that Ed Wood Jr. wrote the story. The tale certainly has its bizarre quirkiness enough to have come from Ed.

Budget Gable -- James Craig, who usually played in westerns, looks vaguely like Clark Gable after a hard life. Craig plays his part with exaggeration and hamminess all the more obvious by the sedate acting of the japanese actors. His manic bouts of being a total jerk have a sort of morbid fascination to them.

Car Nuts -- There are many late 60s japanese cars on display. The nice red Honda S600 gets almost as much screen time to get third billing in the credits.

Bottom line? RDX is a deservedly obscure film with such low production values that early 50s TV shows look slick. The "music" is canned generic stuff that only occasionally fits. Most of the time is jarringly wrong. Fans of Ed Wood-style films will find plenty of what they like. Frankenstein fans might be amused at the parallel universe remake. RDX must be seen to believe such a film could exist.

No Blade of Grass

Apocalyptic movies were still much in style in the early 70s. Nuclear armageddon had to share time with other causes, though. Bio-geddon was a popular second. An obscure member of this group was No Blade of Grass (NBG). Based on the 1956 novel by John Christopher, the screenplay was co-written by, then produced and directed by Cornel Wilde. Nigel Davenport (who we had just seen in The Life of Mr. Soames) stars as the hero father trying to save his family amid the collapse of civilization.

Quick Plot Synopsis
People in a London pub carry on their consumption while the television, barely noticed, tells the backstory. A virus emerged in China which kills off plants in the grass family -- such as rice. Failure of the harvest caused massive famine and riots. The Chinese were rumored to have bombed their own cities to reduce the population. The virus has spread to wheat, oats, barley, etc. (all grasses) and to other areas. Roger, a government worker, tells John Custance (Davenport) that the government is taking the virus seriously and has some severe plans. That night, Roger calls John, telling him to get his family out of London immediately, as the city will be closed in the morning. He packs his wife, Ann, and teen daughter Mary into the car. They and Roger get out just in time. Their goal is John's brother's farm in the north. They get their young son, David, from his boarding school. En route, they pass through rioting mobs. They try to buy some guns but don't have the proper papers. They get the guns anyhow, and joined by Pirrie and his wife Clara. Rapists ambush John's car, raping his wife and Mary. All but one rapist are shot -- one by Ann herself. Another band steal their cars so they have to proceed on foot. Along the way, Pirrie's wife plays the flirty tart with John. Pirrie shoots Clara in jealous rage. Suddenly single, Pirrie takes a shine to Mary. Much tension, resolved by Mary accepting his attentions. (Despite his recent track record.) Their group merges with another, larger group, as John tells them of the wonderful valley of his brother. After much trudging though bleak Yorkshire hills dotted with dead animals, the group is best by a biker gang. The well-armed group takes cover amid boulders and holds off the circling bikers and even thwarting a biker charge. Once they get to the valley, John's brother won't let the group in. There's not enough food to support them all. He offers to let John and family sneak in, but John declines. Instead, he rallies his group to attack his brother's wall. John and Pirrie pick off several sentries in the pre-dawn light. Pirrie shoots the brother, but dies of a gunshot. The rest of the men storm the wall with ladders and take it. The men defending the valley surrender. John brings his group in and is the new leader. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Apocalyptic movies aren't "fun" per se, but they have become common enough to invite some compare-and-contrast exercises which can be fun. NBG shares features with many other films. More on those in the Notes section below.

Cultural Connection
Environmentalism was just starting to be a hot-button issue. It would grow to rival Radiation as the bugaboo of choice in the post-Cold-War world. For example: Toho Studios used Godzilla as a metaphor for nuclear war in 1954. In 1971 Toho would bring us Heorah: The Smog Monster. Pollution would assume many of the same magical qualities that radiation did in the 50s. It could create, transform things, and even think -- in villainous ways, of course. Watch for the magical new moister as the 70s progress. Much later, we'll see The Day the Earth Stood Still remade, but with mankind's sin being pollution instead of nuclear arms.

Notes
By The Book -- The movie version of NBG follows the novel fairly well, with some of the usual necessary deviations when going from print to screen. The most significant deviation, however, was the heavy-handed insertion of pollution as the ultimate case of doom. In the novel, the Chung-Li virus arises in China with no described cause. There is little, if any, preaching about pollution. The virus became the global scourge through bureaucratic bungling.

Themes Familiar -- NBG has a lot in common with the 1962 film Panic in the Year Zero ('62), which also features a strong father trying to preserve his family amidst the collapse of civilization after an apocalyptic event. PYZ also has a conflicted (soft) mother, a gun shop scene, a rape scene, and ends with the family making it to safety. Then too, you have the Valley of Safety in Day the World Ended ('55), which also featured a strong father, a lovely daughter, a tough guy and a floozy. The flight to safety is also reminiscent of Wilde's own 1966 film, The Naked Prey, in which a lone European is pursued through the African savannah by natives until he reaches his own Valley of Safety -- a colonial fort.  Of course, both NBG and PYZ harken to Moses leading the Israelites from Egypt (the bad place with famine and death) to the Promised Land, while encountering hostiles along the way (The biker gang as Amalekites, etc.) and even the crossing a river and fighting the original inhabitants (Canaanites) to posses the Promised Land.

Tedious Eco-Brimstone -- Wilde inserted FAR too many ecology harangues. Smoke stacks belching smoke, industrial runoff, dead fish, oil-soaked birds, and dead animals, etc. They weren't salient to the plot, but just there to browbeat the audience with how nasty pollution is. Shame on you all! The shaggy street corner "prophets" of the new Mother Earth cult would be every bit as strident, preaching eco-hell for our enviro-sins. Juxtaposing images of starving Africans with close-ups of Brits chewing big mouthfuls was such flagrant "liberal" nagging that it bordered on comical. Comedy was probably not Wilde's intention.

Early Global Warming -- An interesting tidbit, almost tossed in offhand, is the whole (current) global warming topic -- but 35 years before Al Gore took it mainstream. Young David says (as voiceover) "The earth is getting warmer because all the pollution is keeping the heat in and the polar ice caps will melt. Everybody will be drowned." This was more of a deluvian doom, (ala Noah) than is currently in vogue, but NBG had Global Warming back in 1970!

Flash-Forward Flaw? -- Many viewers have been put off by Wilde's use of flash forwards, feeling that they ruin the surprise or break the viewer's sense of experiencing the story alongside the characters. Awkward as they are, Wilde had a reason for them. For instance, early on, Mary is coyly telling Roger that she doesn't think she needs her virginity anymore. She says he should make her "a woman." Wilde then inserts a flash-forward clip of the rape scene. She would lose her virginity alright, but not at all the way she presumed. Wilde inserted many other flash forwards, using them as an exo-narrative commentary, undermining the characters' presumptions. The terrible new world was not going to work the way they imagined.

Bottom line? NBG has its flaws, but is still an intriguing look at the collapse of civilization due to global famine. Some of the film's flaws may stem from the usual pitfalls when the same man writes, produces and directs. The author's original premise remains thought-provoking. NBG is obscure, but worth the effort for fans of post-apocalypse movies.

The Mind of Mr. Soames

Late in 1970, Columbia distributed an Amicus Productions film that was not overtly sci-fi, yet fits well in that Oort Cloud movies that have a smidgeon of sci-fi. The Mind of Mr. Soames (MMS) is thoughtful drama that explores, at least in part, some threads inherent in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It also explores, in subtle ways that rift between a tightly structured society (via science) and humanity. To American audiences, the cast of british actors were unknowns. The exception was Robert Vaughn (of Man from U.N.C.L.E. fame). For the most part, though, MMS made a minimal impression when released and quickly sank into obscurity.

Quick Plot Synopsis
John Soames has been in a coma since he was born, 30 years ago. He has been kept alive at a research institute by intravenous feeding and respirator. A talented neurosurgeon, Dr. Bergen (Vaughn) arrives to attempt to awaken him. The institute's director, Dr. Maitland (Nigel Davenport ) is keen to use John as an experiment to prove his theories of education. Right off, there is a clash in philosophies between the two doctors. The operation is a success. John awakens, some days later, like a newborn infant in a man's body. Maitland begins his strict regimen. John progresses, but eventually matures to the "terrible twos" stage with some tantrums and refusing to cooperate. Maitland pushes for tight discipline. John goes into a funk, refusing to do anything. Maitland frets that John is lapsing back into a coma. Bergen thinks it's more a case of pouting. He uses toys and games to win over John. Maitland is not keen on the wasteful frivolity, but the improvement in John undermines his complaints. One day, Bergen lets John out onto the grounds and gardens. John loves the freedom and sensations. Maitland has him rounded up like an escaped prisoner. Later, John seizes an opportunity to get outside again, by cracking a chair across the head of one of the aides. Now John is loose in the country. He gets picked up by a chatty salesman and dropped off near Chelsea. He is chased out of a pub for not paying for his sandwich. He takes a coat from an unlocked car, and is chased into the woods. He is grazed by a car on a back road. The husband and wife take him to their house to nurse him back to health. Newspapers clue them in that he is the escaped "baby." John escapes the Bannerman home before the police arrive. He found money in the coat pocket, so buys a ticket to London. In the train compartment, the young woman music student mistakes his friendliness for an assault and stops the train. John runs and hides in a barn. The police, Maitland, Bergen and a news crew come to the barn. Maitland tries to order John out, or theater him out, to no avail. Bergen goes in and coaxes John out. When the TV crew switch on the flood lights, John is frightened and tosses the pitchfork he was using as a crutch. It flies and stabs Bergen in the leg. John is reduced sobs, in a fetal position in the rain-soaked mud. He is taken away. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Actor Terrence Stamp does an excellent job of playing Soames -- an infant or young boy in a man's body. He's quite believable. The conflicting philosophies of human nature are interestingly explored. Neither is entirely right, nor wrong. Many scenes are shot from John's POV, which add depth.

Cultural Connections
Several films around this time, explore the rift between Science (harsh, demanding, inflexible) and Humanity (emotional, variable). Exploring this conflict has been part of sci-fi for years. (Orwell's 1984, for instance). The early 70s would spawn several films -- some obscure, some famous -- that explore that oil-and-water mix of Science and Man

Notes
Shades of Shelley -- MMS plays out a facet of Mary Shelley's famous Frankenstein. Like Soames, her monster was "born" a full grown man, but a tabula rasa. Her monster escaped and taught himself, more or less, the basic life skills and speech. John is taught by others, yet his chief teacher, Maitland, has that Frankenstein quality of an unrelenting scientific pursuit, ignoring the human cost. MMS is like a glimpse between the lines of what Shelley's monster had to go through.

Hint of Passion -- A nice subtle element in MMS is how "love" (or at least, the desire for love) is handled. Seems that modern movie formulas demand full-tilt bedroom scenes. MMS was able to broach the topic in delightfully understated British way. When John is convalescing at the Bannerman's home, he strokes the side of Jenny's face while she talks to him. A 30 year-old would come with a libido, which toddlers don't (if you except Freud). She doesn't mind and tells him how her husband is a drunk and a jerk. Clearly, she is attracted to the innocent affections of John. She even gives him a kiss goodbye shortly before he escapes again.

Homo Guinea -- At the core of MMS is John, the victim of unrelenting science to mold him into the image the scientists think he should have. In this way, John is the guinea pig, rather like a "good" parallel to Alex in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange ('71). Like Alex, his humanity is driven into rebellion by the process. Other films coming up will also feature this flavor of technophobia -- men as guinea pigs of Science.

Bottom line? MMS is not a fast-action popcorn munching film, which may explain its obscurity. It is a slower paced, more thoughtful look into the nature of mankind. The sci-fi elements are there, but overshadowed by their ramifications. If you want aliens or monsters, MMS will seem boring. If you want something to muse over for a few days, check it out.

The Horror of Frankenstein

Hammer Films' Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed ('69) was well received, but Hammer's revenue continued to decline. The studio sought to reinvigorate their Frankenstein franchise with a younger actor (Ralph Bates) instead of Peter Cushing. Hammer added more gore, and more sex, the later via the cleavagy Kate O'Mara and Veronica Carlson. HoF was written, produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster, a writer of the earlier Hammer Frankenstein films. Despite having "more" of what the studio executives imagined young 70s audiences wanted, The Horror of Frankenstein (HoF) was not all that well received by those audiences.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Young Victor wants to study anatomy, but his father, the Baron, says "over my dead body" (essentially). So, Victor arranges for one of his father's guns to explode in his face. Having inherited the title and wealth, Victor goes to Vienna to study anatomy, leaving behind his school friends: Henry, Elizabeth, Stephan and Louise. In Vienna, he makes a new friend, William. The two of them return to Castle Frankenstein for the summer to do experiments. The housekeeper, Alys, was the sex toy of the father, and carries on those duties with Victor. His equipment and experiments are benign enough at first. After reviving a dead turtle, Victor confesses his true plan, to build a person. This is too much for William. Victor employs a grave robber to bring him body parts. He does. William threatens to expose Victor for his horrors. Victor electrocutes William, and uses some of his body parts. The last part he needs is a brain. William poisons Elizabeth's father. Digger gets his brain after the funeral. When Digger brings it up to the lab, the assembled monster startles him, so he drops the brain. It is damaged. Victor pushes Digger into his vat of acid. He knew too much. Meanwhile, Elizabeth finds out her dead father was deep in debt. She is cast onto the streets by the creditors. She goes to Victor's castle for help (she has always loved Victor). Victor installs the damaged brain and jolts it alive with help from lightening. The monster knocks Victor out and goes out into the woods. There, he encounters a wood cutter, whom he kills with his own ax. Stephan, now Victor's cook, sees this and tells the police. Victor plays coy, but had knocked out his monster and brought him back to the castle. Chained in a dungeon, Victor trains the mute creature, using raw meat rewards. With no other suspect, the courts condemn Stephan for the crime. Digger's wife comes looking for her husband. She says she must tell the police about him delivering body parts and all. Victor says fine, take the short cut through the woods. She does, and Victor has his monster waiting. She dies. When the police come asking around, Alys tries to blackmail Victor for what she knows. Victor shows her the dungeon and tosses her in with the monster. She dies. Later, the monster breaks free and wanders off. He scares a young girl in another poor man's forest cabin. Victor anesthetizes the monster to hide him. When the police come to search his lab, the young girl pokes around the lab curiously. She pulls the ropes, dumping acid into the vat where Victor had hidden his monster. A win and a loss. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
The visual charm of Hammer's Victorian gothic style is still much in evidence.

Saga Connection
HoF amounts to a remake of Hammer's hit Curse of… ('57). It follows young Victor, who inherits the title, has a servant as a mistress, who is killed by the monster. His monster also kills some other people. In the end, the monster is destroyed in a vat of acid, so there is no evidence of it. Sound familiar? Since JImmy Sangster wrote the screenplay for CoF, it's little surprise that the two stories are so much alike. As a remake of the first chapter, HoF is not really part of the larger epic.

Notes
Hammer Falls More -- HoF was supposed to appeal to the modern (70s) audience, especially young males. It had a younger star for the Baron, it had more blood and violence and more cleavage. Yet, the added bells and whistles did not help. HoF was not a box office hit. Perhaps Cushing's Baron was more important than youth. Hammer did bring him back for one last Frankenstein film. Perhaps the Victorian gothic style -- which sold so well in the 60s -- was just not the 70s' cup of tea. Perhaps word got out that the plot was just a rehash and nothing new.

More Sex, More Violence -- Hammer was trying to compete with the newer cheap gore films and blatant sex content. They tried to wedge more of both in a Frankenstein movie, but it still didn't help. They put Kate O'Mara (Alys) into an absurd costume that gave her a nearly bare chest. Director Jimmy Sangster kept having her curtsey deeply as if hoping to entrance (male) viewers into expecting overflow. Veronica Carlson (Elizabeth) had her amplitude threatening to spill over too, but with a bit more dignity. There are a few sex scenes too, though mild enough for 21st century television. The violence is cranked up a notch too, with the monster brutally chopping a victim with his own axe and more bloody body parts on tables and in jars. Boosting the sex and violence, however, did not help.

Buff Monster -- The monster in HoF is played by David Prowse. He would later gain fame playing Darth Vader (though with the mask, who'd know?). The makeup was confined to the upper head and vaguely reminiscent of Jack Pierce's famous Universal monster. The rest was just David's muscular physique. with de facto shorts made of bandages. This buff version of the monster is incongruous with the whole frightening-monster idiom begun by Shelley. It may have been another (desperate) attempt by Hammer to appeal to younger viewers. That didn't work either. Prowse came off more like a dim-witted jock than a monster.

Bottom line? HoF is considered by Hammer Frankenstein fans to be the weakest of the series. As a remake of CoF, it certainly lacks novelty. HoF isn't a bad film, per se, it just had bigger shoes to fill than it could manage. There is the usual small dabble of science via surgery, but this is even smaller in HoF.

Gas-s-s-s

Roger Corman gave the world of B-grade sci-fi many fun films. His career as a director did not go out with dignity, however. His last film with American International Pictures, Gas: Or, It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It (GAS) was a threadbare epilogue to Corman's works. GAS barely qualifies as sci-fi (and even that, only in the initial premise). The story attempts to be a post-apocalyptic comedy but manages to be more of a middle-aged man's view of hippy culture. Music by Country Joe and the Fish does manage to give the film at least, a period flavor.

Quick Plot Synopsis
The army accidentally releases a gas which affects neurons of people over 25, causing sudden old age and death. The world then belongs to the youth. Coel and his girlfriend Cillia run away from Dallas, seeking an ideal commune in New Mexico. Along the way, they pick up two other couples. They have their car stollen by Billy the Kid. They proceed on foot, but are captured by a college football team who sack, pillage and rape. The six are rookie recruits, but manage to escape. Thinking they need to clean up their hippy image, they don middle-aged clothes and come to a country club. The club is populated by scruffy biker types who parrot middle-aged blather about rebellious youth ruining everything. Their lawman: Marshall McCluen, thinks they can be redeemed, so gives them menial jobs. They escape with yet another absurd chase. Eventually they come to the pueblo commune with the requisite preaching about love and non-violence. That is, until the football team arrives to sack, pillage and rape. There is arguing about whether to defend themselves, and lapse back into the evil old ways, or resist in a better way. Coel convinces everyone to wear red cross arm bands. The football team can't harm red cross workers, so all are safe. All the trivial and miscellaneous characters from earlier skits join the crowd who dance to a rock theme "This is the world that we all dreamed of…" A yellow army truck pulls up and people get out wearing big paper mache heads of Lincoln, Ghandi, JFK, MLK, etc. The End

Why is this movie fun?
It wants to be. Some people find it funny. A couple of the gag lines are mildly amusing. GAS might be funny if you're drunk or stoned, but then, even wall paper can be funny in such a condition.

Cultural Connection
Writer George Armitage (who also helped produce GAS, and acted as "Billy the Kid") was apparently trying for something thoughtful, but allowed it all to become base-level pandering to The Youth Movement. The "hippies" end up winning, defeating all their "establishment" overlords -- who (ironically) happen to be other youth. Even though Armitage was just 28 when he wrote GAS, he was apparently already over the hill. His script rings of middle-aged points of view in its social satire. Both Armitage's script, and Corman's direction provide just as much mockery of the youth they were pandering to..

Notes
Post-Apocalypse -- Corman was more adept at apocalyptic visions in his earlier days. Not of this Earth ('57), Attack of the Crab Monsters ('57), Last Woman on Earth ('60) or even Teenage Cave Man ('58) were all low-budget too, but at least had some sincerity. The premise of a gas killing off civilization was part of Last Woman on Earth also.

Dark Doom -- Black humor over the apocalypse was not new. Dr. Strangelove ('64) managed it well. The Bed Sitting Room (68) was a British humor look at nuclear doom. GAS seems more like self-congratulation than facing doom.

Youtharchy -- Several 60s films pandered the notion of a world unencumbered by stuffy adults, and ruled by self-wise youth. The youth voice rose softly at first, seen in films like The Blob (58), and The Giant Gila Monster ('59) with tropes of the "teens" being right-all-along and the stodgy adults being narrow-minded and wrong. Many beach party films pandered to this conceit as well. A nice (cheap) metaphor for Youth Rule! was Bert I. Gordon's Village of the Giants ('65) in which the "bad" youth become giants and impose their will. Wild in the Streets ('68) had a similar sort of Youth Rule message, with all the darkness and social satire, but without the self mockery.

Poor Timing -- Roger Corman had many talents as a low-budget director, but comedy was not a language he spoke well. The script aspired to be something like Mel Brooks or Monte Python. In other hands, it might have. Some of the lines in Armitage's screenplay were almost funny. A couple of the set pieces almost work. You could tell they were written to be funny, but Corman's ham-handed directing left them laying there like a burp escaping on a first date.

Bottom line? There is virtually no science in this fiction, so sci-fi fans will find little satisfaction. GAS wants to be a dark comedy, but fails to be funny -- like a 15th knock-knock joke. Unless you're looking for a mockery of hippies, GAS is not worth the effort to find.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

In 1970, 20th Century Fox put out a sequel to their famous 1968 hit: Planet of the Apes. Beneath The Planet of the Apes (BPA) gets mixed grades from fans. Some see it as a meager rehash. Fans think it was a worthy sequel. Charlton Heston plays Taylor again, though he's not the star.The lovely Linda Harrison stars again as Nova. Many other characters from the first film return. This would be the first of several remakes throughout the 70s.

Quick Plot Synopsis
The story opens where the first movie ended. Taylor and Nova ride past the ruins of the Statue of Liberty and out into desert. They encounter a wall of fire, freak lightning, and an earthquake. Taylor falls into an illusory cliff. Meanwhile, Brent (James Franciscus) and his skipper have crash-landed (ship identical to Taylor's). Skipper dies. Brent sees Nova riding up. She doesn't talk, but has Taylor's dog tags. They ride to Ape City where they hear General Ursus giving a speech about invading the Forbidden Zone. Brent and Nova sneak into Zira and Cornelius' apartment. They get some food and directions. Outside of the city, they're captured by patrols and to be used as target practice. Zira helps arrange their escape. Free but chased in the wilderness, Brent discovers a cave that leads into an old NYC subway stop. They explore deeper, finding more of NYC ruins underground. In a cathedral, Brent finds a telepathic "priest" worshipping a gold missile. Other telepathic men take him to a council for interrogation. They torture him with mind pain. He tells them about the ape army coming to attack. They throw him in same cell with Taylor and use mind powers to make them kill each other. Nova interrupts, breaks mind power and the two men kill the mind-man. The apes have meanwhile pressed on despite the illusory wall of fire, etc. and are attacking the underground city. An ape shoots Nova. She dies. All the underlings gather in the cathedral to worship their bomb god before they blow it up to stop the apes. Taylor tries to stop them, but gets shot. Brent tries to hold off the apes, but gets riddled and dies. Taylor utters one last signature line: "Damn you all" and pushes the big red button. Fade to white. A narrator tells how a small green planet was then dead. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Even though half of the film is a re-tread of the original, director Ted Post keeps the pace brisk. Linda Harrison is still great to look at. There are still some unresolved plot threads that give one grist to mull over.

Cold War Angle
This aspect is quite blatant. On the one side, you have mutants who have no weapon but mental tricks and a total doomsday bomb (which they worship). On the other side, you have brutal, chauvinistic militarists. There are not good guys. The nihilist ending is in part tragic, but partially a relief.

Notes
Taylor Two -- The first half of the film plays like a repeat of the first -- hunky shirtless hero captured by brutal apes, but escapes with cute girl in leather minidress. But, they had James Franciscus play the hunk. Heston is said to have not wanted to reprise his role, but relented somewhat. His Taylor in BPA amounts to a fairly unnecessary extended cameo.

Whence Mutants? -- Unexplained, is why there is a civilization of bald mutants still living in the underground city of New York. Their mutantness is suggested as coming from the prior nuclear war. Why do they wear rubber face masks all the time?

Subtle Homage? -- At one point, in Mendez's "prayer" to his god, the bomb, he uses the phrase, "…worlds without end…" Were the writers giving a subtle acknowledgment to the 1956 film World Without End? In the old film, we had astronauts who fly into the future, but don't know they've landed on future earth. They find a post-nuclear world, in which weak/damaged humans live in underground cities, while brute savages rule the surface. Nice of the writers to give the old film a nod.

Comes With Frees -- The narrator at the end of the film is the venerable voice talent: Paul Frees. He lent his voice to many golden era sci-fi and even acted in a few. In Spacemaster X-7 ('58), he got more of a central role.

Bottom line? BPA is conflicted as to whether it is a strong sequel to a strong movie, with a story of its own, or a cheap remix of the first film. Try to ignore the cheap remix part and focus on the more imaginative second half. This is only the second sequel. Keep an open mind for the next ones. The end of the planet did not end the franchise.

The Love War

The focus of this study has been, for the most part, focused on theater-released sci-fi movies. TV movies and programs are normally outside of the scope. The Love War (TLW) gets an exemption some readers of this blog were asking about it. TLW aired on March 10th of 1970, as one of ABC's "Movie of the Week" series. It starred notable TV actors. The venerable Lloyd Bridges, Angie Dickenson and Daniel Travanti. TLW did not get a theatrical release, hence the VHS box art in lieu of a poster. Made-for-TV movies were becoming the new realm of B-movies.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Lloyd Bridges is an alien from the planet Argos. He has assumed the appearance of a human, and the name Kyle. His palm device beeps, denoting the presence of an enemy attempting to break the rules and ambush him. Kyle pursues this enemy through Los Angeles' Union Station, finally killing him out back. Kyle puts a small disk on the dead alien, causing him to glow green, then burst into flames. Kyle leaves, but has missed the last train. So Kyle takes a bus to Piru (pie-roo). A cohort of the killed alien also drives to Piru. Along the way, Angie Dickenson gets on the bus. Sandy makes lots of small talk with Kyle, even getting flirty. Kyle gets off at Piru. Sandy decides to get off too. He goes to a quaint local inn for a room. Sandy tags along and invites herself to share a room with him. Being new to humanity, Kyle seems okay with all this. In the room, he confesses to Sandy that he's an alien from the planet Argos. They are at war with the Zynons over the earth. They've civilized war to be a contest between two teams of three. They can tell aliens from humans with special glasses. Last alien standing gets claim to Earth. If Argos wins, all will be peace and brotherhood. If Zynon wins, Kyle says, they'll wipe out mankind and move in Zynons. The Zynons often break the rules (such as the ambush attempt). The showdown is to take place at noon, in the town of Piru. The other contestants arrive and start shooting their little invisible-ray pistols at each other. Battle battle. Chase chase. They all end up in a western ghost town. Sandy tries to get Kyle to give it all up and run away with her. He is duty bound to fight it out, but confesses feelings for her. Kyle finally kills the last Zynon in a western duel. He returns to Sandy. She shoots him with a ray gun, because she was actually a Zynon all along. While he slowly dies, they chat about feelings, etc. He dies. She walks off into the sunset. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
For a low-budget film, the story has some depth. In many ways, TLW has a 50s B-movie look and feel, so it gets some nostalgia points. Despite the layered backstory of aliens, the story could be (and in many cases WAS) a rehash of classic western showdown films like High Noon.

Cold War Angle
Kyle tells the backstory of how his planet had gone through their horrible nuclear war phase and how it disfigured them all. Note the contrast of good-guys (the West) and bad guys (the Communists), in how the Argosians would be benevolent if they won, where the Zynons would commit genocide and occupy earth if they won.

Notes
B Familiar -- Aliens disguised as humans is a very old budget-saver from the olden days. Except for a few very modest props (ray gun, detector disk, etc.) there's nothing to tell you of alien technology. Handily enough, the ray is invisible, so money was saved on special effects too.

Silly Title? -- "Love" must have been the marketing buzzword of the day. TV had its series, "Love American Style." The movie Love Story came out in 1970 as well. Perhaps the marketing department came up with a title that they figured would sell, and it was up to the producers to find a script that would fit it -- more or less. Actually, given how Sandy uses "love" as a weapon (charm one of the contestants to drop out of the war) does somewhat justify the title. Given how earth did not get occupied by the Zynons, despite Sandy's "victory," it would appear that Zynon cheating meant the contest was a draw and Earth was left alone.

War By Proxy -- The trope of two larger armies using a smaller fight to decide the larger outcome, was not especially new. Star Trek featured several episodes with that trope. But, the notion is far older than even silent films. You may recall the Goliath, the Philistine, proposed it to the Israelites. "If I win, you will be our slaves. If your champion wins, we will be your slaves." David won

Piru-Mania -- Much of the action takes place in the little town of Piru, California, which actually does exist. It was used in other movies too, as a handy typical small town. It is actually only a few miles north of Los Angeles. The bus ride segments suggest that was a long ride away. Once in Piru, filming took place in and around the Heritage Valley Inn: a popular filming location. Piru has been a popular film location from 1910, Ramona, starring Mary Pickford, to 2005 and The Amateurs, starring Jeff Bridges.

Actor Bits -- Lloyd Bridges was very well known in 1970, with several TV series through the 60s. Sci-fi fans will recall that he starred in an early sci-fi: Rocketship X-M back in 1950. Angie Dickenson went on to greater fame as "Police Woman". Daniel Travanti plays the lead Zynon. He would be more famous as Captain Captain Frank Furillo in "Hill Street Blues." A curious "extra" is Judy Jordan. She's the perky information girl at the train station. She got some unnecessary speaking lines, some close ups and a medium shot showing off her amplitude in a tight red sweater and pointy bra. Such exposure was typical for starlets trying to get "seen." Judy did not go on to much as an actress.

Bottom line? TLW is a very low-budget production, which has a nostalgic quality. The "alien" aspect is minimal: a pair of cool glasses, a ray gun, a blinking disk. The story is more of a drama about a loveless soldier being seduced by a spy to abandon his mission.

Colossus: The Forbin Project

In the spring of 1970, Universal released a powerful sleeper of a sci-fi: Colossus: The Forbin Project (CFP). Unjustly, it seldom makes it onto lists of great sci-fi. CFP does not star big name talent. Eric Braeden and Susan Clarke were more known in television series roles. Nor does it have flashy special effects. The story is an excellent follow-up to our recent Frankenstein study, with a high-tech (for 1970) monster and its creator. Based on the 1966 novel "Colossus" by D. F. Jones. The poster makes a dark recasting of the 1967 musical "Hair" and the song "Age of Aquarius," by stating "This is the dawning of the age of Colossus."

Quick Plot Synopsis
Deep beneath a Colorado mountain, Dr. Charles Forbin turns on a super computer the size of an office building. He seals it up, and leaves. Forbin, the President and a room full of dignitaries congratulate themselves on their national defense success. Colossus would handle American nuclear missile defense faster and without human failings. Colossus interrupts the parties to announce: "There Is Another System." It detected that the Soviets had a matching super computer named Guardian. Colossus requests a data link between the two. Both sides are reluctant, but agree. Colossus and Guardian develop a common language, beginning with math, through calculus and into binaries. Worried that they don't know what their computers are sharing, both sides cut the link. Colossus demands it be restored. When the humans say no, Colossus and Guardian launch a missile. They refuse to intercept the incoming missiles unless the link is restored. The humans relent, but not in time. A Russian oil complex and town are destroyed. Forbin and his Russian counterpart, Kuprin, meet in Rome to discuss what to do. Colossus finds out and orders Kuprin shot (or it would destroy Moscow), and Forbin brought home to house arrest and 24 hour surveillance. Forbin tells Colossus that he needs privacy for sex. He names as his mistress, his cohort, Dr. Cleo Markham. In these pretend romantic interludes, Forbin and Cleo exchange news and plans. Programmers Johnson and Fisher plan to run some mega-complex program in hopes of overloading Colossus's circuits. Colossus orders all missiles retargeted to other nations so it can control them too. The army generals plan to swap out missile detonators for dummy detonators, eventually depriving Colossus of weapons. Fisher tries the overload program, but Colossus knew. It orders Johnson and Fisher shot, as a lesson to all. It also detected the missile sabotage and blows up two missiles in their silos as a lesson to everyone. In its eerie electronic voice, Colossus addresses the world to say that it is now in control of the world. "Obey me and live. Disobey and die. The choice is yours." Colossus tells Forbin that he will someday regard him with respect and awe, and eventually love. Forbin proclaims: Never! The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Even though the visuals are sorely dated (punch tape?) the story line remains very relevant even today. There is much food for thought in this film. All that room-filling computer equipment is a nostalgia treat for those "into" computers before there were desktop PCs.

Cold War Angle
The stalemate between the West and the East serves as a background, but the old squabbles pale in comparison to the solution. The horror we thought we feared from THEM, instead comes a compassionless third party -- of our own making.

Notes
The REAL Frankenstein 1970 -- Unlike the Boris Karloff film of 1958, by that title, CFP truly is the story of Frankenstein modernized for the world of 1970. Forbin is the computer-age incarnation of the well-meaning (if naive) genius doctor. The monster he creates is a powerful giant. As in the classic tales, the doctor loses control of his monster. It kills and cannot be stopped. The writers clearly had this in mind. At one point, Cleo tells Forbin that her mother thought the novel Frankenstein should be required reading of all scientists. Forbin agreed.

Technophobia -- The 1950s' infatuation with science and technology was fading during the 60s. Technology was becoming something to fear. Early examples of the technophobia sub-genre include: Gog ('54) in which a computer which controls an entire defense base begins killing people off; The huge Krell computer in Forbidden Planet (56) is a forerunner of Colossus. The Invisible Boy ('57) is a story of a super computer secretly improves itself until it begins taking over control'. As computers began to show up more in the lives of middle-america, the more resonance there was for technophobia films.

Political Parallels -- CFP works well, too, as a political allegory that is relevant for today -- even 50 years later. Men seeking relief from some great fear, can rush too quickly to create a government powerful enough to relieve that fear. Their "creation" will succeed in its task, but become a "monster," a new tyrant worse than the old fear. In the early 1930s, the German people sought relief from an economy in shambles. They created a government that would become the Nazi state. Russian peasants and workers sought relief from the oppression of the Tsarist system, but created the Stalinist state.
"A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have…." -- President Gerald Ford,, 1974
The lesson in CFP fits today. Whether the "great fear" is global warming, or terrorists, a rush to create a government powerful enough to solve it quickly, will become an even more terrible tyrant. Beware of politicians in a hurry for you to approve their plans.

Non-Silent Screen -- Note how messages displayed on Colossus' screens are always accompanied by loud printing sounds. CRTs and message boards make no sound. That would be too underwhelming, so director Joseph Sargent had most of the displays make a printer sound. People like audio clues to visuals. A real life example of this is in Boston's South Station. The big schedule board is all LEDs, therefore silent. But when it changes, a sound is played -- that of the cascading split-flap style boards of the 1980s. We like sounds with our visual messages.

Bottom line? If you haven't seen CFP. Find it. Watch it. Just as Cleo's mom thought "Frankenstein" should be required reading for scientists, CFP should be required viewing for people eager to give governments more power to solve some issue. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin: Those willing to give up freedom for safety, will end up with neither. Fans of action sci-fi flicks, accustomed to fireball explosions, zipping spaceships or magical special effects, will likely find CFP boring, so will miss the warnings.