The Angry Red Planet

Infobox Film
name = The Angry Red Planet


caption = Original film poster
director = Ib Melchior
producer = Sidney W. Pink
Norman Maurer
writer = Sidney W. Pink
Ib Melchior
starring = Gerald Mohr
Naura Hayden
Jack Kruschen
Les Tremayne
music = Paul Dunlap
cinematography = Stanley Cortez
editing = Ivan J. Hoffman
distributor = American International Pictures
released = November 23, 1959
runtime = 83 minutes
country =flagicon|USA
language = English
budget = US$ 190,000| imdb_id = 0052564
amg_id = 1:2402

"The Angry Red Planet" (aka "Invasion of Mars" and "Journey to Planet Four") is a 1959 science fiction film starring Gerald Mohr and directed by Ib Melchior. The director was given only 10 days to shoot the movie and a budget of $200,000 with which to make it.

The movie was made with a CineMagic technique which was applied for all of the scenes on the surface of Mars. This was an attempt to make the hand drawn animations appear as real as the live action footage. Although this process was largely unsuccessful producer Norman Maurer would attempt the same technique again in "The Three Stooges in Orbit".

Plot

The first manned flight to Mars the rocketship MR-1, returns to Earth after being thought lost in space. Attempts to raise the crew via radio fail, so a decision is made to land the spacecraft under remote control.

Two survivors are found on board, Dr. Iris Ryan (Naura Hayden) and Colonel Tom O'Bannion (Gerald Mohr), the latter's arm covered with a strange alien growth. Racing against time to find a cure for his condition, Dr. Ryan recalls the mission's fateful journey.

After landing on Mars, the well-armed crew set out to explore the planet's red-tinted surface. They find carnivorous plants, and are attacked at every turn by horrific creatures, including a huge amoeba with a rotating eye. Battling for their lives, the survivors make it back to the ship and ultimately receive a warning from the Martians never to return.

Cast

Trivia

*The three eyed Martian is played by actor Billy Curtis, best known for his role as the mayor of Munchkinland in "The Wizard of Oz".
*The film's pink tone was achieved by "Cinemagic". Which was a new technique used to make flat objects appear three dimensional.
*The film was shot in only 10 days on 18 sets.
* The "Rat-Bat-Spider" creature is on the cover of The Misfits' Walk Among Us album, and also appears in the music video for Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast".
* The "Rat-Bat-Spider" is an alleged inspiration for the monster in the 2008 film "Cloverfield".
*Interestingly, this maybe one of the movies, such as "Destination Moon", that might have inspired the creation or partial creation of Marvel Comics Fantastic Four.

References

Bibliography

* Wingrove, David. "Science Fiction Film Source Book" (Longman Group Limited, 1985)

External links

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