Mars in the Movies: A History : February 2018

Monday, February 12, 2018

21 Posters and Pix That Would Have Been Nice in Mars in the Movies

My Book Mars in the Movies: A History is a ship that has sailed. Still. I can daydream. This is my third list of coulda/woulda/shoulda’s for graphics that I would have liked to have included in the book, but it was not practical.

1. Twelve years after its initial release in 1953, The War of the Worlds was re-released. This is its principal re-release one-sheet. I like this poster.

2 & 3. Visual effects expert Robert Skotak, says, “Some theaters in L.A. and New York projected The War of the Worlds at 1.85:1 with the proper 1.85:1 mask. The ads in newspapers featured the words ‘in widescreen’ [or ‘in panoramic screen’].” This was during the era of CinemaScope and the like. Top: A print newspaper ad for the original engagement of The War of the Worlds at the Mayfair theater in Times Square, New York City. Bottom: The Mayfair theater itself wrapped up like a Christmas present! They don’t do movie promotions like they used to!

4. 5. 6. & 7. In the groundbreaking 1950 film Destination Moon, there is a scene early on showing a roomful of potential corporate sponsors gathered to hear a sales pitch as to why they should bankroll sending a rocket to the moon. Jim Barnes, who’s betting his reputation on the expedition, shows a colorful short Woody Woodpecker cartoon that helps seal the deal. I am venturing an intelligent guess that Chuck Jones’ space-based Marvin the Martian sprung from the space-based antics of the charming and delightful cameo appearance by Walter Lantz’ Woody Woodpecker in the film. Some things that tend to back up my supposition are the uncanny (or perhaps not so uncanny if my thesis holds water) resemblances between the two animated films. The story arc of the moon-bound rocket within each cartoon; the manner in which the rockets are first “revealed”; the look/design of the two rockets; the appearance of the two rockets in flight through space, and so forth (all illustrated by the two rocket screen-grabs below from the two shorts. For a detailed expansion on this theory, see my book Mars in the Movies: A History or my blog Mars in the Movies: A History … Now with Endless Possibilities and specifically the blog post about the 1948 introduction of Marvin the Martian in the short Haredevil Hare:

https://marsinthemoviesinteractive.blogspot.com/2017/08/haredevil-hare-1948-and-marvin-martian.html

8 & 9. Speaking of Marvin the Martian, he was given the honor of being the official NASA launch patch for Spirit, one of the two hugely successful Mars Exploration Rovers that landed on the Red Planet in 2004. How cool is that?

Mars Exploration Rover (NASA)

10. Walt Disney's John Carter of Mars, as Andrew Stanton’s film was called early on, would have had some nice poster art—with a special graphic logo designed for branding purposes that would have been plastered far and wide if the film had been given a chance, but the $250,000,000 movie was deliberately flushed down the toilet by the executives of its own company, according to Michael D. Sellers in his comprehensive John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood (Universal Media, 2012). Further, Disney had second thoughts about including “Mars” in the title because it had recently released a succession of movies with “Mars” in the title, none of which were especially successful, with one, Mars Needs Moms, being amongst the biggest money losers of all time, Thus, the movie was titled John Carter.

11. Science-fiction novelist and Star Trek veteran David Gerrold’s path intersected with the life of a bright little boy whose existence within the foster care system left something to be desired, so much so that the boy began to believe that he was a Martian, requiring umbrellas, sun glasses, and all sorts of other aids to survive on this harsh planet earth. Gerrold decided that he must adopt the child, which he succeeded in doing, overcoming many challenges. He wrote a book about the experience titled Martian Child and it became a bio-movie with John Cusack (as Gerrold) and Amanda Peet. I would have liked to have written about the movie for my book, but since it didn’t include the planet Mars in any active way … I just plain ran out of time when my deadline loomed. I’ll include my thoughts on this most pleasant film at some point in my blog Mars in the Movies: A History … Now with Endless Possibilities.

12. & 13. Nebo Zovot (The Heavens Call) was a wonderful 1959 science fiction movie made in the then-Soviet Union. Apparently one point of its existence was to prove to the West that the USSR could make a movie every bit as good as the best of Hollywood’s output. Ironically, after the B-movie king-pin Roger Corman bought it and handed it over to the novice filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola with instructions to turn it into a movie for American teenagers, Coppola’s version, Battle Beyond the Sun (1963), did not hold a candle to the original. Left: an original Soviet one-sheet. Right: The German 2009 re-release poster. I find these simple but intense and colorful posters a delight. In fact, as I was writing the book, I used the Soviet poster on the left as my mock-up cover, it so touches on or reflects my hopes for my book.

14. Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (1938), with 15 chapters, was the middle of three Flash Gordon serials made in the 1930s. Once the serial had run its course, Universal Pictures recut the 300-minute serial down to a 68-minute theatrical feature named Mars Attacks the World. While the poster below for the serial (left) did appear in the book, I would have liked to have included the poster for the cut-down version as well. No time like the present!

15 & 16. The Purple Monster Strikes (D–Day on Mars) (1945), with 15 Chapters, was the first Mars-related serial to appear after Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (1938). In the beginning, we watch a tiny smear of light crossing the screen, the first words intoned are, “Out of the infinite distances beyond the stratosphere, a strange weird object is hurtling through interstellar space towards the earth.” That’s all well and good, but the object is a one-man spaceship from Mars, hardly from “infinite distances” or “interstellar space.” So, right off the bat we know that hyperbole and nonsense science rule this story. Once the serial had run its course, Republic Pictures recut the nearly 3 1⁄2-hour serial down to a 100-minute feature named D–Day on Mars.

Special photo juxtapositions by Thomas Kent Miller;

17 & 18. Flying Disc Man from Mars (Missile Monsters) (1950), with 12 Chapters, came close to being a remake of The Purple Monster Strikes. Made five years after The Purple Monster Strikes, the opening sequences of Flying Disc Man from Mars are virtually identical with the same stock-shot one-man Mars craft crashing into a field with the same stock-shot Martian wearing the same costume hopping out before the craft explodes, just as a car with an inquisitive professional drives up with the same actor getting out and calmly greeting the Martian in much the same manner. In the previous movie, the Martian kills Dr. Cyrus Layton played by James Craven and takes over his body. This time Martian offers Dr. Bryant, also played by James Craven, an offer he can’t refuse. How would he like to take over the world, just as his hero Adolf Hitler would have if he’d had a better plan? Once Flying Disc Man from Mars had run its course, Republic recut the nearly 140- minute serial down to a 75-minute feature named Missile Monsters.

19 & 20. Zombies of the Stratosphere (Satan’s Satellites) (1952), with 12 Chapters, was the last of the Mars serials. Martians (aka zombies), scientists, and gangsters are in cahoots to use a super H-bomb to blow the earth out of its orbit to be replaced by Mars. Through all twelve chapters, Leonard Nimoy (yes, Mr. Spock himself) plays the Martian named Narab, who is the last Martian standing, so to speak. Once the serial had run its course, Republic Pictures recut the nearly 170-minute serial down to a 70-minute feature named Satan’s Satellites.

21. Nothing like a gooey, dripping, slimy, oozing disintegrating-before-your-eyes, sickening-green Martian grasshopper to finish this round of coulda/woulda/shoulda’s from my book Mars in the Movies: A History! The big bug is from one of the three Mars movies I consider perfect, Five Million Years to Earth (UK title: Quatermass and the Pit). Not one frame is extraneous. Here is an excellent review: C.J. Henderson in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Films: From 1897 to the Present said, “Five Million Years to Earth is powerful, exciting, and intelligent ... one of the high-water marks of science fiction.... Its formidably taut script is a masterpiece. There are no slow parts, no dragging scenes. Everything crackles with energy ... one of the purest science fiction films ever made.”

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http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-9914-4

https://www.amazon.com/Mars-Movies-Thomas-Kent-Miller

PRAISE FOR MARS IN THE MOVIES

“Maybe it's just because the author and I agree so much on what our favorite movies are, but I found this book to be fascinating, comprehensive, authoritative and very well written... and in an informal conversational style that is highly readable without sacrificing information or accuracy. . . . I grew up with most of the movies and TV shows Miller discusses---which were immensely influential in creating the seeds for the career I was to follow---and it was immense fun reading the stories behind them---to say nothing of being intrigued by those I missed! Highly recommended!”—Ron Miller, Space Artist, Facebook

“Highly enjoyable look at Martian cinema from the earliest days of film to the more recent past. Miller’s approach is delightfully quirky, and he clearly knows Martian movies inside and out. His passion for his subject infuses every page and, like a benign plague, infects every synapse of the lucky reader’s brain. Perhaps best of all, Miller never patronizes." Mike Bogue, Amazon

"Thomas Miller's densely researched and loving book on Mars-centric films is a joy to read for any fans of the genre."—Joe Pearson, filmmaker, Facebook

“The title says it all. Thomas Miller has compiled, annotated, watched, summarized, and commented on [nearly] every movie (in the English-speaking world and more) that features Mars and some that do not and others that should. He includes cartoons, animations, documentaries, shorts, serials, and features. Did I say comprehensive? Comprehensive. Miller’s telling is personal and there are asides and tangents but they, too, add to the overall impression of our fascination with Mars and the way it is manifested in art and life, including his own life.”—Michael W. Jackson, Dept. of Political Theory and Practice, The University of Sydney, Australia

"[Miller's book] is a real gem for lovers of films about Mars and for those who love SF films in general.”—John Litchen, Dreams of Mars: 130 Years of Stories about Mars

“One of the things that stood out in Miller’s book was his devotion to go through each film presented in the sections and give both sides of the argument: in favor and against a film’s success, followed by his own analysis. In particular, it was fascinating to understand Five Million Years to Earth (Baker, 1967) and Quatermass and the Pit (Cartier, 1958), the direction and styles filmmakers were creating, and how Miller dissects these themes in a multitude of ideas streaming from a centralized and ongoing study of Mars in cinema.”—Carter B. Emory, Film Matters

"Truly an amazing book!!!! It inspired me to go back to Mars [for a recent film]…thanks to Thomas Kent Miller for writing this epic movie book.”—Neil Brooke Johnson, filmmaker, on Facebook and Instagram

“The ultimate, 292-page love letter to an often-overlooked sci-fi subgenre…Make no mistake, Miller is authoritative on this topic and it is refreshing to read his insightful comments…Serve[s] as a compliment to Keep Watching the Skies! (Warren 2010), Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies (Gerani 2011), [and] Videohound’s Golden Movie Retriever.”—Emerald Insights Research and Reviews

“If one day we send a manned mission to Mars, I heartily recommend Thomas Kent Miller's entertaining and definitive MARS IN THE MOVIES as in-flight reading.”—Peter Rainer, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and author of Rainer on Film: Thirty Years of Film Writing in a Turbulent and Transformative Era

“Mars in the Movies is a chatty, carefully researched accounting of a century’s worth of films invoking Mars…. I read [it] with considerable pleasure.”—FILMFAXplus

"From the beloved to the obscure, Miller holds great love for the genre and many of the films featured. If there was not already a book on this subject, there needed to be one. Miller has written it...and the definitive one at that."—Flick Attack

“One of the more entertaining and informative guides to the genre in some time. …What really makes this work stand out is Miller’s occasionally hilarious commentary. Fans of the genre should absolutely purchase it. Highly recommended for all sci-fi and film collections.”—American Reference Books Annual

"[A] thorough survey of pictures about Mars…includes a thoroughly indexed set of references…As is the case with good film encyclopedias, the value is finding new items, and Miller comes through with a bounty … Miller has a friendly writing manner that emphasizes his personal interest in the pictures, which makes the book a pleasant read."—Glenn Erickson, DVD Savant

“For anyone with the least interest in movies and Mars, this is certainly the book with the backgrounds and the answers! … There are many unusual posters and pictures in this fascinating volume. … recommended”—Reviews

"Informative, comprehensive, and engaging. Thomas Kent Miller has a real passion for the material that shines through on every page, and is matched only by the care taken to communicate it. Loving it!"—Vincent C, Amazon

“It comes as a surprise that, until the present day, there hasn’t been published a single specialized book that would be devoted solely to the sub-genre of Mars movies. Now…Thomas Miller…fill[s] this gap…with Mars in the Movies—the encyclopedic volume containing a comprehensive recapitulation of [nearly] all movies that ever featured the ‘Red Planet.’ …a thorough survey…”—SciFi4Ever Magazine

“Mars in the Movies can certainly serve as a reference work for anyone interested in Martian discourse; the book also provides an incentive for self-research, as the very extensive bibliography offers a rich fund of source material…. Written in a relaxed language, it's a source for browsing.”—Martin Ramm, MEDIENwissenschaft

—Andy Weir, author of the trendsetting and bestselling The Martian, when asked if he endorses Mars in the Movies: A History.

“My compliments on a ... fine book! I purchased a copy this weekend and have devoured it since.”—M.P. Altmann, on Flick Attack

"[A] useful book!"—humanMars.net team

Monday, February 12, 2018

21 Posters and Pix That Would Have Been Nice in Mars in the Movies

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