There was actually an earlier movie called "Red Planet Mars" which was about transmissions supposedly from Mars which were in reality being sent by the Commies for propaganda purposes, so the title did have the double meaning. This movie is another story- a childhood favorite, really surprised to see it turn up here, amidst all the mundane stuff! A female astronaut is given drugs to enable her to remember what transpired on the disastrous space flight that just took place. The result is appropriately hallucinatory, with bizarre stylized scenery, beyond-weird monsters, and of course the disturbing atonal musical score. The movie is ridiculous at times, haunting at others. Much of the music has a funereal quality; unfortunately this is only a small portion of the score. The jazzy music at the end plays over the credits, which are at the movie's finish rather than the start- AIP actually pioneered the concept of having lengthy credits at the end of the movie (though unlike today's garbage, they had interesting visuals and exciting music under the credits!). This is from a CD which is part of a commendable series, "The Golden Age of Science Fiction." They recently issued my favorite Paul Dunlap score, TARGET EARTH- maybe it'll turn up on YouTube!
As in,"Commie Red"? It could be made today.
ReplyDelete--GRA
There was actually an earlier movie called "Red Planet Mars" which was about transmissions supposedly from Mars which were in reality being sent by the Commies for propaganda purposes, so the title did have the double meaning.
DeleteThis movie is another story- a childhood favorite, really surprised to see it turn up here, amidst all the mundane stuff! A female astronaut is given drugs to enable her to remember what transpired on the disastrous space flight that just took place. The result is appropriately hallucinatory, with bizarre stylized scenery, beyond-weird monsters, and of course the disturbing atonal musical score. The movie is ridiculous at times, haunting at others. Much of the music has a funereal quality; unfortunately this is only a small portion of the score. The jazzy music at the end plays over the credits, which are at the movie's finish rather than the start- AIP actually pioneered the concept of having lengthy credits at the end of the movie (though unlike today's garbage, they had interesting visuals and exciting music under the credits!).
This is from a CD which is part of a commendable series, "The Golden Age of Science Fiction." They recently issued my favorite Paul Dunlap score, TARGET EARTH- maybe it'll turn up on YouTube!
-RM