...4 ...3 ...2 ...1 ...Morte (1967)

...4 ...3 ...2 ...1 ...Morte is an Italian film from 1967 or Mission Stardust to give it its American dubbed title.  It's a not especially loved interpretation of a Perry Rhodan adventure and sees a team of astronauts sent to the moon to rescue an alien who is seeking help to save her dying race.

 

 

Steve

Nebo Zovyot (1960)

Nebo Zovyot (The Sky is Calling) is a Russian film from 1960.  Or  you may know it as Battle Beyond the Sun which is the US, 1962 version of the film  which was acquired by Roger Corman with a  westernised dub and edit by the young Francis Ford Coppola.

Steve

Mechte Navstrechu (1963)

Mechte Navstrechu is another one of  those Russian films which was bought by Roger Corman and given a western edit and dub.

For those keeping a track on this chop-shop movie-making process, Corman purchased the US and UK rights to Nebo Zovyot (1960)  THE SKY IS CALLING which became BATTLE BEYOND THE SUN.  Planeta Bur (1962)  PLANET OF STORMS which became VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET and VOYAGE TO THE PLANET OF PREHISTORIC WOMEN. As well as Mechte Navstrechu (1963) A DREAM COME TRUE or ENCOUNTER IN SPACE which is probably better known over this way as Queen of Blood (1966) or occasionally Planet of Blood.  And I'm reliably informed that Queen of Blood contains a little bit of the first two Russian films as well.

Now while this may not be very respectful to the originals, their creators or the fine art of cinema in general, it did give us a glimpse of some amazing film making which might not have otherwise come to our attention.  And now that the Iron Curtain is down and the Internet is up and running, we can seek out and appreciate the originals for their truly wonderful craftsmanship and vision and acknowledge that it was every bit as good if not better than the stuff coming out of the west at the same time.


Steve

Abbot and Costello Go to Mars (1953) - Gallery

 

 

Steve

Eolomea (1972)

Eolomea is an East German film from 1972.  I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of seeing this but these images and the IMDB write up has bumped it fairly high on my must watch to list.

The film was shot in colour but the following black and white images really show of those spacesuits.

 

 

Steve

Moonraker - Art (1979)

There he is; Roger Moore, the main man himself in a publicity still from James Bond's Moonraker.

And here are three examples of the film's publicity artwork which was used on the promotional posters

 

To the best of my knowledge all of them are by Dan Gouzee and they are rather brilliant, even if the film itself is not.


Steve

news news news

Happy New Year

Just to let you all know there's new stuff coming just as soon as Blogger have sorted out the image upload problem.  Posts have been prepared, there's just not much point in them without the pretty pictures

Soon

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All sorted now, Cheers Blogger Tech-folk

Steve