''Conquest of Space'' is a 1955
American Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
film from
Paramount Pictures, produced by
George Pal
George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; ; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer, principally associated with the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He became an American citizen after ...
, directed by
Byron Haskin
Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing '' The War of the Worlds'' (1953), one of many films where he ...
, that stars
Walter Brooke
Walter Brooke (born Gustav William Tweer Jr., October 23, 1914 – August 20, 1986) was an American actor.
Career
Brooke's film career stretched from '' You're in the Army Now'' (1941 to '' Jagged Edge'' (1985). One of his best-remembered roles ...
,
Eric Fleming
Eric Fleming (born Edward Heddy Jr.; July 4, 1925 – September 28, 1966) was an American actor known primarily for his role as Gil Favor in the CBS television series '' Rawhide''.
Early life
Fleming was born as Edward Heddy Jr. in Santa Pau ...
, and
Mickey Shaughnessy
Joseph C. Shaughnessy (August 5, 1920 – July 23, 1985), better known as Mickey Shaughnessy, was an American actor and comedian.
Early life
Joseph C. Shaughnessy was born in New York City. He began in show business working as a singer at res ...
.
The film's storyline concerns the first interplanetary flight to the planet Mars, carrying a crew of five, and launched from Earth orbit near "The Wheel", mankind's first space station. On their long journey to the Red Planet, they encounter various dangers, both from within and without, that nearly destroy the mission.
Plot
Humankind has achieved space flight capability and built "The Wheel" space station in orbit above Earth. It is commanded by its designer, Colonel Samuel T. Merritt. His son, Captain Barney Merritt, having been aboard for a year, wants to return to Earth.
A giant spaceship has been built in a nearby orbit, and an Earth inspector arrives aboard the station with new orders: Merritt Sr. is being promoted to general and will command the new spaceship, now being sent to Mars instead of the Moon. As General Merritt considers his crew of three enlisted men and one officer, his close friend, Sgt. Mahoney volunteers. The general turns him down for being 20 years too old. Hearing that Mars is the new destination, Barney Merritt volunteers to be the second officer.
Right after the crew watches a TV broadcast from their family and friends, the mission blasts off for the Red Planet. The general's undiagnosed and growing space fatigue is beginning to seriously affect his judgement: reading his
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
frequently, he has doubts about the righteousness of the mission. After launch, Sgt. Mahoney is discovered to be a
stowaway, having hidden in a crew spacesuit. Their piloting radar antenna later fails, and two crewmen go outside to make repairs. They manage to get it working just as their monitors show a glowing
planetoid
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''mino ...
, 20 times larger than their spaceship, coming at them from
astern
This list of ship directions provides succinct definitions for terms applying to spatial orientation in a marine environment or location on a vessel, such as ''fore'', ''aft'', ''astern'', ''aboard'', or ''topside''.
Terms
* Abaft (preposition ...
. The general fires the engines, barely managing to avoid a collision, but the planetoid's fast-orbiting debris punctures Sgt. Fodor's spacesuit, killing him instantly. After a religious service in space, Fodor's body is cast adrift into the void.
Eight months later, the general is becoming increasingly mentally unbalanced, focusing on Sgt. Fodor's loss as "God's judgement". On the Mars landing approach, he attempts to crash their spaceship, now convinced the mission violates the laws of God. Barney wrests control away from his father, landing the large
flying wing glider-rocket safely. Later, as the crew takes their first steps on the Red Planet, they look up and see water pouring down from the now vertical return rocket. Barney quickly discovers the leak is sabotage caused by his father, who threatens his son with a
.45 automatic. The two struggle and the pistol discharges, killing the general. Sgt. Mahoney, who observed only the last stages of the struggle, wants Barney confined under arrest with the threat of
court martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
, but cooler heads prevail; Barney becomes the ranking officer.
Mars proves to be inhospitable, and they struggle to survive with their decreased water supply. Earth's correct orbital position for a return trip is one year away. While glumly celebrating their first Christmas on Mars, a sudden snowstorm blows in, allowing them to replenish their water supply. As their launch window arrives, they hear low rumbling sounds, then see rocks falling, and feel the ground shake violently. The ground level shifts during this violent marsquake. Their spaceship is now leaning at a precarious angle and cannot make an emergency blast off. To right the spaceship, the crew uses the rocket engines' powerful thrust to shift the ground under the landing legs. The attempt works and they blast off, the spaceship rising just as the Martian surface completely collapses.
Once in space, Barney and Mahoney reconcile. Impressed with Barney's heroism and leadership while on Mars, Mahoney concludes that pursuing Barney's court martial for his father's death would only impugn the general's reputation, tarnishing what previously had been a spotless military career. Better is the fiction that "the man who conquered space" died in the line of duty, sacrificing himself to save his crew.
Cast
Production
The science and technology portrayed in ''Conquest of Space'' were intended to be as realistic as possible in depicting the first voyage to Mars. The film's theatrical release poster tagline reads: "See how it will happen ... in your lifetime!"
The title ''Conquest of Space'' is from the 1949 nonfiction book ''
The Conquest of Space'', written by
Willy Ley
Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
* Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scr ...
and illustrated by
Chesley Bonestell
Chesley Knight Bonestell Jr. (January 1, 1888 – June 11, 1986) was an American painter, designer and illustrator. His paintings inspired the American space program, and they have been (and remain) influential in science fiction art and illustr ...
. George Pal had hired Bonestall to be a technical adviser on ''
Destination Moon''. This was a huge hit and Pal used Bonestall again on ''When Worlds Collide''.
In May 1952 Pal announced he would make a film out of ''Conquest of Space''. George Pal bought the book's film rights at the suggestion of Ley.
[Hickman 1977 p. 87] Universal said they had a similar project, ''Space Island''.
In June 1952 it was reported that Barre Lyndon, who wrote ''War of the Worlds'' for Pal, was working on a script. In January 1953 Phil Yordan was working on the script. The following month Byron Haskin was named as director and Wernher von Braun would be a technical adviser. James Hanlon did the final script.
Bonestell, noted for his photorealistic paintings showing views from outer space, worked on the film's space
matte painting
A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that is not present at the filming location. Historically, matte painters and film technicians ...
s.
The production design of ''Conquest of Space'' was closely modeled on the technical concepts of
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...
and Bonestell's space paintings, which originally appeared in ''
Collier's'' magazine and were reprinted in the 1952 Viking Press book ''
Across the Space Frontier'', edited by Cornelius Ryan.
[Mille]
2016, pp. 60-69.
/ref>
The film also incorporated concepts from von Braun's 1952 book '' The Mars Project'', as well as material appearing in the April 30, 1954, issue of ''Collier's'' magazine, "Can we get to Mars?" by von Braun, with Cornelius Ryan. This would later be incorporated into the 1956 Viking Press book ''The Exploration of Mars'' by Willy Ley, Wernher von Braun, and Chesley Bonestell.[ All of these books mainly feature text that is straight popular science, with no fictional characters or story line.] In addition, according to director Byron Haskin, "We had Wernher von Braun on the set all the time...as a technical advisor".[
Had George Pal followed any or all of these nonfiction books as written, he would have produced a speculative futuristic documentary, much like of the trio of ]Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...
-set '' (Walt Disney's) Disneyland'' television episodes: ''Man in Space
"Man in Space" is an episode of the American television series ''Disneyland'' which originally aired on March 9, 1955. It was directed by Disney animator Ward Kimball. This ''Disneyland'' episode (set in Tomorrowland), was narrated partly by Kimb ...
(March 1955)'', '' Man and the Moon (December 1955)'', and '' Mars and Beyond (December 1957)''.[ The final screenplay by James O'Hanlon, from an adaptation by ]Philip Yordan
Philip Yordan (April 1, 1914 – March 24, 2003) was an American screenwriter of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who produced several films. He acted as a front for blacklisted writers although his use of surrogate screenwriters predates the McCar ...
, Barré Lyndon
Barré Lyndon (pseudonym of Alfred Edgar) (12 August 1896 – 23 October 1972) was a British playwright and screenwriter. The pseudonym was presumably taken from the title character of Thackeray's 1844 novel.
Born in London, he may be best rem ...
, and George Worthing Yates, instead creates a fictional story from whole cloth.[Warren 1982 pp. 208-214]
Although the budget was $1.5 million, George Pal and Paramount decided not to use stars.[Pal Plans $1,500,000 Film Without Stars
Los Angeles Times 28 Nov 1953: A6.] Walter Brooke turned down a five year contract to appear in a soap opera to make the movie. Eric Fleming was pulled out of the cast of ''My Three Angels'' on Broadway to appear in the film.
Filming started 16 November 1954.
Reception
Critical response upon release
Judgments on the quality of the film's special effects have varied. Upon the film's release, reviewer Oscar A. Godbout in his review for ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' praised the effects, but was disparaging of the storyline, noting "... as plots go...it is not offensive".
Later critiques
Film authority Roy Kinnard says, “In examining the plethora of 1950s science-fiction movies which deal with the theme of mans’ journeying to other worlds in order to advance his own knowledge, George Pal’s production of ''Conquest of Space'' stands head and shoulders above the others.... a ... genre overburdened with cheap and shoddy productions that are all too deserving of scorn, ''Conquest of Space'' rises above the tide of mediocrity. ... e special visual effects in ''Conquest'' ... are outstanding for their time ... and they are the well-tailored work of one of Hollywood’s most gifted craftsmen, John P. Fulton. Besides the massive, graceful spacecraft shown in this film, it was Fulton who was responsible for parting the Red Sea in the 1956 version of ''The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
''. ... It is true that the blue screen mattes in ''Conquest'' are crude rom our perspective... but this is hardly a technical flaw unique to this picture. Many productions of the 50s had difficulty with blue screen work, even multi-million dollar spectaculars like '' Ben-Hur''”. Furthermore, science fiction film authority Thomas Kent Miller states, "Blue screen was used extensively in this epic 'The Ten Commandments'' and the blue line fringes are always quite evident throughout the movie. In fact, Fulton’s remarkable and iconic Parting of the Red Sea sequence is a great hodgepodge of intersecting blue fringe lines".[
British film critic John Baxter, in his 1970 volume, ''Science Fiction in the Cinema'', states, “''Conquest of Space'' ... gave eorgePal and yronHaskin an excuse to show realistic take-offs, space maneuverings, and a landing on Mars ... achieved with some flair. Drama in the shape of a religious maniac at the helm detracts little from the essential narrative, and some of the detail is clever, such as the space burial with the suited corpse sliding slowly on a long fall into the sun".
Modern audiences are apt to notice the presence of matte lines. Reviewer Glenn Erickson said that "the ambitious special effects were some of the first to garner jeers for their lack of realism". Erickson correctly assesses the film as "a flop that seriously hindered George Pal's career as a producer".][Erickson, Glenn]
"Review: Conquest of Space."
''DVD Savant'', October 30, 2004. Retrieved: January 14, 2015. Paul Brenner said, "Pal pulls out all stops in the special effects department, creating 'The Wheel', rocket launches into space, and a breathtaking near collision with an asteroid". ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...
'' said "The special effects are quite ambitious but clumsily executed, in particular the matte work".["Conquest of Space, The."]
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...
'', March 22, 2012. Retrieved: January 14, 2015. Paul Corupe said that often "the overall image on screen that inspires awe: the Martian landscape, the general's high-tech office, and the vastness of the cosmos. The film's budget is certainly up on screen for your entertainment, but it's just spectacle for spectacle's sake". He, too, complains of matte lines, but acknowledges, "the composites are convincing enough for the time the film was made".[Corupe, Paul]
"Review: 'Conquest of Space'."
''DVD Verdict'', November 26, 2004. Retrieved: January 14, 2015. Corupe described it as the "first big flop in Pal's career. It was a major setback that saw him abandon science fiction filmmaking for five years, including a planned sequel to ''When Worlds Collide
''When Worlds Collide'' is a 1933 science fiction novel co-written by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie; they also co-authored the sequel ''After Worlds Collide'' (1934). It was first published as a six-part monthly serial (September 1932 through Fe ...
''"[ '']The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...
'' remarks "A truly awful film, ''Conquest of Space'' is probably George Pal's worst production".[
]Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
winner Dennis Muren
Dennis Muren, A.S.C (born November 1, 1946) is an American film visual effects artist and supervisor. He has worked on the films of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron, among others, and has won nine Oscars in total: eight for Be ...
offers a memory of 1955: “ pal Bruce and I hurried into the Hawaii Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard to see a new color movie, ''Conquest of Space''. We were eight years old. ... ‘Reeling’ by on the giant screen, we saw a giant circular space station in orbit one hundred icmiles up, seemingly in orbit above me over Hollywood. Wow! And that was just the beginning. Awesome rocket ships of various shapes flew about. ... Finally, the movie ended with a skillful . . . and joyful liftoff from the desolate red surface of Mars. ...”
The film review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
currently rates the film at 60% ("Fresh").["Ratings: 'Conquest of Space'."]
''Rotten Tomatoes'', 2015. Retrieved: May 15, 2015.
Possible impact on Kubrick and ''2001: A Space Odyssey''
Approximately ten years following the 1955 release of ''Conquest of Space'', the film director Stanley Kubrick began planning his next film project following his critical and popular hit '' Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb''. The follow-up would become 1968's '' 2001: A Space Odyssey''. While Kubrick planned his space epic, he made a point of viewing virtually all science-fiction movies to understand what the genre had done before, and also to learn what tropes to avoid.[Kinnard, Roy. “Conquest of Space: A New Look at an Old Classic” in '' ]Fantastic Films
''Fantastic Films'' was an American film magazine specializing in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. The magazine was published by Blake Publishing Corp. and existed between 1978 and 1985.
Direction
''Fantastic Films'' was intended as an ...
'' Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 48-53. 1979.
Principally, Kubrick was on the lookout for particular and specific images and themes that referenced or reflected the infinity of space—its inherent magic and beauty—in other words, its ability to spark a sense of wonder. Of the myriad early science-fiction productions that Kubrick must have viewed, most were certainly earthbound B movies
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...
that shied away from the sorts of expensive special visual effects and matte paintings that would ordinarily inspire awe or wonder in casual audiences. Kubrick’s goal was to create a space tale that was thought-provoking and that included numerous images that were truly awesome (in the proper sense of the word); thus, it was his intention “to pull out all the stops”.
According to genre film authority James Roman in his ''Bigger than Blockbusters: Movies that Defined America'': “Articulating his vision about the infiniteness of space, Kubrick use America’s Apollo space program as a means to embark from. he program’sgoal was to land humans on the Moon and return them safely to earth. . . . ile the American space program learlyinfluenced Kubrick's work, it did not provide him with the material he needed to visualize space travel and with the technology of the future. A 1955 film, George Pal’s ''Conquest of Space'' provided Kubrick with a sense of direction in his . . . pursuit of this imagery. or example,in Pal’s film there is he center-piecerotating wheel or earth station that Kubrick adapts to 2001, and he creates a poetic image of it floating and rotating in space . . . .” The goal of this exercise of viewing dozens of earlier science-fiction movies had little to do with plot elements; Kubrick simply ignored ''Conquest of Spaces highly-criticized story line and character development and instead focused on the film's remarkable design. He sought high-quality, well-crafted images that would stimulate himself and his creative staff to reach higher to find the look and design of his own film.
Furthermore, the genre film authority Roy Kinnard also suggests strongly in his 1979 '' Fantastic Films
''Fantastic Films'' was an American film magazine specializing in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. The magazine was published by Blake Publishing Corp. and existed between 1978 and 1985.
Direction
''Fantastic Films'' was intended as an ...
'' article, “Conquest of Space: A New Look at an Old Classic”, that the visually arousing design of Kubrick’s 2001 was influenced by ''Conquest of Space''. He says, “...the most interesting aspect of ''Conquest'' sits startling parallels with Stanley Kubrick’s epic 1968 production. It is a well-known fact that before he began work on ''2001'', Kubrick watched virtually every science fiction film ever made, and it is not unreasonable to assume that he not only saw ''Conquest'', but also found quite a bit of inspiration in it.” Then Kinnard points out a number of similarities between the two films (illustrated with photo stills from the movies)—some obvious and others not so obvious. For example, the same space station wheel in both pictures noted by Roman (above) as well as a number of set pieces.
Regarding Kinnard’s expression “quite a bit of inspiration”, insofar as the film’s two-minute title sequence was designed by Paramount’s consummate special visual effects professionals to stimulate our senses, especially sight and hearing, by concentrating evocative imagery of space and nebulae within the titles so as to induce an impression of “the infiniteness of space,” it may be that that sequence in part satisfied and fulfilled Kubrick’s requirements.[Miller, Thomas Kent. Mars in the Movies: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, p. 66. 2016. ISBN 978-0-7864-9914-4.] It may be that a description of the scene may help some people visualize its expansiveness and expressiveness. Many things happen at the same time during the titles, which are cataloged here in footnote No.36.
Additionally, the frontispiece illustration to the introduction of Douglas Brodie’s 2015 ''Fantastic Planets, Forbidden Zones, and Lost Continents'' shows a photo still of an astronaut floating in space from ''Conquest'' juxtaposed with an equivalent image from ''2001'' and bears the caption: “The highest form of flattery: As in other genres, science fiction filmmakers often include homages to earlier works. An ultra-realistic image of likely future travel from George Pal’s ''Conquest of Space'' (1955) would be almost precisely referenced in Stanley Kubrick’s ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968).”[Brodie, Douglas. ''Fantastic Planets, Forbidden Zones, and Lost Continents''. Austin, University of Texas Press, p xii. 2015.]
See also
*List of American films of 1955
A list of American films released in 1955.
The United Artists film '' Marty'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture for 1955.
A–B
C–D
E–H
I–L
M–R
S–Z
See also
* 1955 in the United States
External links
1955 filmsat ...
* List of films featuring space stations
There is a body of films that feature space stations. Science fiction films have featured both real-life space stations such as the International Space Station and ''Mir'' as well as fictional ones such as the Death Star and the Satellite of Love ...
* List of films set on Mars
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Baxter, John. ''Science Fiction in the Cinema''. New York: A. S. Barnes, 1970.
* Brodie, Douglas. Fantastic Planets, Forbidden Zones, and Lost Continents. Austin, University of Texas Press, p xii. 2015.
* DeMichael, Tom. ''Modern Sci-Fi Films FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Time Travel, Alien, Robot, and Out-of-This-World Movies Since 1970''. Milwaukee, WI: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2014.
* Haskin, Byron. Byron Haskin: An Interview by Joe Adamson. Metuchen, New Jersey: The Directors Guild of America and Scarecrow Press, 1984. .
* Hickman, Gail Morgan. ''The Films of George Pal''. New York: A. S. Barnes and Company, 1977. .
* Kinnard, Roy. “A New Look at an Old Classic: Conquest of Space” in ''Fantastic Films: The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in the Cinema'', Volume 2, Number 2. Chicago: Blake Publishing Corp., June 1979.
* Ley, Willy. ''The Conquest of Space''. New York: Viking, 1949. Pre-ISBN era.
* Ley, Willy, Wernher von Braun and Chesley Bonestell. ''The Exploration of Mars''. New York: Viking Press, 1956. ASIN: B0000CJKQN
* Miller, Thomas Kent. ''Mars in the Movies: A History''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2016. .
* Roman, James. Bigger Than Blockbusters: Movies That Defined America. Westport, Connecticut, London. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 153. 2009.
* Ryan, Cornelius (ed.). ''Across the Space Frontier''. Essays by Joseph Kaplan, Wernher Von Braun, Heinz Haber, Willy Ley, Oscar Schachter, Fred L. Whipple; Illustrations by Chesley Bonestell, Rolf Klep, Fred Freeman. New York: Viking Press, 1952. ASIN: B0000CIFLX.
* Strick, Philip. ''Science Fiction Movies''. London: Octopus Books Limited, 1976. .
* Warren, Bill. ''Keep Watching The Skies, Vol. I: 1950–1957''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1982. .
External links
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{{Byron Haskin
1955 films
1950s science fiction films
American science fiction films
Films about astronauts
Films based on science fiction novels
Films directed by Byron Haskin
Films produced by George Pal
Mars in film
Paramount Pictures films
1950s English-language films
1950s American films