''Mission Stardust'' ( it, ...4...3...2...1...Morte) is a 1967

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

based on the early novels of the popular German ''

Perry Rhodan ''Perry Rhodan'' is a West Germany, West German/Germany, German space opera franchise, named after its hero. It commenced in 1961 and has been ongoing for decades, written by an ever-changing team of authors. Having sold approximately two billi ...

'' series by

K.H. Scheer Karl-Herbert Scheer (19 June 1928 in Harheim (now part of Frankfurt) – 15 September 1991) was a German science fiction writer, usually credited as K. H. Scheer. Scheer was born in the Hessian town of Harheim in 1928. Towards the end of World ...

and

Walter Ernsting Walter Ernsting (13 June 1920 – 15 January 2005) was a German science fiction and fantasy author who mainly published under the pseudonym Clark Darlton. He grew up in Koblenz and was drafted into the German Wehrmacht shortly after the beginn ...

Plot

In a quest to find a source of radioactive material more powerful than

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

, Major Perry Rhodan leads a four-man mission to the Moon on the rocketship ''Stardust''. On the Moon, they find a stranded Arkonide spaceship, where Commander Thora is trying to save a scientist named Crest, along with a crew of robots. The earthmen find that Crest is suffering from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

, for which there is a cure available on Earth. Perry and others take an Arkonide shuttlecraft to Earth to bring back a doctor with the cure. One of the Earth crewmen is a traitor, however, supplying information to a crime lord who is after the radioactive material, but who sees the encounter with the Arkonides as providing an opportunity for an even greater prize. The crime lord arranges to replace the doctor and nurses with his own people, and upon arriving at the Arkonide ship they kidnap Thora in a bid to gain Arkonide technology. However, Crest provides Rhodan and Bull with Arkonide technology, which helps them rescue Thora as well as the real doctor, who is able to cure Crest. They soon leave the Moon in the ''Stardust'', promising to return with materials the Arkonides need to repair their spaceship.

Cast

Lang Jeffries Lang Jeffries (June 7, 1930 – February 12, 1987) was a Canadian-American television and film actor. Biography From 1958 to 1960, Jeffries starred as Skip Johnson in the adventure television series ''Rescue 8''. He starred in several American ...

as Perry Rhodan * Essy Persson as Thora *

John Karlsen John Karlsen, sometimes credited as Charles John Karlsen or John Karlson (20 October 1919 – 5 July 2017), was an actor from New Zealand who was active in cinema between 1958 and 2003. He is best known for ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' ...

as Crest *

Pinkas Braun Pinkas Braun (7 January 1923 – 24 June 2008) was a Swiss film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1952 and 2002. He was born in Zürich, Switzerland and died in Munich, Germany. Partial filmography * ''Sky Without Stars'' (1955) - Kom ...

as Larkin *

Gianni Rizzo Gianni Rizzo (1925–1992) was an Italian film actor. Between 1944 and 1986 he appeared in over seventy films and television productions, in a variety of supporting roles. His screen roles included parts in a number of peplum films, such as '' Th ...

as Criminal Leader *

Ann Smyrner Ann Smyrner (3 November 1934 – 29 August 2016) was a Danish actress who was active in the 1960s in Italy, the United States, Austria and West Germany. She played in adventure, comedy, science fiction, crime, and horror movies, among which are ...

as Dr. Sheridan * Joachim Hansen as Dr. Manoli * Luis Dávila as Mike Bull *

John Bartha János Bartha (6 February 1915 – 1991), better known as John Bartha, was a Hungarian film actor who appeared primarily in Spaghetti Westerns in the 1960s and 1970s. He is probably most recognizable in western cinema for his role as the Sheriff ...

as General Roon *

Tom Felleghy Tom Felleghy (born Tamás Fellegi; 26 November 1921) is a Hungarian-born Italian actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films since 1958. Filmography References External links * 1921 births Possibly living people Hungarian ma ...

as Moreland * Daniel Martín as Captain Flipper

Release

''Mission Stardust'' opened in Rome in August 1967 under the title ''4... 3... 2... 1... morte'' with a running time of 95 minutes. It was later released in West Germany in October 1967 under the title ''Perry Rhodan--SOS aus dem Weltall'' with a 79-minute running time. It was later released in Spain as ''Órbita mortal'' with a 92-minute running time. It opened in Los Angeles in October 1968.

Reception

In a contemporary review, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' noted the dubbing in the film, stating that it was "only fair" and that the special effects were "crude, the color uneven, but the very audaciousness of the admixture keeps the attention." The review also praised the film score by Anton G. Abril and

Marcello Giombini Marcello Giombini (24 July 1928 in Rome, Italy – 12 December 2003 in Assisi, Italy) was an Italian composer, well known for scoring many Spaghetti Westerns, Italian horror and giallo movies, and 1960s peplum films. He is best remembered for ...

. From retrospective reviews, Gary Westfahl in his book ''The Spacesuit Film: A History, 1918-1969'' noted that the film contained "shoddy special effects" and recalled "Saturday afternoon serials more than science fiction films of the 1960s". Westfahl referred to the film as "one of the era's most reviled genre films."

References

Footnotes

Sources

* *

External links

* *{{rotten-tomatoes, 4_3_2_1_morte 1967 films 1960s science fiction films Italian science fiction films German science fiction films West German films 1960s Italian-language films Films about astronauts Films directed by Primo Zeglio Films with screenplays by Sergio Donati Films scored by Antón García Abril Films based on German novels Films based on science fiction novels Space adventure films 1960s Italian films 1960s German films