Moon Zero Two
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''Moon Zero Two'' is a 1969 British
science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as Extraterrestrial life in fiction, extraterrestria ...
from
Hammer Films A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...
, directed by
Roy Ward Baker Roy Ward Baker (born Roy Horace Baker; 19 December 1916 – 5 October 2010) was an English film director. He was known professionally as Roy Baker until 1967, when he adopted Roy Ward Baker as his screen credit. Early life Baker was born i ...
and starring James Olson,
Catherine Schell Catherine Schell (born Katherina ''Freiherr, Freiin'' Schell von Bauschlott, 17 July 1944) is a Hungarian-born British actress who came to prominence in British film and television productions from the 1960s. Her notable roles include the Bond ...
,
Warren Mitchell Warren Mitchell (born Warren Misell; 14 January 1926 – 14 November 2015) was an English actor best known for playing bigoted cockney Alf Garnett in television, film and stage productions from the 1960s to the 1990s. He was a BAFTA TV A ...
, and
Adrienne Corri Adrienne Corri (born Adrienne Riccoboni; 13 November 1931 – 13 March 2016) was a Scottish actress. Early life She was born Adrienne Riccoboni in Glasgow in November 1931, the daughter of an English mother (Olive Smethurst) and an Italian fa ...
. The screenplay was by
Michael Carreras Michael Henry Carreras (21 December 1927 – 19 April 1994) was a British film producer and director. He was known for his association with Hammer Films, being the son of founder James Carreras, and taking an executive role in the compan ...
from an original story by
Gavin Lyall Gavin Tudor Lyall (9 May 1932 – 18 January 2003) was an English author of Spy fiction, espionage thrillers. Biography Lyall was born in Birmingham, then in Warwickshire (now West Midlands (county), West Midlands), England, as the son of a ...
, Frank Hardman, and Martin Davison. The film takes place on the Moon in 2021. A former astronaut turned salvager helps a millionaire space industrialist capture a sapphire asteroid, while also helping a woman find her missing brother.


Plot

In May 2021, the Moon is in the process of being colonized, and this new frontier is attracting a diverse human population to lunar settlements like Moon City, Farside 5, and others. Two denizens of this rough-and-tumble lunar society are the notorious millionaire J.J. Hubbard and former-astronaut-turned-satellite-salvager Bill Kemp, the first man to set foot on
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
. He left Space Corporation because he wants to explore space, while his former employer only wants to operate commercial passenger flights to and from Mars and
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
. When Hubbard hears about a small 6000-tonne asteroid made of pure "ceramic"
sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...
that is in a low lunar orbit, he hires Kemp to capture it with Kemp's old ''Moon 02'' space ferry. Kemp is to transport it down to the surface of the lunar farside, even though doing so would be against Space Corporation law. Kemp, however, has little choice because he learns from Hubbard that his flight licence will soon be revoked due to protests from Space Corporation. Hubbard also reveals that he plans to use the giant sapphire for building much improved rocket engine thermal insulators, profiting from the need for even more powerful rockets to colonize Mercury and the moons of Jupiter. A young woman named Clementine arrives looking for her brother, a miner/prospector, working a distant patch of moonscape at Spectacle Crater on the lunar farside. Unfortunately, the trip from Moon City on the nearside takes six days by a wheeled lunar vehicle. Since Kemp can go there much more quickly using his ''Moon 02'', she convinces him to help her learn if her brother is still alive. The terrain around his camp is not suitable, so Kemp and Clementine land and travel the remaining distance with a transport buggy. The two discover that Clementine's brother is dead, and that he was murdered for his discovery of a large vein of nickel, that would make him a rich man. They are shot at by some of Hubbard's men, who have followed them to the camp; Kemp takes them out one-by-one. Hubbard is unhappy that Kemp left to assist Clementine, because Hubbard is the one responsible for her brother's death. He needs the claim to be abandoned so he can take control of it and use it as an isolated landing site for the sapphire asteroid. Hubbard blackmails Kemp into completing the asteroid job by threatening his and Clementine's lives. Kemp is later forced to kill one of Hubbard's men in a shoot out. He also strands Hubbard and his remaining man on the large sapphire, just before the attached retro-rockets fire, sending it hurtling toward the lunar surface. With Clementine being her brother's next of kin, she now has legal ownership of the nickel vein and the nearby "crashed" sapphire asteroid, making her a very wealthy woman.


Cast


Production

''Moon Zero Two'' was written by
Michael Carreras Michael Henry Carreras (21 December 1927 – 19 April 1994) was a British film producer and director. He was known for his association with Hammer Films, being the son of founder James Carreras, and taking an executive role in the compan ...
, based on a story by Martin Davison, Frank Hardman and
Gavin Lyall Gavin Tudor Lyall (9 May 1932 – 18 January 2003) was an English author of Spy fiction, espionage thrillers. Biography Lyall was born in Birmingham, then in Warwickshire (now West Midlands (county), West Midlands), England, as the son of a ...
. Lyall's widow, Katharine Whitehorn, wrote retrospectively in her 2007 autobiography, ''Selective Memory'': "It was about — or supposed to be about — space travel when it had got to the beat-up-old-Dakota stage of grubby reality.… The people who made it were dazzled by Kubrick's ''2001'' and couldn't resist trying to make it glossy and improbably perfect, the exact opposite of what the authors intended: all the gritty realism was gone." The score was by Philip Martell and American
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
musician
Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his ...
, his first film score. The title song was performed by
Julie Driscoll Julie Driscoll Tippett (born 8 June 1947) is an English singer and actress, known for her work with Brian Auger and her husband, Keith Tippett. Career Driscoll is known for her 1960s versions of Bob Dylan and Rick Danko's " This Wheel's on F ...
. Spencer Reeve was the film editor and
Carl Toms Carl Toms OBE (29 May 1927 – 4 August 1999) was a British set and costume designer who was known for his work in theatre, opera, ballet, and film. Education Carl Toms was born in 1927 at Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England. His ...
was costume designer. Special visual effects for the film were created by a team headed by visual effects artist Les Bowie, who worked on numerous Hammer productions and other British-made science fiction features. Production began on 8 March 1969, focusing on the special effects. Live-action filming began on 31 March at the
Associated British Studios Elstree Studios on Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire is a British film and television production centre operated by Elstree Film Studios Limited. One of several facilities historically referred to as Elstree Studios, the Shenley Road s ...
. Dance group the Go-Jos appeared in the film. Ori Levy described wearing the moonsuits as "sheer hell", receiving
blisters A blister is a small pocket of body fluid (lymph, Serum (blood), serum, Plasma (blood), plasma, blood, or pus) within the Epidermis, upper layers of the skin, usually caused by forceful rubbing (friction), burning, freezing, chemical exposure o ...
from chafing and back problems from the air conditioner installed to keep him cool. Catherine Schell lost 13 pounds from wearing the suit, causing her to be put on a diet of
malted milk Malted milk or malt powder or malted milk powder, is a powder made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and Milk powder, evaporated whole milk powder. The powder is used to add its distinctive flavor to beverages and other foods, but i ...
and chocolate to maintain her weight.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
wrapped on 10 June. The effects unit at Bray Studios was used on the production. Among the futuristic set decorations are several examples of the famous " Ball Chair" created in 1966 by Finnish designer
Eero Aarnio Eero Aarnio (born 21 July 1932) is a Finnish designer, noted for his innovative furniture designs in the 1960s, such as his plastic and fibreglass chairs. He was born in Helsinki. Aarnio studied architecture at the Institute of Industrial Art ...
. A dialogue reference to
Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineer who, in 1969, became the Apollo 11#Lunar surface operations, first person to walk on the Moon. He was al ...
becoming the first man on the Moon was inserted, and a lunar monument erected on the landing site was added to the production. The film was released three months after the
Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...
Moon landing. In a 1992 interview with ''
Starlog ''Starlog'' was an American monthly science fiction magazine that was created in 1976 and focused primarily on ''Star Trek'' at its inception. Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs were its creators and it was published by Starlog Group, Inc. in Aug ...
'', Roy Ward Baker was negative towards the film, lamenting its budget for hindering plot possibilities and what he saw as the miscasting of James Olson in the lead role. Baker was also critical of producer and writer Michael Carreras' roles with the film; while being fine with his producing, he thought Carreras overstretched himself with his positions. Baker said: "''Moon Zero Two'' was a bad picture. It was hopeless, and never got off the ground. We didn't have enough money to do it properly. It was crazy – a complete muddle. And, it was undercut by the fact that you could turn on the television and see Neil Armstrong jumping about on the real Moon."


Release

In the U.S. the film was billed as a
space Western Space Western is a subgenre of science fiction that uses the themes and tropes of Western (genre), Westerns within science-fiction stories in an outer space setting. Subtle influences may include Deep space exploration, exploration of new, law ...
with the phrase "The first moon 'western'".


Critical reception

''
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), ...
'' wrote that the film "never makes up its mind whether it is a spoof or a straightforward adventure yarn and the uneasy combo comes adrift even in the normally capable hands of producer Michael Carreras (who also wrote the script) and director Roy Ward Baker. It may provide some mild amusement for easygoing audiences but overall it's a fairly dull experience, despite some capable artwork, special effects and lensing by Paul Bessen". ''
The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...
'' wrote: "It is something of a relief to find from this much-publicised "first space Western" that in 50 years time so little will have changed. ...The scenery in this new sub-genre may be less inspiring than usual, but the dialogue, plot and everything else are on a sufficiently familiar level to appeal to less demanding juvenile audiences.  ... Catherina von Schell looks winsome enough, Warren Mitchell leers prettily and Bernard Bresslaw is conventionally moronic as the Moon magnate's gunslinger-in-chief. It's all just about bad enough to fill older audiences with nostalgia for the inspired innocence of
Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' ...
, or even the good old days of
Abbott and Costello Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in t ...
in outer space."
Derek Malcolm Derek Elliston Michael Malcolm (12 May 1932 – 15 July 2023) was an English film critic and historian. Early life Derek Elliston Michael Malcolm was born on 12 May 1932. He was the son of Douglas Malcolm (died 1967) and Dorothy Vera (died 196 ...
for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' called the film "dreadfully made from start to finish". In ''The
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
Guide to Films'' David McGillivray gave the film two out of five stars, writing: "In an effort to diversify, Hammer attempted this U certificate space western, in which James Olson and Ori Levy do battle with the bad guys for prospecting rights on a somewhat bleak-looking moon. It's exactly what you might expect from a western set on the moon, complete with shoot-outs, ambushes and dancing girls. The plot and dialoque are terrible, though there are a few thrills for the kids."


Home media

''Moon Zero Two'' became a Warner Bros. shared
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
disc release in 2008, along with Hammer Films' 1970 prehistoric adventure ''
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth'' (titled ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the World'' in the U.K.) is a 1970 British fantasy film from Hammer Films, written and directed by Val Guest, and starring Victoria Vetri. It was produced by Aida Young. This w ...
''. In 2011, ''Moon Zero Two'' was re-released as a stand-alone DVD, adding the film's original theatrical trailer.


Legacy

In 1969,
Pan Books Pan Books is a British publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. History Pan Books began as an indepe ...
released a novelisation of ''Moon Zero Two'', written by John Burke. It was also adapted into a graphic story by
Paul Neary Paul Neary (18 December 1949 – 10 February 2024) was a British comic book artist, writer and editor. His first work was for Warren Publishing in the 1970s before working with Dez Skinn at Marvel UK as well as work for '' 2000 AD''. He later ...
and was published in '' The House of Hammer'' in April 1977. The film was shown and parodied on ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
'' episode 111, originally airing on 20 January 1990. The episode was rebroadcast on social media as the MST3K LIVE Social Distancing Riff-Along Special on 3 May 2020, with new riffs by the MST3K Great Cheesy Circus Tour cast. In 2013,
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
released the ''MST3K'' episode as part of their 25th anniversary boxset, along with episodes focused on '' The Day the Earth Froze'' (1959), ''
The Leech Woman ''The Leech Woman'' is a 1960 black-and-white American horror film directed by Edward Dein, produced by Joseph Gershenon, and starring Coleen Gray, Grant Williams, Gloria Talbott and Phillip Terry. The plot follows a middle-aged American wo ...
'' (1960), and '' Gorgo'' (1961).


References


Sources

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External links

* * * {{Roy Ward Baker 1960s science fiction adventure films 1968 films British science fiction adventure films British Western (genre) science fiction films 1960s dystopian films Films shot at Associated British Studios 1960s English-language films Films directed by Roy Ward Baker Films set in 2021 Hammer Film Productions films Films set on the Moon British space adventure films Space Western films Warner Bros. films Films scored by Don Ellis 1960s British films English-language science fiction adventure films Mystery Science Theater 3000 English-language Western (genre) science fiction films