{"id":33271,"date":"2014-04-07T09:11:37","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T16:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33271"},"modified":"2020-12-19T23:11:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-20T06:11:20","slug":"robinson-crusoe-on-mars-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33271","title":{"rendered":"Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1960)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;On Mars, you&#8217;ve gotta face the reality of being alone forever!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Poster-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-33274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Poster-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Poster.jpg 492w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn astronaut (Paul Mantee) stranded on Mars with a monkey named Mona struggles to survive while aching for humanoid contact &#8212; which he finally achieves when he encounters a runaway alien slave (Victor Lundin) he dubs &#8220;Friday&#8221;.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Astronauts<\/li>\n<li>Science Fiction<\/li>\n<li>Survival<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.allmovie.com\/artist\/byron-haskin-p93679\">Byron Haskin<\/a> was a Hollywood Renaissance man who worked his way through a series of positions (including newsreel cameraman, DP, and special effects supervisor) before directing a handful of notable titles, including this cult sci-fi flick (inspired by <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robinson_Crusoe\">Daniel Defoe&#8217;s literary classic<\/a> &#8212; perhaps best known by film viewers through <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1249\">Luis Bunuel&#8217;s 1952 adaptation<\/a>). <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2408mars.html\">DVD Savant<\/a> refers to <em>RCOM<\/em> as &#8220;a unique and serious adventure&#8221; sandwiched chronologically &#8220;between silly efforts like <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=94\"><em>Queen of Outer Space<\/em><\/a> and the high budget wonders of the later <em>2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>&#8221; &#8212; indeed, its poster (see still above) boasts, &#8220;This film is scientifically authentic! It is only one step ahead of present reality!&#8221; Naturally, such claims can&#8217;t even begin to hold up today, so one must watch a flick like this with historical perspective firmly in mind. Indeed, rather than viewing <em>RCOM<\/em> for its &#8220;scientific authenticity&#8221;, one appreciates it as a reasonably taut tale of personal survival, featuring a charismatic performance by hunky unknown Paul Mantee (those zippered pants!) and bolstered by the refreshingly unsentimental presence of a pet monkey. <\/p>\n<p>Once &#8220;Friday&#8221; (Lunden) arrives on the scene, however, things quickly go downhill &#8212; both because we see sides of Mantee&#8217;s personality we&#8217;d rather not be privy to (he refers to Lunden as both &#8220;retarded&#8221; and an &#8220;idiot&#8221; in the same breath), and because the overall credibility of the storyline is suddenly strained. It&#8217;s somehow easier to imagine a lone astronaut stranded on Mars with a monkey than to envision intergalactic miners with eerily Egyptian-looking slaves attacking the planet. Speaking of the planet, the special effects and sets are quite impressive (at least most of the time); a notable exception is the relentless cheesy intrusion of the invading space ships, apparently spliced in on repeat. Ultimately, this mixed bag adventure tale will probably be of interest to film fanatics simply given its intriguing title, but it isn&#8217;t must-see for all viewers.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Other Haskin-directed titles in Peary&#8217;s <em>GFTFF<\/em> include <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6344\"><em>Treasure Island<\/em> (1950)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5441\"><em>War of the Worlds<\/em> (1953)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4560\"><em>Conquest of Space<\/em> (1955)<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4662\"><em>From the Earth to the Moon<\/em> (1958)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Paul Mantee as Kit Draper<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Mantee.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Mantee-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-33278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Mantee-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Mantee-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Mantee-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Excellent special effects and sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-33276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects2-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects2-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-33275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Special-Effects-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Death-Valley.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Death-Valley-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-33277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Death-Valley-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Death-Valley-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Robinson-Crusoe-on-Mars-Death-Valley-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though it&#8217;s worth a look simply for its cult status. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0058530\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2408mars.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scifimoviepage.com\/robinsoncrusoeonmars.html\">SciFi Movie Page Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=2359&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=1882\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/robinson-crusoe-on-mars\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;On Mars, you&#8217;ve gotta face the reality of being alone forever!&#8221; Synopsis: An astronaut (Paul Mantee) stranded on Mars with a monkey named Mona struggles to survive while aching for humanoid contact &#8212; which he finally achieves when he encounters a runaway alien slave (Victor Lundin) he dubs &#8220;Friday&#8221;. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Astronauts Science Fiction Survival Review: Byron Haskin was a Hollywood Renaissance man who worked his way through a series of positions (including newsreel cameraman, DP, and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=33271\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33271"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58586,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33271\/revisions\/58586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}