Karen: We're back for more cinematic debate, this time centering on the greatest science fiction films of the 1960s. Honestly, I'm more comfortable with genre films from either the 50s or 70s, so I may mis-step here. While it was easy to come up with a bunch of 50s films off the top of my head, with the 60s, I struggled a bit. But I think we've got some winners here. So in no particular order, here are my picks for the best of the 60s.
1. The Planet of the Apes (1968): It was pure allegory, and a bit goofy at times, but what a fun and exciting film. Things that immediately stand out are the spectacular crash sequence at the beginning, the amazing make-up designs of John Chambers,the fantastic soundtrack, the bizarre architecture of the Ape City, and of course the shocking closing scene. There are also splendid performances here from Charlton Heston, Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, and Roddy McDowall. By far the best of all the apes films, and a classic.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): I've always had mixed feelings on this film. While it was certainly visually compelling and far more intellectual than most science fiction films, it also drags quite a bit, in my opinion. Still, it's ambitious and spectacular. There are so many different -yet interrelated -things going on here: the evolution of man, the rise of artificial intelligence, and man's journey to connect with another intelligence. The film also ushered in a new era in special effects, with its incredibly detailed spaceship models and new filming techniques.
3. Fantastic Voyage (1966): Some would rank this as outstanding simply for the presence of Raquel Welch, but let's look at the rest of the film, shall we? A submarine-like ship and a crew are micro-miniaturized and injected into the body of a Soviet scientist who is defecting, but due to an assassination attempt, lies in a coma with a blood clot in his brain. The real selling point of the film are the wonderful visuals as we travel through the human body. It might not stand up to close inspection today, but I recall being completely enthralled with it when I first saw it.
4. Five Million Years to Earth (1967): This British film is also known as Quatermass and the Pit. I absolutely love this film, although it's a bit hard to describe. It involves the discovery of a buried alien spaceship, and these same aliens messing around with the evolution of human beings, species memories, psychic phenomena -there's so much more to it than that. It's smart, and scary at times. I wish I could get a copy of this on DVD. If you have a chance to see it, do it!
5. Day of the Triffids (1962). Another product of Great Britain, this film is sort of like a zombie film but with the zombies replaced by huge, ambulatory plants. I'm not kidding. It sounds hokey but believe me, these plants were pretty darn frightening. Actually, the zombie connection is even more appropriate when you consider that both 28 Days Later and the recent Walking Dead TV show essentially stole the beginning of Triffids - where the protagonist wakes up in a hospital room, alone. In triffids however, there is an even more interesting twist: our hero is one of the few people alive who can still see. The plants arrived on our planet during a tremendous meteor shower, which also had the effect of blinding most of the populace. As in zombie films, society has begun to collapse and the survivors are fighting it out amongst themselves, with the plants coming off as a lot less threatening than our fellow men.
OK, what do you think deserves to be on the list? What film did I overlook?
1. The Planet of the Apes (1968): It was pure allegory, and a bit goofy at times, but what a fun and exciting film. Things that immediately stand out are the spectacular crash sequence at the beginning, the amazing make-up designs of John Chambers,the fantastic soundtrack, the bizarre architecture of the Ape City, and of course the shocking closing scene. There are also splendid performances here from Charlton Heston, Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, and Roddy McDowall. By far the best of all the apes films, and a classic.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): I've always had mixed feelings on this film. While it was certainly visually compelling and far more intellectual than most science fiction films, it also drags quite a bit, in my opinion. Still, it's ambitious and spectacular. There are so many different -yet interrelated -things going on here: the evolution of man, the rise of artificial intelligence, and man's journey to connect with another intelligence. The film also ushered in a new era in special effects, with its incredibly detailed spaceship models and new filming techniques.
3. Fantastic Voyage (1966): Some would rank this as outstanding simply for the presence of Raquel Welch, but let's look at the rest of the film, shall we? A submarine-like ship and a crew are micro-miniaturized and injected into the body of a Soviet scientist who is defecting, but due to an assassination attempt, lies in a coma with a blood clot in his brain. The real selling point of the film are the wonderful visuals as we travel through the human body. It might not stand up to close inspection today, but I recall being completely enthralled with it when I first saw it.
4. Five Million Years to Earth (1967): This British film is also known as Quatermass and the Pit. I absolutely love this film, although it's a bit hard to describe. It involves the discovery of a buried alien spaceship, and these same aliens messing around with the evolution of human beings, species memories, psychic phenomena -there's so much more to it than that. It's smart, and scary at times. I wish I could get a copy of this on DVD. If you have a chance to see it, do it!
5. Day of the Triffids (1962). Another product of Great Britain, this film is sort of like a zombie film but with the zombies replaced by huge, ambulatory plants. I'm not kidding. It sounds hokey but believe me, these plants were pretty darn frightening. Actually, the zombie connection is even more appropriate when you consider that both 28 Days Later and the recent Walking Dead TV show essentially stole the beginning of Triffids - where the protagonist wakes up in a hospital room, alone. In triffids however, there is an even more interesting twist: our hero is one of the few people alive who can still see. The plants arrived on our planet during a tremendous meteor shower, which also had the effect of blinding most of the populace. As in zombie films, society has begun to collapse and the survivors are fighting it out amongst themselves, with the plants coming off as a lot less threatening than our fellow men.
OK, what do you think deserves to be on the list? What film did I overlook?
