ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sat May 09, 2015 1:32 pm Post subject: Ice Station Zebra (1968)

Big-budget, all-star, action-packed adventure about an American submarine sent to the North Pole to retrieve a downed satellite which contains a roll of film both Russia and America desperately want to possess.

Rock Hudson is the sub commander, Patrick McGoohan is the cynical secret agent with a dry wit, Jim Brown is a hard-nosed Marine captain, Earnest Borgnine is a Russian defector working with the Americans.

Great sets, good special effects, a terrific score by Michel Legrand, and an action-packed screenplay by Douglas Heyes, based on Alistair MacLean's best-selling novel. Directed by John Sturges. Plus it was original released in Cinerama!

The various versions of the poster for this movie by artist Robert McCall are all spectacular.

McCall is famous for his stunning paintings depicting space scenes -- both factual and fictional, and many that combine the real and the imagined, with gorgeous results.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

orzel-w · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1865

Now there's a coincidence! We watched ISZ just last night. (And McCall is one of my favorite illustrators.)
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WayneO
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Bud Brewster · Posted: Sat May 09, 2015 2:29 pm Post subject:

Wow!

That explains the strange visions I had while writing my post! I was being, like, telepathic I guess! Shocked

No, wait -- I had those strange visions while writing the post for The Illustrated Man and snacking on the mushrooms I found in the backyard.

My mistake . . . Cool

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Pow · Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 12:27 pm Post subject:

One of my fav films is ISZ. Never saw the magnificent poster for it, most impressive.

Also like the theme score for the movie.

Read that Irwin Allen utilized some of the sets for his TV productions. Believe it was ISZ itself.

Charleton Heston turned down the lead role of the submarine commander.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 2:10 pm Post subject:

Heston would have been good, but The Rock did a fine job. Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Krel · Guest

ISZ, the movie that proves that if he hadn't turned the roll down, Patrick McGoohan would have been THE James Bond.

David.

orzel-w · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1865

Krel · Guest

"Ice Station Zebra" was filmed at MGM Studios. Irwin Allen produced his shows at 20th Century Fox. I also believe that VTTBOTS was over by time they finished ISZ.

David.

Rocky Jones · Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 2:07 pm Post subject:

This film was the next Cinerama release after 2001:A Space Odyssey, as I recall. I think I may have even seen a trailer for it in summer of '68 when I went to see 2001. Impressed by seeing 2001 in Cinerama, my buddies and I had to come back this one the same way. They made pretty good use of the widescreen process, though not as much as some other films. For one thing, it was mostly shot on a sound stage and did look it, though the Arctic sets were pretty good.

In watching it more recently, it occurred to me that the plot point about recovering film from a spy satellite was very much a piece for the period. Today spy sat data is transmitted and intercepted instantly and probably often picked up by the other side with just an antenna and a computer.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2017 12:48 pm Post subject:

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Good trailer for a great movie! Very Happy

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________________ Ice Station Zebra - Trailer

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Gord Green · Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2017 10:45 pm Post subject:

Suposedly this was Howard Hugh's favorite movie in his later years. He had his caretakers show it over and over until he passed away.

Weird.....But true!

Custer · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 2:59 pm Post subject:

A good movie, in its time, for sure. These guys obviously find it all interesting...

Pow · Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 5:59 pm Post subject:

One of my favorite lines from the film is by secret agent David Jones to the submarine captain played by Rock Hudson: "The Russians put our camera made by our German scientists and your film made by your German scientists into their satellite made by their German scientists."

Bud Brewster · Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 7:18 pm Post subject:

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That's my favorite, too! Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Gord Green · Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 8:47 pm Post subject:

Should put this on our chat room list!!
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.