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Bud Brewster
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 Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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I have no idea what the object in the top picture of this double-image is that BoG posted. It's not in the movie! 
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scotpens
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| Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Bud Brewster wrote: |
I have no idea what the object in the top picture of this double-image is that BoG posted. It's not in the movie!
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It's a mockup of the Phoenix Lander, photographed in Death Valley (where the Martian exterior scenes in RCOM were filmed). The real Phoenix landed on Mars in May 2008.
Link to image source: https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2008/05/09/probing-the-martian-pole/ |
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Bud Brewster
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| Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2019 8:05 am Post subject: |
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Ah-ha! Thanks for the link to that wonderful article! 
Bogmeister included several photographs he got from one of his magazines in his review. Obviously the article he used included the photos of Paul Mantee and the Mars lander mockup precisely because it demonstrated that filmmakers chose that area to film the movie for the same reason NASA chose it to test the lander.
BoG almost (but not quite) made that point in his review when he said —
"The locations here are another plus. They picked some nice ones somewhere in the U.S. desert regions to double for Mars. "
I'm a little surprised that Bogmeister didn't specifically mention the NASA / movie connection, because the research he did for his reviews was always very thorough, and I admire the way he dug into the subjects and came up with original observations and conclusions.
That's the very reason they're so enjoyable to read.
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Bud Brewster
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:29 am Post subject: |
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| Pow wrote: | | Good movie. They reused the Martian ships from George Pal's War Of The Worlds. |
That seems to be the case, and the design is certainly very similar. But there are several reasons to wonder if they really were the actual Martian war machines shown below.
Notice the differences. The color is not the same, the death ray extension on top is missing, the tips of the wings don't glow green, and there's a round glowing red section on the bottom.
Naturally it's entirely possible that they are the same, but that the death ray extension was removed and the props were painted (including the tips of the wings, covering the glowing green plastic).
But the most telling reason to believe these are not the actual props is the fact that in Robinson Crusoe on Mars we're obviously just seeing a two-dimension image being moved around against the background.
Watch the scenes of the ships near the beginning of this clip and take note of the fact that the ships are only shown from one angle. They never turn, and we never see them from above or the side. Always the same viewing angle.
__ Robinson Crusoe On Mars [1964] Special Effects
__________ 
I could be wrong, but I think they just created a single painting or a photo of a small model, based on the basic shape of Martian war machines, and they used it for all the ships we see. A painting or photo would save them the trouble of wrestling with those large, heavy copper props from War of the Worlds. And making the modifications I described would be easy!
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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Mar 28, 2022 10:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Krel
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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We went through this on page one. Same studio, same design, but not the same miniatures. The originals were donated to a copper drive, and the one that George Pal kept was lost in his house fire, along with all his memorabilia.
The Satellite Ships (what they were called in the script, so drones) were wood models, in three different scales. They had no lighting, and moved by photo animation, like the Mars Gravity Probe.
David. |
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Bud Brewster
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Krel wrote: | | The Satellite Ships (what they were called in the script, so drones) were wood models, in three different scales. They had no lighting, and moved by photo animation, like the Mars Gravity Probe. |
Ah, yes, I do remember that now. Thanks. 
I love the idea that the ships are drones and can move the way they do because no crew is being slammed around inside. In fact, I think perhaps all the UFO sightings that report similar movements (fast 90° turns, tremendous acceleration) are actually alien drones as well!
So, just to save a little face here, it would not be correct to say that the "Martian war machines were used again in Robinson Crusoe on Mars", as we've all read from time to time. Their designs "inspired" the Satellite Ships, and the FX didn't use models per se, they used photos of them.
Despite being a forgetful old codger who reanalyzed a subject we'd already covered (oops), I was right that the producers probably could have used a single well-done painting and created the same kinds of shots.
In fact, scotpens post on page 1 of this thread includes the statement below. 
| scotpens wrote: | | The alien ship miniature in RCOM certainly looks as if it wasn't meant to be filmed close up. You can see paintbrush streaks and chisel marks on it! |
But it still strikes me as odd that they don't seem to have taken photos from more than one angle to give the shots a little more variety.
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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:41 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Krel
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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Both "War of the Worlds" and "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" were directed by Byron Haskin. It makes me wonder if the reuse of the Martin War Machine design was an in-joke, or tribute to Mr. Haskin.
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Bud Brewster
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:55 am Post subject: |
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Krel, thanks to you and this discussion I decided to check and see if the Robinson Crusoe on Mars (The Criterion Collection) Blu-ray of this movie has special features that were available on the Criterion laser disc a friend showed a group of us at this house back in 1994.
Happily, it does! The preproduction drawings for the version of Robinson Crusoe on Mars that was original planned are wonderful. It would have been a very different movie — less scientifically accurate, but more exciting because of elements such as Martian monsters!
I ordered it yesterday, and it should be here today!
That means I'll wind up with both it and the DVD-R that Randy Everette sent me, along with a DVD I bought years ago.
If you don't have a DVD of Robinson Crusoe on Mars I'd be happy to send you one of the extras I have.
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scotpens
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Bud Brewster wrote: |
| scotpens wrote: | | The alien ship miniature in RCOM certainly looks as if it wasn't meant to be filmed close up. You can see paintbrush streaks and chisel marks on it! |
But it still strikes me as odd that they don't seem to have taken photos from more than one angle to give the shots a little more variety. |
Actually, some of the shots do show the ships at different angles -- like this one at 1:31:10. (Click on thumbnail for full-size image.)
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Bud Brewster
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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Hey, thanks scotpens! I stand corrected!
And the color of the forward . . . "green thing" is different, too. It's NOT green, nor is the round shape on the bottom red.
Good call, sir.
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Gord Green
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| Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 12:15 am Post subject: |
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The colors, like the "beam" effect, were no doubt added in post production.
While not the original models it does look like they were created from molds of the original WOW ones.
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Bud Brewster
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| Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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I kinda doubt it. The War of the Worlds war machines where several feet across. The wooden ones in Robinson Crusoe on Mars were smaller . . . and made of wood.
You can't pour "liquid wood" into a mold, right? 
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Gord Green
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| Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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No, but you can make templates of the originals.
But YES you can pour liquid wood. I've made many models using liquid wood (Available at any hardware store.) mixed with sawdust. I've made various pistol grips with it. When partialy hardened you can mold it for a perfect custom fit and use carving tools on it as well.
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Bud Brewster
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| Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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Well I'll be damned. I stand corrected. Again. 
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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Bud Brewster
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| Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2019 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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| alltare wrote: | Bud-
I'm curious. What other SF movies did you show to the kids, and do you recall which were their favorites?
| Bud Brewster wrote: | | For five years running I showed this movie to the 4th and 5th grade classes... |
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Steve, thanks for asking that question!
I had to wander back into my aging memory banks to remember if there were any other movies I'd showed the kids in my classes during my 18 years as an teacher!
And even though Robinson Crusoe on Mars was the only film I showed for several years running, there were in fact other movies and movies clips I showed to the kids, including a few non-science fiction clips I used which illustrated historical eras.
For example, when we were studying the Westward expansion, I showed them a wonderful clip from Dodge City (1939) starring Errol Flynn — which included a brief race between a stage coach and a train that demonstrated how technological advancements have changed the world.
I also showed my fifth grade class the 1953 version of Titanic to illustrate how we can become overconfident about technology and make tragic mistakes!
One of the kids was so obsessed with the sinking of the Titanic (even before I showed the movie) that I had to make him a copy of my DVD-R from Turner Classic Movies so he could watch it at home with his family!
And finally, I also showed one class The Space Children . . . just because I wanted to. They loved it.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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