Robinson Crusoe on Mars

Pretty much exactly what the title says... a man and his monkey crashland on Mars in this sci-fi adaptation of the famous novel of survival. It's probably for the best if you go into this film with low expectations regarding scientific accuracy... it was already known in the 1950s that Mars was quite cold, and that it didn't have a breathable atmosphere, but if you pretend this is another completely unknown planet then you'll be fine. The film plays by its own rules very strictly, it sets up boundaries and then sticks to them religiously, so regardless of any issues of real world authenticity it's actually quite a smart film and I really got into it the high adventure of it all. There's something about survival stories, about a man against the elements with only his wits to rely on, that just makes for great watching and reading. There's no need to get hung up on character development or a real world context, it's just about a guy trying to survive - and I think that's a really universal theme and should appeal to a wide range of people.

Robinson Crusoe On Mars starts out in space, with things like zero gravity and tubes filled with food used to remind the audience that this is a serious sci-fi film (rather than the hokey stuff usually marketed as sci-fi in the '50s). Once Commander Kit Draper (Paul Mantee) is marooned on Mars the first major challenge for him is the thin atmosphere. His oxygen tank only has enough air in it for 60 hours, and he needs to find shelter and heat as well. The next step after this is the quest for food and water, and after this he begins to combat isolation and loneliness. One subsequent part of this film that really stood out for me was the image of Kit playing his invented musical instrument as he marches across a barren landscape with his monkey in tow, a stark composition that combines elements of humour and tragedy to remind the viewer of the basic human need of companionship. The rest of the film is part exploration, part survival, with Kit eventually meeting his Man Friday (Victor Lundin) - an escaped alien slave who, for all intents and purposes, may as well be a Native American (even his language sounds Native American).

Friday is reluctant to learn English and talk, and I had to laugh at this unexpected piece of dialogue from Kit; "Listen retard, I don't know what you're trying to tell me but we're not budging from this spot until you some words, A-OK?" I was kind of disappointed at the introduction of the slaver aliens, represented only by superfast spaceships equipped with deathrays, but I guess some extra jeopardy was needed to up the stakes once Kit had gotten relatively comfortable. The other odd element was the floating fireball seen at the film's beginning... this phenomenon is not seen or heard from again, nor are they explained.

The special effects are generally of a high standard, I just love the matte work they used in sci-fi films from the '40s, '50s and '60s... a really good matte painting is pretty much timeless, and evokes a nostalgic form of alien-ness for me. Anyway, a great movie!

DIRECTOR: Byron Haskin
WRITER/SOURCE: John C. Higgins and Ip Melchior. Based on a novel by Daniel Defoe.
KEY ACTORS: Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin, Adam West

RELATED TEXTS
- Robinson Crusoe, the first English language novel ever written.
- Director Byron Haskin also directed several episodes of the science fiction anthology series The Outer Limits. His other sci-fi films include: The War of the Worlds, From the Earth to the Moon, Conquest of Space and The Power.
- Other film adaptations of the novel: Robinson Crusoe (a silent film from 1927), Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (directed by Luis Bunuel), Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (a modern Disney version) and Robinson Crusoe (starring Pierce Brosnan).
- See also Cast Away, 127 Hours and Alive for more tales of survival against the odds.