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THE FILMING OF SUPERMAN THE MOVIE

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elcome to issue 5 of Britain's Superman—The Movie 4 David Castell, editor of Films Illustrated, takes a look at the making of the most expensive only media science fiction W motion picture of all time. magazine, this month spot- lighting another eomic-book crea- The Starburst Competition 9 tion that has leaped over to the Win yourself one of many Hamlyn books in our special competition. silver Superman. Vreen, Things to Come 10 F or this special lead feature, we'd Find out all that's new in the world of movie and tv science fiction. like to thank I'ilms Illustrated editor, Starburst Review 16 David Castell. for taking time out We review not one but two sf movies that will be coming your way in the very near future of his hectic schedule to urite such an interesting and informative article. Lucas and Spielberg 20 True to our established style, Starburst looks at the two cinema giants behind Star Wars and Close Encounters respec- tively and brings you up to date on their latest ventures. we'll be featuring special elfects expert John Brosnan's look at Super- Dark Star 22 man — I he Mrivic next month, Starburst regular John Fleming casts a critical eye over this little-seen sf classic. as we did with Star Wars and ( lose Dark Star Poster 24 Kneounters in previous issues. A bonus 16^x111 full colour reproduction of the original Dark Star poster. Also next month, we'll be report- ing on the recent l irst British fan- John Carpenter Speaks 28 tasy film Convention. One half of the creative team behind the Dark Star movie talks to Starburst in this revealing interview. Plus, we'll be taking a look at Japan's new sf feature film. Message The Starburst Interview 34 from Space, and presenting the Douglas Trumbull, the genius behind the special effects of such movies as 2001. Silent Running and Close Encounters talks of his early career. second part of our Doug Trumbull talk-in. The Cannes Film Festival 40 But our big surprise feature, in Tony Crawley was there and covers the movies that were on show, all of which will soon be answer to many questions about surfacing at your local cinema. Blake's 7. Dr W ho and T he .Survivors, Book World 42 is an interview with writer creator Our monthly look at the wide variety of sf books currently on release. Terry Nation. Battlestar Galactica Be here! 45 A bonus, colour photo-preview of the film/tv series that threatens to out-star Star Wars.

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ttmtrm i\ iopirmht o! . HHi \/K. AM . i n\, i otunthia. < li . I Ml. M(,M. IK. M< Al nivftsal. Stmiu- imrrmin. Kititk. iHtntiflh ( enlurf-^l it.x, I iiilrtl Arity/s. ti'mm'r Itrnthfrx. I*nrutmmnt IHA twii (Ippitlun. am! upprars m rf/r thfir Editor kitui pt’nniwion. All rrttuwttfi^ toiUrnt ix topyriulu © Murvel ( imiu\ I hi IV7/i All rtKliix rfxrrvnl. C otuepi hy Dr; Skinn. Minted in I nylund. 4 AVith Superman: The Movie set for a December 15th London release, David Castell, editor of Films Illustrated and former presenter of BBC tv’s cinema showcase programme Film Night, takes a look at the progress of the movie from the initial concept to the completed film.

fourth 933, the year of the Great The following year, George Lowther effects and agreed to a big budget. The sky 1 American Depression. A dreamy teen- presented him in novel form. The Adventures was the limit. Would $25,000,000 be ager named Jerry Siegel wiled away a of Superman television programme started enough? Spengler and Salkind Jnr hot, summer night thinking up a character in America in 1954, more animated swallowed hard. Yes, they said, that would for a story he was toying with. The next cartoons in the '60s and a Broadway be enough. Wrong again. Superman: The morning he took his idea to a close friend, musical in 1966. The guy got around. Movie ultimately burst its financial banks Joe Shuster, an aspiring cartoonist. Between You might think that the decision to to the tune of an additional $40,000,000. them they thrashed out the details. Their make a major movie would have been a The start date was put back and back. And hero would be “like Samson, Hercules and momentous one, taken with cigar-belching once the cameras rolled, as late as Match all the strong men we have ever heard of, enthusiasm around a Hollywood board- 1977, the thirty-week schedule stretched to all rolled into one,” said Siegel. “Only more room table. Wrong. It was in May 1974, sixty-five. so,” added Shuster. They called him in a sidewalk Paris cafe that producer The gestation period was elephantine. Superman. Alexander Salkind turned to his son, Ilya, Pierre Spengler negotiated the rights with Forty-five years later, the Man of Steel and family friend, Pierre Spengler, both DC Comics. The Salkinds were unknown was being born again, for Superman: The in their twenties, are asked what they were to the publishers so all manner of things Movie. Not so casual this time, for the going to do next. The trio had just had a were written into the contract. Among the interim years had built a detailed mythology resounding success with The Three Musket- clauses was one agreeing that the film would

around Superman. He had become one of eers and were delighted to have its sequel, not be a send-up, another that it would not the most durable of the American legends, as well as The Prince and the Pauper in the be pornographic (not so bizarre a condition outlasting Betty Grable, outselling the pipeline. “What next? What about Super- when you think of the fairy tales and Bible. During World War IF, Superman manT’ asked Ilya. Alexander had never children's classics that have lately been was standard issue in Gl duffle bags. heard of him, but his son described the revamped into soft-core sex material). Goebbels attacked him publicly as being incredible feats of the Man of Steel in a way Spengler’s business nose told him that they “a Jew-monger”. He had been the central that excited the older man’s imagination. were sitting on a veritable goldmine—not .” figure in Action Comics; in a syndicated “It would have to be big. . he mused, a single film, but a Bond-\\V.e series that newspaper strip; in a serialised radio suggesting that he go to his backers and see could last a decade and hinge on four programme from 1940 onwards; in three if the idea tickled their fancy. Indeed it did. central characters. They would be Super- years of Paramount cartoons from 1941. They wanted star names, the best special man himself (and, of course, his earthly

1978

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Comics

DC

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and

Supermane

Grimly determined, the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) braces himself to bridge a gap in a railway line with his own body.

5 alias of newspaperman Clark Kent); Lois After all, many producers had gone away Lane, the girl reporter who is secretly in and finished whole films in the time that love with Superman, but has little time for Superman had taken to find a director. And, the gauche Kent; newspaper editor Perry where money-men are concerned, stars are White; and the cub photographer, Jimmy insurance policies. There began a bizarre Olsen. hunt (against Ilya Salkind’s better Scripts come before casting, so the judgment) for a big name to play the Man Salkinds set out to woo Mario Puzo, then of Steel. Top athletes and footballers were red hot after the success of The Godfather. considered, along with Burt Reynolds, Eager to get away from the connection with James Caan and Robert Redford. Some violent drama and organised crime, Puzo were turned down by the Salkinds, some agreed. Eleven months after the first Paris got their “no” in first. Then, by one of those dinner conversation, they took the idea to quirks of fate for which the production the Cannes Film Festival, the great market was overdue, Salkind heard that Marlon place of the movie industry. Every hour, Brando was preparing to leave his Pacific on the hour, an airplane circled the bay. hideaway island and come into the market Behind it trailed a banner that was to place to earn a little money—well, a few become a legend at Cannes. That year it million anyway. read; “Superman, Salkind, Puzo”. Twelve The paunchy, ageing superstar was months to the day, the plane flew again. clearly no Superman, but some swift This time the banner read: “Superman, revisions built up the role of Jor-EI, Salkind, Hamilton”. Guy Hamilton was a Superman’s scientist father from the planet well-known director who had made a Krypton. For a fee in excess of S4,000,(XX) colossal impact with such James Bond and 11.3 per cent of the eventual profits, films as Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever Cinecitta Studios in Rome. Production Brando could be counted in. Superman and Live and Let Die. Hamilton wasn’t designs were approved, sets constructed, could be up, up and away. Twelve days enamoured of Puzo’s script. He thought it costumes assembled. The millions began work, but he didn’t want to do them in would make a good novel, but not a great to pump away like life’s blood. Rome, as there was a suspended prison movie. So in came David and Leslie Time enough now, they said, to start sentence hanging over him after charges Newman with Robert Benton, the team worrying about the cast. There was already brought there against the controversial that had been involved in the Broadway concern on the part of the money-men (and Last Tango in Paris. musical It’s a Bird, It’s a ’Plane, It’s the film industry moguls who had shown A move abroad (it had to be England Superman! Work got underway at the huge keen enthusiasm at Cannes) over the delays. and the biggest stage in the world, built

Mishap in the Planet office. Superman, in his secret identity of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, runs up the dry-cleaning hills with Daily Planet co-workers Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and Perry White (Jackie Cooper).

6 —

Salkind actually screen tested his wife’s dentist. The test wasn’t too demanding no leaping over buildings or demolishing dams. The hardest thing asked of the young hopefuls was to jump off a balcony of about four feet, while keeping their hair in place and speaking at the same time.

In this deF)artment it was Christopher Reeve, a handsome twenty-four-year-old stage actor, who excelled. His only previous screen appearance was a virtual walk-on in Charlton Heston’s crippled submarine drama. Gray Lady Down. Not that potential star-spotters are likely to recognise him from that role, because the naturally blond six-footer had to dye his hair black for the role of Superman, also to add thirty pounds of solid muscle to his already broad frantK in order to achieve the triangular physique of the Man of Steel. Working laboriously in the gym under the tuition of Dave Prowse (Star Wars’ Darth Vader) he made the physical transformation with time to spare. Monday 28 March, 1977. 8.30 am. Donner and a hundred-strong British crew made last-minute adjustment to their sets, costumes and Panavision equipment. Brando, wearing a heavy wig and an even heavier black cloak, sat dejectedly in a corner clutching an outsize box of Kleenex. He had arrived at London Airport with jet-lag and a heavy cold and made his usual curt announcements to the press. He was not interested in this him, he had said. He was doing it solely to raise money to support and aid the American Indians. The earth, which had trembled in anticipa- tion of his arrival, now moved again. The temperature on the set, even at that early specifically for The Spy Who Loved Me) would ensure Brando, but it would lose Guy Hamilton whose tax position would not allow him to work in Britain for the necessary length of time. Brando won out. Hamilton quit the project, all the Cinecitta work was scrapped and an American director, Richard Donner of The Omen fame, took the helm of what was threaten- ing to turn into the Marie Celeste of movies. Casting was now coming together nicely. Gene Hackman was the evil Lex Luthor, Ned Beatty his dim-witted assistant and Valerine Petrine his seductive lady-friend. Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter were to play the couple who adopt the infant Superman when he arrives from Krypton. Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran were to play the three villains from Krypton. Canadian actress Margot Kidder had landed the choice role of Lois Lane, Marc McClure was set as Jimmy Olsen, Jackie Cooper as editor Perry White. Still no Superman? Well, some things take time. Only it was now nearly three years since the idea was hatched. The whole air fare row could well have been triggered by the traffic of hopefuls jetting in and crestfallen rejects flying out. Jor-EI (Marlon Brando), father of Superman, sentences three Kryptonian criminals (Terence

And, yes, it is true that at one point Ilya Stamp, Jack O’Halloran and Sarah Douglas) to imprisonment in the Phantom Zone.

7 —

hour, was 105 degrees. Brando, clearly of Zurich blanch. Superman needed those be observed even in this extreme situation. unwell and imprisoned inside a thirty- most costly of cinematic commodities The budget stood in excess of $65,000,000. pound costume, had a ten-minute mono- more time and more money. Even at that Much of that money had gone into the logue as his first scene. They got it on the point, they could have hurried, cut comers, effects side of the film. There is hardly a first take, Brando reading his lines off cue compromised on quality. But the credo of set that someone doesn't smash into or

cards. Everyone relaxed just a little. “Do it big and do it right” which had crash out of. There is virtually ten times The schedule (planned for seven months) become the company's watchword, was to as much trickery as in any of the Bond was bisected by eight weeks on location in films, demands that have taxed the patience North America, New York City and and the imagination of people like produc- Niagara Falls. Tlie British aspect of the tion designer John Barry, make-up wizard production, begun at Shepperton, moved Stuart Freeborn and the two men in into Pinewood and the massive 007 set charge of special effects, Roy Field on its return from location. The vast stage (opticals) and Colin Chilvers (mechanicals). now housed The Fortress of Solitude, But what exactly, at the end of the longest Superman’s Arctic hideaway and probably day, have they got for their money? the most spectacular single set in John The rights to Superman sewn up for all Barry's production design. time. A two-hour movie. 80 per cent of By now Superman was forging ahead; Superman 2. Options on the four main not ahead of schedule (it was already players (Reeve, Kidder, Cooper and behind), but at least ahead of budget. Plans McClure) for further pictures. The possi- for an autumn completion and a spring bility of a series that could stretch on for delivery to the distributors had to be ten or twelve years. Guarantees? No such abandoned. So, too, did any ideas of a thing in the film business. The stakes may summer 1978 release. On the day the movie be the highest ever in world film production

was originally scheduled to have opened in but, as Pierre Spengler so rightly says, it’s cinemas across the country, a group of still all down to a roll of the dice. concerned technicians were still fretting over the niceties of the flying sequences. A decision had to be made—and fast. Alexander Salkind listened to all the arguments like a seasoned, unflappable professional. Then he went to his backers Superman's arch-nemesis. Lex Luther, is played Gene with the news that made even the gnomes by Hackman.

8 :

Starimrst Cwnpetitkwi DESCRIBE THIS SRACESHIPP

50 o^ies of SPACECRAFT: 2000~2100AD to be won

t's competition time once more, following our description of the spacecraft pictured above. Your last contest, description must not I Spot the Spaceship, back in Star- be more than 300 words. burst 2. We've been so bogged under with The entries will be judged by Stewart Cowley, and entries and inundated with pleas for further com- his decision will be final. petitions that we decided to go ahead with a new With your description, be sure to enclose the contest before announcing the results of Spot the "entry stamp" on this page, and, as a favour to your Spaceship. However, rest assured that the winners ever-curious Starburst staff, why not also let us will be panted next issue. know what your three favourite features in this issue This time Starburst, in association with Hamlyn are and the one feature you liked least of all. Books, are offering no less than fifty copies of the Send your description, plus entry stamp and your new release. Spacecraft : 2000 to 21 00 AD to the list of favourite/least favourite features in Star- best fifty entries. Spacecraft is an impressive, burst 5 along with your name, address and age hardcover book featuring page after colour page of (block capitals, please) to spacecraft paintings by some of the best sf artists in Starburst Competition, Marvel Comics Ltd, the business. Each spacecraft being accompanied Jadwin House, 205-211 Kentish Town Road, by its own "technical data sheet", by author London, NWS. Stewart Cowley. Be sure that your entry is postmarked before All you have to do is to write a similar technical January 31st 1979.

9 . me .THincs.Ta.cDi spfiCEmfln

Time Lapse. It's laser guns and NASA rockets vs swords and sorcery in the latest British Disney epic. The Spaceman and King Arthur, an update of the old Mark Twain story, A Connecticut Yankee In King

Arthur's Court. This time, the Yank is a NASA space ace and his cloned android

Hermes, leaving the Cape Kennedy pad in Stardust One and travelling faster than light

the wrong way . . . back to the year 508 in Camelot.

Merlin (of course) and Jim Dale is the hissable villain, the evil Mordred. But with the space- ship's retro-rockets sucking in a clutch of knights, the laser gun being reflected off our hero's gold armour and setting fire to Sir Mordred's camp. Dennis flying around with a jet-pack, not forgetting Stardust One and the android clone, it is the special effects

boys who once again steal the show. Cliff Culley and Ron Ballanger head the effects team, with the stunt-men led by Vic Armstrong.

The British Tourist Board will be pleased to learn that Hollywood director Russ Mayberry Dennis Dugan, tv's Richie Brocklaman, (ex-Kojak and Bewitched) finally left Private Eye, is the pint-sized hero of Don Alnwick Castle in Northumberland and Raby Tait's script. Kenneth More stands in for Castle in County Durham in one piece after David Niven as King Arthur. Ron Moody is the shooting. Well, more or less. .

10 . ,

IE .THinGS..TD..CamE. 5Bni. Darsentan

Despite the title and the tenth century

setting, Lee Majors looks as if he's just jumped out of his bionic jump-suit as Thorvald —The Norseman. Not one well-barbered hair is out of place as he leads boat-loads of ^ikings on a cruise to the Americas to rescue his missing father. Critics galore have giggled about Majors being the first Viking to hot- comb his hair daily, and have some friendly neighbourhood Italian barber manicure his trendy moustache for him. He looks about as much a vengeful viking as Snoopy.

Still, big Lee's big entry into big movies is going over big at the box-office—on the strength of his Six Million Dollar Man appeal. Strange, though, to find Cornel Wilde as Majors' second-in-command. Just a few years ago. that would have been cast the other way around. Oh. the value of a TV series. The film

is directed by old horror-hand Charles B. Pierde—and his son is the only blond Viking in Six centOTte sight ... but with a Southern accent. before Coturftbus Lee Majors tells us his next movie is Steel, was born, a redicless with George Kennedy. High drama among the bandof giantssailed

hard-hat scaffolding set. . . . The movie also Ck their long ships across stars Art Carney who then goes from Lee's r the North Atlantic Steel to Farrah Fawcett Majors' Sunburn. to the green shores of America. Passing the Buch .Xw * V, r

Gil Gerard, from the Airport '77 cast, is

television's Buck Rogers. But to series, or . Six MitlMNi Man" MAJORS not to series, that is the question to await the . _ THE ratings fate of Universal-MCA's three two- hour tv-movie versions, costing $12 million in

all. The first movie explains all in its title:

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Buck is a '79 circa astronaut beating death in our still SAMUEL Z. ARKOEF Pmmb expected nuclear holocaust by a process of ACHARLESa.nEltCEFam suspended in animation. He thaws out the 2Sth SUrring LEE MAJORS a. century, when other survivors have built a THE NORSEMAN Victorian-rigid society inside—guess what 7— AhoSMrrinRCORNEL WILDEa. Xagnar • a city of domes. MEL FERRER WMlIen, ProducMl and Dvr«ct«d 'We're going after a realistic kind of sci-fi,' byCHARLES B. PIERCE A Charin B. Pierce FBm/Fa«vce

Battlestar : Galactica's executive producer deal in America, where others proved more Passenger), has revealed he had to call off an Glen A. Larson doubling in the same job for both successful at exploiting the fruits of his rare sf venture he was invited to make in Moscow shows. Dther stars announced thus far include imagination than Nikola did. Papic has written two years ago. The film was to be called The Erin Gray as Wilma Deering, Pamela Hensley his script with John Hughes on the Tesla life. Ktts,"and seemed a very valid project but the as Princess Ardala and, as Killer Kane, the He was a mystic, worked in ESP and claimed special effects required were not available in

enemy we'll love to boo, the redoubtable to have had various successful contacts with Russia and the technicians I wanted became a

Henry Silva. extra-terrestrial creatures. . . . However, we cost I could not bear." But he hasn't exactly

hope they haven't forgotten about the existence buried the idea yet. If the Russians can't make '59 E^osmic man I of the SF pic of the same title, which it. Antonioni hopes to revive the project else-

fronted Carradine. . Plenty of alien effects required for a new John where. movie to be called Cosmic Man. "Futurist" in is Yugoslav director Krsto calls his r not Td Come Bond Space how Papic hero, a man he has been researching around Things not to come. Or: oh, what have we James Bond goes into space (again) in his the world for three years. His name is Nikola missed. Italian director genius. Michelangelo latest trip, Moonraker. "It's more science fact

11 a nCS.TD. •camE THinc than science fiction," stresses producer Cubby Broccoli. "What we put on the screen may not correspond with what the real-life space pro- grammes have accomplished, but we will be showing what is within the present capabilities of NASA. We will be putting on the screen what NASA would now be doing in terms of space

stations and shuttles, for example, if it had been given the money." In other words, 007 can afford what NASA

can't. Well, nobody does it better Busy, Busy Lucas

George Lucas is in the midst of quite frenzied

activity. As a producer. While still handling all the multi-million dollar fallout of Star Wars, George is now producing three films at once. The list is topped, of course by Star Wars 2, directed by Irvin Kershner. Also on the Lucas film schedule; Purple Haze, the sequel to American Graffiti; and a comedy, set in Paris and written by the Graffiti team, French Postcards. Bring Out Vnur Bead Tog»th»r Agtin. Christophir let. beck in t British studio for the first time in two yttrs. joins his old coUttgue. Hollywood's latest top fantasy writer. Michael Peter Cushing, in discussions with director Kevin Connor on the set of Artrbian Adventure et Pinewood. Crichton (Westworld. Coma) will direct the Chrtspitys his first mtcthrt roft in eleven films ts the wicked Ctliph Alqutier. ruling tn encient Cestern kingdom movie of his latest bdok. Eaters of the Dead. with sorcery terror. end Peter Cushing guests emong the Celiph's prisoners. Neither ster wes too certein, hut Can't be any worse than Armando Crispini's on our count this is their 22nd film together. amazingly gruesome Autopsy from Italy, which "Other areas" includes beating his instance, has cute Mimsy Farmer working in a morgue and pal to make the new John Dark/Kevin Spielberg to the punch in having a decidedly unhealthy obsession with making a personal Connor fantasy trip, Arabian Adventure, at film. Home Movies (while Spielberg has in- Pinewood. of corpses. Dead bodies fill her office, her books, He was. course, very wise in explicably called off the production of his saying no. her walls, her mind, and the screen from start to kids' The Superman movie started shoot- film. After School). Then, he directs ing finish. Closest thing to a post-mortem of the Travolta March 28, 1977, and was still occupying a in Prince of screen. the Ci^-after the twinkled-toed Pinewood stage when Christopher Lee talked to star makes American Gigolo for writer- me exactly 18 months and one day later— Bring But Vnur ^nney director Paul Schrader, who, of course, scripted schedule which would have placed him in very Oe Palma's Obsession . . . under its original deep water with the taxman. Instead of which, The Exorcist author William Peter Blatty is title of Oeja Vu. while Superman lumbered along into two suing Warner Brothers for $40-million. At first, The good news is that when De Palma feels movies, Chris Lee shot around the world and I thought it was because of what they did with the time is right to start Demolished Man, the made a dozen other films.

Exorcist II, but no . . . Thus far. Blatty has film should roll in London. "I've budgeted it for It's more likely that Lee was asked to take received $1S-million from his cut of the first London. I could use the city a little bit, and you the role of the Kryptonian heavy. General Zod, film, and he alleges he's owed more. He wants have the stages here and the special-effects finally played by Terence Stamp. Ironic casting a better breakdown of the $14-million he claims people. But it's a really hard, big picture to do. that. Stamp went on to become Dracula in the Warner charged to advertising expenses. And I just don't want to do psychic phenomena West End flop production of the play which for awhile." Chris Lee turned down flat for Broadway. On e Paima Carries Dn which more anon Brian De Palma has a few surprises up his Super-Chris sleeve ... His next films are a small, personal bituary

movie, made with a New York film school class Now It Can Be Told 2 Christopher Lee had Director Bruce Geller and ABC-TV senior —and a crooked cop number starring John to refuse one of the Superman leads. He's far executive Steve Gentry were killed when their Travolta. Which means that his big, long- too polite to say which one. Everyone else on Cessna crashed into Bueno Vista canyon, near promised sf feature. The Demolished Man, is the film is saying "No Comment". (And; Santa Barbara. Gentry, 37, has been responsible still languishing in the back of his fertile mind. "Hectic. Hectic. Hectic!"). Chances are that for most of the new genre of TV movies, and for "I've been interested in this book for almost producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler developing such spin-offs as Starsky and fifteen years," he told me. "I would like to do wanted Lee, arch-nemesis of their Three/Four Hutch, Charlie’s Angels and the upcoming some other things first. Demolished Man is a Musketeers films, to become Lex Luthor him- Battlestar : Galactica. Bruce Geller, 47, was psychic thriller, set in the future, about murder self. Gene Hackman plays the part in the in TV since the mid-50s, producing the Raw- in a telepathic society. It's very complicated, finished (?) films. hide Western series with a raw unknown has a lot of telepathy and it's just material that Lee had to reject the Superman offer because called Clint Eastwood. Next, he created the I would like to get away from for awhile. I mean, of his tax situation. He's resident now in Los series that unfortunately became all too true I do it effectively and I would just like to get in Angeles and is only allowed a certain quota of in Nixon's White House: Mission Impossible. some other areas before I come back to it." days inside Britain; just enough time, for His last movie was The Savage Bees.

12 jS.JD..CDmE THinCS

Lee Siahes Dracuka

Now hear this. Christopher Lee has played Dracula for the last time. And that's official. The only deviation from his conviction would be an important director, a script wholly faithful to Bram Stoker, and an enormous fee. Looking cool—good lord, Christopher Lee in jeans and sneakers !—he is the first English star in decades to have actually benefited from moving to Los Angeles. Not for him the dross Michael Caine and others are sinking their

careers in. “A totally new career has opened up," Lee told me at Pinewood studios. "One which actually should have happened years ago. Nobody thinks of me in terms of conventional casting now." He adores the LA weather, life- style, friends, golf, above all, the wide diversity of roles offered him—twelve inside two years. These include his alien in Starship Invasions, a demented Disney scientist in Return To Witch Mountain, and a pair of clones in End

of the World . . . plus the very best fantasy

Christopher Lee in Arabian Adventure.

movie around just now. The Silent Flute. Not horror films, you'll notice. He hasn't quit

horror, not that he calls it that: it's just that he hasn't been offered a decent— let alone good- horror script. Since he quit playing Dracula for Hammer, he has counted sixteen other actors tackling the role. And he's not keen on showing them how, anymore. He hasn't seen either of the two Broadway hit vampire plays, having !" wouldn't be able to afford to make the picture Hollywood even more than the rest of the refused the one Frank Langella triumphed in and How much exactly? "Between one and two world. Hancock will put a few top macho stars is now filming with Lord Dlivier as Van Helsing. million dollars. If people can get that kind of into drag and have them fretting about their "I find this extraordinary occupation and figure for giving performances which are utterly panty-hose, hair, make-up, lovers and psycho- fascination with the theme or the character of meaningless for pictures which are total failures, analysts. By which, you'll have gathered that Dracula quite understandable," says Lee. "It's I can certainly say I have the right to that figure the year 2147 has the ladies in charge. It's a a very romantic and heroic figure. But it's not in something that would be an enormous and femme-dominated society. They wear the suits it should I being presented the way be. came colossal success. But it would have to be a —'cuss and swear' . . .and run the world. nearer to it than anyone else, although it was great director and an enormous amont of money Hancock's script, written as always with his still not right, as I've said on many occasions. . . . because I'm simply not interested." actress-wife Dorothy Tristan, zeroes in on a So why would I be interested in playing it again. love affair between a female FBI agent and her "Df course, if a man like Zeffirelli asked me male secretary, trying to turn things back to an to do it, and said it was going to be done word- Femmes Ruke,Dh? equality situation in the midst of a thriller. for-word as Bram Stoker described it. I'd be 2147 is AD the setting for director John Sounds right up Hancock's street. He loves the tempted. But I would still say no. At least, Hancock's movie of Thomas Berger's book. bizarre—sometimes too much so. Hence, his they'd have to pay me so much money, they Regiment of Women, which should shake up leaving the Jaws 2 project and being replaced

13 3S. .m .CDfriE THincs

by Jeannot Szwarc. Until those headlines. Hancock was best known for Bang The Drum Slowly, which brought Robert De Niro to prominence. But he tells us that Jon Voight and Warren Beatty are keenest to go into drag

for his new one—apart, that is. from fretting

too much already, about what it may do to their careers. more Dyk^slra John Dykstra. the Star Wars special effects man. and producer of the tv reply. Battlestar

Galactica. is handling all the effects for

Columbia's Altered States. This is writer Paddy Chayefsky’s acid look at the world of science, a logical move for the Oscar-winner, after demolishing television in Network and the American medical profession in Hospital. Dykstra now helps run a special effects firm called Apogee, which includes various of the top Hollywood effects men including the master-

mentor of them all, Douglas Trumbull.

Paradise

So it wasn't a joke. A movie is being made of Milton's Paradise Lost. And producer Oliver Unger (Force Ten From Navarone. etc) insists it's the kind of science fiction that goes

'beyond' Lucas and Spielberg. If only we could

hear what Milton thinks I 'Following the huge world wide success of

Star Wars and CE3K,' says Unger. 'I decided time was ripe to make a picture of this great

subject. When I read John Collier's marvellous

screenplay, now published in book form. I

realised that I had a script ready for shooting.' But no cast, no director just yet. We plan a world-wide hunt for the perfect Adam and

Eve.' he adds. Maybe Starbursters fit the bill— he needs beautiful unknown, a boy of 18 and a Eurasian girl of 17. But please, write to Oliver Unger, not us. Cartoon Feuer Animation is back with a bang on the box. Latest character to be revived for home con-

sumption is Popeye—from Hanna-Barbera. It's the first new Popeye series since 1962. Jack Mercer will continue supplying the voice, which he started back with the old Max Fleischer studio in 1934. Popeye. though, had first been born with a stroll-on in a 1931 Betty Boop cartoon from Max (father of his spinnach. market out there. Each year, around 250-million director Richard Fleischer). The salty sailor Fiash / Popeye looms large as a movie musical. comics are sold in the United States alone—

then had his first eleven-minute featurette With . . . Dustin Hoffman! that's one each per man, woman and quite a few in 1933. Over the next 25 years, the Fleischer of the kids. And that gives the movie makers outfit made 234 cartoons; while King Features Cartoon Capers the entire 5-15 age group market, with a rushed through a further 220 as the 50s Good old Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts generous helping of parents, as well. collided into the 60s. gang are no longer alone on the screen. As we And so. Flash Gordon is being made for of for Lots changes, though, the new $90,000 know (we do, don't we?) with Superman, $25-million . . . Dustin Hoffman will do Popeye per half-hour shows. Popeye's violence has there is a sudden spurt of interest in transfer- as a musical with Lily Tomlin as Olive Dil (after got to be scotched. It's rumoured he may not ring comic strip heroes to the movies. Plus a being The Incredible Shrinking Woman). even be able to roll up his sleeves. One few to television, as well. In short, Hollywood Massive Arnold Schwarzenegger will eventually answer, of course, would be to deprive him of has finally realised there's a huge untapped catch up with his pal Lou Ferrigno's fame as the

14 ' . Ta.cDmE .THinGs.j

Hulk in the $1 5-million adaptation of Conan, are edited in Los Angeles, scripted by a former would we, when she's free on TV. Only her The Barbarian. A revamped, definitive Tarzan Hanna-Barbera staffer and even vetted for second film, Tha Paper Chase (1973) was is afoot in writer Robert Towne's Greystoke. kids by an ex-CBS censor. All the animation, any good, and then not much. Her screen Archie is just around the corner, plus the big- though, was carried out in Japan. Space debut. Robert Wise's Two People with Peter

budget musical of Little Orphan Annie. There's Cruiser lives . . . Well no wonder he can't Fonda, was such a flop it was not released

also plans for a new film of Li'l Abner, which sell them I until two years after it was shot in 1971.

would have to be great to beat the 1 959 version. (Incidentally, in both Paper Chase and And the latest comic-cut-out entrant is Milt Caiioon Cuts Second Wind, Lindsay's co-stars included Caniff's Tarry and tha Pirates, being set up James Naughton, one of the stars from TV's The much-touted (overblown, actually), ani- now as an $8-million project in Hong Kong. Planet of the Apes.) Just goes to show that mated version of Ovid's mythological tales. Macao and the United States, with, like the rest, people won't even buy one ticket to see two Metamorphoses, has been jerked out of a major Superman style merchandising boost. TV favourites American cinemas—for a retailoring job. The Dick Tracy can't be far behind I advertising campaign and the publicity was fine. LUekcame The film was not. The Japanese Sanrio combine The Green Hornet has been seen again . . . British 'toons says the movie needs a lighter touch, via an Van Williams suddenly popped up as the boss of Elton John's Capt. Fantastic superhero is American writer and narrator. Surely they could two indeterminate teenage cops in Quinn coming to home screens. Thames Television have worked that much out before releasing it. Martin's latest all-location police show, has ordered an animation series based on the The new version metamorphoses next June. Elton album cover some years ago. with designs Colorado IQ. That's a long way from messing by Alan Aldridge. Elton may supply Capt. Lindsay's FTlovies about with Bruce Lee as Kato. Fantastic's voice. Three years after the event, Lindsay Wagner's TU Shorts Canadian movie. Second Wind, is being

'toons In a few switches. . . . The bionic pair and the Japanese touted around the world with the sales-pitch: Hulk's Ken Johnson is setting up a TV movie American producer Sam Frank is running into "The Bionic Woman in her first feature". called The Plants Are Watching—you've been Space 1999 difficulties in peddling his 85 Don't believe one word of it. This Toronto warned ... William Jordan has quit Jack Webb's half-hours of SF cartoons. Battle of tha movie made in 1975. immediately before she staccato Project UFO series; he's replaced by Planets, to US TV. He was hoping to sell them became Jamie Sommers, was. and remains, another cardboard cut-out. Edward Winter. . . at $19,000 a show, but had to settle in most her third film. local networks for $11,000. Imbued with a Reason for the sales hype is quite simple. Compiled by Tony Crawley Star Wars feel (don't tell George!) the toons Nobody buys Lindsay Wagner movies. Why

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15 Sterburst Review MEUL MESSIAH

or once, the hype is the message. FMetal Messiah is “Fog, Flags, Lights, Future Sights, Christ Crucified, Hitler Idolised, Rock’n’Roll Suicide, Tomorrow, Today. The ultimate space rock spectacle ” of the 1980s It’s been slotted in the same unconven- tional, innovative, fantasy bag as Jailhouse Rock (1957), Privilege (1969) and The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976), spiced with a dash of Alice Cooper’s fangs and a few smackers from Kiss. Writer-producer Stephen P. Zoller, struck with as many briquebats as bouquets, prefers to go one step further. “This is our low-budget answer to what Ken Russell failed to do with Tommy and Brian De Palma failed to do with Phantom of the Paradise. We explored our modern society with deliberately naive and schizophrenic eyes and as a result eame up with a shock- ing portrayal that until* today has the Ontario censor board up in arms. Quite a

paradox when you think about it. I wrote Metal Messiah as a warning to the rock generation, and the censors banned it—or probably give it an X-rating so the kids won’t be able to see it.” Over to Zoller’s partner, director Tibor Takacs. “We just elaborated on current themes, trying to make people realise what could happen in a rock concert atmosphere

if unsavoury forces were to manipulate it. Now, it’s all a game to groups like Kiss. I’m sure they don’t realise the effect they hzve on the kids in the audience." A rock culture version of the age-old confrontation between reality and fantasy, therefore, sowed the mercurial seeds for Metal Messiah. A stage project first in 1976, until locked out of the tl^tre due to its controversial—you know, ‘shocking’!— subject matter, and now an astonishing 80-minute feature film, the like of which has never been perpetrated on any screen before. And that’s a promise. sheer Nuremburg Rally-like power of a “I really started to wonder what would We’ve all experienced the reality that rock or pop, or even the last night of the happen if a guy like Hitler decided to make forced this heady film into being. I mused Proms show. the rounds today. He influenced a lot of about it a dozen years or more ago while For Stephen Zoller it was a heavy metal people through theatrical techniques. He deaf for a whole day after one of the ” earliest rock concert. “There was a kid of about would have made a great rock star examples of Beatlemania in staid old fourteen on my right with a bottle of Rock ’n’ fascism, then. In Anywhere City, Bournemouth, of all places, and again while Scotch in his hand. The kid on my left was anytime. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, now succumbing to Melina Mercouri, of all non- snorting cocaine. They were both yelling or never. Wherein is the Metal Messiah, a singers, as she literally seduced a crowd of Kill! Kill! Kill! while extending their right Silver Surfer sans board; silvery and 8,000 or more in Stockholm’s Grona Lund arms in a Nazi salute. I began to think that “deliberately anonymous”, says Zoller. amusement park. The audience was Swe- it wouldn’t take much to mobilise or A stranger in a stranger land, overlooking dish, she sang in Greek, but after three influence these kids. They obviously have society’s ills and utter degradation: the numbers we would have followed her to the a lot of pent-up frustrations, and who can businessmen selling air and water, the ramparis anywhere. Stones and Dylan blame them? We live in a very difficult, radiation mutations, the zombie-like audiences know it, feel it every time. The highly technological and spiritle^ age. students of Anywhere University with their

16 —. android headmaster (spouting forth from a tape reel of Marine orders). And he tries to warn them all, via mental telepathy, that their city, their planet is dying, the oceans support life no more, and the citizens must abandon their hedonism once and for all. No one listens. No one cares. Except Violet, the priestess of the Children of messiah Truth ; she sees him as the new and drug-programmes him into a rock evan- gelist. All except the movie’s major antag- onist, Max the Promoter; he wants the stranger wasted. The chosen executioner is one Philip Chandler, a re-tread of the private eye of the 40s; he has doubts about it, but accepts the assignment to hit “the man who looks like he belongs in a grade B sci-fi flick”. Hunted by Chandler, fleeing the crazed Violet, the stranger is in the midst of a bad trip—an amazing battery of vertigo sighs and sounds—when he finally meets and attempts a philosophical battle with Max. He’s in no shape to win; but then no one is. Max is the devil incarnate. Max insists the people like things the way they are, so quit

messing around, join me . . . and using his cosmic forces, he entices the stranger into a trap of twisted truths. and vibrations. An intense, demanding “I want to point out,” Stephen Zoller And so he relents. He becomes the Metal experience; everything and everything as, tells us, “that the film is not a high budget Messiah. The ultimate rock star. opposed to the more usual case ofeverything production ... no commercially slick ven- And so to the clintax, the dazzling set- and nothing. ture. We had a low shooting ratio and piece finale of the movie. Max’s rock spec- limiting funding. But I think we came tacular, with the new Messiah as a mere through with a unique and innovative style. puppet dangling from the promoter’s It is violent. It has scenes of frenzied strings. The setting is a stadium. It could be activity. It is a complex film bom out of a Ancient Rome with all the dancing girls, complex age. the fog, lights, the sirens, confetti, the “It may be called an anti-film for its screaming and the animal carcasses lying surrealistic account of the effects of rock ’n’ about the place. roll on our society. This demanded the use film language (void of pure The Metal Messiah is on stage, befuddled, of a new hypnotized like his audience, by the drone commercialism) that communicates with of his robotoid band, singing about the those who are young and paranoid and world.” destruction of the planet. The crowd love it. have to put with our modem for the last time. Stephen and The noise is deafening. The tension rises And not Tiber are currently working on a news film. . . . rises. They want more, much more. . . The Tomorrow Man. “We hope it will re- Max gives it to them. He has one of the girls murdered on stage. define the meaning of nuclear holocaust to The crowd go made all over again. The a lot of people.” Footnote: Despite its ban in Canada, sheer trauma of it all finally breaks through release the stranger and shatters the nightmare. Metal Messiah should be found on shortly. “Stop this insanity,” he pleads. Too late. in France and Germany “But Tm sure,” says Zoller, “if any British No one is listening any more. The spectacle not has taken them over. Max has won. And he distributor will come around.” We hope to offers the MeuI Messiah to them for “the prove him wrong. ultimate act of the ultimate spectacle”. Metal Messiah (1978) Crucifixion. John Paul (as Max), Richard Allen Fade out. And fade, surrealistically in Young (Philip David Anywhere City has gone. Vanished. Chandler), Hensen (The Messiah). Across the screen’s horizon is a field of Directed and edited by Tibor Takacs, barren ash. And the Metal Messiah. Hung written end produced by Stephen Zoller, upon a cross. Alone. executive producer. Dm Jean Louis, Although made for comparative peanuts, photograph«l by J. L. Sutherland, music Zoller-Takacs’ alms is a devasting amalgam (live on film) by David Jensen, Craig Baxter, of the history of movies. There is the 1930s Paul Jessup, Music (recorded) by Danna German cinema as exemplified in the and Clement, sound by Peter Chapman. Messiah him(it?)self, reminiscent of Metro- An MM Productions (Toronto) film, world sales, Stephen Zoller, Productions, polis; there are, too, the images of the 1940s MM 271, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario, detective movies, the 19S0s sf B-films; the MSA IS6. pop revolution fare of the 60s tied up with — Time: 76 mins No British Distributor a 70s approach to speed and style, vistas

17 —.. — SlarbursI Review STAR DUST or: In The Dust of the Stars

Review by Tony Crawley

we're As becoming increasingly aware, again, one would expect the Iron Curtain

everyone’s i gett ng into the space movie countries to have a female space- *‘race. We’ve already seen Italy’s Star commander much earlier than that, or Pilot (see Things to Come last issue), and indeed, long before the Americans and Japan’s Cruiser Space (see Starburst 2) . . their much-scaled down NASA programme. but East Germany? Now that is a surprise! The film—quite a good old thriller Well, not really. It’s becoming quite the begins with an appeal for help picked up by norm for director Dr Gottfried Kolditz, a the cruising spaceship Cynro 19/4 from the former musikalischer, or music consultant, planet TEM 4. Yet all is not quite what it on the opera films made at the DEFA appears. . . . First, the Cynro’s crew is Studios in East Berlin. He first turned to barely able to prevent the craft from crash- science fiction (a logical progression, per- ing. Second, the Temers are over-friendly, haps, from his later fairy tale movies) with inviting the crew to a midnight party . . . Signalc ein Weltraumabenteuer (Signals — and as for their SOS, well, that was a bit of An Adventure in Space) just the other year. a mistake, don’t you know. His latest endeavour, Im Staub der Not so. Sterne (In The Dust the is of Stars), also One of the Cynro crew wanders off and greatly concerned with problems of the discovers a mine, where the original inhabi- future. This new title has also been shortened tants of the planet are toiling; slaves under his interpreters by to Star Dust, which to us, the Temers’ iron rule. The Turis, they’re seems too close to George Lucas, or even called. Several generations previously, they David Essex. However, there is a certain had been attacked and taken over by the

feeling of Star . Trek to the whole er . . Temers. It was the Turis who had sent out enterprise. Except, Capt. Kirk is a woman the Mayday call. ... a very fetching blonde at that. Soon enough, shots are ringing out in the Kolditz Dr sets no particular era for his low, narrow passages of the mine. The new adventure. Beyond let’s say. 2001 , Then Temers’ tempers are up. They want to

18 . .

prevent contact between the Cynro crew and the Tuns at all costs. (Sound familiar any of this, bearing in mind East European politics?) Our lovely blonde space commander has to make the big decision. Take sides—or take-off? There’s not much time either way. The Temers are attempting to flood the land-held area ... the Turis Anally revolt in

open force . . . and then the Temers decide

to blow up the spaceship. . . Cynro 19/4 makes it in the proverbial nick of time. But our blonde and her navigator are not aboard Tune in again next week to another thrilling instalment

of . .

Well, yes, it is a bit like that at times. Cliff-hanger excitement, an sf Perils of Pauline

is played by Jana Brejehova, flrst intro- duced to a captivated world by Milos (Cuckoo’s Nest) Foreman in his marvellous Czech movie, A Blonde in Love (l%5). The major minus is that her character is called Akala, not that far distant from your friendly neighbourhood cub-scout mistress.

Star Ehist (Im Staub der Sterne, 1978) Jana Brejehova (aj Akala), Afred Siniwe (Suko, navigator), Ekkehard Schall (Chief), Milan Beli (Rink), Sylvia Popovici (////c), Violeta Andrej (Rali), Leon Niemezyk (Thob), Regeinc Heintze (My), Stefan Mihailescue Braila (Xik), Mihai Merenta (Kte), Aurelia Dumitrcscue (Chta). Written and Directed by Dr Gottfried KoMitz, Photographed by Peter Suring, Music by Karl-Emst Sasse. Costumes by Katrin Johnson, Set Designer Bernhard Kalisch, Edited by Christa Helwig. A DEFA-Aussenhandel (East Germany) Production. No British Distributor

( 19 Report by Tony Crawley

or two monster hit film-makers, F neither far distant from the Francis Coppola brand of independence, there's scant surprise in the way that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are investing their hefty slices of the world’s top two movies. They’ve both announced their future schedules. And, indirectly, they’re taking

over Hollywood. “I know what George is doing for the next four years,” says Spielberg. “He knows what Tm doing for the next four years. We all know what the next four years will be like, //our films are successful. We can predict trends ... we can start trends. “Like George, I’m interested in doing some small movies, which are unique and experimental and very personal. While Tm doing that, Brian De Palma will go out and make a big, trashy epic, that we’ll all love. Then, he’ll resent his own success and he’ll go out and make a small movie, and then ril go back and make a trashy epic. Hopefully, we’ll be able to leapfrog and make some good movies in between.

“The one thing about this generation is that we all came out of the 60s, everybody has a real healthy conscience. Even though a lot of our films are going to appeal to the masses, they’re going to have something to them that’s really more than cotton candy.” ana , nis Uscar-winning editor-wife, experimental type of Such as ... ? movie George is more Marcia, has all the latest cinequipment addicted to; this could lead to a resuscita- installed. Otherwise, George can still George Lucas be tion of his Radiohuid Murders project. seen much as he was five years ago— in Sprocket Systems Inc. will produce Lucas is on special 40% of Star Wars—the film levis and sneakers behind the wheel of his effects for the new SW and any other movie and the merchandising. In folding stuff, ’67 that Camaro. And he’s still working, of hiring its services. Black Falcon Ltd. will works out around $80,000,000. More than course. “A free man”. He calls the shots tend the merchandising spin-offs of all his Gone With The Wind ever earned in the today. films. North Americas! I remember way back He’s set up four new combines over and Medway’s first job is when Albert Finney re-issuing George’s became a dollar- beyond his original Lucas film company. first hit, American Graffiti, which has to millionaire from his share of the Tom Jones His Star Wats Corporation will make date earned in excess of film. But $95,000,000 world- eighty-million . . . that’s too Star Wars 11 (directed by Raid On Entebbe’s wide. The film staggering featured a couple of to comprehend. Irwin Kershner) and a total of up to ten unknowns called Richard Dreyfuss Like the pools winners, and it’s not changing sequels. George will direct the last one only, Harrison Ford; it George’s also led to Paramount- lifestyle that much. Oh, he’s “about years 20 from now”. Medway TV’s Happy Days series, also furnished his headlined by San Fernando Valley home at Productions will make the smaller, more actor Ron Howard. This time, though, Lucas 20 — —

promises us the entire film—with the five minutes Universal trimmed out put back in by Marcia. “It was a film made by me, with changes by the studio,” says George. “That isn’t fair.” Next, Medway will make the inevitable sequel film. More American Graffiti, pro- duced by George and re-uniting most of the original team: Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Cindy Williams, Charlie Martin Smith and Candy Clark (who later graduated into Nic Roeg's The Man Who Fell To Earth.).

Steven Spielberg

Spielberg is also into production and quicker than George, producing onemovie and directing another. First off-shoot of his new fame is Universal's S2,000,000 Beatlemania tribute, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, with a bunch of newcomers on all sides of the camera. Next, 1941 (ex-Tbe Rising Sun), a $12,000,000 comedy about Los Angeles going bananas, fearing a Japanese attack within days of Pearl Harbour (actually, it sounded more like a re-run of Norman Jewison’s The Russians Are Coming). “It’s much more like the Orson Welles broadcast. The War of the Worlds,” says Spielberg. “Except it really happened in Los Angeles. Everyone lost their minds, spent every last bullet shooting clouds for eight hours straight. People were hiding in Zoetrope failed, just like the fairly like- basements they didn’t have—they had to year old Cary Guffey, the CE3K smiler. Apple Corps of the Beatles. dig their basements. I’ve taken this pillar of Then, of course, comes CE3K II. Or is minded He’s Coppola and Zoetrope both went into the truth and I’ve shredded it into a Hellza- that CE4K? Spielberg’s not saying. until The Godfather shot him poppin’ type movie that is visually madcap also denying that it will be about Dreyfuss deep-freeze hot seat. Straightaway he and quite nuts!” up there on the Mother Ship and/or the back into the Lucas with American Steve directs (from pal John Milius’ planets. “There are so many close encounter continued backing — Graffiti. Coppola’s fine personal “little” script) in September, if all goes well. He stories left on Earth,” he says, rather Conversation (Gene Hackman, wanted John Wayne for the lead. The Duke guardedly. film. The Ford) stemmed from Zoetrope, wasn’t pleased with true facts of the tale But didn’t he also once say sequels Harrison much-awaited Vietnam war Japs shot down two USAF planes. That reduced the art of movies to just a science? so does his apologia. Apocalypse Now. just doesn’t happen in Wayne wars. Yes he did; but three years ago “Doing a direct this Now, Steven has added a second project sequel,” he even added, “is really like Lucas was originally set to you’re war-movie, from yet another John Milius to his director’s schedule—a quickie from operating a slot machine, knowing (Harrison Ford is in the film as the Beatic film writers, Robert Zemeckis going to get three cherries everytinK.” script. — into Star Wars and and Bob Gale: After School (ex-Growing At the National Film Theatre in London, Col. Lucas). George got “1 approve Coppola directed instead, with a lot of help Up). This is an extremely modest 28-day he countered this by declaring, George. When running short of his shoot, costing $1,500,0(X)—about enough of the sequels / want to make! Sequels are from $30,000,(X)0 budget, George told Francis to for tlw CE3K crew’s lunch. It’s a view of all right if you make Godfather 11. Sequels

. . . into the Star Wars cash, since when adolescence set in Spielberg’s old home town are not okay if you make Airport 77 dip lias been helping to edit the film of Phoenix, Arizona. “It’s about suburban Universal will probably exploit Jaws like George free. once said, “If I die let children in America, gangs of kids, what that with a new Jaws every two years until for Coppola finish the film. He knows more happens to them between 3pm, when they they stop making money. 1 hope that’s George it than I do.” get out of school and 6pm when they get soon.” about time around, the wunderkind home for supper. They’re really young This Francis Ford Coppola battle against the Holl^ood aduhs, becoming street smart, making love directors’ hierarchy should work. Lucas and Spielberg at 11, discovering drugs at 10. A lot of it Coppola—they both lead back to him. arc operating from enormous strength; will deal greatly with the influence of TV Spielberg out of enormous respect,Lucas backing one of their West on children today. How they lived out the due to an even closer relationship. After his Coppola is now new-wave opposites, Wim fantasies of Charlie’s Angels, how that first major Hollywood success. You’re A German first American venture, becomes the most important thing in those Big Boy Now (1967), Francis Ford Coppola Wenders in his Hammett. The trio appreciate the camera- after school hours.” (he’s lately dropp^ the Ford) took the between like-minded cine-sprits and All of which makes this one sound much mere $350,000 he’d earned at Warners and dcrie are fighting for freedom for all. influenced by his pal Francois Truffaut’s set up American Zoetrope in his home base “We’re trying,” says George, “to make marvellous little French movie, L’argent de of San Francisco and began his fight with the personality poche/Small Change. “That’s right,” agrees the movie-establishment. The first Zoetrope a company that will respect individuality of film-makers.” Spielberg. “He nagged ok to make this film was THX 1138, directed by his outfit’s and that takes clout. They’ve got it. movie.” His cast will be aged between executive vice - president, 25 - year - old To do The Force is with them both. eight and 14, and probably include five- George Lucas.

21 time is he the mid-2lst century and Astronaut Finback Review by (O’Bannon) is worried the film is Dark Star, the story of John Fleming because his seat is near the one which killed four astronauts who are (according O’Bannon and producer/director T John Commander Powell. Astronaut Doolittle is to the publicity) Bombed Out in Space with Carpenter made the movie over a 3^ year crazy with frustration: “Don’t give me any a Spaced-out Bomb. The scoutship Dark period on a miniscule budget. The result is of that Intelligent Life stuff—Give me some Star's mission is to find unstable planets Star Trek with jokes, peopled with drugged planet I can blow up.’’ Astronaut Talby and destroy them with thermostellar hippies: a sort of M*A*S*H in outer space. spends all his time in a bubble dome at the bombs, so that the galaxy will be safe for It even has an equivalent to M*A*S*H top of the ship, gazing at the stars, trying future colonists. loudspeaker announcements, in the form of to forget about Commander Powell. And According to production designer/editor/ the spaceship’s female-voiced computer. Boiler just tries to do his job. The ship is special effects man/co-scripter/star Dan TTk four-man crew have been in space not the same since Commander Powell O’Bannon, the original, unfilmed ending 20 years but (thanks to Einstein’s Theory) died. featured a bomb which got stuck in the have only aged 3 years. This gives them a Director John Carpenter says the film bomb-bay and could not be dropped ... slender grip on reality, especially when you was originally conceived as a Waiting For “So the captain goes outside with a crowbar consider the 10-year delay in messages from Godot in outer space: “We used this con- to try to lever it out of the bomb-bay. One Earth. A few years ago the ship’s captain. cept of having the men constantly referring of the other men goes crazy and comes out- Commander Powell, was killed by a short- to Powell and giving the audience the idea side with a raygun and threatens to blast it. circuit in his chair, an asteroid storm that this man was somehow the reason He fires it, the bomb blows up, the two men destroyed the ship’s automatic defences and behind their mission, a guiding force.’’ are tossed away into space and one of them there was a radiation leak. New radiation As it is, the astronauts are at the mercy becomes a shooting star as he goes into the shields cannot be sent from Earth because of random events. The female computer Earth’s atmosphere and bums up. The of a Congressional cut-back. Worse still, an tells them slowly, gently, almost apolo- ending was copped from Ray Bradbury's accident has destroyed the ship’s entire getically, that an asteroid storm is ap- story Kaltidoscope." The ending of the supply of toilet paper. In other words, proaching. Like the one two years ago in finished film is even more outlandish. things are not going too well. which all the computer defences were

^^^|^^^^wi^Doolittle(^-to Afare/fe), Boiler (Cai Kunihoim), and Finback ( Dan O'Bannon) during routine operations on board the spaceshic

Opposite top: On duty. The crew at the controls of the Dark Star. Opposite beiow; Doolittle (Brian Narelie) “surfs” towards oblivion on a piece of wreckage! not oaseu on in destroyed. Oh, by the way, they have 35 replies quietly that it has been told to s. It was hal idea O’Bannon had seconds to set up the defences manually. detonate. The ship’s computer goes into 2001 but was an Chaos! Panic! Bedlam! emergency over-ride; the bomb grudgingly nurtured since adolescence. He also sug- As the men work feverishly, a laser area de-activates itself and returns. The crew are gested the idea of a dead Commander Powell a final confrontation between is hit and Bomb number 20 is activated. not told what has happened in detail: all and John Carpenter put The doors of the bomb-bay open. The they know is that the storm has caused an astronaut and bomb. bombs have computer minds of their own unidentified malfunction. No-one realises these ideas into a rough script called The sort of psychedelic —and can talk. The ship’s computer tells the serious consequences. Electric Dutchman (a title was later to return to its bay. The bomb The idea of a talking bomb was Dan Flying Dutchman). The

23 CYROGENIC FREEZER.

BRILLIAI

SOME I LOOKC

AnOPPIDAN ENTERTAINMENTS ReleaseofaJACKKHARRISProduction DAN dB> DAVID GRANT presents JOHN CARPENTER’S

bombed out in space

kiiitb a spaced cut bomb!

SCRIPT. >ITLY CLEVER (AND FUNNY) SQENa RaiON TALE, DARK STAR BOASTS A SUPERBLY WRITTEN »APRESSIVE SPEQAL EFFEaS AND THE KIND OF IMAGINAHON THAT MAKES EVEN'STAR WARS' LICH^D. SHEER INTERSTELLAR DELIGHT PHILIP JENKINSON

^NNON and BRIAN NAREllE Prodoced& directed by X>IN CARPENTER changed to The Cosmic Dutchman, then Night of the Cold Sun, Planet Fall, the Planet Smashers and, finally, The Centaur. It was not until well into production that both ship and film became Dark Star. O'Bannon met Carpenter at the Univers- ity of Southern California (USC). Carpenter had been only eight years old when he saw Forbidden Planet. This spurred him on to make “hideous 8mm movies about papier-

mache monsters” and to publish a fan/ (rather like those which appeared later in movie monster magazine called Fantastic the Star Wars canteen). But the cost was Films Illustrated for a few years before too high and the idea was cut back to the going to USC. O’Bannon had been one “beachball with claws”.

educated in fine arts (pointing and illustra- When Pinback tries to feed this alien it tion) and only went to USC after reading bounces up, leaps on him, and escapes into

about it in Playboy. He had already made a corridor. Pinback tries to tempt it with a a one-hour parody of monster films called toy mouse, its favourite plaything, but the The Attack of the 50 Foot Chicken. super-tomato leaps on the fake rodent and

There is no monster in Dark Star, but eats it. The chase continues along dull there is one alien—the ship’s pet—a cross corridors and through darkened rooms. between a large red beachball and a three- Pinback chases his pet into a closet. A light foot high tomato with two little claw-feet switches itself on. It isn’t a closet! Pinback at the bottom. Part of the original idea was is standing on a narrow ledge in an that the crew’s mission included a search apparently bottomless lift-shaft with the for intelligent life. There was to have been alien bouncing on his back. He falls and - i a specimen room in the ship: a “psychedelic grasps the ledge with his fingers. The alien zoo” with hundreds of bizarre creatures again bounces onto his back and two little

26 claws start tickling the astronaut towards by veteran producer Jack H. Harris, who round the room like a punctured balloon, fatal laughter. lift The starts to descend had made his reputation by financing cheap making a rude noise. until it is about to crush Finback. The alien science fiction films: The Blob, Dinosaums, Sound effects on the movie are rather bounces off and finds the faulty laser unit 4-D Man, Equinox etc. He agreed to provide eccentric. For a sliding door, a combina- which was in the damaged asteroid storm. finance and distribution for a 35mm feature tion of sounds was used: an automatic Accidentally, the comic super-tomato version. After a three-month study, it was hospital bed being raised and lowered, short-circuits the device and ^mb 20 is decided to re-shoot scenes and re-edit plus the opening of a squeaky door on a again activated. The ship’s computer and sequences as well as shooting additional stove. When the ship goes into ‘hyper- bomb again argue out the mistake in a scenes. Yet another crew was assembled, drive’, the sound-effect is of a 747 jet civilized manner. The computer patiently more sets built, tempers became short and taking off, but played 20% slower than explains there is an unknown malfunction egos wore thin. But live-action filming was normal. It is hyperdrive (like Warp and gently asks the bomb to de-activate finally completed; and, after a further 13 Factor speeds in Star Trek) which allows itself and return to the bay. is The bomb months, special effects work was completed. the ship to travel so far so fast. getting a little bored with all this mal- The eventual cost was a low $60,000. The Dark Star is now entering a new functioning and inefficiency. Meanwhile, Dark Star does look cheap (though not star system. Finback is still hanging from the bottom of that cheap). But the low-key, throw-away The crew are gradually falling apart. the lift and screaming. acting style helps to cover over the cracks. Faranoia and self-pity are rife. They The 80 ft lift-shaft was built horizontally O’Bannon had a certain amount of theatre can’t remember each other's names, or for shooting. The ‘look’ of the film was experience before he enrolled at USC and even their own names. Finback reveals Dan O’Bannon’s responsibility. He made Carpenter says he wanted the performers to that he isn’t really Finback anyway. He is the sets and props himself and arranged the underplay “to give a sense of realism.” This Bill Fruge, a technician who just hap- special effects. It took him about a week to jelled with O'Bannon’s own feeling that the pened to put on Finback’s space suit after erect a frame for the control room, then movie should have “an aura of super- the astronaut had gone insane and jumped another week of 20 days to hour assemble realism, in which it looks utterly real, but into a vat of liquid fuel. Meanwhile, Talby everything: the time it “By was finished better.” The result is a very eixjoyable up- sits up in the bubble dome watching the and we got everything ready to roll, I was market B-feature. Carpenter had already stars and thinking of the Fhoenix As- in complete mental and physical exhaus- teroids: “They just glow as they drift tion.’’ But he was so successful that he was around the Universe,” he says vaguely. later chosen to design the computer anima- The perfect life. Aimless and effortless. tion and graphic displays for Star Wars. To show Talby sitting isolated in his He says: “I regard motion pictures dome, O’Bannon used what he calls “the primarily as an art form and secondarily as foreground model shot”. He built a bubble employment.’’ measuring about one foot across and shot Dark Star was never intended for com- through it, with Talby in the background. mercial release. original The version was Tfiis technique of miniature models in the made, according to O’Bannon, “to impress foreground and actors in the background everyone.” He told Cinefantastique at the was used in several scenes to avoid the time: “It’s a showcase.” There are no plans expense of full-scale sets. now to distribute the film commercially. The model spaceship itself was designed Carpenter and O’Bannon wanted to show by Ron Cobb, a satirical cartoonist on the that they could make this type of film, given underground paper Los Angeles Free enough money. As it was, conditions were Press. The 3 ft long model was made in primitive: “Our cameras would rattle and fibreglass by Greg Jein, who also built purr like cocktail-shakers full of glass,” several Cal Kuniholm as Astronaut Boiler. puppets of spacemen (for use in says Carpenter. “The Coke bottles rammed long-shot) with Harry Walt. In addition, a on the front of the camera were posing as made II student films at USC and had 6 ft long model of the ship’s underside was lenses. They wouldn’t focus.” TTiey built worked on an Oscar-winning short The built, with a li ft bomb hanging from it. 16 sets in their own homes and in a boiler- Resurrection of Broncho Billy. His experi- The bomb was originally intended to be room. SometinKS they even managed to use ence in student film-making had allowed cylindrical. But O'Bannon could find no a real sound stage. him to work any excesses out of his system cylindrical components. So he bought two After six months, the film was only 25 % and his unfussy direction on Dark Star was model kits. A truck kit gave him the basic completed and the money had run out. A influenced by veteran cult figure Howard oblong, boxcar shape of the bomb; a year later, with more money a largely and Hawks. “From the beginning,” says Mazda sportscar kit gave him plenty of new crew, production resunied. The actors Carpenter, “I wanted the picture to have a chrome for detailing. were given haircuts, wigs and false beards certain look: something best described as The climax of the film features a varia- to match their former appearances. Frices RKO Radio Fictures circa 1950.” tion on the original idea of a bomb jam- had risen. Fressure mounted. In three weeks Dark Star is episodic, laconic, full of ming in its bay, but with the addition of a of intensive shooting, often 14 hours a day, diversions and asides because Carpenter discussion about Cartesian philosophy more live action footage was completed. wanted the emphasis to be “not so much (mostly written by O’Bannon), a chat with But the money ran out again. They had now on getting from A to B but what it’s like the dead Commander Fowell, delusions of spent S5000-S6000 of their own money and getting there”. Thus the anarchic structure divinity and an inspired ‘borrowing’ from had produced a 40 minute rough-cut. and the long interlude with Finback a Marvel Comics super-hero The Silver They screened the film to executives from struggling to get out of the lift-shaft as if he Surfer. Dark Star is well worth 83 minutes the professional film industry without were in some demented Laurel and Hardy of anyone’s time: perhaps the most success. Then they were lucky. It was seen film: swinging in mid-air, getting stuck enjoyable piece of anarchy since the Marx Opposite lop; A strange colour shot of the in the hatch, a metal plate falling on his Brothers. Director John Carpenter should Dark Star control room. Opposite centre; The head, explosive bolts detonating around succeed in the business. He has a healthy cover of the Alan Dean Foster novelisation of him. Eventually he emerges, triumphant and realistic view of film-making: “My the film. Opposite beiow: Astronaut Talby but messy, and shoots the alien with a dealings with studios and producers leave (Dre Pahich) spends most of his time away tranquilizer gun. Unfortunately, the alien is me with a sense of the random structure of from the crew gazing at the stars. filled with gas and, when shot, zooms the universe”.

27 —

In this, the second part, of our epic feature on the classic humorous sf movie Dark Star, Starburst regular Tony Crawley talks to writer-composer-producer-director John Carpenter about the amazing eight-year history behind the film.

Mission Control to Dark . . . Sorry to hear about guys are up there doing Star: Hi guys! Glad we got the radiation leak on the such a swell job. But I your message. You'll be ship. And real sorry to think you'll take it in interested to hear it was hear about the death of the proper spirit. There's broadcast live all over Commander Powell. There been some cut-backs in earth. In prime time. Got was a week of mourning Congress and right now, good reviews in the trades here on Earth. Flags were considering the distance . . . The time lag on at half-mast. We're all we just can't afford to

these messages is getting behind you guys . . . send a cargo shuttle out longer. We gather from the About your request for there to you. But I know ten-year delay that you radiation shielding: sorry you guys will make do are approximately 18 to report this request has

parsecs away. Drop us a been denied. I hate to . . . Keep up the good line more often, okay? send bad news when you work, men!

O begins, for me at least, the daftest, views, meetings with journalists and his when he was a student. The same school S wittiest, funniest movie I’ve seen for London distributor—all relating to his where a previous student had made a years; Woody Allen notwithstanding. Precinct film. We beard tell that he was, in National Student Film Festival prize- John Carpenter’s Dark Star, a cheapie cult fact, refusing to go back over tired old winning short entitled THX tl38:4EB. movie fast turning into a classic. A slice of ground and talk about Dark Star any more. George Lucas, no less. These days, Lucas absurdist comedy in outer space. Four years Not so. At least not with Starburst. Then and his other compus compadres—Bill in the making. Eight years in making the again, we had an ace in the hole. It was Huyck, Matt Robinson, John Milius, et a! trip to Europe, including a British release Editor Dez Skinn who persuaded distributor refer to themselves as the USC mafia. The by Oppidan Entertaintments after a Christ- David Grant of Oppidim to check into the way John Carpenter’s career is going mas ’77 transmission on BBC-2. (See John possibility of buyii% the film for British upward, ever upward—he’ll be one of the Flemming’s review elsewhere in this issue.) release. Dons before this year is over. John Carpenter was in London just before One of the youngest and most original His major partner in the Dark Star enter- the television premiere of his brain-child. directors to break into Hollywood, John prise was Dan O’Bannon—alias Sgt. Pin- He was attending the 21$t London Film Carpenter was bom in 1948 in Bowling back in tbe film. O’Bannon, the son of a Festival where his second movie. Assault on Green, Kentucky. He attended college at St Louis carpenter, made his first movie at Precinct 13, was an unqualified smash-hit Western Kentucky University and then at Washington University—a one hour monster after similar triumphs at Cannes (and Just the Cinema Department at the University of movie satire called The Attack of the Fifty like Dark Star itself) and Edinburgh. Southern California. Here he made eleven Foot Chicken. He met up with Carpenter We took the opportunity to track him student films, including editing and music when he switched to U.S.C. Since Dark Star, down. Not difficult; then again, not so work on the Academy Award winning film O’Bannon has joined the endless roster of simple, either. The word emanating from the The Resurrection of ^onco Billy. names associated with tbe special effects of festival press office was that all the world Carpenter looks younger than Springtime, Star Wars. While John Dykstra was wanted time with Carpenter. Along with the handsome enough to be on the acting side of responsible overall for the tricks in the Lucas brilliant Indian director, Satyajit Ray (about his camera. He’s loose, easy, dryly amusing, film, Dan O’Bannon took charge of all the to enter sf realms himself, with Peter Sellers extremely co-operative. We caught him computer animation and graphic displays in The Alien), and Russia’s new And, Larissa somewhere between sessions with The an effect which also figures prominently in Shepitko, John Carpenter was the most in- Guardian and Sight and Sound, and he Dark Star ... on which Dan supervised all demand interview subject of the event. appeared to relish the break from continually the effects, including the miniatures of the We avoided the press office, therefore, and re-assaulting Precinct 13, turning the clock spaceship, the bomb, the puppets represent- contacted Carpenter at his hotel. Somehow, back and discussing the film that made his ing the astronauts in long-shot, tbe space he managed to squeeze our late bid for a chat name. A tiny-budget effort of immense ^lan paintings and even building tbe distinctive into a gruelling afternoon of non-stop inter- that had first evolved in his talented head star-suits.

Script extracts by John C!arpcnter and Dan O'Bannon reprinted courtesy of Oppidan Entertainment.

Part Two: The film that refused to die

SB: How did Dark Star actually begin ? a science fiction film and I came up with the student idea and made it into a S60,(X)0 Carpenter: At first, I was going to make a idea of Dark Star and the plot. I teamed up feature film.

student film in 16mm at the University of with Dan O’Bannon who did the special Imcos did the same thing with THX . . . Southern California. I had a thought about effects. Basically, we took it from a K,(XX) which is also beginning to surface in Europe

28 ! .! . .

only now. You didn't have his kind of the editor—and he also acted in it. were to shoot, the time—and of course, the financial backing, though. Sgt. Finback rules! money!—they were the biggest problems No. Dan and I spent four years making So we both did, basically, everything we had to face. Dark Star. Or put it another way, it took us between us. The whole film is special effects, Okay, having dreamed up your plot—why four years to finish it. ran We out of in fact—space craft, etc. —as the whole film and how was your film going to be any money three times and every time another takes place in a space ship in outer space. different, for good or bad, to the other sf backer or another situation would come Essentially, I envisioned the picture as an films of its day. along it would make its way a little further. adventure in outer space, and not so much The uniqueness of Dark Star is not in the Finally, it got finished. It was first shown at as a comedy. The comedy elements just technology of the spaceship. Or what Filmex (the Los Angeles Film Festival) in developed out of the situation ... I wanted happens. It is in the situation. In the plot 1974—to an incredibly enthusiastic res- to make a picture that would be a definitive itself. Basically, it is an absurdist comedy. ponse. Then, for a year nothing happened. work of my own style, of my own way of These men have been trapped in outer No distributor. The gentleman who telling owned a story . . . our concern was not so space for twenty years, dropping bombs on the film was Jack H. Harris, maker of much with the gimmicks (a monster, a trick unstable planets, to destroy them and make The Blob and other redheads I never know ifthat is meant as a compliment —'maker The Blob’ of —after his name . . .

I don’t know either. . . . Anyway, he sat on the film and finally sold it to Bryanston Pictures. They released Chain saw Massacre and they released Andy Warhol’s Franken- stein and they gave us a big release in the United States—well, a pretty good release.

But, basically, I think they handled it a

little bit wrong. They advertised it as straight science-fiction movie. Which, of course, it is not. And it only did fair busi-

ness. Then, Bryanston went bankrupt . . . For a lot of reasons, not particularly because of Dark Star! That’s some chequered history! Yeah, amazing, isn’t it? So Bryanston went bankrupt and the film has bMn in limbo ever since. Now it’s finally back in distribu- tion. Not in the United States, or not that I know of very widely. But now it’s finally coming out in Europe. It's the film that refused to die—because you refused to let it die, right ? That’s absolutely right. Must have been an agonising four years though. Did you never think of saying, 'The hell with it' and giving up the ghost? Your know, when you’re young and naive

and you’re obsess^ with something, it consumes your life. Making Dark Star was actually easier than some of the projects 'that I’m doing now. Because I had such a love for the project. But yes, you’re right, of course, it was very difficult. Fortunately both Dan and I believed in the film m much that we weren’t going to let it die—ever! environment, an unusual menace, a utopia, way for colony ships that follow. And, well, we did everything etc.) it And we could do to keep as was with a dramatic situation . . . the men had gone a little nuts in that it alive. Money was the worst problem . . I was just as concerned with the men as I spaceship ... the only real problem we ever faced on the was with the action. I wasi nterested in the Sgt. Finback is film. I mean, we had horrible problems with way they reacted to what they experienced. telling his buddies how he's the time delay. Our cast would cut their If the backers left your script alone, what not Sgt. Finback all, hair, get thinner, get fatter ... but that about the factual problems of your delayed at but a field maintainance wasn’t as extreme as you might think. We shooting. The retd changes and trends going techni- cian, among the crew managed to cover that kind of thing up. on in NASA space news and because that, by of accident. Money was something else. changes in sf novel premises. Were you ever Boiler: He told us this Did this mean compromises? Did your suc- being left behind and having to simply get . . . four years cession of new backers insist on deviations more up to date? ago, didn't he? romy our original conception. Well, strangely enough, the film is not dated Lieut. Doolittle: No, I Oh no. I maintained complete creative in the sense that technology has changed. think it was four years control throughout. I produced the film, We were lucky that way. It could still be ago. I direetd the film, I wrote and composed shown five or six years from now . . Boiler: That's what I said the music and did a great many of the It will be, believe me. . . . I'm sure it was four special effects myself. Dan co-wrote the . . and still kind of pass by okay. So, no, years ago. film with me. He designed the special that wasn’t any major problem for us. The Doolittle: Maybe . . . effects, was the art director on the film, and mechanics of making the film, where we

29 .

men on the ship arc constantly mentioning their dead commander. Finally, the situa- tion arises where they have to talk to him and you team that he was killed earlier, but put in a cryogenic freezer. His brain has

been hooked up and he can still talk. But . . he’s senile. So when they have to iry and get Commander Powell to answer a question, it's like talking to a very old man. He can't remember his name and so on. In that sense, it’s a kind of a weird film. Doolittle: Commander, sir, we have a big problem Powell: Doolittle-you must tell me one thing. Doolittle: What's that sir? Powell: Tell me, Doolittle-how are the Dodgers doing? Doolittle: The Dodgers

. . .? They broke up. They disbanded over 15 years ago. Powell: Pity. Pity. Doolittle: But you don't understand sir. We can't

get the bomb to drop I investigates malfunction in or on time Talby ( Dre Pahich) shakes off his indifference and a Powell: . . . why don't the thermostellar activating mechanism of the Dark Star. you have anything nice to tell me when you activate Basically, the situation and the things It's been said—and by one of our critics, in me. Well now, did you try they encounter make the film more unusual fact—that Dark Star is influenced by the azmuth approach? not necessarily the space-ship or the Dr. Strangelofe, 2001. Marvel Comics and Doolittle: Yes sir. technology or the space-suits. Star Wars, Waiting for Godot. What do you say? Negative effect. it . . yes, I would agree with for instance, or 2001—the stars of those That's about . shows were the effects. Not in Dark Star. that. We decided that Waiting for Godot Powell: What was that, was a pretty good way to describe it. The The situation is . . Doolittle? Doolittle: Negative effect! Powell: It didn't work? Doolittle: That's cor- rect, sir Powell: Sorry, Doolittle. I've forgotten so much since I've been in here.

You might not yet have the chut ofa Lucas or a Spielberg, but you're beating Spielberg to the punch—in writing your own magical scores. Spielberg did this in his early 16mm

films and would love to do it on a big feature; you compose your own music for every film you make. The reason is all too simple. Financial. I’m

the cheapest and the best composer I would

get for the money . . .! No, really, I would loved to have hired someone ese. My kind of budget never stretches that far. I use the synthesiser because I cannot write or arrange music—I can only hear it. So I over-dub myself again and again until the sound is right to me. But you must have some kind of musical background, surely ? My father teaches music ... but I rather rebelled against him insisting I learn as a Doolittle (Brian Narelle) assumes command of the ship following Commander Powell’s fatal kid. He wanted me to play piano and accident. violin. I just have, as I say, an ear for it.

30 . — — . —

I’ve played—still do—in a rock band and tional Hollywood films which frightens me Well, that’s deserved, I think. written sonie of my own songs, and not just a little bit. I’m about to do a comedy, Zuma Threepio Soap, you mean! for the movies. Beach, for instance. I’m also producing two No, that’s horrible. That makes me ready How long did i7 take you to set up your of my scripts for Warner Brothers this year: to kill! second film ? Prey and High Rise. John Wayne’s com- Incidentally, were you a comic fan ? Dark Star came out in America in January pany, Batjac, has another of my scripts, Oh sure, very much so. Marvel Comics, '75. of I started shooting Assault in Biood River, but I don’t know what’s I loved. And Superman and stuff like that. November of ’75. In between them, I was happening to or with it. Do you storyboard your movies ?

busy with scripts. ... I wrote a picture for Yes, but not with a comic strip look to it. Captain's log • . . The Columbia which is now in production I’m much simpler than that. I don’t sketch short circuit in the rear Eyes, the new Faye Dunaway film (hvin out the entire frame, for instance. I sketch seat panel which killed Kershner is directing)—and that allowed me out very briefly for myself. Often I don’t Commander Powell is still to get money and backing for Assault on draw it as much as I make flool plans. But faulty. The storage-oh, Precinct 13. These two films that I have I do storyboard some of the more intricate made so far have established because he's sitting next me as a sequences . . to Commander Powell's director—in Europe. But not in America. Story-boarding irons out your visual plans? understand seat, it continues to Do you why that is? Yeah. I draw all the action sequences—and bother Pinback. ... Oh Well, no, I don’t know. It’s a puzzle to me. othets. Any scenes where I’m concerned yeah-the storage area Nine Basically, the films are very stylised. They with building suspense and tempo. If you self-destructed last week are not realistic psychological dramas. want to involve an audience in a sequence, and destroyed the ship's They’re not big budgeted blockbusters. one in which the visuals are more important entire supply of toilet They have a lot to do with old movies than any dialogue of exposition, you need paper. That's all. though. Because I’m a great fan of old to have the shots very clearly defined in films. There are a lot of references in Frightens you . . .? Surely, today's American your head. Or on paper. You put down there . . films are better than what could be termed what it is you want to see—them to see And these are appreciated more in Europe traditional Hollywood films ? and when to see it. you feel—even in this day of Mel Brook- Well, I’m kind of depressed about the state Since our interivew, John Carpenter has sisms? Oh yes, totally. Mine are different of Hollywood movies. They’re very pre- begun directing yet another of his tales, a refererences; not, for instance, merely the tentious, overly long, overly meaningful horror-thriller called Halloween. Sounds reference to old movie cliche. There is a bit laden with bull. I think they’re pretty good! of Howard Hawks, there is a bit of John crappy, to be honest with you. I don’t think Dark Star (1970-1974) Ford and Hitchcock in my films. And films with style and a point of view are Dan O'Bannon (as Pinback), Brian Narelle touches of other old films—slight, subtle being made anymore. A lot of them are (Doolittle), Andreijah Pahich (Talby), Carl things. But I don’t think that’s the main well, take Star Wars for instance. Star Kuniholm (Boiler), Joe Saunders (Com- reason they’re better received in Europe. Wars is a good movie. But it’s not a great mander Powell), Cookie Knapp (Computer), I’m really not sure what the reason is. The movie. Some of it is so poor it just shows — Miles Watkins (Mission Control). style maybe? The stylistic point of view. starved people — how are for that kind of Directed by John Carpenter, Screenplay by . . . All I do know is. I’m not making the film, you know, with adventure and fun in John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon, Music kind of films that Hollywood used to make. it. And style. by John Carpenter, Design by Dan Where do you go from here—any projects? When it's turned into a gigantic mer- O’Bannon. I Time: 83 mins have several films lined up—more tradi- chandising exercise. . . . Cert: A

When Bomi No 20 refuses to disarm itself and return to the bomb bay, Doolittle (Brian Narelle) is forced to consult Commander Powell (Joe Saunders) for advice.

31 STARBURST

Starhurst 2. There was a vary good choice of photo- I am just writing to say how much I anjoyod that supar

graphs for both tha features. tv sarias It Sein/ ill commtus tii quiiiis to os it: Blake's 7. may be pure Space Opera, but article STARBUnST UTTIRS. The on Superman—The Movie was very I think the characters and scripts pull it above the Jidwii Roust, good but I felt that it was a little too short. Perhaps average fare. 20S-211 Kiitish Town Rotd, you could do a feature on the previous screen inter- I have been a fan of sf for many yaars now and Lomloo NWS. pretations of Superman, comparing tha old version always welcome a new series. At first I thought of the Man of Steal to tha new. Blake's 7 was going to be one of these series

I'd also liko to see features on such tv shows as where all the male characters hog the limelight and

The Time Tunnel and Voyage to the Bottom of the take everything too seriously. I was vary pleased I mult writ! to congratulate you on tha first thraa Sea. to see that tha two ladies were just as important as tha aditioni of your axcallant magazina. I anjoyad tha Michael Connolly, Co Armagh, N. Ireland. man and there was a continuing vein of humour brought articlas on Close Encountara, Star Wart and in. mainly by Tha PriaoHor. the lovable character Vila. So let's have a lot mors about this highly entertaining A few quarioi, howavar; what happened to tha series. Maybe a law interviews or features. proffliiad isriai of short stories? OK, so tha Harry One fantasy tv series which I remember but have never It just proves Britain can turn out an excellent Harrison was just a "nama" to push salts, but why seen mentioned anywhere in print was called, simply, (despite the low budget) series that stands up to the give up? Of course, Starburat isn't destined to be a Tha Monatera. It was a BBC production about huge best of the American produce. story magazine but one a month would make Starburat prehistoric iguanadons inhabiting an underground Jayne Oickinaon, Scarborough. mors intorasting, Ifaal. cavern, coming to the surface to terroriso the local Alto, I'd like to see articlas on tha Garry Anderson tv countryside. One vivid scene occurs when the heroine shows. Or Who, The Twilight Zona, Tba Incradibla is menaced by one of the monsters while in her kitchen. I like the Sterhurst Interviews, they are a good idea. Hulk and Land of tho Gianta, In fact, articles on The image of massive, sharp claws crashing through Howavar, I thoroughly agree with the various readers avarythingl Can wo have inttrviaws with Richard a Venetian blind is hard to forget. Does enyone else who complained about the comic strips. If someone Mathoson, Gaorga Pal and John Dykstra? dnd I would remember this short-lived series? wants to look at comic strips they can go out and buy lika you to publish soma information about tha British Brian Carduff, Belfaat, N. Ireland. a comic. Starburat is an intelligent review/previaw Scianca Fiction Association, (I am siuious to join). magazine not a comic book. Tha magazina should expand. If mors pages (non- Brief reply, Brien ... no. Perheps some reeders cun The Superman and Spiderman previews (Star- glossy) ware added, surely the cost wouldn't be too help? burst 3 and 2 respectivety) ware great but I would great? Please keep the glossy pages you have at the have liked to have read a little more of the plots. moment, though; they make the magazine very but . . please On the whole an axcallant magazine . Here are some things I would like to see in future attractive. stop criticising programmes such as Man from Atlantia issues of Starhurst. Enlarge and develop Things to Concerning comic-strips I would like to say that the and Tha Gemini Man at they appeal to a different Come. It it good but there isn't enough of it. Give more only decent one so far has been Brian Lewis's Space- kind of audience. Don't forget that peopla have details of the plots, characters and settings of the burst, If you're going to have any at all either have different tastes. films mentioned. Alto don't watte space on film them either humorous or reprints (Flash Gordon, Buck How would you like it if somebody criticised what, posters. Show a still from the film intraad. Rogers etc,). film. in your opinion, was a great I would alto like to see articles on the creation of Another thing: on browsing through some old editions You should take more care in cate you find angry such Gerry Anderson tv teriet as UFO, Captain of the ill-fated Scittce Fktiot HAootlily I find that a film fans on your doorstep. Scarlet Thunderbirds and Fireball XLS with plenty production of Frank Herbert's Dune was under way (the Melanie Caaaon, New Milton, Hants. of colour stills. blurb on the NEL paperback cover confirms this). Will How about features on some of the following; you kindly publish some information on the film in Tkitis Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, This Island Earth, To Comtl Are. as it was first rumoured. Orson Welles I like Starburat very much and I hope you will be Thom, Forbin Projsct, Rollorball, Wsstworld and and Salvador Dali to star, with Chris Foss-designed around for many moons to coma, but I would just liko Futuraworld? monsters? to voice a requast and a complaint. Whila you are Marcus Norris, Woodbridgo, Suffolk. Stephen J. New, Penton Grafton, Hants. running articles and raviaws of sf in films and tv. wa have seen nothing on sf in comics past and prasant. Stsrburst it an excellent magazine, leagues ahead of Aiswtts tints: As with ill mtfuioos. Stiphii, wt'rt So how about a featura on the American comic company its competition in every respect. liitiog I formit lod idottity is tho months hy. go of the fifties. EC? Some of their sf was clastic stuff. point, though, the cover proclaims Starhurst to This meins modifieition to our originil One concigts is Or you could cover the British contribution with such "Science Fantasy in Television. Cinema [hopefully) improvi. Both comic strips be devoted to: we ind short stuH at Trigen Empire and reproduce tome of illustrator and Comix". The television and cinema aspects of sf stories ere the mein cisuiRies in our diirilopmint. Don Lawrence's art. are well covered, but at far as comics go. two stories We feel thet Stsrburst is i unique product, with Nicholas Cory Wright, Newhavan, Sussex. each issue and nothing else. 1 specific ludiinci. To incorporiti stories end strips The history of science fiction in comic strip form goes only wtekens thet content, end ditricts from its back at far as the thirties and Flash Gordon. Since than uniqueness. Also, there's so much sf midii news, we Thanks for a tuparb magazine, unique in its field. both newspaper strips and comic books have con- just nin't got the spece) It gives reports on all tha great sf films currently in tributed much to the genre, tome of the material hat As with lest issue's "A Good Women", we'll slip in release. Your Star Wars coverage in full colour was been mediocre stuff but tome it well worth remem- something different from time to time, to mehe the fantastic. Indeed you have created a magazine which bering. E.C's Bradbury adaptations of the fifties for content more interesting, hut not ns reguler feetures. it so important to the younger generation as it gives instance end Marvel comics' Killraveu. The field it The cineme treitment for Dune unfortunetely wound them adventures far bayond thair imaginatien. and still thriving today, mainly in tha U.S. and down e while beck (before the current sf wen) elthough Adrian English, Gosport, Hosts. wide occasionally in Britain. Contrary to popular belief comic there ere rumours of it going heck into production, are not illiterate and there it much that could bo possibly utilising the Chris Foss designs ilong with fans written about this colourful branch of science fiction. the Jeen Gireud (htoehius) nrt creetions originelly I think Stsrburst it a oreat magazine. The colour commissioned. photos are great and th iocs Cruiser potter in M. Dyer, Banataad, Sunay. Finelly, more peges would meen e conr price issue 2 was fantastic. Consider it being written. M. Merve! from movie sf to increese. Only time (end your letters) will tell. The only complaint I hava is that tha magazina taamt comics eppeirid lest month es the first pert of our to bo devoted to fairly naw films and tv programmes. globe-trotting series. Britein, Europe end beyond ere If you were to publish features on the sf films of the to follow. fifties of the little-seen films like Star, Tha highpoint of Starhurst 3 was John Brosnan's and Dark History of Science Fiction Films. A very informative Stsrburst would be unbeatable. K. Brember, Stevenage, Harts. article, but tha photographs were not. in my opinion, Issue 3 it well on tha way to being exactly what I've representative of the best sf films, excepting Silent been waiting for all these years; a chance to catch up

Running and Rollarhall. Dark Star? You've got it. But we won't let our new on those little details about the ether-swallowad tv The two articles on Close Encountsrs el the Third "unbeitehle" stetus go to our heeds. In feet, we tariet that made me a compulsive cast-list reader, and Kind were alto axcellent. John Brosnan's review of welcome your opinions which, es you cen see hy a chance to answer the niggling little questions lika—

tha film was a lot batter than Ray Bradbury's in reeders' requests this month, we do net upon. am I right in thinking that 'Get Off My Cloud' from the

32 . LETTERS

1968 Out of tho Unknown run i« thi onlY fictionol —but I hopa Tarry Nation providat ona, navarthalass). (which brought us War of tha Worlds) has now coma programmo (apart from Dr Who) to hava faaturad tha In fact, tinea tha standard of B7 rosa staadily up with tha sf sarias to and a//sf sarias in Tha Hitch- Dalaki? throughout tha it sarias could find itsalf in tha almost Hikar's Guido to tha Galaxy—Look—forgat books, Thinking of Out of tha Unknown, it providad tha uniqua position of having a sacond sarias which it battar comics, films and tv—how would you rata a 6 apisoda parfact axampla of tha diffarancas batwaan Amarican than tha first— I hops so. Oh start. I hopa sol Doom- sarias that sf»/ts with tha dastruction of tha Earth and itory-talling and British drama in that both it and watch navar managad it. but than, how could any sarias by apisoda 4 has turnad a nuclaar warhaad into a pot Sarling't Night Gall^ producad varsions of C. M. hava survivad tha cataclysmic rasuitt of what happanad of patunias and is about to prasant tha dastruction of tha Comblunth's "Tho Littia Black Bag" which wera on tha and of tha piar at Byfiald Ragis on 1 1th May 1970 Univarsa and tha Sacond Coming of tha Grant Prophat scraanad in this country within ona waak of aach othar in what must hava baan tha most inaptly titlad apisoda Zarquon for tha amusamant of a group of minor diatias (I prafarrad tha BBC varsion, but both had thair points). of all tima—"Survival Coda"? from tha halls of Asgard? Comparisons of this kind bring ma to Logan. And Spaaking of Doomwatch—whatavar tha happanad to All right, point takan, this is maant to ba about tv and Blaka. And Tisa Vahimagi. film varsion of tha sarias which baing in was mada film sf. but thanks for Starburst—long may it raigni How many apisodas of Bloka'a 7 had Tisa saan whan 1971 7 I racall don't avar having saan it on tha cina- Joan Showard, Oovar, Kant. this raviaw was writtan? I'll ba charitabla and assuma circuit. Did it avar actually gat that far? Films and that it was only tha first 5. bacausa to ba fair tha sarias programmas which hava sunk without traca aran't Somtwiut tou/t to follow. Jooo . . . short of soyiog didn’t raally gat moving until Travis arrivad on tha unusual, of coursa. As far as I'm awara tha aptly namad 0 Tony Notion intorsiow is coming soon. Wo' H try to scana in "Seak-Locata-Oastroy", and avan than "Out of Mind", 6th apisoda of tha BBC's 1969 sarias got him to onswor yoor guostions. Nation almost blow all cradibility by ripping off a Countontrika, has navar baan shown sinca its can- Star Trok plot for tha "Dual" apisoda. But this doasn't callation on 13th Octobar of that yaar, and probably maan that tha whola sarias I much anjoyad tha faaturas on Star Wars and Star should ba condamnad by an navar will ba now partly bacausa it was mada in Trok, tha raprint of Joff Howko advanturas (mora unraalistic comparison with a film spin-off mada on a black 6 whita and thara saams to ba a ganaral assump- plaasa. ha's baan sadly missad sinca tha Engross vastly suparior budgat and with a vastly infarior cast tion that paopla today don't want black 6 whita axcapt (why on aarth this droppad him) and tha Things to Como faatura. country has to spand a fortuna on whan it's in a vintaga film. I can honastly say that avary Itams I would lika to saa in futura aditions—bahind importing sacond rata US rubbish whan wa'ra parfactly sf programma I'va avar anjoyad. from Quatormas* to tha scanas of Spacs : 1199. and a faatura on Don Doro capabla of producing first rata rubbish of our own is Bloka'a 7, I'va saan on bbw. Last yaar's rapaat of from tha bygona Eaglo. (I'va haard all kinds of quits bayond ms. Ona thing's for sura—thay’ra battar Nigal Knaala's "1984" was actually anhancad by this rumours about a DO faatura film baing mada, a possibla salasman than wa aral) vintaga quality—gaining a sansa of squalid opprassion Abova all. tv cartoon sarias and avan old story raprints-any truth BInka'a 7 was fug. Any sf sarias which has that I'm sura was navar intandad whan it was mada in this?) its haro ascapa from a fairy-tala castia in a vintaga in 1964. Thanks again for a first class sf magazina, bast wishas automobils by maans of "a talaportation procass" Lat ma acho your corraspondant's raquast for a

for tha futura . . (Blaka's words) just hts to hava a sansa of humour— faatura on tha work of tha Andarson studios, and add a Rod Bartilay, Waymouth, Dorsat. not to mantion that surprisa anding which makas it look plaa of my own for somathing similar on tha subjact of at if B7 will ba tha first sf sarias sinct Doomwatch to Knaala's contributions to tha ganro—from 1114 to last Don Corn is onjoying o "Dirty Horry" comoboct in hava its sacond sarias ovarlapping its first by way of month's Radio 4 morning story Tba Pool (wall, parhaps IPC's 2000AO thoso doys. Dot tho motio sooms to ho asplanation (not that anyona who raally paid attantion not comprahansiva it Mar but doas giva ma an axcuM to off. Rod. It's boon quiotly doing tho Star Trok on off to tha last S minutas of 'Orac' will naad an asplanation mantion that tha naglactad much madium of radio gomo for o fow ytors. so thorn moy still bo o chonco. Two more from Marvel this month!

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33 . — —

TIm* gt«A«i>wt Iwtervlftw DOUGLAS TRUMBULL The Wizard of Special Effects

“If Trumbull hadn't accepted the job. I'd hire. He has a nose for talent and at the to attract a small treasure chest of still .'' be on the Columbia backlot, trying to worst possible time of the year—whtn specialists. . . —Steven Spielberg get a cloud to materialise out of thin air. everybody was tied up in the big special- writing in American Cinematographer One of Doug's secrets is knowing who to effects boom of 1975/6—Doug nuinaged magazine.

hey call him up. They write and enclose Starburst glory. the audience to see what the scientists saw little films of their own effects, some- And about time, too. through their micro-lenses. He also helped T times feeble, sometimes ingenious. In- The son of artist and engineer Donald design a special 2,000-line high-resolution deed, mid-way through an afternoon with Trumbull, Doug was bom in Los Angeles, television system for the film. (British TV us at Claridges Hotel in London, he took educated at the Moraingside High School at works on 405 or 625 lines; American TV a phone call from a British special effects Inglewood and El Camino College. His uses 525 lines). hopeful who wanted to know how to get into greatest influence, though, was Walt Disney. And then, of course, in 1971, he directed this specialised film field and had a movie to At 12, he was making his own special- his debut feature, Silent Running, about due

show . . effects movies. Rudimentary stuff with an for its second BBC-tv airing, after being one They’re attracted to him because quite 8mm camera on a tripod, teaching himself of the few distinct joys of viewing last simply Douglas Trumbull is a master of his how to trick his audience. Christmas. It’s a film that Star Wars owes chosen art-form. The master of movie Around 20, he got into illustration, as much to as any other major sf enterprise. illusions. From 2001 to CE3K. switched to animation and painted the back- Then came a more personal void. Fed up He works on each new effect idea from grounds for N.A.S.A. promotion films about with Hollywood, Trambull quit movies and start to finish, no matter how long it may began dabbling in his other marked passion, take him and his similarly ingenious team to also Disney-influenced—amusement parks. accomplish. To, quite simply, look right. He also started work on creating his new Except it’s never simple. He achieves the wonder process for Future General, the impossible without us realising it’s an effect, company he founded, in collaboration with a trick. His is a crafty craft. Paramount in 1973. At the moment, together with the special After what has seemed an eternity out in effects team at his company. Future General, the cold, Tmmbull is now back on screen, he’s polishing what promises to be the most better than ever. He refused the Star Wars revolutionary new screen process created job, supplying instead the devastating magic since film itself. It’s been called Futurex for Steven Spielberg’s dose Encounters of and Showscan. Trumbull hasn’t offUcally the Third Kind. Illusions par excellence. christened it as yet, just referring to it as That’s the last time he’ll be supplying his “the process’*. He will say more (much more amazing visuals for someone other than him-

in Part Three of this interview). . . . “It’s self if every thing becomes go with the far- going to blow everybody out. This new from-inexpensive new process. “I don’t want system has a tremendous impact on the human to be known as a special-effects man, because nervous system. We discovered some prin- 1 look on all movie-making as a special ciples of projecting movies that will make all effect. So I’m going to write, produce and movies we see today seem obsolete.” the Apollo Moon programme. direct my own work in the future.”

And he means it. His process requires new At 23, be was hired by Stanley Kubrick as Ask him what kind of future and he’ll reply cameras, new projectors, new sound, new one of his four Special Effects Supervisors on with a question “What would it be like to go screens. In short: new theatresl the godfather of all modem sf flints, 2001'. into a theatre where the picture is a giant 3D Once finally tested and financially approved A Space Odyssey, He invented the slit-scan hologram and you’re part of it? That’s very by Paramount Pictures, he will produce and device utilised during the climactic Corridors much like what we’re working with right direct the first movie in the process. He has of Light sequence. now.” the choice of two scenarios that he’s been There followed, r' *'? explains later, a Sounds like Futureworld meets Fahrenheit developing for years. surprising void. No t really took up the 451. Or better still, 2001 meets CE3K. And so, Douglas Trumbull, 35, is about to gauntlet that Kubrick hal flung down. In short, it sounds a consumation follow Lucas and Spielberg—more than In 1970, Trumbull worked on Robert devoutly to be wished. And if there’s one man likely, overhaul them both—into movie Wise’s less than successful attempt. The in Hollywood—in the film world at large history, spectacular fame. Time front covers, Andromeda Strain. He created a special who can achieve it, that man is Douglas

box-office records, great sf acclaim . . . and zoom-microscope and camera set-up allowing Trumbull.

Interview by Tony Crawley

Opposite above: Bowman (Keir Dullea) heads for the nerve centre of the rebellious computer, Hal 9000. Below: The rescue of Poole (Gary Lockwood) is attempted by Bowman, piloting a one-man space pod. From 2001 : A Space Odysaey.

34 .

Part 1. From 2001 to Silent Running.

Starburst: Your Silent Running camerman, Charles F. Wheeler, likened you to a teenage hippy talking like Albert Einstein. Steven Spielberg hails you as the next Disney. How do you see yourself—and your cinema aims?

Trumbull: Well ... I would describe myself as a film-maker— interested in furthering the potential of the medium, I guess. I'm in the area of creating experiences that are

beyond the realm of physical reality. I think that, fairly recently, movies have not been taking advantage of the potential of the medium. When so much became available technologically— the lightweight cameras and lights—everyone went out and started shooting on location. They were always out on the streets of New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco shooting film, cranking out an enormous volume of television busi-

ness. It just became a blitz of movies which were super-documentaries in a sense. More animation, you mean ? few people have really explored. It’s really While you were creating visual illusions I'm not into cartoon animation, per se. in the area of painting with light. So the rather than this all too simplified method of Animation, in my mind, is just a concept of future for me may be more effects like the

. . . well, recording life ? shooting anything one frame at a time. end of 2001—which sort of set a path

Exactly right. This whole sort of portable- Which is, essentially, what visual-effects are for me. mobile movie generation brought about the all about. There's an enormous amount of And everyone else. Except you're still very

end of the major studios. Or almost did. . . animation, for instance, in ( lose lincounters. much alone in pioneering such efiects. It became a big trend away from a lot of the But there certainly aren't any cartoon We thought at the time that 2001 would

art which had grown out of the studios. characters jumping around. start a big trend. It really didn't. Kubrick

I grew up on a lot of Disney full-length Excepting Duck Dodgers on the Dreyfuss didn't just jump into making another

cartoons. Stuff like that, and The Wizard of television set . . , science-fiction movie, to try and top him-

Uz. always fascinated me. I'd like to see I just like the magic of visual-effects— self. In fact, 2001 left a huge void. . . . The

more of that kind of thing done. There is so opticals, miniatures, photographic effects. main effect it had, still has today in fact, is much more at our disposal now, technolo- I'm experimenting with them now for this that people look at 2001 and say, “No one's

logically, chemically, electronically . . . oh, new process I've been working on. getting ever going to do this again. No one's ever every other way. into a new area of visual-effects that very going to have the patience, the money or the

35 talent to pull it together." Nor did they, mtil some ofyourfans grew up, got into movies and eventually became powerful enough to set up their own response to 2001 —namely, Lucas and Spielberg. Right. Exactly right! It's been a long wait.

You didn't wait so long. . . . When did you first get into movie-making ?

As a kid, like Spielberg. I used to make time-lapse movies about things being built.

... I made a sort of strange special-effects movie, not really very special, but full of ways of shooting to create illusions. Very simple things. But at least I figured out you could mount a camera on a tripod . . . and one of the neat things about an 8mm camera was that you can turn it on and off instantly.

You could make cuts right there in the would push the barrel off a cliff. It would But then you went in for architecture. How camera. roll to the bottom. Cut the camera again come the switch to real movie-making?

I didn't know anything about editing, and . . . well, you know, dumb little things When I was studying to be an architect, but I worked it out. I used to set up a like that. I got into a lot of draw ing classes and felt camera on a tripod, have a friend of mine From little acorns . . . more interested in the art itself, rather than climb into a barrel, while another friend It gave me an understanding of what I could the architecture. I started painting and stood alongside it. Then, after the first guy do in order to create in a viewer's mind the illustrating, got a couple of jobs doing work was in the barrel. I'd cut the camera. He’d illusion that something believable was going for advertising agencies and in technical get out of the barrel and out of the way. on. . . . That was always amusing to me, illustration.

Roll the camera again—and the other guy I guess. Plus a couple ofsfbtmk covers, I understand?

No . . . about the only thing I ever had published was a double-page spread in the souvenir book of the New York World's

*‘We thought at the time that 2001 would start a big trend. It didn't!”

Fair in 1964. It wasn't until I got an illus-

trator's job— and I got it because I was

interested — that I really became frustrated by it. My paintings didn't move. An age-old complaint. You'd paint them and they'd just lay there. There wasn't the dynamic action to them that I'd grown up with in the Disney

cartoons. I guess it was because of the

Disney influence that I became interested in animation and sort of stumbled into a job

36 in Los Angeles, with a company doing very technical animation—Graphic Films. We mostly did space orientated stuff for NASA and the USAF, simulation films, showing what it would be like going to the Moon. The kind of things we've seen on TV? Giving stage-by-stage simulations of a particular Apollo mission ?

I guess bits and pieces of them came out on TV, but they were mostly used internally, by the US Government, as a sales tool to pro-

mote the funds. Because of that, I got to work on this film for the New York World’s Fair—The Moon and Beyond. I illustrated all the backgrounds for that.

**It wasn’t until I got a job in illustration that I really became frustrated — my pictures didn’t move!”

And this time, they moved. Yeah! And Kubrick saw that film. That’s how I got my job on 2001. Two and a half years in London! Much longer than your Close Encounters schedule. Is that simply because you'd broken all the new ground on 2001 ? I think so, yes. 2001 was going to school. There are various stories that Spielberg was been very used to doing this incredibly When I started on 2001, 1 was 23, and didn’t continually screening 2001 while making high-quality work for Stanley, having a lot know anything about photography—and Close Encounters. Was that for inspiration, of super 70mm equipment on the floor, but learned it. We all learned it. We were guidance—was it even true at all? when this Candy thing came up I was trying making it up as we went along. (Laugh.) I don’t really know. I, personally, didn’t to get started with my own business and had And it cost a lot of money and it took a lot experience Spielberg running the film. I’ve none of my own cameras or optical equip- of time. only read about it. I don’t know if it’s an ment. They wanted me to do a titles

What do you think of it now? overblown story or not. I think he did screen sequence for them, nothing particularly

Like everyone else, I think 2001 is going to it once or twice, and I would say, just from challenging was needed, but I did a couple be very hard to beat. In terms of its classic looking at Close Encounters, that 2001 had would describe film nature, more than its hardware and some influence on it ... in getting into that “I myself as a special-effects. It’s possible now with all the whole area of non-verbal magnificence, film-maker—interest^ in fur- new equipment and techniques of our which is really what happens at the end of thering the potential of the industry, to make the technical equivalent the movie. medium.” of 2001. In much less time, much less effort. Doesn't it though—mind-blowingly so I For example. Star Wars which has a lot of Thank you. of really interesting experimental things. hardware. . . . After 2001 , it came as scant surprise that you Unfortunately, it ended up having to be worked on The Andromeda Strain, but what, sub-contracted to an optical house who, Opposite above; y’oo/e (Gary Lockwood, pray, were you doing working on a daft essentially, destroyed it. It got further left) and Bowman (Keir Dullea) futilely seek movie like privacy from the computer, Ha! 9000. Centre: Candy? duped when the film’s prints were made. Bowman enters the zero-G memory unit of the Oh ... oh! I never even talk about that Which taught you to get your own optical computer. Below: Bowman at the controls of Why not ? house in order. the space pod. From 2001 : A Space Odyssey. An unfortunate experience for me I had Right. Most of this business, ultimately, is

37 . —.

the quality-control problem. 2001 is due for a new airing this year. Any chance of a similar re-release for Silent Running ?

I really wouldn't know. I've no idea what 200 Universal’s plans are for it. It would be nice, but it’s not something I’m pushing for. Silent Running was, as you know, my first him, an experiment for me as a film director. I’uj very proud of the film,

but I think everyone has a limited amount of energy to expend in their lives and I’d rather spend mine moving forward to my next project, rather than grind my teeth against Universal Pictures to re-issue BOOKSHOP Silent Running. What happened to you after Silent Running?

You seemed to disappear from view . . . long before you surfaced, dabbling in amusement parks. Actually, there was a short, intervening

3 Lewisham VUay^New Cross. couple of years when I was putting together

several projects that I was to direct. And it

London,SE14, England. was just a series of . . well, just bad luck really.

**Silent Running was my first 1 I NEW film, an experiment for me as a film director. I'm very (to El*phont A CottI*) proud of the film."

The real problem in the motion picture W* or* THE lorgatt teUnca industry—in Hollywood, anyway—is the fiction book and coaic chop in South Eoct London. studio executives are constantly playing a game of musical chairs. If you’ve developed Ho corry vast otocko of now a project, have a script, and are all ready to and old coaic books, plus q wide soloction of aost s-f shoot, when the executive responsible gets books currently in print. axed—your project is dropped with him. LOGAN'S RUN, 2001, PLANET That happened to me three times in a row! OF THE APES, OR WHO, STAR And always with projects that were rather TREK, STAR WARS, and lots aoro speculative in nature. I’ve spent my whole life pushing to things that were quite BUSES i 21, M, S3, 141, 171, do unusual—and that frightens people a lot. TRAiN (or Underground) tO) NEW CROSS (to Lewi shea) or NEW CROSS GATE. I had two or three very big projects in mind that would have been really mind-boggling films. PyTamid, for example ? Which was set 500 yearsfrom now. Yeah! Pyramid was an incredible project that would have really hit right on the mark.

The audience was there for it. I think the

Pyramid was an incr^ible project that would really have hit right on the mark."

audience is still there for it, as a matter of fact. But if your executive guy gels sacked, your project goes down the tubes with him\

Except that with Pyramid, I was with MGM We had offices there and we spent several hundred-thousand dollars developing the

project. We had story-boarded it, locations iKftrvr mn aomi TKomtt mm scouted, modelsofthe sets built, art-directors TUOUSMM OF muaL ^aermns! ^ working—everything! Then, MGM just . COMK9 FOKSAU!^ decided they weren’t going to make movies anymore! LONDON’S NEWEST COMIC & SOENCE FICTION BCX>K SHOP!!! The ultimate axe job. 23 DENMARK ST., LONDON WC2. TR. 01- 836 4179 This wasn’t just one executive being axed

38 . —.

Sometimies, they do, yes. That’s part of how to get a team together. As a matter of fact, when people do call me or send me films, I usually take them pretty seriously because it doesn’t happen very often. Strangely enough, there are not very many people who actively want to be in this parti- cular business—or have any understanding of how to get into it. There’s no film schools for special effects. No one that can train

“Fve spent my whole life pushing to do things that were quite unusual — and that frightens people!”

you. Most of the people who can work well

in the kind of work I do, are self-taught . . just strangely determined people.

. . . turned on, like you, by Disney, and as time goes by, by ZOOl and now CCijK.

That’s it. They’ll come to me with their little 8mm or 16mm animated films or model films they’ve done. That’s exactly what I was into when I was 12 years old—making special effects films. So was Steven The show-stealers o/SUcnt Running H>ere the three robots. Here Bruce Dern plays cards with one of Spielberg. the 'droicb. Until you, more than anyone, broke new but the entire studio! They closed down the two of which are still intact, to do research ground on effects, what was the best special whole place. and development into entertaining people, effects film that you'd seen? IJust went into shock. It’s very depressing bringing the technology of movie-making I would probably say 20,000 Leagues Under to see a lot of money get spent a lot of to new fields. and The Sea. That was really a well-made your own psychic energy go into a project A lot of my ideas went beyond the new picture—the height of Disney’s operation that simply doesn’t happen. For all the process, covering ways to deal with new in my opinion. Disney at its best! wrong reasons. applications of film. I mean. I’m a film Something else you and Spielberg agree on. And it isn't poiitic, / suppose, to take that person. I’m into films. I did not just want to That's why he lured out ofretirement the man project across the street to another outfit ? drop the cinema altogether. I simply wanted who made the Leagues squid. Bob Mattey, to No, there’s all kinds of timing problems. to find a different way to do it. rruike Bruce the Jaws shark. You have to let things cool off. And make When you form a Future Genera!—or any special effectsfilm crew—how do you staff it. Next issue Douglas Trumbull talks about his “I would say that 20,000 Where do you find the people—or do they involvement with one ofthe most important sf Leagues Under the Sea is firul you? Do they write to you, enclosing movies of all time. Close Encounters of the the best special effects film Tve effects samples on film ? Third Kind. ever seen.” sure you’ve played all the right political games. No wonder you turned to amusement parks.

I got very discouraged. I felt the motion picture business was strait-jacketted in a certain kind of attitude. I felt that the financial and business aspects of it were just so unpleasant that I wanted to look at other ways of making a living. I was so frustrated I felt there had to be other ways of doing this—entertaining people. And there are. People are willing to do all kinds of things, pay all kinds of money to be entertained in a million different ways. Again, I grew up with Disneyland and I've always been fascinated with amusement parks the whole idea of illusions and experiences they generate within the rides and some of the other things Disney did

there. I also had some idea for a new film process. And through a series of contacts, I was able to propose a development com- pany with Paramount Pictures: their minds were very much along these lines at the Third Kind. time. We set up three different companies.

39 —

Starburst presents a brief look at the sf movies that were on show at the 31st Cannes Film Festival.

Surprise, surprise. There were very few sf movies around in the ever-bulging film market of the Cannes Film Festival in France earlier this year. There was, however, news of plenty, and a bunch of pure fantasy movies were being touted around as science fiction. Except for Japan's unintentionally funny answer to Star Wars, Message from Space, which is technically good but dramatically akin to the animated Space Cruiser (see review in Starburst 2) and Canada’s early response to CE3K, Starship Invasions with Christopher Lee and Robert Vaughan, there was precious little of the real stuff. The surprise lies in the fact that there weie 20 screens in town churning out, between them, 200 films, non-stop, every day. You’d think that somewhere amongst all that celluloid there would be more sf than that. Other screen delights included Aliens from Spaceship Earth with music by

Donovan—and also from the States, space and sf minded endeavours.

something entitled Hardware Wars ... “a And all of them probably too late . . . spectacular space saga of romance, re- Why, even the East Germans have already bellion and household appliances”. Yes, fini^ed their space drama. In the Dust well Cannes is a trifle mad in May. of the Stars (alternatively titled Star Dust, Cannes ’78 denoted the calm before the see the review elsewhere in this issue) What do they want? storm, judging by the brash number of the second SF>ace thriller from Dr Gottfreid multi-million dollar sf ventures being Kolditz. It’s about nefarious goings on announced. Now that the market appears on the planet TEM 4. And, as only to be not merely established but respectable expected, the commander of the heroic (financially, that is) every one and his Eastern Bloc space ship Cymo 19/4 is a father is getting in on the act. Next year, woman—blonde Czech star Jana Brejchova. IfflflSIflff Cannes should be a Cape Kennedy All of which puts Sir Lew Grade firmly launching pad for the proliferation of in his place. He announced an sf biggie called Saturn 6 to star Farrah Fawcett-

Majors . . . “and a robot” (Lee Majors?). Avco-Embassy is similarly lavishing up to SIO million on The Overlords, due out in May 1979, though no director has been named to succeed the late William Girdler, from whose original idea the movie stems. Also announced with the usual fanfares —the shooting date for Harry Alan Towers’ re-make of The Shape of Things to Come. This has already been sold to a dozen countries, less on Mi Towers’ name. I’m sure, than on his selection of Ofihe return Space: I999’s Sylvia Anderson as creative consultant and indeed of author H. G. Wells’ son Frank as scientific consultant. Pascal Duffard Productions in - From . . Paris came the hot news (at last) of two new movies from El Topo’s Alexandro • Jodorowsky, including Mexican locations ... and the use of “6,000 hyper-realistic dummies” in Museum Earth or “Life on Earth in 1978 AD as seen through the eyes of inhabitants of a distant planet 100,000 years after our terrestrial world was destroyed in a huge explosion.” Far more interesting, as we hope to expand upon later, is the prize-winning Belgian trilogy. Experts of Evil, described as an ABC of modem society. Atomic bomb; Bacteriological accidents; and Chemical warfare. The bomb tale was made by Robbe de Hert and the other two by Guido Henderickx. The film hails from the friendly sounding Paul de Vree and his Lonely Filmers. Lonely no more. we trust. Better still, the news from Limelight Films of London about a series of sf H.G. WELLS’ movies being adapted from their own "THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME’ books by (gulp!) Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Harry f net Pt(KJuC<*i MARMY Al AN TOWlrHS Harrison, Brian Aldis, James Ballard, World Sales Rtrpfcsetilativi* PAUl KIJ/FR A. E. Van Vogt, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven and Jerry Poumelle, Hal Clement and Joe Haldeman. Can’t be bad! The biggest street advertising in Cannes, though, was for Italy’s The Humanoid, starring 007’s mighty nemesis Richard “Jaws” Kiel as an indestructible victim of an evil scientist’s atomic blast. Donald Pleasance has, alas, pulled out of playing this particular nasty intent on creating a superhuman force to shatter the peace of the fifth galactic empire. George B. Lewis directs; Ennio Morricone supplies the music; and skyscraper-tall Kiel gets to play yet again alongside his Bond film co-star Barbara Bach and Corinne Clery from The Story of O. Italy could have a decent winner on their hands with this one. Except, as I left Cannes, a little man from the Japanese Toho company handed me a poster for their new film which has UFO witnesses becoming social outcasts when their blood turns blue. Hmm, I thought. Then I saw

the title . . . Humanoid. Rare indeed for the Italian to be so smartly ripped off. But that’s Cannes—and the film business— for you.

41 Rtviows by Alex Carpenter '

their field. I douht that everybody will EoOoagoroO Spocios, is set in the future agroo with hit choico but, when you when civilisation it in a state of decay SCIENCE contidor that he included Bellamy. and, whilst tho story has boon told well, Corben. Eisner, Smith and Wood, it it Paul Gulacy't excollont artwork tends doubtful that anybody would arguo that to draw your attention away from tho F:l'(:TEOf^ thaso. and the othars, should not havo acres of wordage and on to tho next

boon included. illustration. Sabre it a vary attractive

The book is excellently presented and production, but worth £3.7$ 7 apart from many reproductions of thoir PoblisboO bf [dipso. USA. 40 pogos.

work (much in colour) there it included £3.7$ -import.

a bibliography on each. It is probably a % little overpriced for tho reader casual but would be of interest nevertholess. PobHsbob bf Autum Pnss. 12! pogos. » * t4.i5. another. •• ^ ?* With hit book Harry Harrison tandt to take a more mature look at tho subject but possibly becauso of this ENCVCLOPEDM OF SCIENCE FIC- Machaniomo it not a wholly satisfying TION Consultant Editor: Robert Hold- raad. Many of tha paintings and illustra- stock tions also leovo a lot to bo desired

In the past law months there have been though, overall, it it not tho art that it a number ot books published givins an the book's weakness. As with Spaco- overall coveraga of the science fiction craft many of tho illustrations have

field but this hardback volume is the seen print before but there are a numbar most visually attractive. of originals including Brian Lewis's drawings showing the in- As usual with an Octopus publication, cut-away teriors of light sabres, blasters, and it is crammad with full colour illustra- tions: no matter where you open the robots. PobHsbob Piorrot Books. 120 ptgts. book there is a painting or a photograph bf A SlKX-K-PACKk;i)CHII,IJ^;R. A fRJMK BKYONI) IMACININC... encouraging you to read the text to C4.S5. •FAST-P.ACKI), CRimNC. discover more about the illustration. StARlF'YI.NC’ 'I '. 11^ The text itself is divided into the kind headings that are expected in a book of CDMA by Robin Cook and include Locations, Alien of this type This makes compelling reading: by tho Encounters, and Art And The Artist, to FANDOM S FILM GALLERY 3 Edited time you reach the end of tho first mention but a fow. Each chapter hat by Jan Van Gonochten chapter you will bo hooked through to baon writton by a famous figuro in the FFG 3 has hoon a long timo coming but tha end—but bo warned, if hospitals including Harry Harrison, sf field, when it finally arrived it was well worth make you nervous already you will Patrick Moora and Christopher Priest. tho wait. Jan Van Gonochten published regret picking it up. Robin Cook hat This ensures the writing it of o standard Fandom'a Film Gallery as a maans of written a mastarpieca of suspense that matches the high quality of tho art gathering together detailed studies of which is only slightly flawed by a weak and tho Encyclopedia el Science major horror films (iuuo 1 ; Dracula ending. Fictien comes highly recommended. (19S8) and 2: Night of the Living PoblisboO bf Poo Books. 33$ pogos. Books. po§os. FuilisM bf Octofus 224 Dead) in ona volumo. This issue has OOp. [4.2S. 172 pages devoted to Hammer's The Cerae ef the Werewolf. The coverage includes interviews with director Terence Fisher and make-up artist Roy Ashton, together with extrocts from SCiSK'CS MOTION press books, reproductions of Roy SABRE by Don McGregor and Paul Ashton's pro-production sketches, plus Gulacy

many stills, posters, etc. A great daal At first glance Sabre it nothing more of work has gens into this study and the than an over-priced, magarine- tired

result is more than worthwhile. comic book but nothing that McGregor Tho remaining pages include an inter- or Gulacy become involved in could be view with Dario Argonto and an articia that simple. Both names will moan on Paul Naschy. something to long-term readers ef Tho only sad part about this maguine Marvel comics but for newcomers and

is that it is tho last of the series but, others, Don McGregor was the writor on hopefully. Jan's plans for a new. more such acclaimed series as Killraven and general, fantasy film 'tine will come to Jungle Action whilst Paul Gulacy't r fruition and tha and product. Phantom, artwork was featured in tho highly- will bo of the same excallent quality. regarded Master of Kong Fa amongst MASTERS OF COMIC BOOK ART Poblisbob bf Joo Voo Gtoochtto. 21$ others. P. R. Garriock by pofos. 12. 7$ -import. Although McGregor's work hes won tp-Tc r.' cojK usTta If you number yourself amongst thosa much praise from comic fans, hit major who art pouted by the upsurge in MECHANISMO by Harry Harrison fault lies in hit inability to accept the THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE

interest in comic Strip art. than this Since Star Ware and Cloaa En- fact that ho is writing comics and that it FICTION TEAR BOOK edited by Colin book will go tome way towards explain- eeantan there hat been an upswing is tha picture that should toll tho story: Letter

ing the reasons. in interest in the technical side of all hit strips suffarad from ovor- If you are intorostod enough in science Comic Book Art contains the work science fiction: Spacocraft 2000 to wordinoss and this it a "fault" ho has fiction to become more involved, then of ten of the artists fhat "Doc" 2100 AD it ona product of this in- brought with him to Ssbra. this latest offering from Pionot will be

Garriock considers to bo the tops in creased interest. Mechanitmo it Sahra, subtitled Stow fo4o of oa of use. Its pages contain information on.

42 amongst othar things. Convantions, Heedhook this hardback book takes this book it an ideal layman's guide to Publishers. Agents. Authors, and the various full colour paintings by wall- the subject.

list of contents seems endless. known science fiction artists and pro- Published by Themes end Hudson. ISO A lot of work has gone into the Year- vides a history and technical specifica- peges. C2.95.

book, however it is only to be expected tion for the craft depicted. The euthor that, with a work of this scope, mistakes hes obviously put a lot of thought into and omissions will occur. Hopefully they the basic idea and he has been rewarded will be corrected in next year's edition. with en interesting and enjoyable book.

This book is obviously intended for The major drawback is that many (if

reference rather than for "light read- not all) of the paintings included in ing" but the layout of the information Spacecraft have seen publication doas make it heavy going. previously, mainly as book covers. This Published bf Pierrot Books. 400 peges. does not spoil the book in any way but t2.95. original art would hava baen better. Published by The Hemlyn Group. 100 peges. C2.95.

A STAR TREK ADVENTURE because of his careful handling, the many different themes did not seem too MUDD’S ANGELS incongruous. Hamlyn should be preised for thek

efforts in making TIm Trigan Empire evailable once more but, unfortunately, insufficient care has been taken with the project. The book includes seven different stories from the long-running series but they have not been reprinted

in chronological order: luckily someone had tha sensa to print the earliest SUPERHEROES edited by Michel Parry episodes first but some of the sub- Michel Parry hat gathered together 13 sequent stories come from a much later stories of superheroes. Although the efter Lawrence aban- authors' names include Bloch. Spinrad FROM THE LAND BEYOND BEYOND period Don had doned the strip. Although this must be and Niven, the prime result of the book by Jeff Rovin considered a major fault by any com- is to prove that superheroes are fine in The prolific Mr Rovin has written e book pletist. it does not detract from the comics, bearable on films, but just do that will appeal to lovers of stop- overall excellence of the ert—if you not work in novel form. motion animation everywhere. From have not seen this strip and are Published hy Sphere Books. 209 peges. the Land Bayond Bayond covers the interested in comic art sida of sf. then 05p. films of Willis O'Brien and Ray Harry- you won't be disappointed with this hausen in depth with King Kong and MOOD'S ANGELS by J. A. Lawrence book. each of Harryhausen's major films Finally, with Mudd'a Aegela. all the Published by The Hemlyn Group. 192 having chapters of their own. The text live-action Star Trek episodas are peges. E2.9S. is illustreted with over 200 stills and available in book form. Included this includes full cast and credits. time are edaptations of Mudd's Women

The final chapter concerns itself with and /, Mudd together with a brand new others Involved in this field: many story featuring Harry Mudd and titled would agree that animators such as Jim The Business, As Usuel. During Aheree- Danforth do not yet mean as much as tions. Ray Harryhausen to most fantasy film There it little that can ba said about fans and it would have been much better the two television based stories—they to have left this book belonging to are written well enough— but the new O'Brien and Harryhausen—one chapter material doas laave something to be does not do the others justice. desired. It reads at though Mr Lawrence Published hy Berkley Windhover. 200 it somewhat bemused by the whole peges. %S.95 - import. Star Trek phenomena: it is not a bad tcienca fiction story but neithar does it come aaots as good Star Trtk—apart from which, a "villain" lika Harry Mudd was worthy of a much better fate. THE FACTS ABOUT A FEATURE Published by Corgi Books. 102 peges. FILM by Marjorie Bilbow Tip. Marjorie Bilbow has written a very good introduction to the world of the cinema THE TRIGAN EMPIRE ROBOTS: FACT, FICTION AND which it well illustrated both in block Don Lawrence was the original artist on PREDICTION by Jasia Reichart and white and colour with many behind-

the Trigen Empire strip when it first Robota describes the development of the-scenes photographs. appeared in the old British weekly comic artificial man from the very early con- Using at har study piece Hammer's Ranger and later Look and Laam. His caption up to date. Although tanding to Te the Devil ... A Daughter the painstaking work made this a much be factual, tha treatment it far from dry: takes the newcomer, in very simple talked about strip—each frame could the author hat obviously ratearched the steget. through the business of produc- elmost have been a full colour oil subject well and has coverad all tha ing a film from pre-production to final painting. myriad aspects of hit theme in an releasa. With all the film world's Basically. The Trigan Empire is the interesting and informative manner. It it technicel terminology and titles ex- story of the rise of a civilisation on a surprising how much this field en- plained in very basic terms, this is an SPACECRAFT 2000 TO 2100 AO by far off planet. Lawrence incorporated compasses and how far tcienca has ideal hardback book for a youngstar Stewart Cowley many different idees into the strip so progratted: some of the 280 illustra- just becoming interested in movies.

Spacecraft is an unusual publication. that "flying saucers" and galley ships tions utad art eye-openers. There are Published by 6. Whiiierd. SO peges. Sub-titled A Terren Trede Authority could be seen side by side and yet. many people fascinated by robots and £2.50.

43 : : : : — cyriaya c^lierchandising.

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A HARDCOVER CINEMA information and photos from the film. new Star Trek novel 80p Now back in stock at the new low price BOOKS Price of the Phoenix (Marshak & Sci-Fi Now (Frank) A history of science of 90p Culbreth). A new Star Trek novel 90p fiction films and television in the last 10 years: over 100 stills, nearly half in PLUS MAGAZINES Facts About A Feature Film (Bilbow) colour. 1 & 1 } X 8i". 80 pages (see also Softcover Cinema Books) £3.50 FANZINES Introductory guide to the production of a An Album of Great Science Fiction Starlog (U.S.A.): film based on Hammer's 'To The Devil . . A Daughter". pages. 1 x 'Movies (Manchel) Nearly 100 stills, No. 13: Logan's Run episode guide. 60 1 } 8}" £2.85 1 1 i X 8}" 96 pages £3.50 The Time Machine, Dave Those Fabulous Fantasy Films (Rovin) Horror Movies (Frank) Now back in Prowse interview 85p The first complete history of print. Over 195 photos, many in colour. No. 14; Jim Danforth interview. Capri- the genre from 1U X 8r- 216 pages £3.60 corn One, Star Wars 85p Nosferatu and Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Science Fiction Movies (Strick). An No. 15: This Island Earth, Twilight to Sinbad And The Eye of The excellent book. Over 170 photos with Zone Episode Guide 85p Tiger. 272 pages. Well illustrated. 11} X 8} " £10.15 many in colour. 1 1 ^ x 8i". 160 pages No. 16: Invaders Episode Guide, Fan- Spacecraft £3.05 tastic Voyage, Supermariona- 2000 to 2100 A.O. (Cowley) A 'Terran Trade Authority The Vampire Cinema (Pirie) This tion 85p Handbook". Fully illustrated, with beautiful book contains 200 unusual No. 17: TV preview issue, McQuarrie technical data and 9". histories. Full colour throughout; 12 x photos and many rare posters. 1 1 } x interview plus McQuarrie full 9}". 176 pages ADULTS ONLY £4.80 colour fold out poster 95p -(Hard cover) 96 pages £3.50 Science Fantasy Film Classics (U.S.A.) Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction Plenty of colour throughout: 72 pages (Holdstock ed.) Profusely illustrated, SOFTCOVER CINEMA full colour throughout. 224 pages; i ncludesgiant 22 x 32" full colour poster hardcover; 12 x 8}" £5.80 BOOKS No. 2 : Star Trek, Laser Blast, This Alien Creatures (Siegel Swares) Balls & An Island Earth £1 .45 Great of Fire (Harrison). A history illustrated guide to aliens from films, of sex in science fiction illustration. No. 3 ; Close Encounters of the Third television, and comics. Over 1 photos Nearly 90 Kind, Silent Running, War of 200 illustrations including many including nearly 40 in full colour. x in 10}" 10} the Worlds £1 .45 colour. 10} x ADULTS ONLY 8}". 160 pages £3.50 Just Imagine (U.K.) The journal of film £4.30 Making of Kubrick's 2001 (Agel) The and television special effects Robots: Fact. Fiction + Prediction film from conception to completion. (Reichardt) 11 x 8". 168 pages. 280 No. 5 : Giant size tabloid, 1 6 pages 368 pages (96 pages photos) £1.70 60p illustrations (12 in colour) £3.30 Science Fiction in the (Baxter) Terror (Haining) Cinema Future (U.S.A.) From the publishers of A history of horror Classic science fiction films in depth. Starlog illustrations from pulp magazines. 10} x Illustrated. x 5}". pages 8}". 6} 240 £1.95 No. 3: Jules Verne, S.F. Films, Boris, 176 pages £3.50 Fear: A History of Horror In Trigan The Larry Niven interview 85p The Empire (Hamlyn) This Mass Media (Daniels) beautiful 272 pages plus No. 4: William Nolan interview. hardcover book reprints 7 of 32 pages photos. x 5" £2.75 'The Trigan Empire" stories 7} McCall art 85p in 190 Focus On The Science Fiction Film pages of full colour. Excellent No. 5: Bradbury & Spielberg inter- value. (Johnson) Includes contributions from X 9}" views, plus full colour poster 11} £3.80 Heinlein, Wells, Corman, Harryhausen, 95p Superheroes (Parry ed) 13 short stories etc. 182 pages plus 8 pages stills. of superheroes. Includes Bloch, Spinrad 8 X 5} •' £2.95 No. 6: Battlestar Galactica 95p and Niven. 7 x 4}" £1 .00

not visit Why our new shop at 54 Bellegrove Road, Welling, Kent, which stocks our full range of fantasy film related material plus science fiction, horror and fantasy novels and American comics. B> wa> of a special preview to the much- publicised BttttUstar Galactica, we present a pictorial feature revealing the ingenuity of the special effects. The “pilot” will be shown in this country as a theatrical release and will then become a tv series debuting in the summer of 1979.

Above: a Cylon fighter in a destructive muod. looking somewhat similar in design to George Pars Martian war machines.

The Ovions, a race of insect-like aliens, lull the fleeing humans into Fanatically Intent on destroying all humans, the dreaded Cylons appear a state of false security, actually preparing them for death. as steel-clad, robotic dealers of destruction.

4S Above: a superb example of the visual ingenuily that the film displays courtesy of that highly talented effects technician, John Dykstra.

The first tv space fantasy of epic proportions, Battleslar Galactica. The star of the show {above) is the gigantic space craft containing the last of the human race.

46 ^NOT TONIGHT DEAR...

I JUST GOT MY LATEST MAIL-ORDER PARCEL .FROM DXWAC>.E 11 /

THE FINEST SCIENCE FICTION Darh TheyWere BOOKSHOP ^nd Qolden Eyed IN THE WORLD NOW HAS THE FINEST 9-12 ST. ANNE’S COURT, MAIL-ORDER SERVICE. LONDON W.I.V 3.R.G SUPERMAN - The Movie. See page 4 inside.