Destination moon original motion picture score leith. The spectacular score totals over 56 minutes, a halfhour more than was released on teninch album over 60 years ago. Art,fashion,design,technology etc from the atomic space age destination moon 1950 see more. Destination moon 1950 was one of the first sciencefiction movies, and though it was made on a small budget with a noname cast, pichel and producer george pal turned it into a creditable adventure with oscarwinning special effects. Big studios wouldnt touch buck rogers film fare but stood up and took notice when this little eaglelion release broke box office records.
Special effects may have improved,but this story of the first moon landingalmost two decades before it happenedmarks a science fiction classic. Once free of earths atmosphere, the astronauts contend with the dangers of equipment failure and the joys of zero gravity. Le film destination moon 1950 vostfr admin 20170604t04. An early american spacecraft makes a landing on the lunar surface. The 1950s were truly the golden era of the science fiction film, and the importance of destination moon in that context cannot be overestimated. Destination moon short story, a 1950 short story by robert heinlein. Seven years before sputnik launched the space race, and nineteen before the apollo 11 landing, this 1950 production by george pal was the first major sciencefiction film produced in the united states that dealt seriously with the prospect, problems, and technology of space travel. Trailer for the pioneering sciencefiction classic, destination moon 1950, starring john archer, warner anderson, tom powers and dick wesson. Tcm messageboards post your comments here add your comment share. During the broadcast on june 24, 1950, the programme was interrupted by a news bulletin announcing that north korea had declared war on south korea. A surprisingly prophetic depiction of space travel that won an oscar for best special effects, destination moon traces the flight of four astronauts warner anderson, john archer, tom powers and. Winner of an academy award for special effects and also the bronze berlin bear award in the first berlin international film festival, the 1950 film destination moon makes a big leap in realism in science fiction films. The story is adapted from the george pal movie of the same name. Destination moon 1950 bluray movie discussion, expert.
The films all won oscars for special effects, with pals production company receiving the award for destination moon. One astronaut pokes a tool into a cavity to dig out an interfering mass of machine grease. Destination moon, a movie that heinlein helped write, was a landmark film in 1950. Oct 09, 2012 destination moon irving pichel, 1950, a supersonic honeymoon.
Destination moon 1950 a team composed of an aerospace scientist warner anderson, an exair force general tom powers and an industrialist john archer conceive an ambitious plan to land. Destination moon 1950 an early stab at a realistic account of a moon mission, george pals film sees a consortium of industrialists financing a rocket launch rather like elon musks current efforts. The rocket was completed a while ago, and so technically, its ready to go to the moon. Destination moon 1950 full sci fi movie john archer full movie. Written for the 1950 george palproduced scifi adventure film, it was one of the more. Destination moon, a 1951 song composed by marvin fisher with lyrics by roy alfred, performed by the ames brothers, deborah cox, and others. Destination moon is a scientific love letter to space exploration or in this case, the dream of reaching the moon in a time where reaching for the stars was the ultimate goal. Robert heinlein and his wife on the set of the 1950 movie destination moon. George pal was truely a certified genius and visionary in the film industry. Destination moon is the first complete release of leith stevens classic 1950 soundtrack. The story spanned 4 pages in the magazine, but would be split into two 62page volumes when published in book format. Nov 20, 2012 destination moon complete score soundtrack cd details and availability. Destination moon 1950 feature length theatrical animated film.
Three astronauts escape but are killed in the films tragic conclusion when. Leith stevens contributions to film music include the soundtracks to the wild one, the james dean story, when worlds collide, war of the worlds, and world without end, among other feature films, but destination moon remains his most enduring movie score. George pals movie directing career began in the 1930s. George pals destination moon put science before fantasy resulting in a remarkable trip.
This film, despite its era is more focused on the science than the fiction. As the project nears completion, however, obstacles begin to arise. The story begins with doctor robert corley, rear admiral red bowles, and jim barnes contemplating the success of their project to build a. Destination moon 1950 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Directed by irving pichel, walter lantz, dick lundy. After a tycoon finances a spaceship, the united states makes the worlds firstever trip to the moon in this 1950 scifi adventure. List of science fiction films of the 1950s wikipedia. He was a leading hollywood proponent of science fiction and fantasy special effects in the late 1940s through the mid 1960s.
Mar 07, 2015 an early american spacecraft makes a landing on the lunar surface. The seminal if lowrent opening from producer george pal, credits leading to scientist cargraves warner anderson and general thayer tom powers in a bunker, in the landmark postwwii science fiction feature, from a story and script by robert heinlein, destination moon, 1950. Destination moon 1950 is a landmark science fiction space travel movie, and should be seen by all interested in this genre, and by all interested in high water mark quality cinema movies remarkable for creativity and intelligence. Destination moon was first to go into production but rocketship xm, made faster and cheaper, reached the cinema first. However, the shotgun concept was used in the final film during woody woodpeckers cartoon demonstration of rocket propulsion, which is shown to the millionaire. The 1950 movie destination moon was loosely based on rocket ship galileo, and heinlein was one of three coauthors of the script. Read the full synopsis of destination moon, 1950, directed by irving pichel, with john archer, warner anderson, tom powers, at turner classic movies. Both irving pichels bmovie destination moon 1950 and robert heinleins. Operation moon is a 1950 american technicolor science fiction film, independently produced by george pal and directed by irving pichel, that stars john archer, warner anderson, tom powers, and dick wesson. Moon as the film that initiated the sciencefiction boom of the 1950s and, in a. Movies concerning space travel werent very successful in the early fifties, despite the fact that the science fiction trend of the decade was sparked by two such productions. Operation moon is a 1950 american technicolor science fiction film. Destination moon holds the honour of being the very first film of the 1950s science fiction craze.
Destination moon was eagle lion classics highestgrossing film of 1950. By any standard, destination moon 1950 is a landmark movie, produced in 1950 which was a high water mark year for world cinema, along with 1939, 1928, and 1956all years notable for multiple cinema productions of remarkable accomplishment and enduring quality. A team composed of an aerospace scientist warner anderson, an exair force general tom powers and an industrialist john archer conceive an ambitious. Destination moon objectif lune cover of the english edition publisher casterman. Destination moon 1950 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Tintin magazine began the publication of explorers on the moon on 30 march 1950. These films include core elements of science fiction, but can cross into other genres. Destination moon was the first major science fiction film produced in the united states and lifted the genre from the realm of the fantastic to the world of the believable. Destination moon is a cold war film par excellence, and never more so than in its claim that both the government and the media are deeply infiltrated by enemy agents working to undermine the american way of life in general, and the rocket program in particular.
Sadly, the film is controlled by wade williams, which means that it is not likely to be preserved properly, much less restored and released in its original glory. Simply one of the greatest outer space scores, these original soundtrack recordings have never been released on cd. First up is george pals technicolor hit from 1950 destination moon, which is generally considered the first film of the 1950s wave of science fiction. Mar 02, 2015 weve featured the luna rocket from the 1950 movie destination moon before, but this new kit from pegasus hobbies assembles to make the tallest model yet. Destination moon 1950 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. Divx3lmbloodweiser standard definition movies, that were made last century, ripped from a retail source dvdrip, bdrip, excluding r5 dvdrips. With a notable pedigree including george pal war of the worlds, tom thumb, the time machine, a story by robert heinlein and perhaps the real star of the film, astronomical art by noted artist and designer chelsey bonestell, destination moon. Home of romance, horror, science fiction, comedies, and westerns tonights movie is. A list of science fiction films released in the 1950s.
Destination moon 1950 after their latest rocket fails, dr. A space odyssey 18 years lateras an attempt to visualize the reality of space exploration. The film s special effects included miniatures, stopframe animation and makeup devices to simulate the effect of gravitational pull on the actors faces. The crew of spaceship luna make an eva to dislodge a stuck radar antenna on the ships hull. Charles cargraves and retired general thayer have to start over again. Destination moon 1950 under the everpresent menace of the enemies of america getting there first, a group of industrialists band together to design and build a rocketship capable of traveling to the moon and back. It remains a milestone film, not so much as classic science fiction butlike 2001. Stefan dreess rating of the film destination moon stefan drees in its time a bigbudget production and one of the first films using some kind of sound design by means of media technology to create a magical minute of otherness. In this novella, heinlein writes a slightly altered version.
In a well conceived sequence from robert heinleins novel, barnes, cargraves, general thayer and wiseguy joe john archer, warner anderson, tom powers, dick wesson feel some serious gs in the launch of the first manned moon mission, in george pals groundbreaking destination moon, 1950. Destination moon dimension x sci fi old time radio. Coscripted by robert heinlein from his novel rocketship galileo, destination moon s suspenseful plot relates the saga of mans first voyage to the moon amid a series of scientific cliffhangers. An early stab at a realistic account of a moon mission, george pals film. Destination moon 1950 letterboxd your life in film. Destination moon is a novella by science fiction author robert a. Destination moon, the sixteenth volume of the adventures of tintin by herge. The biggest mistakes you never noticed in destination moon 1950. The movie started production around the same time as destination moon and was rushed to completion. The story was initially serialised weekly in belgiums tintin magazine from march to september 1950 before being published in a collected volume by casterman in 1953.
After years of scientific endeavors, a ship ascends into the heavens. Thayer approaches jim barnes, the head of his own aviation construction firms to help build a rocket that will take them to the moon. Destination moon 1950 stream and watch online moviefone. Heinlein s final draft of the films shooting script. Destination moon 1950 destination moon 1950 is a spaceage adventure film from another age, and as such, a kind of unique film. Destination moon follows the first manned moon mission from conception to completion with a clear objective of adhering to authentic scientific theory, which could have made it something of a dry exercise in overblown conjecture. Destination moon 1950 full sci fi movie john archer. The film s plot also resembles that of the man who sold the moon, which heinlein wrote in 1949 but did not publish until 1951. Sep 27, 2009 after a tycoon finances a spaceship, the united states makes the worlds firstever trip to the moon in this 1950 scifi adventure. There are no crazy aliens, giant bugs, space vampires etc, to be found in this film. The sixtythree year old scifi movie involves the fictional first rocket launch to the moon, and the brave astronauts who undertake that dangerous journey.
A sciencebased fantasy about the first successful trip to the moon. Heinlein, first published in the september 1950 issue of short stories magazine. The head of a private aircraft company is persuaded to take on the project of a rocket to the moon. The program is interrupted after eighteen minutes for a news bulletin announcing that north korea has declared war on and has invaded south korea. If these days it is a struggle to appreciate the film as it deserves to be appreciated, that in itself is a strange kind of compliment. Destination moon won an academy award for best special effects of 1950. The movie jumped from a scene en route to skull island to the scene. But if there is any doubt about the technical achievements of destination moon, one needs only to look at the other movie that was released in 1950 that featured a flight to the moon, rocketship xm. As he digs, the material comes out of the hole and rolls down the side of the skin of the rocket under its own weight, rather than floating off weightlessly into space. Destination moon 1950 and you call yourself a scientist. It also received the bronze bear at the berlin film festival.
With john archer, warner anderson, tom powers, dick wesson. Destination moon 1950 was one of the first sciencefiction movies, and though. Destination moon after their latest rocket fails, dr. Destination moon 1953 and explorers on the moon 1954.
Watch a movie destination moon 1950 film trailer 50s scifi robert. Destination moon irving pichel, 1950, a supersonic. Pichel died suddenly only a week after having completed his last film, day. Objectif lune is the sixteenth volume of the adventures of tintin, the comics series by belgian cartoonist herge. Destination moon follows the first manned moon mission from conception to completion with a clear objective of adhering to authentic scientific theory, which could have made it. Destination moon, a 1950 american science fiction film. What really sold me on the film was all of the variety of colors when on the moon and especially their brighty colored red, green, blue and yellow space suits. Destination moon 1950 page 7 classic horror film board. Destination moon has been ranked 2996 times, wins 40. But in other ways destination moon is quite prescient, thanks perhaps to the contribution of renowned sf author robert a. Destination moons importance stems from its being the first of the vast numbers of science fiction films that were produced during the 1950s.
When stevens scored pals next film, the ambitious destination moon, it was unlikely the composer knew the film would mark the beginning of a long wave of space exploration films, and never figured his score would almost become the gold standard for the genre. But once there, the astronauts realize a miscalculation means. Oct 29, 2012 destination moon is the first complete release of leith stevens classic 1950 soundtrack. The 1950 film destination moon, based on the heinlein book, is incredible for its accuracy of what was to come 19 years later. The films all won oscars for special effects, with pals production. His production of destination moon was released in 1950, years before spaceflight actually began. Operation moon is a 1950 american technicolor science fiction film, independently made by george pal, directed by irving pichel, th. Destination moon is even noted in nasas official timeline of spacetravel history, and almost inevitably won the academy award for best special effects.
The twelfth episode of the nbc radio series dimension x was entitled destination moon and was based on robert a. When the surface of the moon is shown after the landing 1. Other articles where destination moon is discussed. Destination moon was the brainchild of writer robert a.