Sci-Fi Film Fiesta, The Swingin' 60s - Volume 2 Far Out Battles Without and Within by Chris Christopoulos - HTML preview

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“There'll always be that one more place where nobody has

ever been before”

Back on Earth, Alice and Edith voice their concerns over the news that contact has been lost with the crew of Mars-1, but Cliff reassures them that he had just talked with them and that “everything is going well.” The two women, however are not buying it based on what they have heard on the news. Apart from the usual veil of official secrecy that occurs in such situations, Cliff probably believes he is sparing Alice and Edith undue concern by withholding the truth. Surely though they do have the right to know?

Edith frets that Mike doesn't even know about his baby on the grounds that she didn’t want him to worry and now she’s beginning to wonder if she did the right thing. Even though, as Cliff reassures her, that Mike has enough on his mind, surely as Alice’s husband he has right to know of the birth of his own son! It may even prove to be a motivating factor.

As for Nick, “one of the world's great accomplishers” with “no challenge too great, no mountain too high and all of that gung-ho stuff,” Alice is beginning to understand what that drive he feels means to him.

Meanwhile on Mars, the M-1 is going to require extra power for takeoff which will necessitate the obtaining of the emergency booster unit from the supply ship. There’s only one problem – the presence of the alien Polarite and how to get past it. Nick suggests shooting it in the head but that proposal is itself knocked on the head. He then feels that he is being held to blame for what happened to Duncan. Somewhat unconvincingly, Mike reassures him that is not the case.

Suddenly, a light bulb moment hits when it is noticed that the Polarite begins to enter a dormant state when it is covered by a shadow from the ship’s radar antenna blocking the sun’s rays. Mike and Nick deduce that the Polarite’s disks must catch the sun's energy which it then uses for power. One would think with the Polarite covered by shadow and powered down, that would the perfect time to beat the crap out of it. But no, Mike tip-toes around it on a twenty minute bid to race to the supply ship and back again.

While Mike is hot-footing it, Ivan the Ruskie begins to wake up from his frozen slumber. Never mind about the likelihood of irreparable brain damage and cell degradation and a host of other physiological problems associated with snap freezing human bodies. The kind of things that poor schmucks who enlist in cryogenic projects will no doubt discover (or not) as the case may be. As for deep space mission suspended animation? Yeah, dream on!

Later, when Ivan is reviving some more, Mike uses his bad Russian to establish communication with the cosmonaut. Luckily, he knows enough English and the Americanskis learn that the sphere can be deactivated by destroying a disc inside it. With Alice’s refrain of “there’ll always be that one more place where nobody has ever been before” running through his head, Nick hastily volunteers to accomplish that very task. Mike makes moves to try and stop him but they sort of seem about as convincing as his denial of Nick’s responsibility for what happened to Duncan. However, Nick succeeds with his attempt to deactivate the sphere but at the cost of his life.

From Earth Cliff with Edith and Alice either side of him conveys his sorrow for what happened. He seems to give Alice a pointed sideways glance when he says “it took a lot of courage and devotion.” What are you trying to say, Cliff?

Mike and the Soviet cosmonaut learn over the crackling radio communications that Mike's wife is pregnant. With gosh gee-whizz knowing looks the detente duo blast off to earth and now we can all “stop crying!”

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Recommended Resources

Books (Print & E-Book Editions)

Biskind, Peter. Seeing Is Believing: How Hollywood Taught Us to Stop Worrying and Love the Fifties. New York: Pantheon, 1983.

While focused on the 1950s, this accessible cultural study provides valuable background for understanding how 1960s science fiction inherited Cold War anxieties and cinematic conventions.

Booker, M. Keith. Alternate Americas: Science Fiction Film and American Culture. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2006.

A thoughtful yet readable exploration of how science fiction cinema reflects American political and cultural tensions — useful for readers considering Cold War themes in Mutiny in Outer Space and Battle Beneath the Earth.

Halliwell, Leslie. Halliwell’s Film Guide. Various editions.

An indispensable alphabetical reference guide offering concise commentary on thousands of films, including many 1960s genre entries.

Hardy, Phil (ed.). The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction. London: Aurum Press, 1984 (and later editions).

A highly readable A–Z reference volume covering major and minor science fiction films from around the world.

Muir, John Kenneth. A Critical History of Science Fiction Cinema. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007.

A chronological survey that situates films within their cultural and political contexts. Particularly helpful for understanding mid-century and Cold War genre shifts.

Newman, Kim. Nightmare Movies. London: Bloomsbury, 1988 (revised editions available).

Though horror-leaning, Newman’s lively writing sheds light on crossover themes of paranoia and invasion that permeate 1960s sci-fi cinema.

Ragone, August. Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2007.

A beautifully illustrated and accessible study of the special-effects pioneer behind many Toho productions, invaluable for appreciating the craftsmanship of Atragon.

Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1982.

Although centered on the 1950s, this monumental two-volume work provides essential context for the transition into 1960s space-race and paranoia cinema.

Film-Specific & Studio Context

Ryfle, Steve & Godziszewski, Ed. Ishirō Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2017.

A definitive yet readable biography of Honda, director of Atragon and many other Toho classics.

Online Resources

AllMovie

https://www.allmovie.com

Clear, accessible summaries and credits for classic science fiction titles including Mutiny in Outer Space and Mission Mars.

British Film Institute (BFI)

https://www.bfi.org.uk

Offers essays, archival material, and contextual articles on genre cinema and Cold War film culture.

IMDb

https://www.imdb.com

A useful starting point for cast lists, production trivia, and viewer commentary on films such as Battle Beneath the Earth and Mutiny in Outer Space.

Internet Archive

https://archive.org

Often hosts public domain sci-fi films and vintage promotional material — a treasure trove for enthusiasts of lesser-known 1960s titles.

Roger Ebert

https://www.rogerebert.com

The site offers thoughtful essays on science fiction cinema.

Tokusatsu Network

https://tokusatsunetwork.com

For readers especially intrigued by Japanese special-effects cinema and the tokusatsu tradition.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

https://www.tcm.com

Features articles, programming notes, and historical commentary on mid-century genre films.