Sci-Fi Film Fiesta, The Swingin' 60s - The Complete Book by Chris Christopoulos - HTML preview

The Saucer

Anna and Fred’s examination of the saucer’s interior suggest the following about its construction and functioning:

1. “It looks like solid metal from the outside” but from inside it's transparent

suggesting “it must be some kind of plastic” allowing the occupants to see out but not permitting anyone outside to see in.

2. The absence of gravity couches suggests that “no amount of strapping down

could combat intense speed and quick directional changes.”

3. The craft must “generate its own inner gravitational field that counteracts and

equalizes all g-forces.”

4. The life support is automatically activated by the carbon dioxide exhaled by

whoever enters. The carbon dioxide gas is converted into ozone.

5. Who ever piloted the saucer are oxygen breathers.

When Anna and Fred attempt to exit the saucer, they find the door closed and so try to open it using the electric razor. However, the frequency of the razor only serves to activate the gravitational field within causing Anna and Fred to feel the crushing effects of the magnetic force being created.

After a bit of luck and guess work, Anna and Fred locate the likely panel that might control the gravitational field and then take a calculated risk by activating a relay (Fred’s index finger gripped and guided by Anna’s hand grasp) that might open and close the electric circuits. Fortunately, their luck has held out and they now know what regulates the saucer’s gravitational field. They also now know that a simple previously unnoticed electric eye activates the saucer’s door.

“The state must decide these things”

During another interlude between Fred and Anna, we see Anna administering antibiotics to a Chinese baby. Here we have representatives of two competing powers united in forming a bond of love between them while uniting to provide help to those unfortunates who are presumably not being adequately catered for by the system they live under.

There then follows a critique of the Soviet system in which someone like Anna who wanted to study medicine discovered that the year she started school the quota was unfilled for electronics majors with the result that the commissar of education decided that area was to be her field of employment. After all, in the Soviet system “the state must decide these things.” As if on cue, the staunch representative of that system, Dubovsky once more issues his edit against fraternisation. Nyet! Nyet! Nyet!

More About The Saucer

The examination of the saucer continues which reveals that;

1. This craft is repelled or attracted by universal lines of magnetic force.” For

instance, “if it wants to go up, it fastens on to the magnetic attraction of say the sun if the sun is out of zenith or any other star that's in that position of the heavens at that time of day.” To achieve horizontal flight “it just beams on to the magnetic attraction of any star or planet that's on or near the horizon.”

2. The circuitry of the saucer’s controls “properly adjusted block out all

magnetic attractions except the one the pilot wishes to utilize.”

3. Implication: “if we could utilize this principle we could exploit literally

limitless fields of energy - we could irrigate deserts, dissolve oceans, increase production of food of everything one hundred fold.” OR

4. Implication: “ we could also manufacture one hell of a super weapon.”

BUT

5. “what would the world want with weapons if every country was rich and

prosperous?”

A case of the development of new technology not in itself necessarily being evil, but rather how it is applied or the uses it is put to and for what purpose.

“You're not such a perfect Marxist”

One of the Russian scientists has in the meantime been ordered to test fly the saucer and has consequently paid with his life. His death and subsequent burial raises some interesting questions about what unites human beings as opposed to what divides them. No matter where people live they generally mourn and revere the dead and engage in rituals that suggest some belief in or hope for an afterlife that goes beyond the merely material and rational view of existence.

The Russian scientist’s death also ensures that Fred and Anna will be working together seeing that Fred’s flight engineer earlier had an accident that resulted in a broken wrist.

Peters however is not in favour of such close cooperation and believes that “we're not here to share knowledge with them, we're here to get a monopoly, if possible a monopoly that would make our military position invincible.” Still, the situation will have to dictate what is to happen as the saucer’s controls “are too much for a one-handed man” and the Russians don’t have a pilot. Besides, no-one else is qualified to attempt the take-off.

It is also decided that in the interests of unity in this Russian-American project guns are not longer necessary.” However, the new found feeling of optimism and cooperation is somewhat dampened by Sam’s warning that “Red patrols in the area have been very heavy this morning more so than usual” and that “they've become aware of a kind of a suppressed excitement in the village” resulting in their suspicions being aroused.