Journey to the 7th Planet
Encyclopedia
Journey to the Seventh Planet was a 1962 science fiction film
. It was directed by Sid Pink, written by Pink and Ib Melchior
, and shot in Denmark
with a budget of only US$75,000. The seventh planet is, of course, Uranus
, and a crew is being dispatched there by the United Nations on a mission of space exploration. The film's ideas of astronauts exploring outer space only to confront their inner mindscapes and memories precede the similar-themed Solaris
by a full decade (Although the novel Solaris precedes this film by a year). It is also reminiscent of Ray Bradbury
's 1948 short story Mars is Heaven!
that appeared in the 1950 book The Martian Chronicles
.
Upon landing on Uranus, they find a forested land oddly like our own (rather than the cold, bleak world they were expecting.) This forest is surrounded by a mysterious barrier. One of the crew pushes his arm through the barrier, only to have it frozen.
New features and forms begin to appear each time they are imagined by the crew. Soon, however, the crew discover that they have been the victims of mind control by a one-eyed brain living in a cave. The brain plans to possess the astronauts' bodies and have them take it back to Earth where it will implement a plan for global domination. The crew finally outwits the supposedly mind-reading creature.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
. It was directed by Sid Pink, written by Pink and Ib Melchior
Ib Melchior
Ib Jørgen Melchior is a novelist, short story writer, film producer, film director, and screenwriter of low-budget American science fiction movies, most of them released by American International Pictures...
, and shot in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
with a budget of only US$75,000. The seventh planet is, of course, Uranus
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
, and a crew is being dispatched there by the United Nations on a mission of space exploration. The film's ideas of astronauts exploring outer space only to confront their inner mindscapes and memories precede the similar-themed Solaris
Solaris (1972 film)
Solaris is a 1972 film adaptation of the novel Solaris , directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. The film is a meditative psychological drama occurring mostly aboard a space station orbiting the fictional planet Solaris. The scientific mission has stalled, because the scientist crew have fallen to...
by a full decade (Although the novel Solaris precedes this film by a year). It is also reminiscent of Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
's 1948 short story Mars is Heaven!
Mars is Heaven!
"Mars is Heaven!" is a science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury originally published in 1948. "Mars is Heaven!" was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one the best science fiction short stories of all time. As such, it was published in The Science...
that appeared in the 1950 book The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles is a 1950 science fiction short story collection by Ray Bradbury that chronicles the colonization of Mars by humans fleeing from a troubled and eventually atomically devastated Earth, and the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists...
.
Plot
During their journey to the planet an alien presence briefly assumes control of the crew's minds. They awaken safely but notice that an unexplained long period of time has passed by.Upon landing on Uranus, they find a forested land oddly like our own (rather than the cold, bleak world they were expecting.) This forest is surrounded by a mysterious barrier. One of the crew pushes his arm through the barrier, only to have it frozen.
New features and forms begin to appear each time they are imagined by the crew. Soon, however, the crew discover that they have been the victims of mind control by a one-eyed brain living in a cave. The brain plans to possess the astronauts' bodies and have them take it back to Earth where it will implement a plan for global domination. The crew finally outwits the supposedly mind-reading creature.
Literature
- Sidney W. PinkSidney W. PinkSidney W. Pink was an American movie director and producer. He is considered the father of color 3-D movies, and is also noted for directing early spaghetti westerns, and for discovering Dustin Hoffman as a movie actor....
: So You Want to Make Movies (Pineapple Press, 1989) - Nicolas Barbano: Twice Told Tails - The Two Versions of Reptilicus, in Video WatchdogVideo WatchdogVideo Watchdog is a bimonthly, digest size film magazine started in 1990 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife, art director and co-publisher Donna Lucas....
#96 (2003)