Moon Zero Two
Encyclopedia
Moon Zero Two is a science fiction
film produced by Hammer Films and released in 1969. It was billed as a 'space western
' and followed shortly after the release of Stanley Kubrick
's 2001: A Space Odyssey
in 1968. The film did very poorly at the box-office, but has become a minor cult classic
due to its having been featured on an early episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
Moon Zero Two was filmed at Elstree Studios
in Hertfordshire, England. The screenplay was by Michael Carreras
from an original story by Gavin Lyall, Frank Hardman and Martin Davison. It was produced by Michael Carreras, directed by Roy Ward Baker, was filmed in Technicolor
and was 100 minutes in duration.
Two such denizens of this rough and tumble lunar society are the notorious millionaire J. J. Hubbard and former-astronaut-turned-satellite-salvager Bill Kemp. The first man to set foot on Mars
, Kemp has now left the Space Corporation because he wants to do space exploration whereas his former employer only wants to do commercial passenger flights to Mars and Venus
(the first manned mission to Mercury
has not yet been made since there is no compelling financial interest). When Hubbard hears of a small 6000-tonne asteroid made of pure sapphire
that is orbiting close to the moon, he hires Kemp to capture it using Kemp's old "Moon 02" space ferry and bring it down to the lunar farside although it would be against the law. However, Kemp has little choice since he has learned that his flight license soon will be revoked due to protests from the Corporation. Hubbard also reveals that he plans to use the sapphire as a rocket engine thermal insulator; he would build more powerful rockets capable of finally colonizing also Mercury and moons of Jupiter—for profit.
Meanwhile a young woman arrives looking for her brother, a miner working a distant patch of moonscape at Spectacle Crater on the lunar farside. Unfortunately, the trip from Moon City on the nearside would take six days by lunar buggy. Since Kemp could go there in 20 minutes using Moon 02, she convinces him to try to learn whether her brother is still alive. In doing so, Kemp learns more than he would like about some of Hubbard's schemes.
. It was headed by veteran visual effects artist Les Bowie
, who worked on numerous Hammer productions and several notable British-made science-fiction features including First Men in the Moon
(1964) and Star Wars
; one of his last screen credits before his death in 1979 was as a member of the Oscar-winning effects team for Superman (1978). Other notable (uncredited) members of the effects team were Nick Allder, Colin Chilvers, Wally Veevers, Terry Schubert and Brian Johnson
, all of whom went on to distinguished careers in the special effects field.
The "Moon 02" Spacecraft is described in the film as being 'quite old', and is clearly derived from essentially NASA Apollo-era vintage. All the more "Modern" technology on the moon is much more free-spirited and 'mod' in design, and looks like a Worlds Fair diorama, rather than anything NASA ever discussed building; among the set decorations are several of the famous "Ball" chairs
created in 1966 by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio
. Late in production, a dialogue reference to Neil Armstrong
becoming the first man on the moon was inserted, though the 'monument' show is quite generic, and has nothing recognizably NASA-ish about it. (the film was released three months after the landing).
The film has stylistic similarities to the Gerry Anderson
TV series UFO
and Space: 1999
: in the film, women wear stylish colored wigs while on the moon—a style also retained in UFO for its Moonbase sequences, while the uniforms worn by the pilots and civilians are similar in style to that worn in Space: 1999, another Moon-based series. Catherine Schell
even went on to star in the second series of Space: 1999.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film produced by Hammer Films and released in 1969. It was billed as a 'space western
Space western
Space Western is a subgenre of science fiction, primarily grounded in film and television programming, that transposes themes of American Western books and film to a backdrop of futuristic space frontiers; it is the complement of the science fiction Western, which transposes science fiction themes...
' and followed shortly after the release of Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
in 1968. The film did very poorly at the box-office, but has become a minor cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
due to its having been featured on an early episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
Moon Zero Two was filmed at Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
in Hertfordshire, England. The screenplay was by Michael Carreras
Michael Carreras
Michael Carreras was a British film producer and director. He was best known for his association with Hammer Studios, being the son of founder James Carreras, and taking an executive role in the company during its most successful years.As producer, he worked on The Curse of Frankenstein , Dracula ...
from an original story by Gavin Lyall, Frank Hardman and Martin Davison. It was produced by Michael Carreras, directed by Roy Ward Baker, was filmed in Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
and was 100 minutes in duration.
Plot synopsis
In the year 2021 the moon is in the process of being colonized, and this new frontier is attracting a diverse group of people to settlements such as Moon City, Farside 5 and others.Two such denizens of this rough and tumble lunar society are the notorious millionaire J. J. Hubbard and former-astronaut-turned-satellite-salvager Bill Kemp. The first man to set foot on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, Kemp has now left the Space Corporation because he wants to do space exploration whereas his former employer only wants to do commercial passenger flights to Mars and Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
(the first manned mission to Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
has not yet been made since there is no compelling financial interest). When Hubbard hears of a small 6000-tonne asteroid made of pure sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
that is orbiting close to the moon, he hires Kemp to capture it using Kemp's old "Moon 02" space ferry and bring it down to the lunar farside although it would be against the law. However, Kemp has little choice since he has learned that his flight license soon will be revoked due to protests from the Corporation. Hubbard also reveals that he plans to use the sapphire as a rocket engine thermal insulator; he would build more powerful rockets capable of finally colonizing also Mercury and moons of Jupiter—for profit.
Meanwhile a young woman arrives looking for her brother, a miner working a distant patch of moonscape at Spectacle Crater on the lunar farside. Unfortunately, the trip from Moon City on the nearside would take six days by lunar buggy. Since Kemp could go there in 20 minutes using Moon 02, she convinces him to try to learn whether her brother is still alive. In doing so, Kemp learns more than he would like about some of Hubbard's schemes.
Visuals
Special visual effects for the film were created by a team of leading British effects technicians, several of whom had recently worked together on 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
. It was headed by veteran visual effects artist Les Bowie
Les Bowie
Les Bowie was a Canadian-born special effects artist working mainly in Britain.Bowie began his career as a matte painter at in 1946...
, who worked on numerous Hammer productions and several notable British-made science-fiction features including First Men in the Moon
First Men in the Moon
First Men in the Moon, also known as H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon, is a 1964 science fiction film directed by Nathan Juran. It is an adaptation by the noted science-fiction scriptwriter Nigel Kneale of the H. G...
(1964) and Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
; one of his last screen credits before his death in 1979 was as a member of the Oscar-winning effects team for Superman (1978). Other notable (uncredited) members of the effects team were Nick Allder, Colin Chilvers, Wally Veevers, Terry Schubert and Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (special effects)
-Biography:Johnson's work on Space: 1999 set the tone for the Star Wars films to follow. George Lucas visited Johnson during the series production because he was so impressed with his work. Lucas asked Johnson to supervise the special effects for the first film but his prior commitment to Year 2 of...
, all of whom went on to distinguished careers in the special effects field.
The "Moon 02" Spacecraft is described in the film as being 'quite old', and is clearly derived from essentially NASA Apollo-era vintage. All the more "Modern" technology on the moon is much more free-spirited and 'mod' in design, and looks like a Worlds Fair diorama, rather than anything NASA ever discussed building; among the set decorations are several of the famous "Ball" chairs
Ball Chair
The Ball Chair was designed by Finnish furniture designer Eero Aarnio in 1963. The Ball Chair is also known as the globe chair and is famous for its unconventional shape. It is considered a classic of industrial design...
created in 1966 by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio
Eero Aarnio
Eero Aarnio is a Finnish interior designer, well known for his innovative furniture designs in the 1960s, notably his plastic and fibreglass chairs....
. Late in production, a dialogue reference to Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
becoming the first man on the moon was inserted, though the 'monument' show is quite generic, and has nothing recognizably NASA-ish about it. (the film was released three months after the landing).
The film has stylistic similarities to the Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
TV series UFO
UFO (TV series)
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
and Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
: in the film, women wear stylish colored wigs while on the moon—a style also retained in UFO for its Moonbase sequences, while the uniforms worn by the pilots and civilians are similar in style to that worn in Space: 1999, another Moon-based series. Catherine Schell
Catherine Schell
Katherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott is an Hungarian-born actress best known for her work on British televison.Schell rose to fame in various British film and television productions in the 1960s and 1970s...
even went on to star in the second series of Space: 1999.
Cast
- James OlsonJames Olson (actor)-Life and career:Olson was born in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from Northwestern University. He performed stage work in and around Chicago before his 1956 film debut in The Sharkfighters...
as Bill Kemp - Catherine SchellCatherine SchellKatherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott is an Hungarian-born actress best known for her work on British televison.Schell rose to fame in various British film and television productions in the 1960s and 1970s...
as Clementine Taplin - Warren MitchellWarren MitchellWarren Mitchell is an English actor who rose to initial prominence in the role of bigoted cockney Alf Garnett in the BBC television sitcom Till Death Us Do Part , and its sequels Till Death... and In Sickness and in Health , all of which were written by Johnny Speight...
as J. J. Hubbard - Adrienne CorriAdrienne CorriAdrienne Corri is an actress of Italian parentage.She is probably best known for her role as the rape victim Mrs. Alexander in the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange, and for her appearances as Valerie in Jean Renoir's The River and as Lara's mother in David Lean's Dr. Zhivago...
as Elizabeth Murphy - Ori Levy as Korminski
- Dudley FosterDudley FosterDudley Foster was an English actor most notable on TV.Foster was born in Brighouse, Yorkshire. He appeared in such series as Danger Man, The Saint, The Avengers, Steptoe and Son, Doctor Who , and Z Cars, often in villainous roles. He occasionally appeared in films...
as Whitsun - Bernard BresslawBernard BresslawBernard Bresslaw was an English actor. He is best remembered for his comedy work, especially as a member of the Carry On team.-Biography:...
as Harry - Neil McCallumNeil McCallum (actor)Neil McCallum was a British Canadian actor, trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His first major appearance on stage was with Sam Wanamaker in The Rainmaker in the mid-1950s. He appeared in many British TV series in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. He also appeared in several films...
as Space Captain - Carol ClevelandCarol ClevelandCarol Cleveland is a British actress/comedienne, most notable for her appearances as the only significant female performer on Monty Python's Flying Circus.-Early life:...
as Hostess
Mystery Science Theater 3000
- Episode guide: 111- Moon Zero Two
- Moon Zero Two pictures from mst3k.booyaka.com