Robinson Crusoe on Mars - September 2007 Release

Finally, Criterion Collection will release one of the greatest early-1960s science-fiction films next month: Robinson Crusoe on Mars. The DVD looks to be a complete transcript of their superb original laser disc version of the film plus additional content. I sent my pre-order this morning. Here's the new DVD's cover art, and the film's description from Amazon:

Special-effects wunderkind and genre master Byron Haskin (The War of the Worlds, The Outer Limits) won a place in the hearts of fantasy-film lovers everywhere with this gorgeously designed journey into the unknown. When his spaceship crash-lands on the barren wastelands of Mars, U.S. astronaut Commander "Kit" Draper (Paul Mantee) must fight for survival, with a pet monkey seemingly his only companion. But is he alone? Shot in vast Techniscope and blazing Technicolor, Robinson Crusoe on Mars is an imaginative and beloved techni-marvel of classic science fiction.

I first watched RCOM in 1964 with my grandfather, at the Greenwood Drive-In Theater southeast of Indianapolis. Though "Papaw" preferred John Ford westerns, he enjoyed the drama of one astronaut's fight for survival on the Red Planet. As for me, I was spellbound from the opening scene of the Mars Gravity Probe One flashing past the screen until the finale at Mars' polar ice cap. The year of the film's release, 1964, was during the heady days of the space race, between the U.S. Mercury and Gemini space-capsule launches. And RCOM showed us what might come in the future: man going to other worlds.

If you get the chance, don't miss seeing this science-fiction treasure. Robinson Crusoe on Mars is a wonderful story, both a look back to a golden era of America's greatness and a glance forward to a future that we hoped for.

Here's the original trailer, courtesy of YouTube. Caution! It contains lots of spoilers:

Until next time, D’os Vadanya.

CAPTAIN KOSMOS