"Realistic" Space Movies

[ijon]

I'm interested in some of the proselytizing for space exploration that went on during the 1950's (and even earlier), von Braun et al's series of articles in Collier's being a prime example.
This includes several movies that attempted to show space flight in a believable way, often with at least some idea of helping bring the reality into fruition. For example:

Fritz Lang's Die Frau Im Mond, for which Hermann Oberth himself was the technical director.

Two George Pal movies: Destination Moon and Conquest of Space. The latter is especially true to von Braun's published concepts for a Mars shot; too bad it's such bot fodder as a movie.

This Russian film:
www.astronautix.com/articles/roastars.htm

Von Braun's Tomorrowland episodes on the Disney TV show.

An early '60s TV series called Men into Space. DoD actually gave technical assistance on this one.

A 1954 movie called Riders to the Stars, or so I've heard. Please give me a spoiler alert on that one if you discuss it, I have it but haven't seen it yet.

Credit where it's due, Project Moonbase.

And, of course, 2001 (even if SK did cheat by leaving the radiators off Discovery).

Any thoughts on these films? Any others you can add?

[ijon]

Yes, but have you seen the drawings in Piers Bizony's book? They don't really look wing-like as they're at right angles to the thrust axis.

I suspect it was two things. The radiators make Discovery's overall outline more squarish, which would make the way he composes a lot of the shots of it less workable. They also tend to lessen the bone/spermatazoan appearance.

[ijon]

It'd need 'em though, if you weren't going to cook. Being the movie that made the greatest effort ever to get it all looking right I wish he'd left them on.

But dagnabbit! The real sell-out is that that stuff wasn't actually flying four years ago!

[Da Worm Fizzle]

Red Planet, because Val Kilmer was breathing air on Mars. We all know that's how that works!

[ijon]

Worm, I'm trying to place that. I get that movie stirred around with Mission to Mars in my head. I've seen each once, and the recollection I have is of MtM looking more plausible (though in large part they did indeed steal a lot of visuals from 2001) whereas RP seemed to make fewer technical gaffes but used that sort of arthropoid look for the tech. I don't mind that look for aliens or the far future (though it has become kinda clichéd) but it shuts down my plausibility functions for the near future. Sure, my razor looks like that but a spacesuit's gotta be functional.
Oh, and I love the whole, "And we brought along a robo-panther just in case Mars ain't dangerous enough on it's own." Like the guy said in Galaxy Quest, "Don't you people watch the show?"

Doc, having actually gone back and read my link I'd like to tale a little more on the question of how influential Road to the Stars may have been on Kubrick. Based only on that guy's caps it still looks to me like it could be nothing more than extrapolations from similar data reaching similar consclusions. No time just now, but I want to put together a post on that.

[mummifiedstalin]

ijon said:

Von Braun's Tomorrowland episodes on the Disney TV show.

I love those things. Someday I'm gonna buy the Disney collection they're in. Someday.

[ijon]

That Tomorrowland DVD is highly recommended, Uncle Joe. I watch it all the time, but I bounce over the Leonard Maltin intros as quickly as possible.

I was disappointed though to find out that the rocket designs were a little sexed-up.

www.astronautix.com/lvfam/vonbraun.htm