Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Daniel Defoe (novel)
John C. Higgins (writer)

Release Date:

June 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A Lone U.S. Astronaut Space-Ship Wrecked on Mars!

Plot:

Stranded on Mars with only a monkey as a companion, an astronaut must figure out how to find oxygen, water, and food on the lifeless planet.

Plot Keywords:

Monkey | Mars | Alien | Stranded | Astronaut

Cast

Paul Mantee	...	Cmdr. Christopher 'Kit' Draper
Victor Lundin	...	Friday
Adam West	...	Col. Dan McReady
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Wooley Monkey	...	Mona

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

Aubrey Schenck Productions

Trivia:

A sequel titled "Robinson Crusoe in the Invisible Galaxy" was planned but it was scrapped due to the films lackluster box office.

Quotes:

Draper: How Long have you had these things on?
Friday: Sixty-two years.
Draper: How old are you?
Friday: Seventy eight.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Is It Real?: Life on Mars" (2006)

An Interesting Concept

As we get closer to traveling to other planets, this is one story that could wind up being real. This story pretty much follows the original Robinson Crusoe story, only it takes place on another planet and not on a desert island. Paul Mantee puts in a credible performance as the astronaut who must learn how to cope without being around his fellow man. The scene that is especially interesting is when he hallucinates after getting food poisoning and seeing his dead fellow crew member. This shows the effect that isolation can have on a person and how it can drive a person mad. Luckily he did find a companion in the alien he named Friday. I recommend this film heartily.