Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968)

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writer:

Henry Ney (screenplay)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

Astronauts landing on Venus encounter dangerous exotic creatures and almost meet some sexy Venusian women who like to sunbathe in hip-hugging skin-tight pants and seashell bras.

Plot Keywords:

Astronaut | Rocket | Space Station | Alien | Robot

Cast

Mamie Van Doren	...	Moana
Mary Marr	...	Verba
Paige Lee	...	Twyla
Gennadi Vernov	...	Astronaut Andre Freneau (archive footage) (as Aldo Romani)
Margot Hartman	...	Mayaway
Irene Orton	...	Meriama
Pam Helton	...	Wearie
Frankie Smith	...	Woman of Venus
Georgiy Teykh	...	Capt. Alfred Kern (archive footage) (as James David)
Judy Cowart	...	Woman of Venus
Vladimir Yemelyanov	...	Cmdr. William 'Billy' Lockhart (archive footage) (as Roberto Martelli)
Robin Smith	...	Woman of Venus
Cathie Reimer	...	Woman of Venus
Yuriy Sarantsev	...	Astronaut Howard Sherman (archive footage) (as Ralph Phillips)
Georgi Zhzhyonov	...	Astronaut Hans Walters (archive footage) (as Murray Gerard)
Adele Valentine	...	Woman of Venus
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Narrator (voice)

Directed by
Peter Bogdanovich		(as Derek Thomas)

Writing credits
Henry Ney		(screenplay)

Produced by
Norman D. Wells	....	producer
Roger Corman	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Keith Benjamin

Cinematography by
Flemming Olsen		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bob Collins

Production Design by
V. Aleksandrov
M. Tsybasov

Art Direction by
Vittorio Ferroni

Costume Design by
Alice Mitchell

Makeup Department
Vergee	....	hair stylist
Mary Jo Weir	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gilles de Turenne	....	production manager

Art Department
Wah Chang	....	special props

Sound Department
Burt Campbell	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Giovanni De Palma	....	special effects
Don Jones	....	special effects
Gary Kent	....	special effects
Walter Robles	....	special effects

Music Department
Keith Benjamin	....	conductor

Other crew
Polly Platt	....	production coordinator
Pavel Klushantsev	....	director: archive footage (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Filmgroup, The
• Roger Corman Productions (uncredited)

Distributors

• American-International Television (AIP-TV) (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (all media)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Retromedia Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Group One  titles
• Maureen of Hollywood  costumes execution
• Producers' Sound Service  re-recording (as Producer's Sound Service)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

78 min | USA:85 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-Y7 | USA:Unrated (DVD) | Australia:M

Company:

Filmgroup, The

Trivia:

This is actually a re-edited version of a film previously released in the U.S. as Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965), which itself was an edited and dubbed version of the Soviet film Planeta Bur (1962). For this version the already dubbed Russian footage was re-used but the American insert shots of Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue were removed and new insert shots featuring Mamie Van Doren and other actresses (as inhabitants of Venus) were inserted. Director Peter Bogdanovich did the narration as if he were one of the cosmonauts telling the story in flashback. Some additional special effects shots from another Soviet production, Battle Beyond the Sun (1962), were also added. For this version, the famous shot of the Venusian reflected in the pool of water was removed.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The "U.S." rocket-ships journeying to Venus bear the red star of the USSR.

Quotes:

Narrator:Venus... Venus... the planet named after the Goddess of Love. This is... where I left her... 26 million miles away. Because I know she exists. I know she does! I know it! All the time we were there I heard her. Her and that sweet, haunting sound she makes, like the Sirens that tempted Ulysses...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011)

interesting sci-fi oddity

"Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women" concerns a party of cosmonauts attempting to rescue another group on Venus. Along the way they encounter prehistoric monsters and other perils, and there is an intelligent robot. This part of the film is really an excellently made Russian sci-fi film called "Storm Planet", while the other part concerns a band of telepathic Venusian cave girls led by Mamie Van Doren, who worship a pterosaur named Tera and watch the struggles of the cosmonauts from afar; this other part was spliced in by P. Bogdonovitch (at R. Corman's behest? I'm not sure), and is ridiculous camp. I've seen two versions of this film (not including the Russian original), one without the Van Doren sequences. Although it is regarded as a psychotronic/cult/camp type of film, the classiness of the original manages to come through most of it, and the pacing benefits from the exclusion of a stereotypically sexist subplot involving a female crewmember's misplaced patriotic zeal.