First Man Into Space

1958's "First Man Into Space" was an early Richard Gordon British production starring Hollywood import Marshall Thompson, though not as well regarded as "Fiend Without a Face." The most intriguing name associated with this entry is that of actor/writer Wyott Ordung, whose original story was titled "Satellite of Blood," a more promising moniker than anything that ended up on screen (he previously scripted "Robot Monster" and "Target Earth," and directed Roger Corman's "Monster from the Ocean Floor"). Director Robert Day was retained from Gordon's two Boris Karloff vehicles, "The Haunted Strangler" and "Corridors of Blood," and Italian actress Marla Landi went on to a pair of Hammer films with Christopher Lee, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Pirates of Blood River." Thompson is once again a no nonsense military type, here working with his younger brother (Bill Edwards) on launching man into orbit, only his sibling is the daring reckless type who craves the glory of becoming the first man into space. To this end he disobeys orders to turn back at the proper time and continues skyward, over 300 miles above the earth's atmosphere, where a shower of cosmic dust envelops the ship and sends it back down to a landing near the New Mexico air base. A series of murders follow the discovery of the wrecked vessel, yet no sign of its missing occupant, and the film plays as a mystery for the on screen characters when the audience knows damn well who's responsible. This was a virtual blueprint for the 1977 Rick Baker effort "The Incredible Melting Man," jettisoning all exposition with the affected astronaut immediately going on a killing spree (the much better known "Alien" was essentially a remake of the earlier Thompson feature "It! The Terror from Beyond Space," depicting a deadly creature on the loose inside a cramped spaceship). Viewers could be forgiven for believing that they'd be treated to a George Pal-type special effects extravaganza on early space travel, the lifeless first half lacking even real conflict between the brothers, the final result proving a disappointment to both them and the patrons who prefer a monster (tiny moon craters embedded in the makeup). The climax attempts to humanize the menace, forced to devour human blood to replace the lack of oxygen, but the thrills just aren't there.

I also saw this movie in 1959 as an 8-year-old. I went to the theater with my "older" friends, they were like 11-12. The movie scared the wits out of me; I hid my view behind the person sitting in front of me, my friends never let up on making fun of me. This was the first time I had gone to the movies with non-adults...big mistake! The monster was scary and creepy. It haunted me for years. In fact, I probably had some persistent subliminal turmoil over the movie. Fast forward to 2008 and I found the DVD to rent. I watched again, and guess what? The movie is still scary! It's pretty high-camp and was made on a limited budget, but the creepiness is still there. I suppose the fact that the back line story is believable makes it even more scary. Watching it with my wife probably exorcised some demons. Funny how movies can move us, positively or negatively. All my 60 years I can still rehash this event when I was eight. Still the scariest movie I ever saw. I dig it.

An astronaut , Navy test pilot Lieut. Dan Prescott -Bill Edwards-, in experimental rocket plane Y-13, disobeys orders and becomes the first man to fly outside the ionosphere. When he returns to Earth by ejection he is covered with strange space dust and having a craving for blood . While his brother, an Air Force commandant, -Marshal Thompson- attempts to look for the missing astronaut throughout the countryside along with his girlfriend : Maria Landi . The pilot compartment lands with no trace of the pilot... but first animals , then people, are found their members cut . It leaps out the head lines !.Far and away the most startling and unexpected adventure film ever made!

A monster/sci-fi movie with special effects-laden and a lot ot stock-footage, dealing with an astronaut falling on Earth , being plastered with metallic meteor dust and with a starving organism needing to feed , along the way an alien tries to survive and begins killing in order to get it . First picture to lift the veil in an unpredictable future , concerning a spectacular drama of the first man in history to be rocketed into the terrifying unknown of outer space . On the virtues of this low-budget movie results in an original and eerie story with suspense , tension and horror . In spite of its short budget , filmmaker Robert Day uses his imagination indeed , that's why so often directors make their best movies when they don't have that much money. Passable FX and make-up , as the creepy astronaut/monster suit was so heavily made and risked thermal , it could only be worn for a few minutes at a time .

It contains a peculiar score , using electronic music by Buxton Orr. As well as atmospheric Cinematography in black and white by Geoffrey Faithfull .The motion picture was uneven but professionally directed by Robert Day. His first film as director, the black-comic The Green Man (1956) for the writer-producer team of 'Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat´, garnered fine reviews and a classic notoriety ; using this as a starting point , Day went on to become one of the industry's busiest directors . He relocated to Hollywood in the 1960s and began directing scads of TV episodes and made-for-TV movies on this side of the Atlantic. He occasionally turns up in bits in his own productions , including Grip of the Strangler (1958), Two way stretch (1960), the mini-series Peter and Paul (1981) . Robert was a craftsman who directed all kinds of genres as Tarzan movies : Tarzan's three challenges, Tarzan and the great river , Tarzan and the valley of gold , Comedy : Two way stretch , Terror : Corridors of blood , Thriller : Operation snatch . And he made a lot of episodes of TV series as Perry Mason, Kingston confidential, McCloud , Logan run , Robin Hood, Kojak, Sam Cade, Ironside, Streets of San Francisco, Dallas, Disneyland, among others. Rating : 5.5/10 . Fair Sciencie Fiction/monster/terror movie that will appeal to the usual aficionados .

First Man Into Space has its low budget limitations, but it's story is a corker. It's one of the few 50s science fiction stories that question non-atomic technology: how far sure man go? What are the consequences of his thirst for knowledge and experience? This time there are no invading aliens, no throbbing radioactive brains from another planet, and no marauding killer tree stumps. We are simply confronted with a man who crosses a line and tries to come back. It helps that he looks like The Incredible Melting Man, but this is a movie that does more than simply shock the audience.

Marshall Thompson plays a naval officer whose brother, a hot shot test pilot, manages to get about 250 miles above the earth. Said brother then returns looking like something that crawled out of the La Brea Tar Pits. This creature goes on a rampage, seeking blood from humans and cows. It returns to its senses, somewhat, at the finale, and explains what happened in space.

But getting to the finale is a chore, because there is mostly talk, and too many people acting unwisely. For example, the creature breaks into a blood bank at night, tears off a door, and creates a lot of noise. A nurse goes to investigate, and walks calmly past the smashed-in door, without bothering to get help first. Some people deserve to have their blood drained.

Supposedly set in New Mexico, the mostly British cast do a decent job disguising their accents, but their uniforms and spelling ("authorised") give them away.