Enquête dans l'espace

1952's "Spaceways" was an early Hammer Films example of low key science fiction (Britain's first since H.G. Wells' 1936 "Things to Come"), as well as the practice of importing a Hollywood star to headline, the recently blacklisted Howard Duff supplied by coproducer Robert L. Lippert, who also provided stock spaceship footage from his own "Rocketship X-M." Dr. Stephen Mitchell (Duff) is among the leaders of a government approved research project to send an orbiting satellite into the earth's atmosphere, as a way to monitor activities all over the world. A possible security breach occurs with the simultaneous disappearance of Mitchell's wife, along with a fellow scientist with whom she was having an affair; military investigator Smith (Alan Wheatley) reaches the conclusion that Dr. Mitchell killed them both and ensured the recent failure of their latest rocket (stuck in orbit indefinitely) by draining enough fuel to allow the presence of two corpses. This 'perfect crime' scenario understandably angers Mitchell, who volunteers to prove his innocence by going up in space himself to recover the first rocket, though only mice and monkeys have previously been used as guinea pigs. Not as bad as it certainly could have been, with Alan Wheatley showing the dogged determination of Peter Cushing in his probing and eventual discovery of the truth. For those impatiently wondering if we ever blast off, well, it's saved for the final reel of this 76 minute picture. Leading lady Eva Bartok provides eye candy but not much else in the thinly written part of the female scientist who quietly loves Duff's oblivious Mitchell, only revealing her feelings after his wife vanishes. The Hungarian-born beauty was making just her sixth feature, but had earned recent acclaim in Burt Lancaster's "The Crimson Pirate" (also starring Christopher Lee), and after a decade of tabloid headlines for off screen affairs would retire from the screen following her best known genre effort, Mario Bava's "Blood and Black Lace" in 1964. "Spaceways" shows obvious signs of its radio origins from the pen of Charles Eric Maine, who later adapted his own screenplays for "The Atomic Man" and "The Electronic Monster," the final result scripted by Hollywood's Richard H. Landau and Hungarian-born British writer Paul Tabori. As a Hammer production from Michael Carreras and assistant director Jimmy Sangster, it's a pleasure to see Terence Fisher at the helm, as he also was for "Stolen Face" and "Four Sided Triangle" eventually to make his horror debut with 1957's "The Curse of Frankenstein."

On a top secret base in the English countryside the British space programme is in full swing and it's not just the space programme that is swinging because Mrs Vanessa Mitchell is having an affair with Dr Phillip Crenshaw . This couple disappears and since security at the base is water tight suspicion falls that there's been foul play . Dr Smith is brought in to investigate and immediately suspects Vanessa's husband of double murder and of stashing the bodies on a rocketship that has just been launched in to space

Some three months after Hammer launched its first science fiction film FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE came its second SPACEWAYS and with a title like that you're instantly expecting a science fiction thriller . Your expectations will quickly crash land because just like FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE any science fiction element is used merely as a plot device and this film is much more in the way of a murder mystery B movie . The fact that it was released a mere three months after Terence Fisher's should give you an idea of the quality that it's fairly cheap and cheerless , made without any star names and is presumably shown before a bigger budget feature film

One thing it might have to interest science fiction fans is that it seems to have a few connections to Nigel Kneale's BBC QUATERMASS as well as sharing major differences . All this is coincidental since this came out the same month as THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT was broadcast but it's noticeable . Despite being considered Hammer's best in house director Fisher doesn't seem suited to science fiction and one wonders how the fortunes of the studio might have fared if he was chosen to direct the film version of THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT instead of Val Guest ? I have no hesitation in thinking Guest was a better SF director

Much better than what the rating here suggests, "Spaceways" is a fine combination of science fiction, domestic melodrama, a show of force from the North, and Cold War intrigue (curiously in a quite discreet and elegant manner, without overt anti-Communist propaganda). It was skilfully directed by Terence Fisher, before his better known horror motion pictures were made, and as early as 1953 he handles the different elements in a very clever way, suggesting a darker subplot in the realm of horror cinema, than what the mystery finally turns out to be: secluded in a military-ruled modern fortress, a group of men and women carry on a space program, but things get complicated when an adulterous couple disappears as the launching of a rocket to the outer space fails. Visually attractive special effects in spite of its low budget, "Spaceways" is definitely worth a look.

Despite the disclaimers from both the director and producer, this is a fairly entertaining little movie. True, the space stuff struck me as dated, dull and not particularly interesting (aside from a shipboard explosion which is very deftly contrived), and the action is further handicapped by the colorless presence of Eva Bartok who, aside from her very last scene, does little to engage the viewer's attention. Admittedly, the script is weak in this respect and often gave me the feeling the heroine's role had been needlessly expanded simply to give Miss Bartok more screen time.

However, once the murder sub-plot rears its head and the talented Alan Wheatley makes his presence felt, interest picks up considerably. Andrew Osborn and Cecile Chevreau also deliver charismatic portrayals which help to counterbalance disappointing characterizations by Michael Medwin and (to a lesser extent) Philip Leaver. As for the hero, Howard Duff seems adequate enough, though he doesn't really pull a great deal of weight.

I must admit that, despite his cult following, I've never regarded Terence Fisher as one of the giants of the British film industry, but I thought he actually handled parts of this movie with a fair amount of savvy. Wheatley's scenes are directed (and edited) at a such an agreeably smart pace, one wishes that the Duff-Bartok-Medwin episodes were handled with at least an equal degree of expedition and dispatch.

And, despite the tight budget, I thought production values were more than adequate by "B"-picture standards.

So, all in all, I disagree with the claims of both producer Carreras and director Fisher that Spaceways has little or nothing to offer.

I like Spaceways, but it is a pretty average movie on all fronts (for the fifties). Even though it does have the lovely Eva Bartok in it, and was directed by Hammer Film's legendary Terence Fisher, the film's main problem is that it can't decide what type of genre film it is, with all the various story elements running around. We've got a early British science fiction (hence the title, of course), a murder mystery, and a bit of early Cold War thriller all tumbled together.

The performances by all are solid if stereotypical, but the effects consist primarily of using the same stock footage of V-2 experiments that viewers would come to know and sometimes loathe in many movies later on (Fire Maidens From Outer Space, King Dinosaur, etc., etc.). The movie also seems to end a bit abruptly.

Luckily, the DVD of the movie is available at mall music/video stores for about $6 (I got my in a double pack with Kronos for $10), so it is at least affordable for the 50's Sci-Fi Completest out there.