War of the Satellites
| War of the Satellites | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roger Corman |
| Produced by | Roger Corman |
| Starring | Richard Devon |
| Music by | Walter Greene |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
72 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70,000 (estimated) |
War of the Satellites is a 1958 independently made black-and-white science fiction film distributed in the US and the UK by Allied Artists. The film was produced and directed by Roger Corman and stars Richard Devon, Dick Miller and Susan Cabot. The film was distributed by Allied Artists in 1958 on a double bill with Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.
This low-budget feature was rapidly conceived, filmed and released to exploit the international media frenzy surrounding the launch of the Russian Sputnik satellite, the first in space.
An "unknown force" declares war against planet Earth when the United Nations disobeys warnings to cease and desist in its attempts at assembling and then launching the first satellite into space.
Members of the United Nations space program are dismayed by the inexplicable annihilation of a manned satellite. The satellite is the tenth in the Sigma Project to be destroyed after coming into contact with a mysterious space barrier. At the control center, U.N. representative Mr. Akad demands that the project, which has yielded limited results, be terminated because of the loss of money and lives. Soon after, a young teenage couple witnesses the landing of a small missile-like object which they turn over to authorities. After examining the capsule, the U.N. calls a meeting and reads aloud a message from the capsule that proclaims to be from the Masters of the Spiral Nebula Ghana, aliens displeased by Earth's repeated attempts to explore space. Calling humans a "disease," the aliens declare they will set up a quarantine to protect the universe.
In response, Mr. Hotchkiss, the United States representative, gives a rousing speech asserting that no other life force has the right to thwart mankind's ambitions, and the continuation of the Sigma Project is enthusiastically approved. After the meeting, the head of Sigma Project, Dr. Van Ponder, tells reporters that he suspects that the message is a fake, but nevertheless announces his plan to lead the next satellite mission. In private, Van Ponder reveals to colleagues and mission crew members, astronomer David Boyer and researcher Sybil Carrington, that the capsule has defied all analysis and its origins remain unknown. Over the next several weeks, preparations for the next mission proceed. One evening, Hotchkiss summons Van Ponder to a U.N. meeting, but while driving there, Van Ponder's car is attacked by a mysterious ball of light which drives him off the road.
...
Wikipedia