The FILMFAX companion magazine OUTRE (1995-2003 /33 issues) also features an excellent 19-part article-series by Robert Skotak (1945- /Oscar-winning SPFX co-creator with his brother Dennis for "ALIENS" and other films)- "Red Star Rising-" on vintage Russian Science Fiction Cinema. Around 1992 he had visited me at my apartment in East Hollywood to purchase a 1960s foreign photo-story magazine i had available on the classic 1962 color Russian sci-fi film "PLANETA BUR" (American title : "PLANET OF STORMS"), which can be watched free on YouTube (but not in HD, tho it is available on DVD)....
Note 1 : For readers here not familiar with this unusual 1962 Russian film (later released in America by producer Roger Corman (1926-2024) as the re-edited "VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET" /1965, and the again re-edited "VOYAGE TO THE PLANET OF PREHISTORIC WOMEN" /1968), its about two crews of Cosmonauts in separate spaceships (one with an obedient 'heavy duty' robot) that, after a tragic meteor-destruction of a third spaceship, land on Venus and encounter some menacing carnivorous plants, Venusian 'dinosaurs', 'lizard people' and other strange sights and dangers as they explore the planet with their robot, while the other distant crew ride a small hovercraft. The film is most noteworthy for the various forms of 'future' technology it features (surpassing anything in American or British sci-fi films then), especially the spacecraft miniatures and interior sets, the detailed space suits and helmets, the industrial-style robot "John", and the remarkable all-terrain (and sea) hovercraft vehicle; uniquely designed props which apparently have never been found or seen for over 60 years. And altho some of the Venusian creature effects are not as effective, most of those scenes are still interesting (or funny) to watch.
Robert was a serious fan and researcher of these early Russian sci-fi films, and he showed me many color photos he had made of the filmmakers and the remarkable sci-fi sets, models and props when he visited the USSR studio that made those films, photos which he had planned to feature in a book, but apparently he later contacted FILMFAX publisher Michael Stein about it and instead wrote and photo-illustrated the "Red Star" article-series for OUTRE. Due to limited space in each issue (which have several other articles), each article of the 19-part series (issues #4-22) is only a few pages, and the very limited photo-images are all small and b&w, but the informative text and unusual images are still great for these remarkable films, most of which have never been seen by Americans. And hopefully, Robert (now nearly 80) will soon share all those never-published COLOR photos online with sci-fi fans throughout the World (and here at CHFB !)....anyone here have an email address he can be contacted at ?
Note 2 : Ive also posted the above at the "'Books & Magazines" forum here at CHFB, for those fans of 1960s foreign Sci-Fi Cinema who would probably not see this post.
Note 1 : For readers here not familiar with this unusual 1962 Russian film (later released in America by producer Roger Corman (1926-2024) as the re-edited "VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET" /1965, and the again re-edited "VOYAGE TO THE PLANET OF PREHISTORIC WOMEN" /1968), its about two crews of Cosmonauts in separate spaceships (one with an obedient 'heavy duty' robot) that, after a tragic meteor-destruction of a third spaceship, land on Venus and encounter some menacing carnivorous plants, Venusian 'dinosaurs', 'lizard people' and other strange sights and dangers as they explore the planet with their robot, while the other distant crew ride a small hovercraft. The film is most noteworthy for the various forms of 'future' technology it features (surpassing anything in American or British sci-fi films then), especially the spacecraft miniatures and interior sets, the detailed space suits and helmets, the industrial-style robot "John", and the remarkable all-terrain (and sea) hovercraft vehicle; uniquely designed props which apparently have never been found or seen for over 60 years. And altho some of the Venusian creature effects are not as effective, most of those scenes are still interesting (or funny) to watch.
Robert was a serious fan and researcher of these early Russian sci-fi films, and he showed me many color photos he had made of the filmmakers and the remarkable sci-fi sets, models and props when he visited the USSR studio that made those films, photos which he had planned to feature in a book, but apparently he later contacted FILMFAX publisher Michael Stein about it and instead wrote and photo-illustrated the "Red Star" article-series for OUTRE. Due to limited space in each issue (which have several other articles), each article of the 19-part series (issues #4-22) is only a few pages, and the very limited photo-images are all small and b&w, but the informative text and unusual images are still great for these remarkable films, most of which have never been seen by Americans. And hopefully, Robert (now nearly 80) will soon share all those never-published COLOR photos online with sci-fi fans throughout the World (and here at CHFB !)....anyone here have an email address he can be contacted at ?
Note 2 : Ive also posted the above at the "'Books & Magazines" forum here at CHFB, for those fans of 1960s foreign Sci-Fi Cinema who would probably not see this post.
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