Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Great Moments in Stock Footage: Russian Space

Sit on down and let me tell you a tale, a tale of some very popular footage. It all started over forty years ago when the Commies over in Russia made a movie about space. The special effects were actually considered to be good- this could not stand. How could we, a Capitalist nation, make money off of this achievement? By dubbing it in English and making it our own! Of course! This is how we got...
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet
This little cult film is pretty popular in certain circles, having appeared on Mystery Science Theater 3000 at one time, not to mention on dozens of other local shows like Elvira's. The effects are honestly quite passable and the story is good, even squeezed through the strange filter of American editing and dubbing.
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Well, at least they only did this once. Doing it again would be...
Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women
Yeah, I should explain this one. Peter Bogdonavich was a protege of Roger Corman, the man behind the original dubbing effort. He gave his guy a challenge: re-dub the movie, put in some new footage with bathing beauty Mamie Van Doren and make a film. That is the result.
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This movie is pretty good too, although it does suffer from the strain of being dubbed over two different times. There is one part where the narrator (also Bogdonavich) actually talks over a scene where people are visibly talking. Um, was that not important, guys? The Van Doren scenes are a bit silly as well, having them worship the pterodactyl monster used in other parts of the film. The best part is when the robot tries to dump the guy he is carrying when lava flows around it. Not cool, Robby!
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By the way, I actually own this film. $6 well spent.
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Up next, a piece of film that appears in another film for entirely no rhyme or reason. Stay tuned...

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