In the claws of Venus

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title In the claws of Venus
Original title Queen of Outer Space
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1958
length 79 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Edward Bernds
script Charles Beaumont based on an artwork by Ben Hecht
production Ben Schwalb
music Marlin Skiles
camera William Whitley
cut William Austin
occupation

In the claws of Venus ( English : Queen of Outer Space ) is an American science fiction film with Zsa Zsa Gabor in the lead role of the Venusian scientist Talleah. Other performance titles are Rebelião dos Planetas ( Brazil ), La regina di Venere ( Italy ), La rebelión de los planetas ( Mexico ), Królowa kosmosa ( Poland ) and La regina del espacio exterior ( Spain ). The world premiere took place on September 9, 1958, in the Federal Republic of Germany the film was shown for the first time on May 26, 1961.

action

1985. Captain Patterson and his crew from the spaceship Starfire received from Colonel Ramsey the apparent routine order, Professor Konrad on a space station in lunar near discontinued. As they approach the ring-shaped station, they notice strange rays that shoot at the station from the depths of space, causing it to explode. The Starfire is hit by wreckage and goes out of course, the crew passes out.

When the spaceman comes to, the starfire is near an unknown planet. You land and discover that it is Venus. Professor Konrad explains to the crew that his job was just a matter of disguise. In fact, strange processes had been noticed on the space station for a long time, which indicated a threat to Earth from an unknown source. After spending a night outdoors, the crew is arrested the next morning by heavily armed attractive young women because they are viewed as intruders. The women bring the four spacemen to the capital of Venus.

There they are brought before a tribunal headed by the ruler of the city and Venus, Yllana. Both Yllana and the other members of the tribunal wear silver masks. Yllana generally considers the earth's inhabitants to be incorrigible warmongers who threaten Venus and has the four space travelers locked up.

In her laboratory, the scientist Taleeah ​​learned of the arrival of the terrestrial humans. Taleeah ​​is in opposition to Queen Yllana and contacts the prisoners. The Starfire crew learns the story of Yllana's reign from the scientist . Ten years ago, Venus waged war on the planet Mordo. Mordo was destroyed, but so was most of the cities of Venus. Yllana led a female revolt against the male rulers of Venus. With the exception of scientists and mathematicians, the men were banished to the Venusian moon Tyros 4.

In order to outmaneuver Yllana, Captain Patterson is supposed to pretend to the Queen that he is in love with her. When he takes off her mask against her will, a completely disfigured face appears. The Queen explains with hatred that men did this to her. The blemishes were caused by radioactive burns in her and the other mask wearers as a result of the war against Mordo. Yllana is now determined to destroy the earth.

In order to prevent the destruction of the earth and to overthrow Yllana's rule, Taleeah ​​and her followers free the space travelers and escape into the jungle . In a cave hideout, Lieutenant Turner is attacked by a giant spider , but the other refugees can kill it. Captain Patterson and Talleeah ​​fell in love with each other. After a few skirmishes with Yllana's guards, it was possible at the last moment to prevent the destruction of the earth by the beta disintegrator, with which the space station was already destroyed. Queen Yllana is killed by operating the disintegrator incorrectly.

When the astronauts dutifully want to return to Earth with the repaired Starfire , they receive a happy video message from Earth: So that they do not have to take any risks with the possibly not fully operational spaceship, they should wait for a rescue expedition, which can take up to a year . The spacemen are not particularly unhappy with this perspective.

Production notes

The plot goes back to Ben Hecht's manuscript "Queen of the Universe", which was already available in 1951. The film was originally intended to be a parody of the early science fiction television series such as B. Space Patrol can be created. According to Bill Warren , the plot was also influenced by the feature film Abbott and Costello go to Mars (1953), which, contrary to its title, takes place on Venus.

The film uses both color documentary footage of US rocket launches and stock footage from the Planet of Horror . The props , especially the Starfire crew's spacesuits , came from Alarm in Space . The film was shot in Cinemascope and DeLuxe Color .

criticism

The Amazon sagas of the Greeks, in which unpleasant memories were manifested of battles with matriarchal tribes in Asia Minor , received fresh food through tradition. IN THE CLAWS OF THE VENUS is like balm on the wound that the emancipation of women has left in the self-confidence of men ...

FILM REVIEW , quoted from Hahn / Jansen, p. 266.

QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE deserves some points for trying to make fun of a science fiction subgenre, but it just didn't have the resources. The script was too subtle and the direction and cast were too flat and pedestrian. It's a curiosity today, but little more.

Bill Warren, p. 678.

Trivia

  • Contrary to the advertising on the movie posters, Talleah (Zsa Zsa Gabor) was not the queen of Venus, but Yllana (Laurie Mitchell).
  • Venus has no moons .
  • A planet Mordo is so far not known to earthly astronomy (as of 2020).

Lore

literature

  • Ronald M. Hahn / Volker Jansen: Lexicon of Science Fiction Films. 720 films from 1902 to 1983 , Munich (Wilhelm Heyne Verlag) 1983, p. 266. ISBN 3-453-01901-6
  • Bill Warren : "Keep Watching the Skies!" American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties , Jefferson, NC / London (Mc Farland & Company, Inc., Publishers) 2010, pp. 674-678. ISBN 978-0-7864-4230-0

Web links