In 1969, thirteen-year-old Frank was obsessed with a book and movie entitled MAROONED. It told the story of an Apollo type spacecraft with a crew of three, that becomes disabled and cannot return to earth. A daring rescue mission is launched involving another space craft. It was edge-of-your-seat suspense, 1969 style.
The book was written by Martin Caidin who also wrote the book CYBORG that was the basis for THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN television series. Caidin made a career out of writing science fiction that was firmly rooted in then current science and technology. The film was directed by John Sturges who also gave us THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and THE GREAT ESCAPE. The film starred Gregory Peck, David Janssen, Gene Hackman, Richard Crenna and James Franciscus.
It was all pretty heady stuff, and I consumed both book and film as fast as I could. I thought MAROONED was the best trapped in Earth orbit film I’d ever seen. Not that there were that many of them.
I watched GRAVITY for the first time yesterday. OMG! What a film. White knuckle suspense from the opening shot (a long, seamless tracking shot that firmly establishes the players (George Clooney and Sandra Bullock), their environment and the sudden peril that they find themselves facing.
As a technical achievement, GRAVITY is in a class by itself. I had to keep reminding myself that, no, they did NOT film this movie in space, although it looks like it. It’s hyper realistic in its’ depictions of astronauts and their gear as well as a space shuttle and two space stations (one, a Russian craft, the other, Chinese).
The plot is simple and straightforward. Bullock finds herself alone and stranded in space after a series of accidents and must figure out a way to get back to earth. Does she make it? What do you think?
GRAVITY is one helluva movie. It’s light years beyond anything depicting real space travel previously put on screen. It’s agonizingly realistic and if this one doesn’t have you squirming in your seat, I don’t know what will.
In my book, GRAVITY is a modern masterpiece. A brilliant piece of filmmaking that, for all of its technical bravura never loses the focus on the humans and their struggle to survive.
Highest recommendation
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