Robinson Crusoe on Mars

There are shades of Ridley Scott's The Martian in this curious space oddity

It’s hard to watch Byron Haskin’s 1964 space oddity Robinson Crusoe on Mars without comparing it to The Martian – this year’s latest from Ridley Scott. Both films concern themselves with the day-to-day survival of protagonists stranded on Mars as they are forced to adapt to its harsh environment and the demands that it makes of them. But, while The Martian pummels the viewer with detailed process and a fashionable “Yeah science!” sensibility, Haskin’s film takes a much stranger route through the red planet.

Marooned astronaut Kit Draper (Mantee) veers between authentically troubling existential loneliness and comic camaraderie with his pet space-monkey as he explores a landscape that’s handsomely crafted from a combination of Death Valley and matte paintings. Things only get weirder when escaped alien-slave Friday (Lundin) shows up to add uncomfortable imperialistic overtones and the opportunity for a charming, yet clumsily staged, chase through underground Martian canals. [Tom Grieve]