SATURN THREE
US, 1980, 103 minutes, Colour.
Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel.
Directed by Stanley Donen.
Saturn 3 came out in the aftermath of Alien – and is certainly much more inferior than that breakthrough film. It was directed by Stanley Donen, an unlikely choice. Donen had made such outstanding musicals as Singin’ in the Rain, On the Town, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as well as enjoyable romantic comedies like Charade. (He was to make an equally disappointing, or more so, comedy in a few years, Blame it on Rio.)
The setting is Titan, the third moon of Saturn. Two scientists live together there, developing food supplies. They are played by Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett, Fawcett at the height of her glamour, the Charlie’s Angels period. However, their perfect space idyll is interrupted by a psychopath, a scientist played by Harvey Keitel. He has murdered a shuttle captain, has brought with him a droid named Hector. Hector is more unstable than his master. This leads, obviously, to quite some tensions in space.
The special effects are not the greatest – but, in retrospect, it is an undemanding, entertaining variation on the space themes popular at the time.
1. The popularity of science fiction in the late seventies? The Star Wars phenomenon and the imitations? the reason for these trends? The continuance into the eighties? The popularisation of science fiction, the borrowings of Star Wars? How original this film? How satisfying?
2. The modest scale of Saturn Three? Length, budget, three stars? The special effects? The score? How much was done with the smaller budget?
3. The plausibility of the plot - audience interest in the galactic world, space exploration, government of space? The way of life on starships? The influence of the science fiction films of the fifties? Serials? Comics? The appeal of this film to the younger audience, to adults? How serious the comic book approach to science and exploration, technology, the future, pessimism about the world, hopes for the preservation of past values? The impersonality of control of the future? Social comment?
4. The use of horror ingredients with science fiction? The appeal of horror and the imagination, nightmares, fear? Monsters? The horror in outer space of the impersonal, the robot, the control of technology, humans playing God? Tests of human values and morals for survival?
5. Earth in the future? Decadence and destruction? The small plant of Saturn Three as a model of the future? The isolated group? Bypassing technology while using it? Preserving humanity? Yet its ultimately being destroyed by technology and madness?
6. How well did the film establish its situation, identify the characters? The choreographic aspects of the opening? visually, movement, characters? The establishing of the mission and the background information? The sinister aspects with the impersonal captain, the killing, the failing of the mission?
7. The detail about Saturn Three and its isolation, mission, its potential for growth and preservation of what was natural? The science fiction and technological decor? The human aspects man and woman? The relationships of man and woman, sexuality? The old values of earth and their being praised?
8. Saturn Three being invaded unawares by the captain? The impersonality of the captain, his failure and his killing his rival, his not having any right to be on the mission? His personality? impersonal? His disregard of Adam, his not functioning technologically well? The capacity for creating false bodies, false information? The Alex body? Feeding in the material and information and intelligence to his own creation? The Frankenstein background of making a robot? Enlivening Hector with Adam and Alex as well as himself? The hybrid and the blend of good and evil in the robot?
9. How well did the film develop tensions: the triangle, communication, language, emotions, the use of the T.V. screen, the invasion of privacy? The effect on Adam, on Alex?
10. Adam and Alex being trapped? the eclipse, the communication and the lack of rescue? The fatalism in the control of Hector? The confusion of identities? the use of false voices, false Adam and false Alex?
11. The monstrosity of Hector as machine, technological invention, robot being fed with the human? The attacking of the captain and the disobedience? The inevitability of Hector destroying opposition and taking over?
12. Kirk Douglas's performance and style an Adam? The older man on Saturn Three, memories, relationship with Alex? Antagonism towards the captain? His being used for Hector? His making decisions, fighting the captain and Hector? Alex and Farah Fawcett's presence and glamour? The relationship with Adam? The control of Saturn Three? The confusion and Adam and Alex being destroyed?
13. The build-up of Hedtor as a Frankenstoin monster, the stalking and chasing throughout the spaceship?
14. Adam and the final human effort to save the Universe from the Frankenatein monster?
15. Saturn Three as a fable about the dangers for future world? The value of science fiction as entertainment, the added horror ingredients? Horror and science fiction and fable and message?
