Marooned (1969)

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Martin Caidin (novel)
Mayo Simon (writer)

Release Date:

11 December 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Three marooned astronauts. Only 55 minutes left to rescue them. While the whole world watches and waits...

Plot:

Three American astronauts are stranded in space when their retros won't fire. Can they be rescued before their oxygen runs out?

Plot Keywords:

Astronaut | Oxygen | Space | NASA | Orbit

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Charles Keith
Richard Crenna	...	Jim Pruett
David Janssen	...	Ted Dougherty
James Franciscus	...	Clayton Stone
Gene Hackman	...	Buzz Lloyd
Lee Grant	...	Celia Pruett
Nancy Kovack	...	Teresa Stone
Mariette Hartley	...	Betty Lloyd
Scott Brady	...	Public Affairs Officer
Craig Huebing	...	Flight Director
Frank Marth	...	Air Force System Director
John Carter	...	Flight Surgeon
Vincent Van Lynn	...	Aerospace journalist
George Gaynes	...	Mission Director
Tom Stewart	...	Houston Cap Com

Also Known As:

Space Travelers (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Iceland:12 | USA:TV-PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | Norway:12 (original rating) | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

There is no musical score for this film. Instead, each spacecraft has its own ambient soundtrack when it is shown in space. The Apollo shots feature a low hum; the XRV, a hollow ringing; the Nimbus Weather Satellite, a rapid series of beeps ascending in pitch; and the Russian Voshkhod, a constant pitch series of beeps. The only exceptions to this is are a very slight, muted bit of music played under the Apollo ambient soundtrack during Pruett's final EVA, and a single tone (with some ambient effects that could be called music) during the opening credits.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Russian Soyuz spacecraft depicted only shows the orbital module. The launch/re-entry and service modules are missing.

Quotes:

Clayton Stone: Jesus, fifty-five minutes... We'll be pretty cold by then.
Buzz Lloyd: Well, one of us's gonna have to go. I mean uh... that's what we're talkin' about, isnt it? One of us goes and the... other two stay. What... what are we gonna do?
Clayton Stone: Alright look. Let's do this scientifically: two big guys throw the little guy out, okay?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Rocketship X-M (#3.1)" (1990)

Great for fans of science fiction; others need not apply

I found this movie while I was searching through all the new movies on OnDemand. I usually look through the new movies about once a week, searching for some hidden gem I've never heard of. I'm not always successful, but this time I was.

I'm a pretty big sci-fi fan and especially love "speculative fiction;" meaning content about the near future that isn't necessarily out-of-this-world sci-fi. Authors like Philip K Dick and Jonathan Lethem excel in this genre, and I like Marooned fits in it very nicely.

Released in 1969, it obviously takes place at a not-much-later date - the inclusion of SKYLAB, launched in 1973, proves this. The rescue vehicle used also looks like a very crude version of the space shuttle - a futuristic test vehicle that looks grounded in reality enough to escape being campy. A few lines of dialogue also hint that a Mars expedition is something that is considered to be right around the corner.

Most complaints in the comments section refer to the pacing. All i can say is: go read a book. If 90-minute action fests are your barometer for the worth of a film, go elsewhere. There are no exploding fireballs or meteors ripping through space stations with stereotypical crazy Russians here. Instead, you get a fully realized and believable view into what might happen if some of our astronauts became stranded in space.

Personally, I was invested fully into the film and felt sad when the movie ended, the same way I feel when I finish a good book. The pacing here, if you are interested in the subject matter, is fine. For fans of science fiction, this movie is a must-see. For those of us who actually can sit through a book and enjoy it (and I don't mean "page-turners"), this movie is a great way to spend an afternoon. For everyone else, please avoid. You will only drag this movie's rating further into the mud.