Back in 1977, 20th Century Fox had high box-office hopes for a big-budget science fiction film that they had scheduled for release that summer. That film was not George Lucas' Star Wars, but a post-Apocalyptic road movie (very) loosely based on a novel by science fiction author Roger Zelazny, titled Damnation Alley.
Starring Jan-Michael Vincent, George Peppard, Jackie Earle Haley, French actress Dominique Sanda, and Star Trek II's Paul Winfield. Damnation Alley is a bit of mess, with uninspired direction by journeyman director Jack Smight (The Illustrated Man). Also, the screenplay by Allan Sharp & Lukas Heller
is pretty stupid, discarding virtually all of the Zelazny source novel
in favor of an episodic, nonsensical road trip with glowing
"radioactive" skies, photographically-enlarged arachnids, rubber
roaches, utterly ludicrous pseudoscience - and an absurd "happy"
ending.
The sole redeeming cinematic element of the film is the Landmaster vehicle itself - a formidable, super-RV with a unique tri-wheel drive, armor plating and missile launchers. Built at a reputed cost of $300,000 - $350,000 by Hollywood custom car guru Dean Jeffries, the Landmaster is undeniably cool.
Which is, obviously, why it played such a prominent role in the film's advertising... including these lobby cards.
I generally don't use the adjective "cheesy" when describing vintage genre films; too often it's just a euphemism for "old" used by those with a lack of perspective or appreciation for anything created before their birth. But Damnation Alley - from its dumbed-down script to its sloppy (even for the time) optical effects work - is a cheesy science fiction film.
It's fun - no question - but it's not really very good....
Great stuff. Hard to believe it ever existed!!!
ReplyDeleteLandmaster vehicle information is at this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landmaster
I agree this vehicle was the best part of the film.
SGB
You summed up my feelings about the film in a nutshell. I read the novel and loved it, then was colossally disappointed when I finally saw it in its network broadcast. The first few minutes clued me in that this was an "inspired by" rather than true adaptation, so I set my brain in neutral and just went with the ride so I could actually enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, it is a more entertaining film than your beloved 'Starcrash'.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's entitled to their opinion. Even anonymous people who are clearly wrong. ;)
DeleteCaroline Munro in a leather space bikini > Jan-Michael Vincent on a dirt bike.
Delete"Killer cockroaches! I repeat: killer cockroaches!" This was a terrible, terrible movie, but fun. And the Landmaster was cool - I remember making a sad attempt at a scratchbuilt model of it when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteStupid maybe, but I had fun watching it all those years ago.
ReplyDeleteI saw this once in probably the mid-80's on TV. All I can remember is the vehicle and the cast. Maybe that's all there was to remember. I would like to see it again some time.
ReplyDeletehttp://scifihorrorfantasy.wordpress.com/
I also read the novel back in the 1970s. That didn't make a big impression on me, either. I do remember there was a photo insert featuring shots from the movie. Those photo inserts are something else I haven't seen in many years. Do they still do those anymore? My favorites were probably the two photo sections included in Stephen Whitfield's Making of Star Trek. For fans to have prop, set and costume stills from Star Trek back when the Trek universe was still small, cozy and manageable (and there were no such things as VCRs or the Internet) was sheer heaven.
ReplyDeleteI remember Damnation Alley being shown on network TV not long after The Day After, like an obvious attempt to show another nuclear war movie as quickly as possible. I didn't watch it then (The Day After really scared me), but I recall the network version was supposed to have deleted scenes and alternate footage. I always thought Tanner's plight in the original novel was similar to Snake Plissken's in Escape From New York.
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