Three astronauts (Richard Crenna (in charge and tries to hold a steady resolve despite what his three man crew is up against), Gene Hackman (who spends an exorbitant amount of time holding onto his sanity), and James Franciscus (seemingly always held together, calm, and confident despite the obstacles before them)) are stranded in orbit around the earth after a mechanical failure to their retros leaves them stranded in space awaiting a hopeful rescue mission before their oxygen runs out. It will be up to an experimental craft (piloted by David Janssen who is vocally outspoken and assertive in his desire to save the astronauts which earns the ire of his superior, played by Gregory Peck) and a Russian cosmonaut in a capsule if the astronauts will have any chance of surviving. Peck, as the NASA man in charge of the space mission, encounters a number of ensuing crises he will need to avert in order to be successful in rescuing the three men trying to remain calm and docile so they conserve what little oxygen still available to them.
I think Apollo 13 (1995) will come to mind when viewers watch Marooned (1969) as the plots are similar in ways. Astronauts "trapped in space" while NASA scientists and the "think tank" try and come up with a plan of action to save them is a ready-made plot which should be, you'd think, an easy sell for an audience. I have to say that I'm one of the majority critical of the laborious pace and clinical approach to the rescue mission; this film, as directed by Sturges, never quite finds that gear which engages and capitalizes completely on the suspense plot that might have, in different hands, been a home run. Still, the special effects and NASA assistance bringing an authenticity to the material (and presentation) are incentives to see the film. I think there's a good 100 minute movie dying to break out of the 130 minute running time. I think the cast is uniformly good no breakouts, but I think the actors properly convey the frustrations, fear, and anxiety that come with the difficult situation that presents itself. Crenna's fate as he leaves the shuttle to make a "repair to the engine" (a share of dialogue between him and Peck imply more to this than what is presented on its face), Hackman's mental breakdown while talking to his wife, Franciscus' laid-back, all-smiles, psychologically sound astronaut who seems to take matters a bit more sufficiently despite the peril that remains an antagonist, the three wives (Lee Grant, Nancy Kovack, and Mariette Hartley) trying to keep their composure during what is a horrific ordeal, Peck and Jannsen butting heads over what to do to save the astronauts, the 42 hour rush-job to scrape together a ship capable of leaving the earth and meeting the shuttle in space, a developing hurricane which might cause the rescue mission to be halted, and the astronauts in the shuttle trying to hold it together although they have every reason to be distraught provide plenty of melodrama that help to bring a respectability to the film, keeping it from being a total disappointment. This being made during the height of the space program during the 60s gives it some gravitas, and I think the dialogue and inner workings of those involved in sending men into orbit and trying to get them back safely is handled efficiently by the direction and screenplay. I think the film's main hurtle for newcomers is the running time and pace it just shouldn't be such a chore and bore, considering the plot.
I think Apollo 13 (1995) will come to mind when viewers watch Marooned (1969) as the plots are similar in ways. Astronauts "trapped in space" while NASA scientists and the "think tank" try and come up with a plan of action to save them is a ready-made plot which should be, you'd think, an easy sell for an audience. I have to say that I'm one of the majority critical of the laborious pace and clinical approach to the rescue mission; this film, as directed by Sturges, never quite finds that gear which engages and capitalizes completely on the suspense plot that might have, in different hands, been a home run. Still, the special effects and NASA assistance bringing an authenticity to the material (and presentation) are incentives to see the film. I think there's a good 100 minute movie dying to break out of the 130 minute running time. I think the cast is uniformly good no breakouts, but I think the actors properly convey the frustrations, fear, and anxiety that come with the difficult situation that presents itself. Crenna's fate as he leaves the shuttle to make a "repair to the engine" (a share of dialogue between him and Peck imply more to this than what is presented on its face), Hackman's mental breakdown while talking to his wife, Franciscus' laid-back, all-smiles, psychologically sound astronaut who seems to take matters a bit more sufficiently despite the peril that remains an antagonist, the three wives (Lee Grant, Nancy Kovack, and Mariette Hartley) trying to keep their composure during what is a horrific ordeal, Peck and Jannsen butting heads over what to do to save the astronauts, the 42 hour rush-job to scrape together a ship capable of leaving the earth and meeting the shuttle in space, a developing hurricane which might cause the rescue mission to be halted, and the astronauts in the shuttle trying to hold it together although they have every reason to be distraught provide plenty of melodrama that help to bring a respectability to the film, keeping it from being a total disappointment. This being made during the height of the space program during the 60s gives it some gravitas, and I think the dialogue and inner workings of those involved in sending men into orbit and trying to get them back safely is handled efficiently by the direction and screenplay. I think the film's main hurtle for newcomers is the running time and pace it just shouldn't be such a chore and bore, considering the plot.