Rocketship X-M: Kurt Neumann

Watching Kurt Neumann's Rocketship X-M, one can't help but feel that the movie has its heart in the right place. After all, it was the "first outer space adventure of the post-World War II era." It has a woman feature prominently as part of the eponymous spaceship's crew. And it contains a sober anti-war, anti-nuclear weapon message. But the film is hobbled by miserable production values, a terrible script, and offensively constructed characters. The film tells the story of humanity's first attempt to reach the moon. A crew of four men and one woman are launched in a rocket which accidentally overshoots its mark and ends up on Mars. Once on Mars, they discover the remnants of a technologically advanced civilization which was destroyed by nuclear wars. And, of course, they find primitive natives which force them to leave for earth. As I said, the film is obviously well-intentioned. But the film is a muddy, murky mess. The characters usually have one personality trait that defines them. My favorite was the astronaut from Texas who took EVERY SINGLE opportunity to remind his crew-mates and the audience about the wonders of the Lone Star State. But the most cringe-inducing element of the film is the relationship between Col. Floyd Graham (Lloyd Bridges) and Dr. Lisa Van Horn (Osa Massen), the crew's token female. At several times Dr. Horn is chastised and mocked for being a woman. In one particularly uncomfortable scene one of her male colleagues drives her to tears after attacking mathematical errors in her work. When she apologizes for losing her composure he responds by saying that it's no big deal because such is to be expected from a woman. And then there are Graham's (ultimately successful) attempts to woo her. He even outright says that women shouldn't bother with science stuff because they are better suited for housework. And at the end there is a sickening scene where he convinces her to abandon the mantle of Doctor, a distinction she must have worked years for, in favor of simply being called "Lisa." Clearly Dr. Horn was cast in the film not because the producers wanted to promote gender equality, but because they needed a pretty dame for Graham to hold onto in the final scenes.

2/10