The first is called Crime Spree. Starring Harvey Keitel and Gerard Depardieu, it was, uh...imagine half-wit French thieves versus awful stereotyped Chicago Italian mafiosos. It wasn't great.
The other has been called a science fiction classic. It came out in 1956, was the first film in the genre to take place entirely in deep space, and sent the genre off in new directions. It was filmed and released in color. It had state of the art special effects. It inspired Gene Roddenberry immensely, he the creator of the Star Trek series and universe. It even had the first robot character that had character; it even had it's name on the poster, Robby the Robot.
The film featured Leslie Nielsen as the ship's captain, and it was a scene from this movie that I used as a still shot for my tribute to Leslie Nielsen post after he passed. The movie: Forbidden Planet.
The colors and sets are rather nice considering the time period, and the special effects are nice as well. What strikes me is the nature and the look of the monster. I don't want to spoil anything for those so inclined to seek out a sci-fi movie from the middle fifties, but it wasn't what I ever would have expected.
Interesting note: the monster, when we get to see it during it's brief encounter with visibility, was the product of Joshua Meador, an animator at Disney. Here's a glimpse of the critter.
It is hard to see, I know, but you get the idea. To me it resembles the winged monster from Fantasia.
This movie comes recommended from me. As a fan of science fiction in general, this piece of history is worth a look.
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