The Martian Chronicles

Sci-Fi

Rock Hudson	Col. John Wilder
Bernie Casey	Maj. Jeff Spender
Gayle Hunnicutt	Ruth Wilder
Roddy McDowall	Father Stone
Darren McGavin	Sam Parkhill
Bernadette Peters	Genevieve Selsor
Maria Schell
Joyce Van Patten
Fritz Weaver
Linda Lou Allen	Marilyn
Michael Anderson Jr.	David Lustig
Michael Anderson
Robert Beatty	Gen. Halstead
Estelle Brody	Mrs. Black
Phil Brown	Mr. Black
Christopher Connelly	Ben Driscoll
John Cassady	Briggs
Nicholas Hammond	Capt. Arthur Black

Director	Michael Anderson; ????·??????
Producer	Andrew Donally; Milton Subotsky; Richard Berg
Writer	Ray Bradbury; Richard Matheson

With each passing year, this 1980 miniseries becomes more for those who have read Ray Bradbury's landmark novel. The three-part, nearly five-hour series keeps its brainy science fiction roots; this story (and the 1940s novel) is not about laser battles and exciting action pieces. Bradbury's novel is galvanized by the cold war nightmare: at the end of the 20th century, an earth teetering on world war begins to colonize Mars without much knowledge of the new world. Hard science is left for other stories, and director Michael Anderson (Logan's Run) keeps this retrofitting: for example, astronauts arrive on a breathable Mars in leisure suits. The space travel effects are clunky, but the action on Mars--with Assheton Gorton's geometric sets and simple props--are far more effective. There are Martians there, as the unprepared first Earthlings learn. Later, as the planet is quickly colonized, the remaining Martians are near specters--bringing awe and fear to those they encounter. Master sci-fi writer Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) smartly streamlines Bradbury's episodic stories, giving a central role to Col. John Wilder (played by Rock Huston, leading a plethora of solid, yet B-list actors). For those in love with cerebral science fiction, they can enjoy this dated but curious sci-fi miniseries; for those of think sci-fi began with Star Wars, beware. --Doug Thomas