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Director Robert Florey's, MOONSTONE, is an unusual
tale of alien encounters.
Alex Nicol ("The Screaming Skull") is a bit flat in the role
of the base commander. It's hard to work up much compassion for such
a two-dimensional character.
Ruth Roman ("Day of the Animals") as the commander's girlfriend,
brings an earthy sensuality to her role. A frequent guest star on 1960's
TV series, like "I Spy", Roman's mixture of passion and intelligence
brings to mind Ava Gardner in her prime.
The Teleplay, by William Bast, (Story by Lou Morheim and Joseph Stefano),
has a serious theme, concerning how much one is willing to sacrifice
for the sake of others. This subject matter may have gone over the heads
of the audience in it's original broadcast, since twelve year olds were
thought to be its primary viewers at the time.
The Special Photographic Effects were Designed and Created by Project
Unlimited Inc., (Jim Danforth, Paul Le Baron, Ralph Rodine). Particularly
good are shots of the large, enemy alien sphere, floating over the lunar
landscape.
My favorite scene is when the large alien sphere, filled with bad guy
aliens, floats across the lunar landscape towards the Moon Base. The
simple, white sphere generates feelings of the mysteries of space, and
brings to mind the monolith, from "2001".
Art Director, Jack Poplin, does a fine job of conveying the lunar landscape.
For it's time, the lunar depictions are surprisingly accurate.
Director of Photography, John M. Nickolaus Jr., does solid and professional
work here. He delivers great images of astronaut's boots, in slow motion,
walking on the grainy lunar surface.
The music is frequently tense and spooky. Production Executive, Dominic
Frontiere, is the responsible party.
MOONSTONE should be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Fans of
the television series, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" and
"Peyton Place," may enjoy seeing Tim O'Connor, who played
prominent roles in both shows, as an astronaut with an old grudge against
the commander. BACK TO: EPISODE
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