Damnation Alley (film)
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This article is about the 1977 film. For the Roger Zelazny novel, see Damnation Alley.
| Damnation Alley | |
|---|---|
 1977 Movie Poster |
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| Directed by | Jack Smight |
| Produced by | Jerome M. Zeitman Paul Maslansky |
| Written by | Roger Zelazny (novel) Alan Sharp & Lukas Heller (screenplay) |
| Starring | Jan-Michael Vincent George Peppard Dominique Sanda Paul Winfield |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling, Jr. |
| Editing by | Frank J. Urioste |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | October 21, 1977 |
| Running time | 95 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Damnation Alley is a 1977 film, directed by Jack Smight, loosely based on the novel by Roger Zelazny of the same name.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Airman Jake Tanner, an unorthodox Air Force officer, portrayed by Jan-Michael Vincent, shares ICBM silo duty at an Air Force missile base in California with cut-and-dry Major Eugene "Sam" Denton, played by George Peppard. When the United State detects incoming nuclear missiles, Tanner and Denton "turn the key" to launch a retaliatory strike, initiating Doomsday. After launching their entire arsenal of nuclear missiles, Tanner and Denton witness nuclear devastation rain down upon the United States.
Dissolve forward two years: The earth has been tilted off of its axis by World War III, radiation has mutated insect life, and the earth is constantly wracked by storms of unprecedented severity that engulf entire hemispheres. Military order at the Air Force base has broken down, Tanner has resigned his commission, and Denton is considering undertaking a trip to Albany, New York to discover the source of a lone radio transmission. Before the decision to abandon the base can be made, a rocket fuel gas explosion kills all but four men on the base — Peppard, Vincent, Paul Winfield, and Kip Niven.
They set out across the United States in two Air Force "Landmasters" (a giant 12-wheeled armored personnel carrier capable of climbing 60-degree inclines, as well as being able to operate in water) across "Damnation Alley" — described as "the path of least resistance" between areas of intense radiation, and other perilous phenomena. In their journey, they pick up two survivors, fight crazed, savage shotgun-toting mountain men who have reduced themselves to barbarism and cruelty, and encounter voracious, mutated "killer cockroaches" before reaching their destination.
[edit] Production
The original story of Damnation Alley was seriously compromised from the outset. Right from the first draft of the script, the film bore almost no resemblance to Zelazy's novella (which prompted the author to request his name be removed from the credits). Despite being budgeted at $17,000,000 USD (a very large budget at the time), cheap special effects (sub-par even by 1977 standards, including "killer cockroaches" being dragged by strings), lackluster acting, and flat direction rendered the film a B-movie.
Damnation Alley was in post-production an inordinate amount of time due to the difficult process of superimposing optical effects on the sky in eighty percent of the shots (to simulate the after effects of nuclear war). It was during this post-production period that 20th Century Fox released their "other" science fiction film. The studio had planned to release only two science fiction films in 1977: Damnation Alley was intended to be the blockbuster. The other film, which Fox executives had very little confidence in, was Star Wars.
Star Wars became a massive hit, and forced Fox to readdress Damnation Alley. In a panic, the release date was delayed further, as large sections of the film were edited out by the studio.
The film was released on October 21, 1977, and failed at the box office.
[edit] The Landmaster
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the film was the Landmaster vehicle, which features a hinged center section, and a unique rotating 12-wheel assembly. The "Landmaster" was custom built for the film at a cost of $300,000. (Currently, the Landmaster is undergoing a full restoration after being stored in a deteriorating condition for two decades).
The Landmaster should not be confused with the superficially similar but simpler Ark II.
[edit] Sound 360
A few big-city premiere engagements of Damnation Alley were presented in Sound 360, a high-impact surround sound process.
Jerry Goldsmith's score made good use of the wide stereo separation afforded by Sound 360, particularly in the opening theme, with fanfares emanating from each side of the theater in turn.
[edit] Author's reaction
The film's plot and setting diverge from the novel in several significant matters. Roger Zelazny was reportedly so upset by the adaptation of his novel that he tried to have his name removed from the film.
[edit] DVD Release
The film is scheduled to be released on DVD in 2007, after over 20 years of being out of print.
