Plot: What’s it about?
Dr. Stephen Mitchell (Howard Duff) has found himself in a lot of trouble, including being accused of two murders. The two victims were Mitchell’s cheating wife and her Russian lover, but Mitchell insists he did not kill them because of the affair. He might have been upset over what happened, but not even that could drive him to commit murder. But he can’t really prove his innocence in the normal ways, such as fingerprints and evidence, as the bodies are thought to have been shot into deep space. It seems to be the perfect crime to Mitchell’s accusers, he loaded them into the rocket, shot them off, and never expected to be suspected. But now Mitchell has to somehow prove he did not do these acts, which means he has to venture into space himself and regain control of that rocket. With Dr. Lisa Frank (Eva Bartok) at his side, can Mitchell locate the rocket, prove his innocence, and return home to rebuild his own life?
One can never see too much low budget ’50s science fiction, or at least that’s what I think. While a nice amount of films of that ilk have been issued, it is a sad fraction of the number I wish were out, but in the end we cannot have our DVDs and watch them too, right? I am always pleased with Image Entertainment issues a film from the Wade Williams Collection though, as even though the films might be bad, they’re so much fun to watch. Spaceways is another installment in that series and in a strange turn, it was produced alongside Hammer Films, known for horror pictures. That isn’t to say this movie looks like a Hammer film, as it doesn’t, but it is an interesting side note that Hammer was involved. This film is right in the middle of the road as far as ’50s sci/fi schlock, not much action, but plenty of other elements to have fun with. I think a rental will do in this case, but genre fans will not want to miss Spaceways.
At the helm of Spaceways was Terence Fisher, who directed over fifty films in his career, most of them low budget horror and science fiction. In other words, Fisher was a natural choice to direct Spaceways and he delivered another solid film to his resume. Now his work might not be as flashy or popular as some, but given the resources he had, I think Fisher proved to be a more than effective filmmaker. With little in terms of budget, script, and actors, Fisher manages to pull off a fun movie, even if it is known for being unintentionally funny. Other films helmed by Fisher include The Curse of Frankenstein, Four Sided Triangle, The Gorgon, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Island of Terror, and The Devil Rides Out. The cast of Spaceways includes Howard Duff (Kramer vs. Kramer, No Way Out), Andrew Osborn (Blood Orange, Idol of Paris), Anthony Ireland (Night of the Silvery Moon, Just Like A Woman), and Eva Bartok (Norman Conquest, The Last Waltz).
Video: How does it look?
Spaceways is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the film’s intended aspect ratio. This transfer looks good for a low budget film that’s over forty-five years old, but it is not up to par with usual releases on this format. I saw a lot of grain and debris on the source print at times, though never too much as to distract from the film. The black & white image looks good most of the time, with well defined contrast levels and a high level of detail. I am sure some restoration work would improve this image, but this is adequate in the end.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses the original mono track, which turns out to be more than adequate. The film requires little in terms of audio, but this is still a very nice overall listening experience. I didn’t hear much age related distortion at all, though a few instances were evident at times. These problems never detracted much and thankfully, the usual mono hiss is absent from this mix. The music sounds clean, sound effects come off well, and dialogue is crisp and always audible. It might be dynamic, but it sounds pretty good to me.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
