Les Cat-Women

A chauvinist’s nightmare. The inhabitants of the moon are strong women (in black tight-fitting body suits), against whom the male bozos don’t stand a chance. This sci-fi flick is usually put together with the movies of Ed Wood or the legendary Robot Monster, but that’s not right. The only connection I would see is in the person of Jack Rabin, who did the effects for this film, too, otherwise it’s a visually successful little movie that is best described by the word “adorable”. The moonscape with the painted canvas in the background, the astronauts' gear, the attacking spiders that have clearly visible strings hanging them from the ceiling of the studio, and those backdrops of the ancient palace of the moonwomen are all endearingly funny. Then there’s the fact that there’s oxygen on the moon and that they drink wine there, but nevermind, this is a great example of the poetics of 1950s science fiction. (15/01/2009)