Saturn 3 *** (1980, Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel) – Classic Movie Review 9,104

Stanley Donen’s 1980 sci-fi film Saturn 3 is based on a story by Oscar-winning British production designer John Barry, who started to direct it but quit, and stars Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett and Harvey Keitel. It is written by novelist Martin Amis.

Producer-director Stanley Donen’s 1980 sci-fi movie Saturn 3 is based on a story by Oscar-winning British production designer John Barry (Star Wars, 1977), who started to direct it but quit, and stars Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett and Harvey Keitel.

Out in space, at a base in Saturn’s asteroid fields, lovers Adam (Douglas) and Alex (Fawcett) are happily developing new forms of food for planet Earth until the intrusion of crazy technocrat Benson (Keitel) and malevolent eight-foot killer rogue robot Hector.

In Greek mythology Hector was the Trojan Prince, the greatest fighter of Troy. Special effects designer Colin Chilvers modelled Hector on a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. Hector cost over $1 million to make. It took 20 people to animate him.

Although originally written by that clever English novelist Martin Amis, the final screenplay is a bit bumpy and sometimes unconvincing. That might because originally they had a very good script called The Helper that was very different from the one they ended up shooting. But the film has its share of well-delivered shocks and it is always eye-catching.

The three stars are fine, it is a smart production, and Elmer Bernstein’s progressive score is a considerable asset, though much of his composition was not used.

It was also a troubled production. Despite his lack of experience, John Barry got the opportunity to direct Saturn 3, but he left the movie during filming with the production apparently floundering, and Kirk Douglas reportedly directed for two days before producer Stanley Donen took over, and Donen has sole credit.

Donen recalled: ‘The truth is John had hardly ever been on a set. He was such a terrific talent but he knew next to nothing about staging a scene or handling actors. The film started floundering.’ Donen decided he had to be on set with Barry but says Barry refused and quit the project.

Barry returned to Star Wars as second unit director on The Empire Strikes Back. But two weeks into filming on 31 May 1979, he collapsed on set, was hospitalised with a temperature of 104 degrees and died at 2 am on 1 June 1979 of infectious meningitis.

Saturn 3 is basically a film with three characters, but also in the cast are Ed Bishop as Harding, Douglas Lambert as Captain James, Christopher Muncke as second crewman and Jill Goldston as Brunette Woman.

The film has an American cast and director though it is a British production made by Lord Lew Grade’s company ITC Entertainment and shot at the UK’s Shepperton Studios.

It was shot Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, on a fairly large budget of £10,000,000 (cut back as Raise the Titanic went over budget), with its lack of hit status (US gross $9,000,000) proving a further financial woe for ITC Films executive producer Lew Grade.

Donen was dissatisfied with Keitel and they had a poor working relationship. Keitel’s voice is dubbed by Roy Dotrice.

Fawcett recalled: ‘Originally they had a very good script. It was called The Helper and it was a lot different from what we ended up shooting. It was a very interesting story about how a robot took on the mind of the guy who created him. So, when the Harvey Keitel character would look at me, the robot he created would look, too. It was so creative.’

Martin Amis wrote script for a fee of £30,000. It was said to have been heroic, witty and elegant. Amis said that most of the final script was written by Frederic Raphael. Talking fees, Keitel was cast at a fee of $90,000, three times Amis’s pay.

John Barry pitched the idea to Stanley Donen when they were making Lucky Lady, and Donen agreed to produce while Barry directed. Donen was making the Movie Movie for Lew Grade and gave him a copy of the first rough draft of the script, and he read it while on a plane with Farrah Fawcett, who saw the script and was interested.

Donen recalled: ‘Finally, I had to tell him [John Barry] “It’s not working. I’ll have to be on the set with you.” I’d make sure the film went all right. But, when I did turn up on the set, John said he just couldn’t work like that, so he left.’

Saturn 3 is directed by Stanley Donen and John Barry, runs 96 minutes, is made by ITC Films, Elliott Kastner Productions and Transcontinental Film Productions, is released by ITC Film Distributors (1980) (UK) and Associated Film Distribution (1980) (US), is written by Martin Amis, based on a story by John Barry, is shot by Billy Williams, is produced by Stanley Donen, Lew Grade (executive producer), Martin Starger (executive producer) and Elliott Kastner (executive producer), is scored by Elmer Bernstein, and is designed by Stuart Craig.

The cast are Farrah Fawcett as Alex, Kirk Douglas as Adam, Harvey Keitel as Captain Benson, Roy Dotrice as voice of Captain Benson, Ed Bishop as Harding, Douglas Lambert as Captain James, and Christopher Muncke as second crewman, and Jill Goldston as Brunette Woman.

Stanley Donen (April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019).

RIP Stanley Donen, who died on February 21, 2019 at age 94. He made his name in Hollywood directing classic musical films like On the Town, Singin’ in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, 1957’s The Pajama Game, 1958’s Damn Yankees! and 1957’s Funny Face.

Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade, Stanley Donen’s most financially successful film.

He is also fondly remembered for his films with Cary Grant, including Indiscreet and Charade. which proved Donen’s most financially successful film.

Martin Amis died from oesophageal cancer at his home in Florida on 19 May 2023. He died at the age of 73, like his father, noted English novelist Sir Kingsley Amis. His notable works include The Rachel Papers (1973), Money (1984) and London Fields (1989). Aged 15, Amis played John Thornton in the 1965 adventure film A High Wind in Jamaica. He graduated from Exeter College, Oxford, in 1971, with a congratulatory first in English, though his headmaster at Cambridgeshire High School for Boys described him as ‘unusually unpromising’.

The Rachel Papers was filmed in 1989. Amis also wrote the screenplays for Saturn 3 (1980) and London Fields (2018).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9,104

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com