Classic Review: The Andromeda Strain (1971)

The works of Michael Crichton have always inspired classic movies with cult followings. The 1971 film adaptation of his novel The Andromeda Strain is vastly superior to the tacky and forgettable 2008 miniseries. When the capsule of the Scoop Mission returns to Earth and lands in the small town of Piedmont, it brings a mutant living being; the source of all the towns populations deaths. A team of five scientists – the leader Dr. Jeremy Stone, Dr. Charles Dutton, Dr. Mark Hall, Dr. Ruth Leavitt and Dr. Kirkie – are gathered together in the top secret Wildfire facility. Fighting against time, they try to understand the reason why the only survivors of the town are uninfected and research an antidote to Andromeda, the ultimate biological weapon.

The director successfully achieved an unsettling ticking clock feel as the scientist struggle to find an antidote to the deadly Andromeda Strain. The sets are used beautifully alongside the classic props of the genera; the Scoop Mission capsule is a fantastic example of good art direction in a time when physically making something extraordinary was crucial to a films success.

 

The Andromeda Strain is one of those cult classics that filmmakers of today are still using as inspiration and homaging.

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Classic Watch: Vanishing Point (1971)

Check out the cult classic car film Vanishing Point. The film was made in 1971 and stars Barry Newman as the driver known only as Kowalski. Directed by Richard C. Sarafian Vanishing Point is an amazing visual road trip across the American Southwest and reflects the mood of the post-Woodstock Americas. 

Kowalski, while working for a car transport service, takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger and sets out from Colorado to San Francisco, California. However, upon picking up the car he also takes a bet; to have the car delivered to California in less than 15 hours. After a series of incidents with motorcycle cops and highway patrol officers a chase begins as the law try to bring Kowalski into custody. Along the way, Super Soul - a blind DJ with a police radio scanner, guides Kowalski on his supercharged road trip. Throw in lots of classic chase scenes, gay hitchhikers, a naked woman riding a motorbike, real cars smashing into real cars and you've got all the ingredients for one of the greatest American car films from the early 70's.