Now I don’t think that these two were released in the Cinema as a Double Feature – but it seems the Video or DVD was released that way – and when I look back and think of these two films which I saw at the cinema, it does seem a good idea to release them together. They are produced in the widescreen Cinemascope format that they were made in.

I seem to remember Satellite In The Sky under a different name but the more I look the more I think I may be mistaken.

With Quite a big budget,  and some good actors, it proved to be both fascinating and enjoyable.

Satellite in the Sky has quite a  controversial plot. The film was also made at a time when Britain was  in the space race –  It’s the story of mankind’s first trip into space, launched from England.

After the initial tests are successful, the mission gets the go ahead but what the crew don’t realise is that the government have plans for a secret payload to be installed in the huge rocket ship.

The mission does not  run smoothly. The long launch ramp is very similar to When Worlds Collide although the rocket in Satellite in the Sky  seems to use less runway and the take off sequence is not as long – I think it should have been because that could have been much more impressive. It was good to be fair.

The extensive use of  models  and matte paintings, Cinemascope and colour make this a definite ‘A’ picture.

It’s marvellous to see Lois Maxwell in a leading role, playing a reporter who is  against the expensive project and she manages to stow away on the Rocket Ship – a preposterous story if ever there was one.

Kieron Moore  plays the rocket captain. Not that much of a part really. The previous film he had made was a favourite of mine The Blue Peter 1955 with Sarah Lawson, Greta Gynt and Mervyn Johns.  It was a story set at an outward bound school and filmed in Aberdovey – and beautifully filmed there.

This gave him and the others good roles to play. Quite thrilling too.

Back to Satellite in the Sky 1956 – we have that  grand thespian Donald Wolfit  – BELOW  who, to me, is the most interesting character in the film – and gives the best performance.

Another crewmen is a very young Bryan Forbes.

Donald Gray  actor and former Newsreader is featured in a ground based role – he does not go into space – so he doesn’t get much of a chance to deliver a performance.

Satellite in the Sky should really have a far higher profile in British sci-fi history, or even as a classic British film but somehow it is a forgotten relic – which I think is unjust for such an expensive and, at times, impressive film.

Here it is anyway on a DVD release with World Without End

Both films on the DVD  are presented in  2.35 widescreen (from Warner Home Video).

World Without End when viewed as a young lad at the time, was really gripping and at times scary – good colour and Cinemascope for them both.

World Without End

Satellite in the Sky – Start of the Take-off

Satellite in the Sky – The Spaceship speeding up the Ramp

Satellite in the Sky – We have lift-off

Satellite in the Sky – The Spaceship cruising along in space

One scene in Satellite in the Sky on the big wide screen that remains with me to this day is a brief shot when Keiron Moore looks out of the space craft from a side viewing area, and we are looking back with him towards the earth and other planets – and that was extremely well done although you could see that it was fake – it didn’t seem to matter anyway as the film was so enjoyable.  Now I see it again – as above – still pretty good, I would say.

Kieron Moore and Lois Maxwell on board the Spaceship