User Reviews

The budget for this movie was never going to allow it to get beyond the B level, barely at that. The cast and crew seems to have decided that despite the limitations, they were going to make an honest effort in a bad situation. They succeed in creating a movie that manages to be worth watching as a curiosity. Notable successes are some decent scientific references, the authentic Russian language, proper weapons for the Russians and Chinese and acting that is better than expected. There were some good people at work here. Inevitably, some contemporary clichés slip in (e.g. seemingly canned feminine screams, California scenery you have seen many times before) that date the film in a way that pulls it back into its B level pedigree. If you are a genuine movie buff, you'll probably like this but it is limited.

The makers of this film put a lot of effort into trying to make an exciting science fiction adventure yarn. However they don't fully succeed because they try to cram too much into the film and the characters never rise above being little more than cliches. But in the end, the film does promote the message of the need for the world to unite, stop fighting and start building a better tomorrow. Deserves points for effort.

It's always a treat to watch Dan Duryea. He just made everything look like fun. The former Western bad guy plays an authority figure here, but does so with the same lust and zip that gives a charge to an otherwise dull script.

The situation is "cold war" intrigue, with Russians and Americans teaming together to find a downed flying saucer guarded by the Red Chinese.

The characters are actually fairly credible for the times. If the film was made today, I doubt a writer would be able to sell "time credible" characters to the ignorant masses, particularly the masses too ignorant to realize they are ignorant.

However, it is sort of routine. It looks like a sort of "make believe story" you and your friends would play with as adolescents.

Still, the actors, particularly Duryea, help make this enjoyable enough to sit through. I could sit through it, and with my attention deficit disorder, that says a lot. Fairly well paced. Nothing to brag about, nothing to be ashamed about.

An original Sci-Fi! Frank Telford, the director, who signs the script together with others, did a good job, the movie is well done, the subject is interesting, the acting is convincing. True, the special effects are not great, the saucer looks like a caricature, it is clear that the production did not benefit from a budget comparable to that of Kubrick for "2001: A Space Odyssey", made in the same year 1968.

"The Bamboo Saucer" begins with an F-104 fighter jet being chased by a BADLY animated UFO. In the process, the plane crashes and the pilot is killed. Eventually, the eggheads realize that the UFO, oddly, has come from China. Hank Peters (Dan Duryea) leads a small team of agents into China to discover the craft and either destroy or capture it. Soon, however, they are shocked to come upon a group of Russians (complete, of course, with a hot lady) there to do the same and they work together.

The film marks a milestone for Dan Duryea. While he was very prolific in films, he died soon after the movie was made...and he was only 61. And, even sadder is that this wonderful character actor chose to be in this dull movie. In addition, the UFO effects were horrible...even by 1968 standards. Compare, for instance, the crappy look of the film to "2001" which came out the following year. While I am not a fan of "2001", it was technically gorgeous and a huge step ahead in special effects. Overall, a film that is very skippable with little to offer for most viewers.

Great Movie. I love it.

Last 15min shows you what special FX were like in late 60s and they did a good job without CGI.

The space scenes are awesome -they have a special feel to them- but watch the blu-ray if you can do it.

Sadly, The final performance of Dan Duryea.

This movie to the best of my knowledge was NOT widely distributed on television in any markets I am aware of.

Many people on social media have also commented along these lines as well.

Russia, China, and UFO's are the main topic of this movie.

You don't see that in too many sci-fi movies of the era & releasing the movie during the tumultuous times of the late 1960s probably didn't help market possibilities.

This aside- It is definitely an entertaining movie with great 1960s talent like Dan Duryea, Lois Nettleton, Vincent Beck, Bernard Fox, and others.

Again, cool movie and fun to watch.

"What do you get when you cross the Red Scare with UFOs?" So asks the person who provided this viewing experience, and we have our answer in no time. I note how "bamboo" in the name is especially stylized during the opening credits, making the word itself seem threatening and ominous as it is given an extra large, very red typeface, and made to appear like small bamboo chutes. This comports neatly with the stock footage that greets us right away, and the "special effects" that look right out of an Ed Wood feature; this independent 1968 movie has more in common with low-grade B-flicks of the 50s than anything else. Add, for good measure, a line at the end of the opening credits inviting the good will of fringe conspiracy theorists, and before 'The bamboo saucer' has even properly begun it seems pointedly dubious.

In the earliest scenes of the feature we're presented with a kernel of an idea that would have made for a more earnest and interesting film, much like 2015 horror flick 'Pod' - that is, the risks and real-life harm in which belief in pseudoscience and conspiracy theories can result. But then, we wouldn't have quite the same genre romp on our hands, would we? More to the point, if there were a mind here for sincere storytelling, then the writing team and producers wouldn't have taken every opportunity to expound on all the glorious joys of The United States Of America on one hand, and the grim, terrible, valueless evils of Red China on the other hand, as if there were never was and never could be any comparison between the two. (Insert a voiceover from Ron Howard saying: "There is.") Further hammering home that bent, the screenplay ensures that every word of dialogue spoken by the Soviets, let alone the Soviet characters generally, are made to seem extra threatening and imposing, and any references to them or the Chinese are underhandedly racist and xenophobic; meanwhile, American characters or their allies are mostly painted as polite, well-mannered good ol' boys. Frank Telford, as director, also accentuates the slant by guiding his actors into affirmation of the same ugly prejudices. All this, on top of the apparent (one would hope facetious) intent of validating fringe conspiracy theorists, makes the picture all the more laborious to watch, to say nothing of still other indelicacies including sexism, tinges of a flimsy romantic element, and some distinct ham-handedness and Movie Magic.

If one can somehow overlook the predominant tawdriness, or at least acknowledge and compartmentalize it, then in fairness it's not all bad. The filming locations are lovely, and the production design and art direction are reasonably if variably solid (the earthly structures look great; the UFO a little less so). For that matter, everyone operating behind the scenes turned in good work, including the costume design, and practical effects; Hal Mohr's cinematography is quite nice. Telford's direction is fine from a technical standpoint; though often guided to ends that raise a skeptical eyebrow, I think at least some the cast give capable performances, including James Hong in a relatively early (supporting) role, Vincent Beck, and Lois Nettleton. (Though perhaps Telford's oversight is to blame, or the tack of the screenplay, other actors such as John Ericson, Dan Duryea, and Rico Cattani quite seem to be overacting.) And hey, while filled with unsavory flavors from the outset, the writing ultimately has some worth, too. The broad strokes of the storytelling are rather strong, in fact, with admirable themes of international cooperation, and such value gradually trickles down to the dialogue, characters, and scene writing that are otherwise characterized, in the most general of terms, with some swell ideas (albeit, also adjoined with some abject nonsense). Would that the feature hadn't made such a point from the beginning to zero in on the most questionable facets of the scenario that it possibly could have. (Nothing fosters cooperation quite like mutual demonization of third party.)

When all is said and done, I don't think 'The bamboo saucer' is altogether bad. The problem is that, frankly, it tried very hard to be. If anyone involved in shaping this picture had approached it more mindfully, and reined in its worst indulgences (above all its heavy-handed doses of jingoism, racism, xenophobia, and otherwise prejudice), then the end result would have been significantly improved. It would still be a silly genre romp reflecting outdated conceptions of filmmaking and storytelling, but it would have at least been more thoroughly genuine as it aimed, at length, to inspire. Instead it comes off as endeavoring to throw in every trace of unseemly biases that it could along the way to that same endpoint. Suffice to say that unless you're a huge fan of someone involved there's surely no reason to go out of your way for this, and one way or another there's a lot of inelegance one must abide. Yet it's at least about on par as far as sci-fi adventure dramas go from the 60s, and no matter what aspect one is assessing, there are definitely worse things to watch. 'The bamboo saucer' is more a partly regrettable curiosity than anything else, but if you do have the chance to check it out - well, be prepared, but have fun.

I love older sci-fi movies but in my 67 years I had never heard of this one. I have never seen it on TV and have never seen it in any lists of sci-fi movies. As this movie is fairly well done-the color for example is very good and the acting is good and the story is interesting-I wonder why it is so little known? The main drawback of the movie is that it is way too talky. As well, the outdoor scenes were so obviously not taken in China and the saucer special effects were not great for 1968 but I've seen worse even for that time. Sadly the last film for Dan Duryea who died too young.

Dan Duryea is "Peters", and American leading a team racing to beat their Soviet counterparts to a remote "Red" Chinese village where they think there might be a flying saucer that was involved in an incident with one of their fighters. Needless to say, the Chinese are after it too and a combination of circumstances mean that when they find the thing, the rivals must team up in order to avoid capture and to get it airborne. I suppose that by being about a flying saucer in the first place, there is little point is saying how implausibly daft the rest of it is. We start our search with a wonderful child's drawing of a flying saucer that somehow manages to get into the hands of the Americans several thousands of miles away - and that pretty much sets the tone. It's further cluttered up by a bit of an awkward romance between "Norwood" (John Dickson) and the Soviet team member who manages to interpret for everyone "Anna" (Lois Nettleton) and the rest of it is just standard "Outer Limits" fayre with pretty ropey airborne saucer effects and a plot that seems to enable them to activate the auto-pilot as if it were a dishwasher. It is also far too long; we could easily live without much of the first half hour. Pretty poor, sorry.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Bamboo Saucer; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 1.00 Acting: 1.50 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00

This movie purports it's based on five-million reports of Unidentified Flying Saucers. That's a lot of eyes looking to the skies, but it's not unbelievable since the good ol' U S of A alone went UFO-crazy after Roswell.

But what's great about this story is that the writers embed it in China, which brings in the Communist Red Army. Better yet is the emergence that Russia is also involved. Boy, talk about stoking The Cold War. After witnessing a UFO while testing a new fighter jet, pilot Fred Norwood is shunned by his superiors and fired from his job. But Norwood gets the last laugh. People at a higher pay grade bring him in to help retrieve a possible UFO discovered in China. He, along with two scientists and a single army escort, parachute behind the Red Curtain. Once they're back on terra ferma, their agent on the ground makes contact. Sam Archibald guides them to their destination - a deserted church where the villages hid the saucer from the Red Army. Along the way, the Americans stumble on a group of Russians, who they surmise are on the same mission. Can they put their differences to one side and work together? This issue is one of the more powerful driving elements of the narrative. The writers pound the moral nail ever deeper as they progress the story. The scientists are only interested in demystifying the saucer and its alien controls. The last thing they want to do is get into a gunfight for ownership. They'd rather stay alive and enlighten the world about the possible benefits of extraterrestrial technology. And then there's the inter-super-powers love interest. Since most stories include a slice of romance, the writers decided to stay with tradition. This idea forced them to take another bold step. They needed a female presence, and instead of including a cook in the Russian group, they made her into a scientist and a damned intelligent one. It was the right move. Another drawing point to the story is the characters because they don't merely possess their own personalities, but in this instance, they have their beliefs. Though we all wear the same meat-suits and are DNA family, people and their countries and nations' philosophies vary. And in The Cold War period, American and Russian ideologies were highly diverse from one another. The writers display this admirably. They also demonstrate that the two countries were more alike than they cared to admit. One agreement point was that the Chinese Red Army couldn't be allowed to possess the UFO because it would make them nearly impossible to defeat, should they master the technology. All of which made for an enjoyable and entertaining tale.

The direction suffers a tad because of the poor special effects. Frank Telford is a decent director who composes his scenes beautifully. He takes full advantage of the gorgeous scenery; I wouldn't have minded living in the deserted church. He even adds a few winning camera angles into the mix - though the story doesn't call out for them. But all of this could be overlooked because you're busy tittering at the poor double-exposure effects of the spacecraft. It would have been nice if the stage designers had built a full-size saucer. You have the interior, the hull, and a partial upper section. But whenever we see the entire ship, it's instantly apparent it's an effect, and it appears not to be touching the church floor. It's not as bad as the "buzzing the fighters" segments, but it could've easily been rectified.

Another bonus to the film is the tremendous cast. Though everyone is as talented as their coworkers, Lois Nettleton shines through as the Russian Scientist Ana Karachev. She adds strength and conviction to her character while showing a smidgen of naivete. Karachev is the principal character in the movie's second half, and the writers have penned her exquisitely, and Nettleton breathes life into her heart. Her accent and Russian dialogue are also credible. And that was another delightful concept - Have the Russians speak Russian. Two of them don't speak English and require translation. This little consideration adds so much to the power of the movie.

I'd happily recommend this film to every Sci-Fi fan who has a penchant for UFOs - Just try to forget the shoddy effects as soon as they disappear off-screen, and you should do fine. I'd say, The Bamboo Saucer is ideal eye fodder for a lazy Sunday morning or afternoon - A worthy way to enjoy oneself while relaxing...and maybe snoozing.

Hey, while I try and fix the damnable autopilot on this UFO, you can read my IMDb list - The Final Frontier to see where I ranked The Bamboo Saucer.

Take Care & Stay Well.

First, let me reassure you that the saucer in this film is not a cheap, Chinese imitation of a flying saucer. That being said, the special effects are pretty bargain-basement, but the science behind it is really not too bad.

Electro-Magnetism is probably how these objects work; at least in part. The acting is not half-bad, even Boris Bendenoff and Natasha are OK. There are no A actors in this film, but who needs them if you have a good story? And this one is a bit far-fetched, but watchable. Have fun for an hour or so, and watch it on a Saturday morning or late Saturday night.

I saw this when younger and it was realistic. It scared me like "The Andromeda Strain" or "Them". It is simple and not spoiled by over the top special effects (as it would be if made today). Watch it late at night.

A pilot is testing out a new aircraft when he spots a flying saucer. Naturally, it jams the radar as all flying saucers do and no one believes him, not even his relatives. So, he uses a laser device that is immune to static to tracking down the saucer.

Our government shoves a sketch under his noses for verification. Yep, that is it. It is the height of the cold war, and a downed saucer is found in RED china. So, there is a race between a group of Americans and Ruskies to see who gets there before the Chinese Government finds out.

We get all the mix of good guys, and bad guys, nationalists, and individuals. They (and we) must learn what makes the other side tick and to get along on the mission.

The American pilot advisor John Ericson runs into the female Russian scientist Lois Nettleton while she is taking a shower. Later he keeps running into her verbally. Eventually, though all the bantering forms, a mutual affection arises.

Will they be able to discover the saucer secrets before being found by the Chinese Government?

Or will they be able to destroy the almost indestructible machine?

Aside from a well-acted film that may have had a few too many clichés, there is something captivating about Lois Nettleton that years later you will say "Now what was that movie I saw her in?" considering she made over 100 TV appearances.