<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

The Andromeda Strain
Release Date	March 29, 1971
Genre	Scifi
Director	Robert Wise
Screenwriter	Michael Crichton (novel) Nelson Gedding (screenplay)
Stars	Arthur Hill David Wayne James Olson Kate Reid Paula Kelly George Mitchell Ramon Bieri Peter Hobbs Kermit Murdock Richard O'Brien (2) Eric Christmas Mark Jenkins Peter Helm Joe Di Reda Carl Reindel
Studio	Universal Pictures

The Andromeda Strain (1971) Oscar-winner Robert Wise (1914–2005), a former film editor and a master craftsman who consistently excelled in many genres, directed this faithful adaptation of Michael Crichton's 1969 bestseller The Andromeda Strain, scripted by Nelson Gidding. Their five collaborations included I Want to Live! (1958), which earned Gidding an Oscar nomination, and the seminal ghost story The Haunting (1963).

Wise cast seasoned character actors Arthur Hill, David Wayne, and James Olson instead of recognizable stars, so that viewers would more readily accept them as scientists. At Gidding's behest, he made one of Crichton’s male protagonists a woman, albeit a decidedly unglamorous one (Kate Reid), which—according to their scientific advisers—only added to the film's realism.

When the tiny town of Piedmont, New Mexico, is wiped out overnight, scientists find an Air Force satellite, which has apparently brought back an alien organism, and two survivors: an old drunk and a baby. Racing against time, a team is assembled at Wildfire, a multi-level government installation buried beneath the Nevada desert, to isolate and contain the organism.

Over the next four days, they try to learn why the organism, code-named Andromeda, did not kill their two patients, who seem to have nothing in common. Wildfire is equipped with a nuclear-destruct device in case of emergency, and the film reaches a dramatic climax when it is accidentally triggered, forcing Olson to run a veritable gauntlet of lasers to abort the countdown.

It is a testament to the filmmakers' skill, and to the wide boundaries of the genre, that this methodical search for an "antagonist" invisible to the naked eye is as exciting as any space opera. The multitude of scientific data is presented clearly, never overwhelming the audience with technobabble, and the design of the Wildfire setting is both believable and visually interesting.

While telling a suspenseful story, Wise and Gidding explore how human error can often undermine even the most impressive technology and preparations. And because Andromeda is revealed to have been the result of a secret search for possible germ-warfare weapons, they are also able to shed some light on the morality of various Cold War issues, without being dogmatic.

With an effective electronic score by Gil Mellé (who composed the memorable theme for the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker), and special effects by the legendary Douglas Trumbull of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) fame, The Andromeda Strain received Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Best Film Editing. A miniseries remake has been announced for 2008.

External Links

• The Andromeda Strain at IMDB.com
• The Andromeda Strain at MRQE.com

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