Masters of Venus

Masters of Venus is a 1959 British science fiction film serial in 8 parts, made by the Children's Film Foundation for cinema distribution as a Saturday morning serial for children. It's directed by Ernest Morris, and stars Norman Wooland, Mandy Harper and Robin Stewart. It was made in black-and-white. This chapter serial is often misattributed as having been released rather later than its actual release date of 1959, as it was re-released frequently during the 1960s, including in 1962 and 1966. The screenplay concerns two children who are accidentally launched into space in a rocket built by their father, and land on the planet Venus. It was distributed as a weekly serial for Saturday morning cinema clubs, presented in eight 16-minute parts, each of which ends on a cliffhanger. The complete serial has a running time of 133 minutes (2 hours 13 minutes). In the 1950s and 1960s this type of serial was common, as a 'B' feature shown before the intermission, which was followed by a full-length feature film. Many such serials were made, by the Childrens' Film Foundation among others.