I'm 55 now and retired to Thailand (lucky old me!) but before I left the cold, wet misery of Blighty, I VT-ed a transmission of "Invasion", which I've LOVED ever since I first saw it, aged 14 (no major body-count, so a "U" certificate) as I knew I'd never find it out HERE.
In S.E. Asia, the lack of special effects (although the car that crashes into "nothing" is very well done) would bore the locals, weaned on the excesses of Hollywood - and aliens who are simply Chinese would puzzle them totally! But then, they would not realise that in mid-'60s England, Chinese people (other than in London's Gerrard Street) WERE alien to the average citizen - rather like a black tourist I met here, who hailed from Brixton and told me, "When I travel in rural areas, the kids look at me like I'm a Martian!" Of course, having Chinese aliens saved the producers the cost of SFX.
But do not be put off this EXCELLENT British movie by it's minuscule budget. It makes up for it in so many ways. Everyone says it's moody. This is helped by the crisp sound, pin-sharp b&w photography and virtual lack of background music.
But for me, the thing that MAKES "Invasion" is the BELIEVABILITY of the absurd plot, which is achieved by something many modern sci-fi movies lack. REALISTIC ACTING (even at 14, that blew me away). It's casual, smooth and apparently effortless. We are sucked in because we BELIEVE it. And when you consider the acting talent that was assembled, it's hardly surprising.
You BELIEVED the great Edward Judd and under-rated Valerie Gearon were doctors. You had to go out and get an ORANGE DRINK when the temperature started to climb. And "Invasion" was the first solid role I'd seen Barrie Ingham in - those EYES just bored through you.
It's a mark of the movie how LONG the principal actors' careers have lasted - some to THIS DAY. Living over here, I can tell you that more than forty years on, (E)Ric Young is STILL going strong in Hong Kong! There is NO movie, big or small, that has the easy pace, yet mounting tension, and sheer persuasion of "Invasion".
In S.E. Asia, the lack of special effects (although the car that crashes into "nothing" is very well done) would bore the locals, weaned on the excesses of Hollywood - and aliens who are simply Chinese would puzzle them totally! But then, they would not realise that in mid-'60s England, Chinese people (other than in London's Gerrard Street) WERE alien to the average citizen - rather like a black tourist I met here, who hailed from Brixton and told me, "When I travel in rural areas, the kids look at me like I'm a Martian!" Of course, having Chinese aliens saved the producers the cost of SFX.
But do not be put off this EXCELLENT British movie by it's minuscule budget. It makes up for it in so many ways. Everyone says it's moody. This is helped by the crisp sound, pin-sharp b&w photography and virtual lack of background music.
But for me, the thing that MAKES "Invasion" is the BELIEVABILITY of the absurd plot, which is achieved by something many modern sci-fi movies lack. REALISTIC ACTING (even at 14, that blew me away). It's casual, smooth and apparently effortless. We are sucked in because we BELIEVE it. And when you consider the acting talent that was assembled, it's hardly surprising.
You BELIEVED the great Edward Judd and under-rated Valerie Gearon were doctors. You had to go out and get an ORANGE DRINK when the temperature started to climb. And "Invasion" was the first solid role I'd seen Barrie Ingham in - those EYES just bored through you.
It's a mark of the movie how LONG the principal actors' careers have lasted - some to THIS DAY. Living over here, I can tell you that more than forty years on, (E)Ric Young is STILL going strong in Hong Kong! There is NO movie, big or small, that has the easy pace, yet mounting tension, and sheer persuasion of "Invasion".