Invaders from Mars (1953)

Director:

William Cameron Menzies

Writers:

John Tucker Battle (story)
Richard Blake (writer)

Release Date:

22 April 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

NATURAL or SUPERNATURAL?

Plot:

A young boy learns that space aliens are taking over the minds of earthlings.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Police | Astronomer | UFO | Flying Saucer

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Helena Carter	...	Dr. Pat Blake, MD
Arthur Franz	...	Dr. Kelston - astronomer / Narrator
Jimmy Hunt	...	David Maclean - boy astronomer
Leif Erickson	...	Mr. George MacLean
Hillary Brooke	...	Mrs. Mary MacLean
Morris Ankrum	...	Col. Fielding
Max Wagner	...	Sgt. Rinaldi
Milburn Stone	...	Capt. Roth - army technician
Janine Perreau	...	Kathy Wilson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Phipps	...	Sgt. Baker (as Bill Phipps)

Runtime:

78 min | UK:83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Supercinecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G (TV rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #16228)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

National Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The school in the movie is named after William Cameron Menzies, the reissuer of the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the battle in the underground tunnels, when several of the Martian "mutants" are lumbering through the caves with their backs to the cameras, the zippers going down the backs of their costumes are clearly visible.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: The heavens. Once an object of superstition, awe, and fear. Now a vast region for growing knowledge. The distance of Venus, the atmosphere of Mars, the size of Jupiter, and the speed of Mercury. All this and more we know. But their greatest mystery the heavens have kept a secret...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Indiana Jones 4: The Return of a Legend (2008) (V)

Paranoid, Maybe-Serious, Very.

I saw this movie in it's 2nd or 3rd run, around 1957 I was about 10 years old (same age as David in the movie) and very naive concerning agendas and hidden messages. The hook was the very beginning with a spatial view of the stars, a vocal chorus that sounded 'heavenly' and segued in beautiful fashion. I was a stargazer, thrilled with what was starting to happen in the space race and interested in all things scientific. When you're 10, you don't look for zippers on martian suits, balloons that move when martians go past them, or things like that. What you notice is that some of the people in the movie echo individuals you know in real life. You begin to wonder if people who seem changed in real life have something in the back of their necks. Maybe you look for these markings after you leave the theater?

'Invaders' had a profound effect on me as a child, but then, so did "The Day The Earth Stood Still". I suspect that there wasn't a large budget to make this picture but am moved to say that it accomplished what it set out to do, both in sending a message and being real scary at the time. If you are a real 'Invaders' fan, try to find the 12" laser discs that came out in the late 70s. (2-12" laser disc set) It featured all the trailers and several different endings. I still watch it now and then and hope that I don't wake up in the same dream, every day.