Invaders from Mars (1953)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

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 | UFO | Flying Saucer | Astronomer

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)
Fay Baker	...	Mrs. Wilson (uncredited)
Barbara Billingsley	...	Kelston's secretary (uncredited)
Peter Brocco	...	Brainard, Wilson's aide (uncredited)
Charles Cane	...	Old cop Blaine who vanishes (uncredited)
Tommy Cottonaro	...	Mutant (uncredited)
Richard Deacon	...	MP (uncredited)
Pete Dunn	...	Mutant (uncredited)
John Eldredge	...	Mr. Turner (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Gen. Mayberry (uncredited)
Bert Freed	...	Police Chief A.C.Barrows (uncredited)
Charles Gibb	...	Lt. Blair (uncredited)
Gil Herman	...	Maj. Clary (uncredited)
Bob Herron	...	Martian (uncredited)
Todd Karns	...	Jim, gas station attendant (uncredited)
Douglas Kennedy	...	Tall cop Jackson who vanishes (uncredited)
Paul Klott	...	Mutant (uncredited)
Lock Martin	...	Mutant carrying David to 'Intelligence' (uncredited)
Harry Monty	...	Mutant (uncredited)
Max Palmer	...	Mutant carrying Dr Blake to 'Intelligence' (uncredited)
Luce Potter	...	Martian head ('Intelligence") (uncredited)
Walter Sande	...	Police desk sgt. Finlay (uncredited)
Robert Shayne	...	Dr. Bill Wilson (uncredited)
George Spotts	...	Mutant (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Pentagon Chief of Staff (uncredited)
Ed Wolff	...	Mutant (uncredited)

Directed by
William Cameron Menzies

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Tucker Battle		story
Richard Blake		writer

Produced by
Edward L. Alperson	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Mort Glickman		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
John F. Seitz

Film Editing by
Arthur Roberts

Production Design by
William Cameron Menzies

Art Direction by
Boris Leven

Set Decoration by
Edward G. Boyle

Costume Design by
Norma Koch		(as Norma)

Makeup Department
Ruby Felker	....	hair stylist
Gene Hibbs	....	makeup artist
Anatole Robbins	....	special makeup production

Production Management
Ben Chapman	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ben Chapman	....	assistant director
Leonard Kunody	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Earl Crain Sr.	....	sound

Special Effects by
Jack Cosgrove	....	special photographic effects

Visual Effects by
Irving Block	....	matte artist
Irving Block	....	optical effects
Howard Lydecker	....	miniature & mech. fx
Jack Rabin	....	matte artist
Jack Rabin	....	optical effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Oliver Konitz	....	wardrobe: women
Gene Martin	....	wardrobe: men

Editorial Department
Clifford D. Shank	....	color consultant

Music Department
Raoul Kraushaar	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Mary Yerke	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• National Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rank Film (1954) (Italy) (theatrical)
• J. Arthur Rank Film (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Allotria Filmi (1958) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Wade Williams Productions (1976) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Fox Hills Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Media Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS) (as Nostalgia Merchant)
• UAV Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Englewood Entertainment (video)
• GoodTimes Home Video (video)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• UAV Entertainment (USA) (DVD)

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 special effects department used condoms to create the "bubbles" on the walls of the underground tunnels.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Several shots throughout the film are "flipped", run in reverse, apparently to lengthen some sequences. This includes the military police chase of McLean's car after his attempt on Dr. Wilson's life (the vehicles' steering wheels are clearly on the "right" in the flipped sequences), a reversed shot of the fence and path, and numerous shots underground of the Martians and soldiers running through the tunnels.

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:

Featured in The Eye Creatures (1965) (TV)

Nostalgia probably has a lot to do with my affection for this film.

It could never be legitimately argued as one of the masterworks of Cinema. And, while its director was at the very least always regarded as competent, and more usually engaged as a production designer, he would never even be considered by critics when ranking the greats.

But at a time when computerised sleight-of-hand can achieve the impossible in depiction of alien worlds, few modern science-fiction films can match the portrayal of a young boy's fear and wonderment of the unknown as depicted in the original version of Invaders from Mars.

Nostalgia probably has a lot to do with my affection for this film. Although the original release date of the film was before my time, even some years later the early 1960's Irish schoolboys were still endlessly fascinated with the possibility of flying saucers. And while we wanted to believe that there really was something out there, the Red Planet was seen as this great evil place which we had to be constantly wary of.

So I really do identify with Jimmy Hunt and his sense of wonder. But the film is more than just a festival for nostalgia-freaks.

The wonderful design and look of the film, those marvellous garish colours; the feeling of alienation (sorry) by Jimmy when it seems that not only can he not trust the local police but even his parents seem to be under the control of the aliens. And that wonderful ending when it seems that the nightmare will never end.

Of course you can pick faults: the master alien is rather ridiculous looking. And the scenes of the aliens running through the tunnels would never strike dread in you. But I'm sure the budget, even by the standards of the time was not much above Poverty Row. But these are minor quibbles. Its the overall impact that matters most. And the accurate portrayal of the concerns of the time.

I know there are many films of the 1950's which Americans maintain are allegories of the McCarthy witch-hunts and the Cold War. I don't know about that. But I do know that however much I may admire the computerised sci-fi films of the 80's and 90's, this film will always have a special place in my collection.