It Came from Outer Space (1953)

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Ray Bradbury (story)
Harry Essex (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 October 1953 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror In 3-D... Reaching From The Screen To Seize You In Its Grasp!...

Plot:

A spaceship from another world crashes in the Arizona desert, and only an amateur stargazer and a schoolteacher suspect alien influence when the local townsfolk begin to act strange.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Arizona | Schoolteacher | Writer | Meteor

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Richard Carlson	...	John Putnam
Barbara Rush	...	Ellen Fields
Charles Drake	...	Sheriff Matt Warren
Joe Sawyer	...	Frank Daylon
Russell Johnson	...	George
Kathleen Hughes	...	Jane

Also Known As:

Atomic Monster (USA) (working title)
Strangers from Outer Space (USA) (working title)
The Meteor (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1953) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #16454)

Filming Locations:

Dead Man's Point, Lucerne Valley, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

The Universal make-up department submitted two alien designs for consideration by the studio executives. The design that was rejected was saved and then later used as the Mutant in Universal's This Island Earth (1955).

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: John follows Frank and George into the alley. Frank and George stand inside a doorway and warn John to leave them alone. While they talk there is a shadow of the boom mic moving around on the left wall, inside the doorway.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John Putnam: [off-screen] This is Sand Rock, Arizona, of a late evening in early spring. It's a nice town, knowing its past and sure of its future, as it makes ready for the night, and the predictable morning. The desert blankets the earth, cooling, resting for the fight with tomorrow's sun. And in my house near the town, we're also sure of the future. So very sure.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in It Came from Outer Space... and Stuff (1999)

Atmospheric and creepy

First of all let's get rid of that absurd notion that science fiction films of the fifties were merely a sub-conscious attempt to personify the threat from communism - this is a hackneyed idea, and far from the truth.

This is a thoughtfully crafted film, which like other good science fiction films of this era starts out portraying the aliens as monsters, only to reveal that they are benevolent and superior (how does this fit into the "Red Menace" theory?).

The screenplay was penned by Ray Bradbury and is full of very good dialog and ideas, especially the notion that we are not ready to meet such advanced civilizations. The scenes in the high desert are very atmospheric and creepy, and although the renderings of alien technology at first seem somewhat adolescent, there is a genuine sense of wonder when the internals of the alien ship are revealed. Something missing from today's, blase, computer generated, over the top, excesses.

The 3D is a useless appendage, and not worthy of discussion.

If you like science fiction pre-scifi channel and post-golden age, rent this movie and enjoy the atmosphere.