The War of the Worlds (1953)
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The film adaptation of the H.G.Wells story told on radio of the invasion of Earth by Martians. Director:Byron Haskin |
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Top Billed Cast
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
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Gene Barry | ... | |
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Ann Robinson | ... | |
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Les Tremayne | ... | |
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Robert Cornthwaite | ... |
Dr. Pryor
(as Bob Cornthwaite)
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Sandro Giglio | ... | |
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Lewis Martin | ... | |
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Houseley Stevenson Jr. | ... | |
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Paul Frees | ... |
Second Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer
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William Phipps | ... |
Wash Perry
(as Bill Phipps)
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Vernon Rich | ... | |
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Henry Brandon | ... | |
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Jack Kruschen | ... | |
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Cedric Hardwicke | ... |
Commentary
(voice)
(as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Cliff Clark | ... |
Australian Policeman
(scenes deleted)
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Rudy Lee | ... |
Boy
(scenes deleted)
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Storyline
H.G. Well's classic novel is brought to life is this tale of alien invasion. The resisdents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills. Thier joy is tempered some what when they discover it has passengers who are not very friendly. The movie itself is understood better when you consider it was made at the height of the Cold War - just replace Martian with Russian... Written by KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu>
Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis | Keywords (Spoiler Alert!) »Taglines:
Amazing! terrifying! The most savage spectacle of all time! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »Fun Facts
Trivia
Two of the characters from Orson Welles's 1938 radio broadcast (portrayed in the film by different actors), Prof. Pearson (the main player in the radio broadcast), and the ill-fated journalist Carl Phillips make brief appearances at the site of the first Martian landing. See more »Goofs
Revealing mistakes: When Salvatore tips his hat back, one can see the line on his forehead where the make-up stops at the hat line. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Radio Reporter: [voiceover] In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science, menacing all mankind and every creature on the Earth comes the War of the Worlds.
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George Pal redeems himself after the appalling special effects from "When Worlds Collide" by giving us one of the best science fiction movies from the 1950's. Without the use of Industrial Light & Magic or THX, George Pal created the near-perfect illusion of flying swan-like Martian machines attacking the Earth. (Near-perfect because you can faintly see the wires) Ann Robinson gives a BRILLIANT performance as "The damsel in distress". Sandro Giglio (from "When Worlds Collide") returns as one of the scientists. Also Leith Stevens returns from "When Worlds Collide" to provide the music. You'll notice too that some of the footage from this movie comes from "When Worlds Collide". I must add...look for George Pal & Byron Haskins as the hobos listening to the radio.