The War of the Worlds (1953)

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

H.G. Wells (novel)
Barré Lyndon (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 August 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Amazing! terrifying! The most savage spectacle of all time!

Plot:

The film adaptation of the H.G.Wells story told on radio of the invasion of Earth by Martians.

Plot Keywords:

Martian | Invasion | Atomic Bomb | Alien Invasion | Panic

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Gene Barry	...	Dr. Clayton Forrester
Ann Robinson	...	Sylvia Van Buren
Les Tremayne	...	Maj. Gen. Mann
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Dr. Pryor (as Bob Cornthwaite)
Sandro Giglio	...	Dr. Bilderbeck
Lewis Martin	...	Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins
Houseley Stevenson Jr.	...	Gen. Mann's aide
Paul Frees	...	Second Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer
William Phipps	...	Wash Perry (as Bill Phipps)
Vernon Rich	...	Col. Ralph Heffner
Henry Brandon	...	Cop at Crash Site
Jack Kruschen	...	Salvatore
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Commentary (voice) (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cliff Clark	...	Australian Policeman (scenes deleted)
Rudy Lee	...	Boy (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording) (35 mm optical prints) | 3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Multi-Track Magnetic Stereophonic) (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #16011) (original rating) | Netherlands:12 | Spain:T | Germany:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | USA:G (re-rating) (1977) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1954) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | Canada:G

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The two Martian machines that crash in Los Angeles are really the same machine from a different angle with the film image reversed.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When General Mann appears at the base the Colonel first refers to him as "Colonel".

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tripping the Rift: Chode's Near Death-Experience (#2.12)" (2005)

Flawed adaptation and a bit dated, but a definite highlight of 50s sci-fi

H.G.Wells' The War Of The Worlds remains a terrifying novel, and two adaptations of it have justifiably passed into popular culture, the Orson Welles radio production in 1938 which convinced many Americans that creatures from Mars actually WERE invading Earth, and Jeff Wayne's 1978 musical album, which still holds up today. The film Independence Day was basically a semi-remake, and of course we are all probably looking forward to the Steven Spielberg version. Somewhat forgotten amongst all those is this 1953 film version, which is a shame. It has considerable flaws, and deviates form the book considerably. However, it's still very enjoyable.

One really needs to think how spectacular and darned frightening it must have seemed to 1953 audiences. Films about aliens visiting Earth had up to than been relatively low key, they would have aliens taking human form, or coming in peace, or just taking over a small town. Here, we had aliens intent on just one thing- the complete destruction and extermination of everything and everyone on Earth. Battles between the Martians and the army, Martian death rays frying huge numbers of people, the destruction of Los Angeles, there had been little like it before, and all this on a moderate budget, which is why the cast is strictly B Movie, although they are adequate to the film's needs.

Of course to a modern audiences many aspects are dated and may even seem laughable. The sometimes visible wires of the Martian death machines -surely they could have been removed with computer technology for the DVD?. The oft repeated stock shots of the military. The religious element, which would have offended the atheist Welles and even suggests God got rid of the Martians. Some VERY corny dialog.

Yet the film has some scenes which are still extremely effective. Most notable is a lengthy sequence in which the hero and heroine are trapped in a house by Martians, this remains genuinely scary. The designs of the briefly seen Martians, their death machines-wires notwithstanding- and their 'cameras' still look great. Of course one misses the huge tripods of the novel, and certain other aspects of the novel, such as the red weed. I'm sure Spielberg will deliver on much of this, even if he is adapting a story which will always be more effective when set in Victorian times. However, until than, this version is still worth seeing as one of the most memorable alien pictures of the 50s alongside The Day The Earth Still and Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.