A small town in California is attacked by Martians.
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Title: The War of the Worlds (1953)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Gene Barry | ... | ||
| Ann Robinson | ... | ||
| Les Tremayne | ... | ||
 |
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. | ... |
Gen. Mann's Aide
(as Housely 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 | ... | |
| Henry Brandon | ... |
Cop at Crash Site
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| Jack Kruschen | ... | ||
| 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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Edit
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
H.G. Well's classic novel is brought to life in this tale of alien invasion. The residents of a small town in California are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills. Their joy is tempered somewhat when they discover that it has passengers who are not very friendly. The movie itself is understood better when you consider that it was made at the height of the Cold War--just replace Martian with Russian.... Written by KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu>
Taglines:
Amazing! terrifying! The most savage spectacle of all time! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
26 August 1953 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Kampf der Welten See more »Filming Locations:
Westminster Presbyterian Church - 1757 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$2,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (5.0) (L-R)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
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.
See more »
(uncredited)
Written by Zip Wilson
Performed by Zip Wilson
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Albert Nozaki based his designs of the Martian machines on the shape and movements of manta rays, cobras, and swans. See more »Goofs
(at around 24 mins) A news reporter is describing what he's seeing as he looks in the distance at the site of the alien "meteor." Suddenly there's a bright green light, obviously from the aliens, but the actor (evidently as a reflex) looks up and to his left in the direction of the off-camera light source, and then quickly back to the aliens. 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.
See more »
Soundtracks
Flop-Eared Mule (Without Calls)(uncredited)
Written by Zip Wilson
Performed by Zip Wilson
See more »
For it's day; and, even this day, this is classic, almost perfect, masterpiece. Brilliant design work on the alien ships, incredible sound effects, and sharp, vivid colors. Pacing in this film is tight, and Barry's performance as a scientist in giddy awe of the alien's capabilities is masterful. Finally, the realism of the story telling is unrivalled in most modern science fiction films. All right, it's not true to Wells' original, but what's wrong with updating the story, especially when it is this effective.