Immediate Disaster (1954)
"Stranger from Venus" (original title)

A strange craft is spotted flying over Britain. Despite the hysteria, the army is confident of a simple explanation The same night Susan North ( ) is driving on a country road when she ... See full synopsis »

Director:

Burt Balaban

Writers:

Hans Jacoby (screenplay), Desmond Leslie (story)

Stars:

Patricia Neal, Helmut Dantine, Derek Bond

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Patricia Neal	...	Susan North
Helmut Dantine	...	The Stranger
Derek Bond	...	Arthur Walker
Cyril Luckham	...	Dr. Meinard
Willoughby Gray	...	Tom Harding
Marigold Russell	...	Gretchen Harding
Arthur Young	...	Scientist
Kenneth Edwards	...	Charles Dixon
David Garth	...	First Police Officer
Stanley Van Beers	...	General
Nigel Green	...	Second Police Officer
Graham Stuart	...	Police Chief Richards

Storyline

A strange craft is spotted flying over Britain. Despite the hysteria, the army is confident of a simple explanation The same night Susan North ( ) is driving on a country road when she hears reports of the object on the radio... See full synopsis »

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Plot Keywords:

human alien | fingerprints | venus the planet | remake | anti nuclear | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Venusian

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rich & Rich Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The distance to Venus is claimed to be "millions of lightyears." The actual distance to Venus is about three light minutes.

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Connections

Remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

User Reviews

Cheap Knockoff of the Day the Earth Stood Still

Well, imagine if "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was made with no special effects, no Gort, bad sound, and lots of actors with weird accents, and you'd have "Stranger from Venus".

Yes, borrowing the leading lady (who looks like she's phoning it in) and the basics of the plot (benign Christ-like alien comes to Earth and tells human race to knock it off) from the American version, this film blunders on for an hour and a half or so with no point, really.

I'm not sure what inspired the producers to make this film. It wasn't like all copies of "Earth" had vanished or something. I am less sure why Patricia Neal decided to lend her talents to this, unless someone just promised her a vacation in the British countryside.

Keep in mind, this was the 1950's, where people really believed benign aliens were visiting Earth with messages of peace, an offshoot of our own fears of nuclear war, and Charlatons like George Adamski made a lot of money doing it. So I guess people thought there was a market for this sort of thing.

Interesting to watch for buffs of 1950's Science Fiction, not much else to recommend it.