IMDb > This Island Earth (1955)
This Island Earth
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This Island Earth (1955) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   3,217 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Raymond F. Jones (story)
Franklin Coen (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for This Island Earth on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 July 1955 (Finland) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The supreme excitement of our time! more
Plot:
Aliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
A Very Cunning Plan, Indeed
 (From doorQ.com. 1 November 2009, 11:08 AM, PST)

Bob Burns’ Screaming Video
 (From Fangoria. 22 October 2009, 2:34 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Nice Sci Fi Movie of the Fifties more (89 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Additional Details

Runtime:
87 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.00 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Recording)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The wooden crates used to deliver the "interociter" parts were themselves reused in the 1959 film Imitation of Life (1959). In a scene where Susan Kohner is beaten by Troy Donahue she slumps on a crate in an alley. On the top of the crate is stenciled "Ryberg Electronics", the company featured in This Island Earth (1955). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Cal and Ruth jump into the water, there is no plant life closer than four feet from them. When they leave the water, they are surrounded by plant life. more
Quotes:
Dr. Ruth Adams: My mind is my own, and nobody's going to change it! I'm not going into that room! more
Soundtrack:
Eine kleine Nachtmusik: 2nd Movement more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
25 out of 27 people found the following comment useful.
A Nice Sci Fi Movie of the Fifties, 20 April 1999
Author: Hitchcoc from United States

"This Island Earth" is not the greatest science fiction movie of all time, but it deserves more respect than it is often granted. The boys at MST3K (whom I think are great) may have done this film a great disservice. In its day, it was thoughtful, imaginative, and the special effects were excellent. I disagree with those who say there is no plot. The cold war fears and xenophobia were once again at the center of this fifties effort. The alien as our "friend" was later used in many settings, including one of the best of the "Twilight Zone" episodes, "To Serve Man."

I was young when I first saw this in a movie theater, but even then I found the home planet, Metaluma, very striking and its fate frightening. I fear that often our smugness in criticizing older films, judging them by standards that they could not have hoped to approach because of the limitations of the technology, keeps us from acceptance of their good points and their contributions. I have an acquaintance who can't watch the Maltese Falcon because it is in black and white. What a loss. The sets are striking in this film. The aliens are a bit of a stretch, but I still like what they are. I saw this movie a couple times in a theatre (not the MST version). As people left they were captivated and involved. When we left, we had had fun (not from ridiculing but enjoying). Granted there are no computer morphs and no giant metal bugs sucking brains out, but it is still good stuff.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for This Island Earth (1955)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Is the cat line intentionally wrong? skillen-3
A fan-fiction sequel for This Island Earth. larryman
what is an interociter?! mariehanson2003
Excellent, but Flawed Dejael
Cafe Metaluna Dejael
whoa man take it easy, we're in the tubes back here chappy422
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