20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

The first U.S. spaceship to Venus crash-lands off the coast of Sicily on its return trip. A dangerous, lizard-like creature comes with it and quickly grows gigantic.

Director:

Nathan Juran

Writers:

Robert Creighton Williams (screenplay), Christopher Knopf (screenplay),

Stars:

William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Frank Puglia

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Hopper	...	Col. Robert Calder
Joan Taylor	...	Marisa Leonardo
Frank Puglia	...	Dr. Leonardo
John Zaremba	...	Dr. Judson Uhl
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Maj. Gen. A.D. McIntosh (as Thomas B. Henry)
Tito Vuolo	...	Commissario Charra
Jan Arvan	...	Signore Contino - Government Official
Arthur Space	...	Dr. Sharman
Bart Braverman	...	Pepe (as Bart Bradley)

Storyline

The first spaceship to visit Venus crash lands in the sea, freeing a small native Venusian creature called the Ymir. Eventually growing to enormous size, it threatens the city of Rome.

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Plot Keywords:

venusian | military | alien | sicily | astronaut | 

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Taglines:

Out-Of-Space Creature Invades the Earth!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Giant Ymir

Filming Locations:

Hyperion Water Treatment Facility - 12000 Vista Del Mar, Playa del Rey, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Morningside Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Ymir is a vegetarian, eating grain when first attacked by the farmer with a pitchfork.

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Goofs

The Marines board the helicopter with plain metal helmets. Later, they assemble wearing cloth camouflage helmet covers.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mondello: Pepe! Is it your desire that the fishes, they swim away? Come on! Pull up on the net, here.

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Connections

Edited from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

User Reviews

Harryhausen delivers --- as always!

The thing that distinguished Ray Harryhausen's movies from other '50s science fiction pictures was truth in advertising. Other producers crammed their posters with all kinds of things you knew you were never going to see on the screen, but with Harryhausen you got what was advertised and then some, whether it was flying saucers decimating Washington or (as in this case) a giant Venusian reptile terrorizing Rome. This movie is fast-paced, well-made, and intelligently crafted. The scene in the barn is a gem. And enough of this crap about the special effects being old fashioned. We're not talking about fashion here, children, we're talking about art. Stop-motion is an art form in itself and it may only appeal to minority tastes but so what. To slam Haryhausen's work for not looking like CGI graphics is like criticizing Rembrandt for creating pictures with a brush and paint instead of using a digital camera. Fashions change, art endures. That's your lesson for today.