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IMDbPro

Five

  • 19511951
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Susan Douglas Rubes in Five (1951)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:02
1 Video
52 Photos
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi
The world is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. Only five Americans survive, including a pregnant woman, a neo-Nazi, a black man and a bank clerk.The world is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. Only five Americans survive, including a pregnant woman, a neo-Nazi, a black man and a bank clerk.The world is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. Only five Americans survive, including a pregnant woman, a neo-Nazi, a black man and a bank clerk.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Arch Oboler
  • Writers
    • Arch Oboler
    • James Weldon Johnson(poem "Creation")
  • Stars
    • William Phipps
    • Susan Douglas Rubes
    • James Anderson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Arch Oboler
  • Writers
    • Arch Oboler
    • James Weldon Johnson(poem "Creation")
  • Stars
    • William Phipps
    • Susan Douglas Rubes
    • James Anderson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 48User reviews
    • 35Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Five
    Trailer 2:02
    Five

    Photos52

    James Anderson, Susan Douglas Rubes, Earl Lee, and William Phipps in Five (1951)
    James Anderson, Susan Douglas Rubes, Earl Lee, and William Phipps in Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)
    Five (1951)

    Top cast

    Edit
    William Phipps
    William Phipps
    • Michaelas Michael
    Susan Douglas Rubes
    Susan Douglas Rubes
    • Roseanneas Roseanne
    • (as Susan Douglas)
    James Anderson
    James Anderson
    • Ericas Eric
    Charles Lampkin
    Charles Lampkin
    • Charlesas Charles
    Earl Lee
    • Mr. Barnstapleas Mr. Barnstaple
    • Director
      • Arch Oboler
    • Writers
      • Arch Oboler
      • James Weldon Johnson(poem "Creation")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed in a house called "Cliff House" designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was the home of the film's producer/writer/director, Arch Oboler, and sat on his 360-acre ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains along Mulholland Highway. Outdoor scenes were filmed on his property as well as other nearby locations in the Santa Monica Mountains. The "Cliff House" was burned to the ground - with only the foundations and chimney remaining - in the 2019 "Woolsey Fire," which swept through the area.
    • Goofs
      When looking at the soap box powder in the store, the name of the soap is "Atomic Suds" but when the box is tilted by the actor you can clearly see the box top reads "Tide".
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Roseanne: I want to help you.

    • Connections
      Featured in Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

    User reviews48

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Little seen, little remembered, but still a landmark
    Post-nuclear-war dramas centering on a small group of survivors now constitute an entire genre in science-fiction films. All of them, in some way or another, can be traced back to this seminal film from 1951 in which five people deal with the possibility they are the only human beings left alive on the planet.

    While most of the later movies exploited this possibility for B-movie thrills, "Five" adopts a quiet, contemplative tone which some may find dull but which thoughtful viewers are more likely to find, for want of a better word, haunting. There is something about this movie which gets under the skin and which lurks in the corners of the mind long after it's over.

    Especially memorable is the trip to the city made by two of the survivors. The images of skeletons sitting in cars and buses still have an impact with their silent, disturbing, even horrifying beauty.

    Some of the musical score now seems obtrusive and the dialog tends, at times, toward the pretentious -- perhaps a lingering effect from Arch Oboler's radio background -- but this low-budget, no-name, black-and-white production remains a landmark film which richly deserves to be rediscovered and honored.
    helpful•53
    7
    • dinky-4
    • Jan 21, 2003

    FAQ1

    • What is in the letter left behind for Michael?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1951 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 5ive
    • Filming locations
      • Arch Oboler House - 32436 Mulholland Highway, Malibu, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Arch Oboler Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $75,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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