The War of the Worlds (1953)

A small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

H.G. Wells (based on the novel by), Barré Lyndon (screenplay by)

Stars:

Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Barry	...	Dr. Clayton Forrester
Ann Robinson	...	Sylvia Van Buren
Les Tremayne	...	Maj. Gen. Mann
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Dr. Pryor (as Bob Cornthwaite)
Sandro Giglio	...	Dr. Bilderbeck
Lewis Martin	...	Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins
Houseley Stevenson Jr.	...	Gen. Mann's Aide (as Housely Stevenson Jr.)
Paul Frees	...	Second Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer
William Phipps	...	Wash Perry (as Bill Phipps)
Vernon Rich	...	Col. Ralph Heffner
Henry Brandon	...	Cop at Crash Site
Jack Kruschen	...	Salvatore
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Commentary (voice) (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)

Storyline

H.G. Wells' 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.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | martian | invasion | atomic bomb | panic | 

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Taglines:

Now after two years in the making! H.G. Wells' most famous and fantastic story comes to the screen.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Recordings of real artillery shells was used to created the sound of the meteor landing.

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Goofs

When Clayton and Silvia have breakfast together, he starts to pour some coffee into her cup. In the next shot, he is already handing the cup back to her.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

As of 2018, a 4K ultra high resolution edition has been made available on streaming services such as iTunes. This version features new replacements for many of the film's original sound effects, with the jarring result that the sound effects have fidelity far above that of surrounding dialogue in the film.

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Connections

Spoofed in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: The Death of Harvey: Part 1 (2007)

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Soundtracks

Flop-Eared Mule (Without Calls)
(uncredited)
Written by Zip Wilson
Performed by Zip Wilson

User Reviews

Still a classic after 50 years!

This film is easily one of the Top Ten of the Sci-Fi genre. Producer George Pal and director Byron Haskin certainly reached a creative plateau back in 1953 that is seldom attained even now in the current age of CGI effects and ear-splitting soundtracks.

I was lucky to attend the 50th anniversary screening in Hollywood recently, with Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, other actors and production people from the film, and 'Mr. Sci-Fi' Forrest J. Ackerman, all in attendance. To see it on a full size theater screen for the first time, and with these people there, was the thrill of a lifetime, for sure!

The Martians and their war machines in this movie are still some of the best and most memorable designs in the history of science fiction films. The color cinematography and musical score also hold up very well. And any film that starts off with the beautiful space art paintings of Chesley Bonestell has my vote of approval. Also, Jack Northrup's Flying Wing bomber puts in a splendid cameo appearance.

Simply the best 'alien invasion' type film ever made - bar none!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

26 August 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

The War of the Worlds

Filming Locations:

Westminster Presbyterian Church - 1757 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (5.0) (L-R)

Color:

Color (Technicolor) Black and White (newsreel archive footage before opening credits)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1