It Conquered the World (1956)

A well meaning scientist guides an alien monster to Earth from Venus, so that he can rid mankind of feelings and emotions - but only death and sorrow results.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Lou Rusoff (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Graves, Beverly Garland, Lee Van Cleef

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter Graves	...	Dr. Paul Nelson
Beverly Garland	...	Claire Anderson
Lee Van Cleef	...	Dr. Tom Anderson
Sally Fraser	...	Joan Nelson
Russ Bender	...	Brig. Gen. James Pattick
Jonathan Haze	...	Pvt. Manuel Ortiz
Dick Miller	...	Sgt. Neil
Taggart Casey	...	Sheriff N.J. Shallert
Paul Harbor	...	Floyd Mason
Karen Kadler	...	Ellen Peters (as Karyne Kadler)
Charles B. Griffith	...	Dr. Pete Shelton (as Charles Griffith)
Marshall Bradford	...	U.S. Secretary Platt (as Marshal Bradford)
Thomas E. Jackson	...	George Haskell (as Tom Jackson)
David McMahon	...	Gen. Carpenter
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jim Knight	...	Bazooka Soldier

Storyline

One of several remaining members of its race, an alien from Venus is guided to Earth by disgruntled scientist Tom Anderson, who tells it which humans it should attach mind control devices to. Among them is his old friend, fellow scientist Paul Nelson. Nelson, after killing a flying bat-thing which carries the device, finally persuades the paranoid Anderson that he's been wrong to ally himself with an alien bent on world domination. They hurriedly leave when they discover Tom's wife has picked up a rifle and gone to the alien's cave to try to kill it.

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Plot Keywords:

mind control | world domination | creature feature | strangulation | power failure | 

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Taglines:

Every man its prisoner... every woman its slave!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in five days.

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Goofs

In the beginning of the movie when the satellite is launched, the camera rolls back to reveal more of the control room. As it does, you can clearly hear the squeaky wheels of the camera dolly.

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Quotes

Dr. Tom Anderson: Do you have any idea what you're listening to?
Paul Nelson: London Philharmonic?
Dr. Tom Anderson: It's Venus.
Paul Nelson: Uh-huh.
Dr. Tom Anderson: Venus.
Paul Nelson: Why not? We've bounced signals off the moon's surface. There's no reason that Venus shouldn't radiate impulses.
Dr. Tom Anderson: No, I don't mean the static. Can't you hear it? The other thing?
Paul Nelson: ...What other thing?
Dr. Tom Anderson: Listen to it, Paul! Listen to the voice!

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Alternate Versions

Australian DVD released by Siren (which features "Creature From The Haunted Sea" on the same disc) is taken from an old print which for some reason omits nearly every shot of the monster, leaving many scenes near the end totally incomprehensible.

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Connections

Referenced in After Sunset: The Life & Times of the Drive-In Theater (1995)

User Reviews

VINTAGE 50's PULP PARANOIA

In spite of the ridiculous, cucumber alien monster (which is fortunatedly kept off-screen through most of the film) this is actually an intelligent science-fiction thriller that's very much in an OUTER LIMITS vein.

Misanthropic scientist Lee Van Cleef makes contact with a being from Venus who promises to save mankind from his own self-destruction. Cleef paves the way for the alien to come to Earth, where it hides out in a hot springs cave outside of a small, remote Southern Californian town. Upon arriving, the being (or should I say invader) proves to have sinister plans of its own.

This early Corman quickie is quite good as long as you're not evaluating it based by today's high-tech standards. It's naive and unsportmanslike to condemn a film just because it was made decades before CGI was even invented.

The film has a certain disquieting mood about it. The remote setting adds to the sense of paranoia and isolation, and though the plot is sometimes critizied as being awkward, that tells me that the critic may be a short attention span member. You need to put some brainwork into your film viewing if you wish to gain any savory qualities from it. Whining because a planet isn't exploding every other minute is very superficial, and true science-fiction isn't for the shallow non-thinker who only has instant, immediate gratification on his non-mind.

A subtle sense of terror builds throughout (similar to INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS) as nearly the entire cast meet unspeakable fates. The story carrys a pertinent cautionary message: Blind devotion to a utopian ideal can lead to the worst kind of disillusionment and tragedy. History has taught us that many times over. Science-fiction is meant to be provocative and not just shallow, forgettable entertainment.

Sure, if this film had a higher budget, and perhaps a little more script polishing, it could have been one of the top fifties science-fiction films. As it is, it's interesting with intriguing possibilities, and as long as YOU haven't been taken over by high-tech effects and sales hype, you may find it worth taking a look at.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

It Conquered the World

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sunset Productions (III)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1