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IMDbPro

The Day the Sky Exploded

Original title: La morte viene dallo spazio
  • 19581958
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
738
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
65,474
9,083
The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
Sci-Fi
Scientists discover that a group of meteors are hurtling on a collison course with Earth, and if they hit, the planet will be destroyed.Scientists discover that a group of meteors are hurtling on a collison course with Earth, and if they hit, the planet will be destroyed.Scientists discover that a group of meteors are hurtling on a collison course with Earth, and if they hit, the planet will be destroyed.
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
738
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
65,474
9,083
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Paolo Heusch(credit only)
      • Mario Bava(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Virgilio Sabel(story)
      • Marcello Coscia(screenplay)
      • Sandro Continenza(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Paul Hubschmid
      • Madeleine Fischer
      • Fiorella Mari
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Paolo Heusch(credit only)
      • Mario Bava(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Virgilio Sabel(story)
      • Marcello Coscia(screenplay)
      • Sandro Continenza(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Paul Hubschmid
      • Madeleine Fischer
      • Fiorella Mari
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 35User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos18

    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
    The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paul Hubschmid
    Paul Hubschmid
    • John McLaren
    Madeleine Fischer
    Madeleine Fischer
    • Katy Dandridge
    • (as Madeline Fischer)
    Fiorella Mari
    • Mary McLaren
    Ivo Garrani
    Ivo Garrani
    • Prof. Herbert Weisse
    Dario Michaelis
    • Peter Leduq
    • (as Darrio Michaelis)
    Sam Galter
    • Randowsky
    Jean-Jacques Delbo
    • Sergei Boetnikov
    • (as Jean Jacques Delbo)
    Annie Berval
    • Lab Assistant
    • (uncredited)
    S. Louis Casta
    • Doctor
    • (uncredited)
    Gérard Landry
    Gérard Landry
    • Landowsky
    • (uncredited)
    Livio Lorenzon
    • British General
    • (uncredited)
    Peter Meersman
    • General van Dorff
    • (uncredited)
    Shane Rimmer
    Shane Rimmer
    • John McLaren
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Giacomo Rossi Stuart
    Giacomo Rossi Stuart
    • Stuart
    • (uncredited)
    Gianni Solaro
    • French General
    • (uncredited)
    Massimo Zeppieri
    • Dennis McLaren
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Paolo Heusch(credit only)
      • Mario Bava(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Virgilio Sabel(story)
      • Marcello Coscia(screenplay)
      • Sandro Continenza(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the American version of the credits, Mario Bava is inexplicably misspelled "Mario Baja".
    • Goofs
      In the control room there is a large world map which is drawn very poorly. One would expect such a map to be very accurate, but South America and Africa are clearly distorted.
    • Crazy credits
      For the English dubbed version, director of photography Mario Bava's name is given as "Mario Baja." His camera operator, Ubaldo Terzano, is listed as "Uraldo Terzano."
    • Connections
      Featured in Chiller Theater: The Day the Sky Exploded (2005)

    User reviews35

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Unusual for 1950s Sci Fi
    This little Italian oddity offers the drama of a world-wide disaster and the themes of international cooperation which were better capitalized by the Star Trek franchise and several similar disaster films of more recent vintage.

    The film is somewhat unique for its unusually jerky pace, clever low budget effects, odd use of stock footage, and strange cinematography. The Day the Sky Exploded begins as if it is going to be a space-flight adventure, but instead treats the space flight in a realistic, almost mundane manner, before proceeding to reveal the real plot - concerning the meteors. The astronaut (nicely played by Hubschmidt) is forced to eject from the nuclear powered rocket and the rocket flies off to .... where? before you know it, a cluster of meteors, probably blown off of some planet or perhaps the moon, is threatening to destroy the earth.

    Some of the 'scientists' allude to unknown religious beliefs and seem to think that some great big meanie out there has it in for us because we've ventured off our planet in a serious way for the first time (like the perspective offered by Star Trek First Contact inverted). The plot begins with the rocket launch and a great feeling of optimism and then proceeds into panic, and then a feeling of inevitable doom, as nobody seems able to come up with an adequate solution.

    There are also some amusing but really unnecessary romantic elements and some decent character development which help to round the film out in a general way. The acting is generally good, but there are a few really odd moments where people seem either too calm or absurdly evocative given the circumstances they are dealing with. There are also a couple of bad moments for the script, which may be a result of translation problems from the film's native language.

    I have noticed a lot of people making fun of the special effects. Sure, the dozens of stock footage clips of rockets being launched is over-done, and yeah, some of the scenes showing people and cars moving around in the parking lot of an unidentified building are kind of funny, but I actually enjoyed the primitive but creatively filmed scenes of asteroids and explosions. They were, at the very least, more artistically designed than some of what appears in contemporary films with similarly low budgets.
    helpful•20
    4
    • mstomaso
    • Jan 20, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 27, 1961 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • France
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Death Comes from Outer Space
    • Production companies
      • Royal Film
      • Lux Film
      • Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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