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Submitted by cinemascope on Fri, 2006-06-23 15:16. :: Classic
Movie title:
Invaders From Mars
Starring:
Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Leif Erickson, Hilary Brooke
Directed by:
William Cameron Menzies
Written by:
John Tucker Battle, Richard Blake
Genre:
Sci-Fi
Year:
1953
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Runtime:
78 minutes
Imdb:
Rating:
Synopsis
Young David Maclean is the only one to see a UFO land in the sandpit at the back of his house, and he's definitely the only one who notices that people keep disappearing there and coming back as robot-like versions of themselves. Can he foil what turns out to be a Martain invasion plot?
Young David Maclean is the only one to see a UFO land in the sandpit at the back of his house, and he's definitely the only one who notices that people keep disappearing there and coming back as robot-like versions of themselves. Can he foil what turns out to be a Martain invasion plot?
Review
50s sci-fi in general - and Invaders From Mars in particular - satisfies on several levels these days: we can laugh at the ropey special effects and the clunky dialogue, and we can see through the very obvious subtext of the faceless and collective communist threat. But at the same time, when you hear (as you will on this week’s show) Stuart’s touching tale of enjoying the movie on a plastic 8mm toy projector as a child, you see that these films were the Dr Who of their time – effectively scary in their own way and compelling in their simplicity. Watching Invaders From Mars with an open mind, it’s actually a beautifully shot film considering its micro-budget, shooting blank sets with minimal props in an angular way that owes much to German Expressionism, and with the bold primary colours of Cinecolor, the B-movie director's only non black-and-white option. A splendid performance from Jimmy Hunt (now a 67 year-old great grandfather) is worth a special mention too.
50s sci-fi in general - and Invaders From Mars in particular - satisfies on several levels these days: we can laugh at the ropey special effects and the clunky dialogue, and we can see through the very obvious subtext of the faceless and collective communist threat. But at the same time, when you hear (as you will on this week’s show) Stuart’s touching tale of enjoying the movie on a plastic 8mm toy projector as a child, you see that these films were the Dr Who of their time – effectively scary in their own way and compelling in their simplicity. Watching Invaders From Mars with an open mind, it’s actually a beautifully shot film considering its micro-budget, shooting blank sets with minimal props in an angular way that owes much to German Expressionism, and with the bold primary colours of Cinecolor, the B-movie director's only non black-and-white option. A splendid performance from Jimmy Hunt (now a 67 year-old great grandfather) is worth a special mention too.
