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Topic: Invaders from Mars (1953 film)


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In the News (Wed 30 Dec 09)

  
  The DVD Journal | Quick Reviews: Invaders from Mars: 50th Anniversary Special Edition
There seems to be two schools of thought about Invaders from Mars, a semi-legendary low-low-budget 1953 story of a young boy who sees a spaceship land near his back yard, after which his parents and others transform into possessed, soulless saboteurs with tiny control devices implanted in their necks.
Invaders from Mars has acquired quite a reputation over the years, thanks to the hand of its director/designer William Cameron Menzies, whose bona fides included a designer's Academy Award for Gone With the Wind and director credits such as Things to Come and The Thief of Bagdad.
Invaders from Mars really is laughably camp and an often goony 79 minutes, but if that was its totality it would be utterly dismissed like so many of its kin today.
www.dvdjournal.com /quickreviews/i/invadersfrommars.q.shtml   (784 words)

  
 Mars in the Mind of Earth: Films
When we think of films about Mars, the first image in our minds is usually that of poorly costumed aliens emerging from a lazily smoking cardboard spaceship, kind of horrifying a mixed crowd of over acting second string movie stars and confused extras.
But films are not just movies, and science fiction films are not all poorly done or poorly acted.
Films are will eventually be organized by subject, but for now, just by title.
www.marsearth.com /films   (613 words)

  
 Travel Arrangements - Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-12)
Invaders from Mars (1953) is a classic tale of an all-American boy-hero named David battling malevolent aliens.
Flight to Mars (1951) was produced by Academy Award recipient Walter Mirisch in the other-worldly hues of Cinecolor.
Project Moonbase (1953) is an eerie Cold War-era epic that depicts an orbital space station and astronauts stranded on the Moon.
www.miamisci.org /www/spacetoysfilmfestival.html   (336 words)

  
 Invaders From Mars
Low-budget, high-impact 1953 science fiction film, by William Cameron Menzies (Academy Award-winning art director of Gone With the Wind), which both reflected and encouraged the xenophobia prevalent in post-War America.
In it, a flying saucer lands and buries itself in the ground outside an unsuspecting town.
The aliens are the communists trying to compel everyone, against their will, to become part of a system in which individuality is crushed and merged with an authoritarian whole.
www.daviddarling.info /encyclopedia/I/InvadersMars.html   (323 words)

  
 Mars in Pop Culture: Film :: Astrobiology Magazine - beginning study of life - Origin - evolution - life beyond Earth - ...
Mars was once thought to be the most likely of the planets to harbor life, and so was a great source of inspiration for filmmakers.
While Mars may not be the dangerous source of villains it once was, it is still a source of inspiration for many modern films.
Mars is running low on an important natural resource called Corium (whatever that is), so the Martians plan to steal the Earthmen's rocket and conquer Earth.
www.astrobio.net /news/article1624.html   (1838 words)

  
 Invaders from Mars (1953)- Moria The Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Review   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-12)
It belongs to a particular mini-genre of alien invader films that dealt with alien infiltration and duplication.
It is a film about the alienation of the familiar as the others in this cycle were, but the child’s eye perspective grants it a great deal more impact – it is about the alienation of parental figures, about a small child caught powerless in the force of suddenly sinister authority.
The middle of the film’s 78 minute running time is padded by quite a bit of stock footage of astronomical observatories and in particular of military maneuvers.
www.moria.co.nz /sf/invaders53.htm   (1045 words)

  
 Little Green Men from a Red Planet: Mars on Film
From early on, we presumed that the inhabitants of Mars would be smarter and more technologically advanced than humans, but would suffer the strongly anti-social urge to invade our planet and kill us.
In The Red Planet Mars (1952), seemingly Christian aliens delivered a benign message to Earth, obliterating Communism in the process, while the Martians began to infiltrate our way of life in Invaders from Mars (1953).
With the bright lights of the 1980s dimming, Mars had become a squalid place full of hookers, disfigured mutants and "terminium" ore-miners, ruled by power-hungry, oxygen-stingy tyrants.
www.space.com /sciencefiction/mars_film_991201.html   (963 words)

  
 Coffee coffee and more coffee: Invaders from Mars
In terms of use of color, much of the film is in shades of dark blue, fl and brown, with the Martian and his "mutants" in green with ray guns that emit a red light.
Even though care is shown in the color and composition of the film, some of the effects are spoiled by the screamingly obvious zippers on the back of the "mutants" rubber suits.
A film I would nominate for best use of color is William Wellman's Track of the Cat, a film that appears to be in fl and white except for the extremely limited use of other colors.
www.coffeecoffeeandmorecoffee.com /archives/2005/10/invaders_from_m.html   (580 words)

  
 Scifi Movies: SF Film Titles
For the first film, I'm pretty sure it is NOT the 1958 film "The Brain from Planet Arous" since that involves two floating brains.
It also has echoes of "invaders from Mars" (1953), except the invaders are directed by an octopus-like creature in a jar (there is no indication it flies out an crushes a man's head, but maybe it did happen).
As regards the second film, this might be in the "Angry Red Planet" (1960), except the monster in that film is described more as a rat-spider-crab creature than a dinosaur like monster.
en.allexperts.com /q/Scifi-Movies-2997/SF-Film-Titles.htm   (671 words)

  
 Invaders from Mars orginal one sheet   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-12)
- This 1953 film's director, William Cameron Menzies, was no stranger to the science fiction genre, having long before directed the visionary H. Wells adaptation, Things to Come (1936), and before that the 1924 Doug Fairbanks fantasy classic, The Thief of Baghdad.
Invaders from Mars would be one of the final two films that the respected director would finish, and his unique vision permeates this one as much as any other.
German Expressionist settings and touches flows through the film's major scenes, and the main message of the film is unusual for the age of McCarthyism: conformity is not necessarily a good thing—sometimes it can be fatal.
www.autographsmovieposters.com /Invaders_from_Mars_1sht.htm   (192 words)

  
 Close encounter - Science - theage.com.au
Mars, and the Jovan moon of Europa, are the only possible ET sites in the solar system.
Mars also began to feature prominently in the so-called “pulp-magazines” such as Amazing Stories and Astounding that were popular in the first half of that century.
Mars seems to have been much more hospitable to life than Earth was billions of years ago, which is why some scientists favour it as the cradle of life.
www.theage.com.au /articles/2003/08/03/1059849277961.html   (1991 words)

  
 Amazon.co.uk: Invaders From Mars [1953]: Video: Helena Carter,Arthur Franz,Jimmy Hunt,Leif Erickson,Hillary ...   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-12)
This 1953 film was also the last one directed by William Cameron Menzies, who is best known as the production designer on "Gone With the Wind" but who also directed "Things to Come," the 1936 science fiction classic based on the H.G. Wells novel.
This becomes particularly effective because the film is obviously geared at adolescents, not only in terms of its young protagonist but also in terms of materializing the traditional fears of adolescents (your parents and every adult in town is out to make sure you have no fun whatsoever).
The conclusion of this film is the weakest part, on several levels, ranging from the level of special effects and zippered alien costumes to the "epilogue" (you will understand when you see the film).
www.amazon.co.uk /Invaders-Mars-Helena-Carter/dp/B00004CTYN   (1125 words)

  
 invadersfrommars
The film does a good job of setting up an eerie tension around the Martians landing and it builds up a dark mood around the small-town that is invaded and the fear that a young boy has when his parents are abducted.
As the film progresses we want to know if the kid's parents can be saved, if they can get the crystal devices out of the heads of those abducted, and if there is life in outer space.
This film was made 46 years ago, but seems as if it came from a time that will never be with us again.
www.sover.net /~ozus/invadersfrommars.htm   (848 words)

  
 dOc DVD Review: Invaders From Mars: SE (1953)
While Menzies' film has its share of eye-rolling visual idiosyncrasies (like using the same long halled for the police station AND the laboratory sets), the underlying story is pure pre-space program, imaginative sci-fi.
Image Transfer Review: This 50th anniversary version of Invaders From Mars was made from the original 35mm Cinecolor release print master which, according to the liner notes, is "preserved in cold climate-controlled vaults in Kansas along with such classics as The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind".
Kudos to Image for the inclusion of both versions of the film; it is a nice touch, befitting this 50th anniversary release.
www.digitallyobsessed.com /showreview.php3?ID=4304   (1247 words)

  
 Amazon.com: Invaders from Mars (Special Edition): DVD: Helena Carter,Arthur Franz,Jimmy Hunt,Leif Erickson,Hillary ...   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-12)
The cold-war paranoia of the McCarthy era had America in its grip when the original Invaders from Mars was released in 1953, and this atmospheric, highly influential science fiction film--the first of its kind to be filmed in color--was perfectly in tune with the mood of its time.
Inevitably, the film is now dated in a number of ways--the "zippers" on the backs of the Martians are often mentioned--but it still has power too.
As others have noted, Menzies gave this film a terrific" look--that hill with the broken fence, the swirling sand, the strange music--this is an image that has stayed with me most of my life.
www.amazon.com /Invaders-Mars-Special-Helena-Carter/dp/B0000714AG   (1855 words)

  
 FEMALE SPACE INVADERS
Reports of a film's lack of quality will make me seek out the offending movie more strongly than good reviews will ever effect me. Never sure if this sad character flaw is simple mad curiosity or a slightly suppressed masochistic streak, I gave up fighting it years ago.
When I watch a film with as bad a rep as this, part of me hopes for a hidden 'alternative classic' (such as Plan 9 From Outer Space) but another part hopes for a wretched, soul deadening experience that causes me to seek solace in drink or charity work (think Van Helsing).
As the film begins they are being pursued by law officers Thor (Robert Tessier) and Elle, a sentient robot voiced by Hamilton Camp as some kind of Texas moron.
www.eccentric-cinema.com /cult_movies2006/female_space_invaders.htm   (1406 words)

  
 Mars: The Planet Hollywood Loves to Hate
Judging from the plotlines of more than a dozen films made about Mars since the 1950s, its inhabitants are almost always angry, greedy creatures hot to invade Earth for -- take your pick -- its air, its water, its women.
Rare is the film that tries to put a human face on the Martians as in Flight to Mars (1951) when the people there look just like the people here.
No one whipped up Mars fever more than Percival Lowell, a Massachusetts businessman turned astronomer, who in the 1890s thought he saw green lines on the planet.
www.space.com /sciencefiction/movies/mars_bad_films.html   (691 words)

  
 Invaders From Mars
Let me be brief (considering this review is way overdue): in Invaders From Mars, All-American kid Jimmy discovers a Martian plot to conquer Earth, realizing that aliens are taking over the locals in his town (and members of his family).
This is a film from what I affectionately refer to as the lowest period of movie Horror, the Fifties.
It seems like I had some nice things to say about this film back when I saw it, but all of that was either completely obliterated by the stupid last ten minutes, or forgotten with the passage of time.
www.xmission.com /~tyranist/horror/reviews/i/InvadersfromMars.html   (478 words)

  
 Aussie Diary » War of the Worlds
A comparison of these two films, released half a century apart, reveals a dramatic change or, perhaps, realignment, in the fears and perceived threats that have pervaded the United States society from the Cold War of the mid to late twentieth century to the current ‘War on Terrorism’.
In his version of the Wells’ classic, though the invaders still come from Mars, their machines have been hidden underground like the so-called ‘sleepers’, the outwardly ordinary members of the community who suddenly become suicide bombers or hijackers.
While Haskin’s film begins with images of weaponry, Spielberg’s begins with images of citizens going about their normal everyday activities, images of people commuting to work as they would have been when the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
www.aussiediary.com /?p=169   (1279 words)

  
 DVD Confidential: DVD Review: Invaders From Mars (B)
One of the classics of the 50's sci-fi genre, Invaders From Mars is a solid B movie.
Speaking of the effects I have to point this out though: at the end of Invaders From Mars, there is a bizarre montage scene where everything in the movie flies over David backwards, with strange colors morphing in and out.
For fans of 50's sci-fi films, Invaders From Mars is a great choice dont be afraid to give this one a try.
www.dvdconfidential.com /2004/10/dvd-review-invaders-from-mars-b.html   (326 words)

  
 INVADERS FROM MARS
If the story sounds familiar then you have probably seen the original 1953 film (of the same title) of which this is a remake by producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
The film’s tempo is quick, but that could perhaps be the problem.
Ultimately Invaders from Mars is the sort of movie that you wouldn’t mind seeing for free late on TV one night, but isn’t worth shelling out any hard-earned bucks for.
www.scifimoviepage.com /invadersmars.html   (738 words)

  
 Cheapo Review for Invaders From Mars (1953)
Stuart Kelston, the friendly head of the local observatory played by professionally friendly character actor Arthur Franz (apparently recovered from his case of the grumps in Flight To Mars) who also happens to be enough of an acquaintance of David's to vouch for him.
Seems that David's dad is working on a rocket (actually the MARS ship from Flight To Mars) for an orbiting space platform that might be disturbing the martian's mojo.
Sure it's not as bad as Red Planet Mars (what is?) and this footage is of army tanks and stuff (which is cool), it drags on so long that it still puts a big ol' spike through the an otherwise beautifully paced film and takes a lot sting out of a terrific climax.
alansmithee.5u.com /junkdrawer/scifi/1953/ifm.html   (1645 words)

  
 The Mars Movie Guide
Anime -- Set on Mars in the year 2071, a tanker truck is blown to smithereens in the middle of a busy street, and a deadly viral infection is released with the explosion.
Later, it is discovered that the mission was a failure and as the astronaut was on Mars he died of an undetermined condition either due to toxic poisoning due to conditions on Mars or some unknown bacteria native to Mars.
Mars is running low on one of their natural resources (Corium), and plan to steal the Earth astronauts' rocket and conquer Earth.
marsmovieguide.com   (13444 words)

  
 The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Also like Invaders from Mars, the whole film moves with the logic of a fever dream, all intense close-ups, hallucinatory visions, and suggestions of going underground.
The arrival of PFC Al Melvin (Jeffrey Wright) in Marco's life, armed as Melvin is with the kind of madman's journal that Se7en made fashionable, convinces Marco to try to contact Shaw and unravel the secret of a few lost days for their patrol on the border of Kuwait.
We're deep in the territory of Jacob's Ladder here (and Jacob's Ladder is a superior film in most respects, mainly thanks to its lack of contemporary politicism), but the comparison holds in their atmospheres, both pervasive with a close, consumptive dread.
filmfreakcentral.net /screenreviews/manchuriancandidate2004.htm   (843 words)

  
 Invaders From Mars (1953): Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Jimmy Hunt - PopMatters Film Review
The received wisdom about movies like Invaders From Mars would probably say that this reading is an illusion conjured by fifty years of hindsight, the imposition of a deconstructive aesthetic onto a monolithic time.
The Freudian slip is an impulse the conscious mind rejects, channeled instead through language to relieve some of the pressure it applies on the psyche.
In Invaders From Mars, the narrator, while telling us we should be very worried about outer space, trips up and accidentally reveals that there are great perils in the path to technological perfection right here on terra firma.
popmatters.com /film/reviews/i/invaders-from-mars.shtml   (1857 words)

  
 CBS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Its unique format of telling a contemporary version of the story in the form of faux news broadcasts had many CBS listeners panicked that invaders from Mars were actually devastating Grovers Mill, New Jersey, despite 3 disclaimers during the broadcast that it was a work of fiction.
CBS would later revive the format for television in the 1990s to tell the story of asteroids crashing to Earth, but the television format allowed for disclaimers to air at every commercial break, avoiding a replay of what happened in 1938.
An example of CBS's graphic-design particularity: on all official CBS letterhead, a tiny dot (at most a point in diameter) was pre-printed to indicate to a secretary where the typewriter carriage should be positioned for the salutation of a letter.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/CBS   (3629 words)

  
 Invaders From Mars
While this film is at face value one of many such genre flicks of the fifties it rises above the lot for several reasons.
I know that this is not just a personal feeling since once my wife was talking to her sister about the film an invoked vivid memories of it by wiggling her fingers under her chin and shouting ‘Mutant’.
Appreciate this film either as a part of your childhood revisited or for the younger viewers where the modern Sci-Fi films today came from.
www.hometheaterinfo.com /invaders_from_mars.htm   (966 words)

  
 IGN: Invaders From Mars Review
March 12, 2003 - Invaders From Mars is one of the classics of golden age science fiction, right up there with Forbidden Planet, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and When Worlds Collide.
There are other nonsensical things about the film that can be chalked up to those crazy repressed 50's, like how the scientists know so much about martians when they've just found out about them and how they can figure out their technology.
Invaders From Mars was released in 1953, long before anyone thought about preserving films.
dvd.ign.com /articles/389/389146p1.html   (1195 words)

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