The War of the Worlds (1953) | |
| Director(s) | Byron Haskin |
| Producer(s) | George Pal, Cecil B. DeMille (executive uncredited) |
| Top Genres | Action, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller/Suspense |
| Top Topics | Aliens, Book-Based |
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The War of the Worlds Overview:
The War of the Worlds (1953) was a Action - Horror Film directed by Byron Haskin and produced by Cecil B. DeMille and George Pal.
The film was based on the novel War of the Worlds written by H. G. Wells published in 1898.
SYNOPSIS
H. G. Wells's 1898 novella of Martian invasion terrified radio audiences with Orson Welles's Mercury Theater production (1938) and this film adaptation continues to be a science-fiction favorite. Special-effects maestro Pal set the screen version in the U.S. (just as Welles did) as Martians looking for a new home land in the desert in what appear to be meteors and make a worldwide assault, easily defeating the human weapons, until they encounter a microscopic line of defense. Russian director Sergey Eisenstein was briefly considered for the project!
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.The War of the Worlds was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2011.
Academy Awards 1953 --- Ceremony Number 26 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Film Editing | Everett Douglas | Nominated |
The War of the Worlds BlogHub Articles:
1001 Classic Movies: The War of the Worlds (1953)
By Amanda Garrett on Oct 13, 2017 From Old Hollywood FilmsThe War of the Worlds (1953) is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see. This science fiction classic shows a Martian army (the creature in the photo) destroying downtown Los Angeles. Each week, I'm going to recommend a classic movie you should see (for the reasons behind the 1001 series ... Read full article
George Pal's Production of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds
By Rick29 on Jun 26, 2016 From Classic Film & TV CafeThe Martian machines and their force fields. H.G. Wells purists may quibble with George Pal's 1953 production of The War of the Worlds. True enough, little remains of the novel's original plot. However, Pal and director Byron Haskin successfully balance the large-scale scope of the Earth's desperat... Read full article
George Pal's Production of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds
By Rick29 on Jun 26, 2016 From Classic Film & TV CafeThe Martian machines and their force fields. H.G. Wells purists may quibble with George Pal's 1953 production of The War of the Worlds. True enough, little remains of the novel's original plot. However, Pal and director Byron Haskin successfully balance the large-scale scope of the Earth's desperat... Read full article
Now on Netflix: The War of the Worlds
By Amanda Garrett on Jan 7, 2015 From Old Hollywood FilmsThe groundbreaking science fiction classic The War of the Worlds is now available for streaming on Netflix. Director: Byron Haskin. Stars: Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. The plot: Martians invade a small town in California before beginning their invasion of earth. The bottom line: Produce... Read full article
The War of the Worlds (1953) with Gene Barry
By Greg Orypeck on Jan 8, 2014 From Classic Film FreakShare This! ?If they?re mortal, they must have mortal weaknesses. They?ll be stopped, somehow.???Gene Barry The original version of The War of the Worlds was a product of the horror/science fiction films of the 1950s following World War II and expressing latent fears of the hydrogen bomb and Russi... Read full article
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Quotes from The War of the Worlds
Commentary: The Martians had calculated their descent with amazing perfection and subtlety. As more of their cylinders came from the mysterious depths of space, their war machines, awesome in their power and complexity, created a wave of fear throughout the world.
Commentary: [voiceover] The Martians had no resistance to the bacteria in our atmosphere to which we have long since become immune. Once they had breathed our air, germs, which no longer affect us, began to kill them. The end came swiftly. All over the world, their machines began to stop and fall. After all that men could do had failed, the Martians were destroyed and humanity was saved by the littlest things, which God, in His wisdom, had put upon this Earth.
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Facts about The War of the Worlds
This is the first motion picture to film on the newly completed Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles known as The Stack. The producers got special permission to drive on it before it opened in 1953.
Filming was halted briefly, two days into filming, when Paramount discovered their filming rights to the novel were only for a silent version. It was quickly resolved through the kind permission of H.G. Wells's estate.
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