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 |
Featured Cast:
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 |
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
Commentary: Mars is more than 140 million miles from the sun, and for centuries has been in the last status of exhaustion. At night, temperatures drop far below zero even at its equator. Inhabitants of this dying planet looked across space with instruments and intelligences that which we have scarcely dreamed, searching for another world to which they could migrate. They could not go to Pluto, outermost of all planets. So cold, that even it's atmosphere lies frozen on it's surface. They couldn't go to Neptune, or Uranus. Twin worlds in eternal night and perpetual cold. Both surrounded by an unbreathable atmosphere of methane gas, and ammonia vapor. The Martians considered Saturn, and attractive world with it's many moons and beautiful rings of cosmic dust. But, it's temperature is close to 270 degrees below zero. And ice lies 15,000 miles deep on it's surface. Their nearest world was giant Jupiter, where there are titanic cliffs of lava and ice with hydrogen flaming at the tops, where the atmospheric pressure is terrible. Thousands of pounds to the square inch. Nor could they go to Mercury, nearest planet to the sun. It has no air, and the temperature at it's equator is that of molten lead.
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.
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Facts about
None of the original Martian war machines exist today. They were made out of copper, and after production, they were reportedly donated to a Boy Scout copper drive.
The scripture Pastor Matthew recites before he is disintegrated by the Martians is Psalms 23 from the King James version of the Bible.
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