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Dedications
Dedicated in loving memory of my wonderful parents:-
Konstantinos (Dino) Christopoulos who took me to see my very first science fiction film in the early 1960s, The Man With The X-Ray Eyes (1963)
Rosemary Christopoulos who sat with me after school as I watched on TV episodes the first two doctors of the Doctor Who series and insisted on asking me interminable questions about who was who and what was going on! Thanks mum and dad!
The SCI-FI FILM FIESTA eBook series is intended as a salute to the pioneering work of science fiction film makers. May future generations have the privilege of enjoying your work and never stop wondering....What if?
Dedicated also to you, the reader who appreciates these classic gems from the golden age of sci-fi film-making. It is you who help to keep such films alive for future generations to enjoy
Other eBooks in the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series:
Volume 1: “Here Be Monsters”
Volume 2: “Into Space”
Volume 3: “Other Worlds”
Volume 4: “Journeys Within”
Sci-Fi Film Fiesta
VOLUME 5:
“Alien Contact”
©Chris Christopoulos 2022
CONTENTS
The Thing: From Another World (1951)
The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955)
INTRODUCTION
Following our discovery of the presence of an increasing number of exo-planets beyond our solar system, many people are convinced that we’ll soon detect planets with conditions that are suitable for life to exist and thrive. From that we’ll then be able to determine that some form of life does in fact exist on one or more of these exo-planets. The question then arises as to whether we’ll ever be able to detect the existence of what we understand to be ‘intelligent’ alien life elsewhere in the universe. I firmly believe that during the course of this century we’ll know for certain about one or more of these possibilities.
Our assumptions about the existence and very nature of intelligent alien life will no doubt be defined by our limited experience of what constitutes intelligence, what defines something as being alive, and what elements are required for life to occur and for intelligence to develop. Our experience only extends as far as the conditions prevalent on our own planet, what we understand to be the laws of physics and biology and from what we have gleaned from robotic and remote sensing of various bodies in own solar system. It’s like wandering about the backyard of our homes and extrapolating from what we observe there about what the rest of the world must be like.
Instead of leaping to conclusions, making rash assumptions and succumbing to wishful thinking, it would be better to pose a series of questions about the presence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe and the possibility of our ever being able to establish contact with such entities:
Are we perhaps completely alone (and unique) in the universe? Rather a bleak prospect and however unlikely, it should be considered a possibility. Hard to imagine though when you look up at the night sky miles from any city or ponder the star-scapes from the Hubble and James Webb telescopes!
If life is indeed prevalent throughout the universe, is the human species the only one with what could be recognized as possessing intelligence of the level that enables it to communicate and travel beyond the confines of its home planet? Perhaps there were a completely unique set of circumstances that combined to enable a single intelligent life form to come into being – circumstances that failed to combine in just the right way elsewhere? Seems unlikely, but still a possibility.
Accepting that intelligent civilizations developed elsewhere in the universe at various times since its formation, do such civilizations exist within our own time frame, or have they blinked out of existence due to acts of self-destruction or from natural causes, or are in fact yet to emerge? If we accept this scenarios, then it may go some way top explaining why we may have been unable to detect any transmissions from such civilizations or any indications that they exist.
It is assumed that an intelligent alien civilization that wished to communicate with other civilizations would employ mathematics as a language believing that its principles are universal and would be understood. It is also assumed that such a civilization would have developed some form of electromagnetic or radio communication. These are quite reasonable assumptions to make. After all, it is all we have to go on. Just imagine there exists a primitive tribe on earth that uses the ‘bush telegraph’ or smoke signals to communicate information and that their only means of travel is by foot. What would they know of jets, rockets, WI-fi, digital broadcasting, mobile/cell phone technology, bullet trains, EV cars, luxury liners, Zoom and Skype? Is it we human beings within the context of the universe who constitute such a ‘primitive’ tribe lacking the means and understanding of how exactly to perceive and establish contact with more advanced civilizations throughout the universe?
Assuming we do eventually mange to establish contact with an advanced intelligent species, then it is worth considering what could happen when a technologically superior civilization comes into contact with one that is less advanced. Our own history on this planet is replete with the tragic consequences resulting from such kinds of contact. Wholesale slaughter, decimation due to introduced diseases, upheaval and destruction of established religion and culture, theft of land. Such have been the sad consequences of these kinds of cultural contacts and clashes.
Knowing that we are no longer alone could have unexpected impacts on the world's economy with industries grinding to a halt, panic runs on banks as customers withdraw their money and stocks plummeting. This all could result in an escalation of violence, social unrest, political instability, the declaration of martial law and suspension of civil liberties. And don’t get me started on toilet paper leaping off the supermarket shelves!
With the search for extra-terrestrial life and the possibility of contact with an advanced alien species, is it really reasonable for us to assume that an extra-terrestrial civilization would;
Share our need for knowledge and understanding of the mysteries of the universe?
Act in a benevolent or altruistic manner towards other species?
Concern itself with our existence?
Possess a higher or more enlightened sense of morality?
Share similar physical, emotional, mental, psychological and other characteristics?
Have the ability to communicate in way (form or language) that is in any comprehensible or accessible to us – defying even those of the caliber of the Bletchley Park and Verona code-breakers!
Perhaps the beings from such an alien civilization would posses a cellular or genetic structure more akin to vegetation, reptiles or insects. Would they then view us as being little more than an inferior source of nutrients necessary for their own survival?
It may very well be that “survival” is the prime driving force behind an alien species’ need to seek, reach out and establish contact with other life-forms throughout the universe. We choose to ignore that possibility at our own peril!
Perhaps any civilizations we manage to make contact with may very well wind up questioning our own motives for doing so bearing in mind our track record on just our own planet.
Let’s now see what could happen during a time of alien contact in the form of transmission of messages and visitations to the planet earth……
**********
The Thing: From Another World (1951)
Excellent!
Black & White (colorized version created in the early 1980s)
Running Time: 87 minutes approx...
Cinematography: Russell Harlan
Art Direction: Albert S. D'Agostino, John J. Hughes
Film Editor: Roland Gross
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Story: Written by Charles Lederer based on a short story “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell Jr.
Producer: Howard Hawks
Director: Christian Nyby (Many people contend that Hawks had more influence in this area than he was given credit for)
Cast & Characters
Margaret Sheridan as Nikki Nicholson
Kenneth Tobey as Captain Patrick Hendry
Robert Cornthwaite as Dr Arthur Carrington
Douglas Spencer as Ned 'Scotty' Scott
James Young as Lt. Eddie Dykes
Dewey Martin as Crew Chief Bob
Robert Nichols as Lt. Ken 'Mac' MacPherson
William Self as Corporal Barnes
Eduard Franz as Dr Stern
Sally Creighton as Mrs Chapman
James Arness as 'The Thing'
Paul Frees as Dr Voorhees
John Dierkes as Dr Chapman
George Fenneman as Dr Redding
David McMahon as General Fogerty
A Taste of the Times (1951)
The President of the US is Harry S “The Buck Stops Here” Truman.
Despite peace talks, the Korean War continues.
The UN condemns the People's Republic of China as being the aggressor in Korea.
Seoul falls first to Communist forces and later to US-led UN troops.
MacArthur threatened the Chinese with an extension of the Korean War if the proposed truce was not accepted. He was soon to be dismissed by Truman.
Colour television makes its first appearance in the U.S.
The first transcontinental wireless phone call was made.
Recording of the song “Rocket 88,” which has been credited as being the first rock ’n’ roll record.
UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer), the first commercial computer able to handle both numeric and alphabetic data, makes its debut.
The first nuclear power plant is built by the US Atomic Energy Commission.
The first H Bomb test was conducted on Eniwetok Atoll.
Construction of back-yard A-bomb shelters increased.
Atomic testing began in the Nevada desert.
Stalin declares that Russia has an atom bomb.
FBI director J. Edgar Hoover is responsible for a secret nationwide program intended to remove politically suspect employees from their jobs.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death for treason.
AND…….
Charles F. Blair, Jr. makes the first solo flight across North Pole, the setting for…..
“The Thing! From Another World”
“The Thing" would have to be one of my most favorite science fiction films of all time. It has a way of grabbing you and never letting you go. We’ll see why a bit later, but first let’s take a look at the story line of this fabulous film…...
Scientists at a distant Arctic research station discover a crashed spacecraft buried in the ice. They also discover the frozen pilot (The Thing!) after Captain Patrick Hendry accidentally destroys the vessel with thermite bombs.
After they take the creature back to the research station, he is inadvertently thawed out! The alien terrifies the soldier guarding him and is shot. He then escapes out into the blizzard where it is attacked by a sled dog which rips off the creature’s arm.
Dr Carrington suggests that "The Thing" is not an animal but is instead more akin to a vegetable, something like a carrot. Unlike a carrot, though, it subsists on blood!
Carrington embarks on a misguided attempt to spawn the creature’s offspring using blood. Meanwhile the creature embarks on a murderous rampage throughout the base in its quest for blood.
The female scientist, Nikki suggests that the best and obvious way to destroy a vegetable is to cook it. Methods for hopefully stopping ‘The Thing’ once and for all are then put into action.
Can this small band of humans in their frozen isolated outpost devise a way of stopping this menace to humanity from another world?
Points of Interest
The dialogue contains conversations that overlap and even run simultaneously. There is a lot of banter between the military characters, including the news reporter Scotty who obviously have a history and are at ease with each other. The result is a natural sounding dialogue between a bunch of guys instead of actors working from a script. These are indeed flesh-and-blood characters.
A hint of the geo-political context of the film is best conveyed when a likely explanation for the reported aircraft crash is that it “could be the Russians. They’re all over the Pole like flies.”
For the times, we are presented with a refreshingly, well-rounded female character (Nikki) who is nobody’s fool and who knows how to negotiate her way through a largely male-dominated domain. Steering her coffee pot she comfortably takes part in the male discussion of their dilemma and offers the most sensible course of action against their vegetable opponent. Her conversation is engaging and her personality and sense of humor both shine through.
“The Thing” relies a lot on what the audience doesn't see. Graphic detail is replaced by glimpses and suggestion that lets your mind join the dots and fill in the details using the worst of what your imagination can conjure up. Take the appearances by ‘The Thing’ character which are deliberately kept short and fleeting and appear indistinct such as the view we have of him as he appears in a doorway with the light behind him. It’s what we see from the corner of our eye and what we imagine that often most frightens and shocks us. All of this adds up to a wonderful blend of science fiction and horror.
What else we don’t see in its entirety is the alien craft. We know that it causes a magnetic deviation; it maneuvers unlike any natural phenomenon; it has a mass of 20.000 tons of steel; it emits radiation, suggesting some kind of atomic power; it has a tail fin and is constructed of “probably some new alloy.” Interestingly its magnitude- size and shape- is conveyed by the spacing of the men around the craft’s circumference. Added to this visual clue we have during a poignant pause in proceedings while the camera pans the scene and the enormity of the fact that “we finally got one!” sinks in. We don’t need to fully see the space craft since we can well imagine it based on the suggestive clues that have been presented to us.
The overall mood and tension of The Thing is established right at the outset with the opening title, credits and of course the chilling and aggressive music score by Dimitri Tiomkin, interwoven with the eerie and haunting sounds produced by theTheremin. It seems to warn the audience that they are gradually approaching something sinister and dangerous or that “something wicked this way comes.”
“The Thing” character played by James Arness (who later starred in Gun Smoke) is more reminiscent of a character from horror fiction, namely, Frankenstein’s monster. Like Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster has become an iconic part of our culture and is synonymous with terror and everything inhuman. “The Thing” character is that and more and this product of our cultural nightmares confirms its true nature as the film progresses.
The film does contain some good action sequences, notably the 'fire scene.' With all the kerosene and flames engulfing the set, I couldn't shake that feeling of something about to go wrong! It was very realistic and I was surprised that no-one ended up being injured.
I feel that one of the most important elements of “The Thing” is its constant tensions, conflicts, clashes and unresolvable or almost irreconcilable elements. The following examples will serve to illustrate this;
The main conflict between the soldiers and the scientists: Initially this conflict is established when the scientists’ innate quest for knowledge by examining the creature is stymied by the military’s need to wait for instructions before proceeding. The military men, however, seem to be quite human, friendly, sentimental, and funny and are very concerned with the importance of survival. The scientists, particularly in the form of the cold and fanatical Doctor Carrington, are portrayed as being less concerned for doing what is best for the human race. Instead knowledge is considered to be more important than lives or even survival. They tend to concern themselves with facts, whereas the soldiers decide and act based on their own and humanity’s survival. Carrington expects obedience from his fellow scientists whereas Captain Hendry and his men tend to cooperate, with the captain relying on his men’s expertise and Hendry providing the necessary leadership and guidance at a time of peril.
Struggle for survival against hostile forces: Set in an isolated arctic lab and surrounded by ice and snow with the hostile forces of nature beating at the door, this vulnerable community must rely on solidarity and unity of purpose to win its death struggle with the hostile threat from another world also beating at its door. Note the cold breath coming from the characters when the heating is cut off. We truly know from that just how cold it is and how much peril they are in not only from the creature, but also from the hostile environment.
Individual and human rights vs. imperatives of national security: Scotty is faced with the prospect of breaking the biggest news story of all time but his potential scoop is thwarted by the military’s need to “wait for authority.” However, what is the value of determinations made by those in authority? After all, we learn in the film that the 1949 Department of Defense bulletin proclaimed the air force had discontinued further investigations into the existence of UFOs due to the lack of evidence! Really? Times have certainly changed with the recent US government and military admission of the existence of UAEs!
Assumptions & Preconceptions: Can we assume that an extra-terrestrial civilization would share our thirst and love for knowledge? Can we assume that it would act in a benevolent manner towards us or even care about our existence? Can we assume that it would have a higher or more enlightened sense of morality than us? Can we assume that it would share similar physical, emotional and other characteristics? OR Would such a civilization have beings whose cellular structure is closer to vegetation and who may view us as being little more than an inferior source of nutrients necessary for its survival?
Because the creature is a stranger to our world and has “no hair” and lies within the block of ice with open eyes that “look like they can see,” should it be assumed that it is evil and dangerous? After all, when it first thawed out it was shot at and had its arm ripped off! Should we then assume that like Frankenstein’s monster it deserves our sympathy? It must be kept in mind that despite being “some form of super carrot,” this stranger in an unknown land was able to construct a space craft with an unknown form of propulsion! On that basis, it could be assumed that the creature represents a civilization with which we should “return the call.” Perhaps science holds the answer….or does it?
Science-saviour of humanity or its destroyer? Scientific inquiry determined that the creature’s arm contained no animal tissue, blood or nerve endings. From this it is inferred that the creature itself cannot die in the way we understand it, that it has no emotions and feels no pain. For Carrington this can only mean that the creature is “superior” and is therefore “wiser than we are.” His desire to communicate with the creature and to continue to scientifically investigate it (without telling the “others”) has disastrous consequences, including the serious wounding of his colleague and the hanging up of two other dead colleagues from beams by the creature. For Carrington, there are “no enemies in science, only phenomena to study” and “knowledge is more important than life.” What he fails to grasp is that such attitudes or blind faith in science can blind us to the serious consequences to humanity that can result. As was cynically pointed out in the film, this was the case with the “splitting of the atom.”
And so, dear reader, the message from this exceptional film, “The Thing: From Another World,” is that it is up to each of us to work together with a unity of purpose and to make sure that we continue to…..
“Watch the skies!”
and
“Keep looking!”
**********
The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
An intelligent and thoughtful Film
Cast
Michael Rennie as Klaatu
Patricia Neal as Helen Benson
Billy Gray as Bobby Benson
Hugh Marlowe as Tom Stevens
Sam Jaffe as Professor Jacob Barnhardt
Frances Bavier as Mrs. Barley
Lock Martin as Gort
Frank Conroy as Mr. Harley
Tyler McVey as Brady
Essentially, “The Day The Earth Stood Still” is about a man from space who comes to Earth to warn its inhabitants about the consequences that will befall them should they threaten peace in the universe by extending their nuclear arms technology beyond the confines of planet earth. After spending time with humans, it becomes apparent to him that drastic action must be taken to get humanity to pay attention to his message. He decides, therefore, to stop all machinery on Earth for half an hour as a demonstration of his power.
Will this demonstration succeed in bringing humanity to its senses?
Will the earth need to be destroyed to ensure the peace and well-being of the rest of the universe?
Context
The kind of distrust, fear and hostility that was portrayed in the film is better understood when seen in the context of the times. For instance;
The dictator Joseph Stalin was still in power in Russia.
The Soviets were not far from testing their own hydrogen bomb.
In 1949 China had been taken over by the Communists after a civil war.
The Korean War was at its height.
There is no mistake about the anti-war sentiments being expressed (and expressed they are) through the character Klaatu’s very words when he states that, “the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all or no one is secure.” He speaks from the stance of someone who comes from a place which has put together “an organization for the mutual protection of all planets and for the complete elimination of aggression.” This state of affairs is enforced by the creation of “a race of robots” whose “function is to patrol the planets in spaceships.…and preserve the peace….The penalty for provoking their action is too terrible to risk. The result is we live in peace, without arms or armies, secure in the knowledge that we are free from aggression and war, free to pursue more profitable enterprises.” At the cemetery Carpenter informs Bobby that where he comes from they don't have any wars. Bobby responds by saying, "that would be a great idea!"
As was pointed out above, the 1950s were a time of fear, suspicion and distrust and the film clearly reflects this. In “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” it is suggested by one character that the saucer is really from (where else?) Russia. The TV / radio presenter further expresses this atmosphere of fear through his assurance that “…so far that there is no reasonable cause for alarm. Rumors of invading armies and mass destruction are based on hysteria and are absolutely false. I repeat, they are absolutely false.” And what happens soon after the saucer lands? It is surrounded by heavily armed soldiers and the spaceman is then shot by one of them soon after he emerges from the ship, despite declaring, “We have come to visit you in peace and good will.”
What kind of world has greeted the visitor!? The kind of world that would destroy “… a gift (that we could have used to study) life on other planets.”
The pervading sense of fear and insecurity of the times is felt as Klaatu or Carpenter wanders the city and we can hear the urgent and panicked news bulletins coming from the houses he passes. When Klaatu enters a boarding house with a room for rent the occupants of the boarding house don’t notice him as they are focused on the TV bulletin where a warning is being given concerning the alien from space being on the loose. We notice that when Klaatu enters, his outline appears in darkness. The others turn to look at him in fear, and their relief is evident when the lights are turned on revealing just a man looking for a room.
The "strange unreasoning attitudes" of the people are further fueled by the media. For example, in one broadcast listeners are told that the spaceman is a "monster" and a "menace from another world" who must be "tracked down like a wild animal."
During a later outside radio broadcast, Carpenter is the only one being interviewed who is capable of accurately commenting on what people should be concerned about, namely "substituting fear for reason." Not surprisingly he is cut off mid-sentence since what he has to say is not what the media wants to hear. Fear and sensationalism and not reason or thoughtfulness sells. Yes, it was a time where according to Carpenter "everyone seems so...." and accurately labeled by Helen "jittery."
Interestingly enough, the film portrays a time that is unimaginable today in terms of attitudes towards personal safety and the safety of loved ones. At one point, Klaatu (alias Carpenter) suggests that Mrs. Benson’s young son, Bobby “might show me around the city.” What mother of today would allow her son to roam around the city with a virtual stranger? We also see a young child who was questioned by the soldiers pursuing Klaatu playing on the streets after dark. Not many parents would feel comfortable with that these days!
At Arlington National Cemetery, Bobby explains to Klaatu, “that’s my father. He was killed at Anzio.” Unfortunately, many boys of his age would've been able to say something similar. Too many fathers were away in the army and were killed in war when their sons and daughters were still only babies. We can better understand why this boy takes such a liking to this stranger who is almost like the father he never really had.
Patricia Neal’s single mother character is probably representative of many war widows of the time who were faced with very difficult choices and very few options. She is faced with living at a boarding house and supporting herself and her son on her own. She works as a secretary in an office in an era when women were expected give up their war time jobs to returning servicemen, get married and become stay-at-home mothers. To make matters worse, she could have wound up with a selfish, opportunistic and weak fiance (Tom Stevens) who wants to get married quickly as a career-advancing selling point and who doesn't "care about the rest of the world."
Whether intended or not, one can’t help but see Klaatu as a kind of Christ-like savior figure who holds out to us the promise of our own salvation. He has come here (from up above!) -“I traveled 250 million miles”- to deliver a message of peace. His attempts are rejected by the world’s leaders who are too caught up with their own petty political squabbles (“Our world at the moment is full of tensions and suspicions.”) Klaatu then determines to understand humanity by living among people and adopting the name “Carpenter.” That he is a gifted stranger with acute powers of observation and insight there can be no doubt. Klaatu even has what seems to us advanced healing powers as reported by one physician who stated that Klaatu had cured his bullet wound with a salve he’d brought with him. Klaatu is eventually betrayed by a Judas-like informer (Stevens) who is intent on being “the biggest man in the country” and is killed by the military, only to be resurrected for a time. Sounds roughly familiar?
There appears to be a rather “old testament” dark and vengeful side to the character Klaatu and what he represents. We have a sense of a “salvation OR ELSE!” message being given if humanity doesn't come to its senses. The kind of power we are dealing with here is evident as Klaatu and Helen are being hemmed in by the military and he states, “I’m afraid of what he (Gort) would do if anything should happen to me. There’s no limit to what he could do. He could destroy the Earth.” The sense of menace to our very survival is so strong that, not only Helen, but we, the audience would “remember those words,” “Klaatu Barada Nikto,” and we wouldn't hesitate to repeat them back to Gort if anything were to happen to Klaatu!
The message is quite clear: We act foolishly at our own peril and we if we choose to ignore the message of peace, we will fall to an unimaginable and implacable force that will show us no mercy. This force is revealed to the audience in the form of a large indestructible robot equipped with a powerful laser-like beam able to dissolve tanks, cannons or the entire earth. We will be rewarded if we do good and punished if we do wrong. In short, “your choice is simple: Join us and live in peace or pursue your present course and face obliteration.”
At the Lincoln Memorial, Carpenter is very impressed with the words from the Gettysburg Address on the monument, “That this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth.” For Carpenter, “those are great words. He must have been a great man. … That’s the kind of man that I’d like to talk to.”
Which leads us to Professor Jacob Barnhardt and those characters like him who represent those respected individuals and groups who pursue the ideals of knowledge and truth and whose minds are open to unimaginable possibilities. By producing such people, past and present, it is as if humanity has demonstrated its innate capacity to strive for and attain something better, whether it be truth, peace or freedom, despite its capacity for self-destruction.
Points Of Interest
Although it worked quite well with “Earth vs The Flying Saucers,” this is one classic science-fiction I would not want to see colorized. It is almost film noir-like in its use of light and shade and camera-work, all of which would be spoiled by any tampering with aspects of its visual presentation.
Bernhard Herrmann’s haunting soundtrack with the use of theremin (actually two theremin instruments and other electronic instruments), combined with images of Gort’s passive and menacing silent presence adds to the film’s chilling and spine-tingling mood and atmosphere.
The flying saucer looked impressive as it landed, along with the way it splits down the center to open.
What an excellent choice in having Michael Rennie play the part of Klaatu! He portrayed the stranger in a strange world role remarkably well. He conveyed the air of high-moral, all-knowing and benevolent visitor, tinged with an undercurrent of darker possibilities very effectively.
The method used of cutting all electricity was "a brilliant idea." Its selective application fit the criteria of being "dramatic but not destructive." Get a pen and paper and jot down all the ways your life would be affected during say the course of a day if all electricity was suddenly cut off. Now extend that list to the effects on your local community, then your country and then the entire world. Our means of power and strength is also our weakness.
The best way to appreciate the 1951 version of “The Day The earth Stood Still,” is to watch the 2008 remake starring Keanu Reeves. After enduring this version featuring Keanu Reeves’ wooden performance punctuated by some fairly impressive special effects, you’ll soon see why the original version stands head and shoulders above that effort. The 1951 film holds up very well even in the 21st. Century. It shows that sometimes you can do more with less…
**********
The Man from Planet X (1951)
A worthy first of its type film
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Producer: Jack Pollexfen, Aubrey Wisberg
Written by Aubrey Wisberg, Jack Pollexfen
Music: Charles Koff
Cinematography: John L. Russell
Editing: Fred R. Feitshans Jr.
Distributor: United Artists
Running time: 70 minutes
Budget: $51,000 approx.
Cast
Robert Clarke (John Lawrence)
Margaret Field (Enid Elliot)
Raymond Bond (Professor Elliot)
William Schallert (Dr. Mears)
Roy Engel (Tommy, the Constable)
Charles Davis (Georgie, man at dock)
ilbert Fallman (Dr. Robert Blane)
David Ormont (Inspector Porter)
June Jeffery (Wife of missing man)
Franklyn Farnum (Sgt. Ferris, Porter's assistant)
Synopsis
(Some spoilers follow below….)
We learn of a discovery made by an astronomer (Professor Elliot) of an unknown planet hurtling through space toward Earth’s general location. Prof. Blane informs an American journalist, Lawrence about this, as well as of reports about sightings by “trained observers” of inexplicable objects in the skies. In order to study this rogue planet, Prof. Elliot has set up an observatory on the foggy moors of a remote Scottish island (Bury), with his daughter (Enid Elliot) and Dr. Mears, a former student with a dubious reputation and past.
It seems that the two planets will not actually collide, but “Planet X,” will make a very close approach. Prof. Elliot has calculated that the part of the Earth that will be nearest to Planet X at the point of its closest approach will be small island of Bury, situated off the coast of Scotland.
We learn that there is some history between these characters. Elliot was a meteorologist during the war years, and when Lawrence was serving in the Air Force. Elliot supplied Lawrence’s unit with information concerning the likely weather conditions they could expect over their targets. Because Elliot owes the American journalist (John Lawrence) a favor, he has invited him to come to the island for an exclusive story. Enid was a teenager with “gawky legs and buck teeth” at the time, and she seems to have had a crush on John. The other scientist, Dr. Mears has a sullied reputation, and served time in jail. We don’t find out any specifics, but John thinks Dr. Mears got off too lightly and that he “should've gotten 20 years” for what he had done.
Soon after the reporter’s arrival, he stumbles upon a strange metallic rocket-shaped object out on the moors. The object is made of no material that Elliot has ever seen before and he concludes that it is of extra-terrestrial origin with its light material and “precise measurements.” Dr. Mears only sees the wealth he can potentially make from it if he can work out what the object is made of and how to synthesize it commercially. He declares that the “man who controls this formula controls the industry of the world!” Far from “speaking metaphorically” I think.
On the way home from dropping John off at an inn where he is staying, Enid’s car blows a tire. While walking back to the keep, she sees a strange glow out on the moors. Enid soon discovers a strange space ship and its pilot, a humanoid with a strange, expressionless, immobile “ghastly caricature of a face.” Terrified, Enid runs back to the keep, where she tells her father what she saw.
Professor Elliot goes with his daughter to see for himself, and is struck by a ray that can deprive its targets of independent will, causing them to obey any command given to them by anyone. Enid thankfully is able to order her father to follow her home. Mears concludes that the alien represents a “concrete menace” that is “willful” and “hostile.” A bit of rationalizing his motives and intentions on his part?
The next day, John Lawrence accompanies Professor Elliot to the alien ship to investigate further. After a potentially hostile encounter, they assist the alien to adjust his stuck breathing regulator valve. The alien then follows them back to the keep where they can hopefully establish communication with each other.
After some failed attempts, Dr. Mears comes up with the idea of using geometry as a form of communication or “mutual basis for understanding.” Of course, after the success of his idea, Dr. Mears reveals that he has less than altruistic motives. He is only interested in obtaining information as to the make-up of the new metal compound. The moment he’s left alone with the small alien, Mears resorts to committing an act of violence upon him in order to achieve his selfish goal (“to tear out every secret!”) of making a fortune from whatever “secrets” the alien might possess and reveal to Mears.
The alien later kidnaps Enid and makes preparations for a full-scale invasion of earth by his species from Planet X when their planet moves within range of Earth. Later it is discovered that the alien is from a dying planet and that his civilization purposely caused their planet to deviate from its orbit.
When Lawrence discovers that the alien and the professor's daughter are gone, Tommy, the village constable declares that others from the village are missing as well. Lawrence convinces the constable to accompany him to the site where the spaceship was located, but they discover that it is no longer there and even Mears himself is missing. With communication to the outside world cut off, they eventually manage get word to Scotland Yard using inventive means. It worked since later on an Inspector and sergeant fly in and are briefed on the situation……
What will now unfold?
Will this be end for all of us?
What decisions will be made?
Will it be necessary to destroy the spaceship and the alien visitor?
Is the Man from Planet X, on earth just to prepare for a planned invasion?
Have the actions of humanity turned an intelligent and normally benevolent stranger, into our bitter enemy, thereby sealing our doom?
Find out the answers to these and other questions, when you meet......
THE MAN FROM PLANET X
Points Of Interest
“The Man from Planet X” can be viewed as being a parable on the dangers of greed. The consequences of human greed are laid bare through the actions of the unscrupulous Mears, whose lust for personal gain could have spelled the end of civilization.
“The Man from Planet X” has been credited with being the first of the alien invasion films. There was at that time a move away from stories being driven by the problems associated with the brave new frontier of space flight and the efforts of scientists, governments, private industry and astronauts to overcome them. An era was being ushered in with films that featured the arrival on Earth of alien beings who instead of coming in peace may have come here to have a piece of us or to leave us in pieces!
The film was shot for approximately $50,000, and I do have to say that it does look pretty cheap. When I first saw the painted backdrops of houses, etc., I groaned at the prospect of the quality of this film matching the quality of its backdrops. I’m glad that I was proved wrong!
Even though the space ship looked a bit like a diving bell, I liked the pulsing lights through the port holes. Together with the fog, the effect was of an evil face full of menace that should be avoided at all costs.
“The Man From Planet X” was shot on sets for the 1948 Ingrid Bergman film, “Joan of Arc.” The Scottish moors setting with the thick fog lends the movie an eerie mood or feel of horror. Adding to this mood, are the suggestive elements whereby what is not seen but only suggested or implied heightens our sense of dread. For instance, when Lawrence and Enid see a flash in the sky they try to determine how far away the “storm” is by counting the seconds it takes for the clap of thunder to reach them. We know it is not a storm because there is no thunder clap. We only saw the flash illuminated on their faces, but we can use our imagination to join the dots. The shape we arrive at is something not of this Earth!
The keep itself which forms part of the setting, was described by Elliot’s daughter as once being a “defense against Viking raiders.” How ironic when considering what transpires in the film. Who can definitively say that the Earth itself might not one day succumb to the predations of other forms of life and civilizations, the existence of which we have no clue?
Whether or not it is difficult to ascertain the alien's true motives, i.e., planning an invasion from the outset or deciding to do so due to Dr. Mears’ actions, the real point of the film is the nature, actions and motivations of human beings. If we treat strangers from other worlds with fear and suspicion by screaming and running away in horror, and then resort to violence and look for ways to exploit them, then God help the universe should human beings spread out and make contact with other civilizations!
We have the capacity to do good such as Elliot and Lawrence’s attempt to help the Alien when he was in distress and trying to establish communication. Such qualities may help us to avoid potential threats to our existence as a species. Unfortunately, it is those self-destructive aspects of human nature, such as those displayed by Mears, that we have to guard against as the consequences for not doing so could be detrimental to our very survival.
Knowledge of the kind that the characters in the film had might “bring more fear in a world already filled with it,” but surely knowledge of the nature of the forces that can threaten our very existence from both within and without is preferable to ignorance….
**********
Red Planet Mars (1952)
A cerebral film of its time containing some overdone elements
1952: Taste Of The Times
By 1952, daily life was beginning to change for many people in the Western world.
Television, once a staple of science fiction, was in millions of American homes.
The skylines of cities were beginning to be punctuated with skyscrapers such as New York’s Lever House.
The Comet, the world’s first passenger jet, heralded the start of faster and cheaper air travel and brought far-flung places on the globe just that little bit closer.
Prosperity for many had arrived with (in the US) average worker earnings being $3,400 per year, 3 out of 5 families owning a car and 2 out of 3 families possessing a telephone.
Women in America would on average be married by 20 years of age but would be unlikely to pursue a career after having children.
By 1952, it seems that the future had begun to arrive. What was once science fiction was rapidly becoming science fact.
Let’s take a look at a sci-fi film classic of that year,
“Red Planet Mars”
Director: Harry Horner
Producer: Donald Hyde, Anthony Veiller
Screenplay: Anthony Veiller, John L. Balderston
Based on the play Red Planet by John Hoare, John L. Balderston
Music: Mahlon Merrick
Cinematography: Joseph Biroc
Editing: Francis D. Lyon
Distributor: United Artists
Running time: 87 minutes
Cast
Peter Graves: Chris Cronyn
Andrea King: Linda Cronyn
Herbert Berghof: Franz Calder
Walter Sand: Admiral Bill Carey
Marvin Miller: Arjenian
Willis Bouchey: President
Morris Ankrum: Secretary of Defense Sparks
Orley Lindgren: Stewart Cronyn
Bayard Veiller: Roger Cronyn
Synopsis
(Some spoilers follow below...)
At a time “some years hence,” an American astronomer obtains photographic images of Mars suggesting large-scale manipulation of the Martian environment, supposedly by intelligent beings with advanced technology. This conclusion was arrived at by a comparison between pictures taken that night and another set taken a week before. On the photographs, it was discovered that there were “canals traversing the entire planet.” These ‘canals’ seemed to be reflecting “light like mirrors” which suggested that the inhabitants of Mars were melting the ice-caps to irrigate the planet.
Meanwhile, a husband-and-wife team of scientific researchers, Chris and Linda Cronyn have been engaged in a project to send radio signals to Mars using a hydrogen valve developed by an ex-Nazi scientist. The Cronyns have been receiving signals which repeat their own transmissions and they have determined that these signals are not merely echoes bouncing off the planet’s surface.
The US government eventually gets involved in the form of Admiral Bill Carey who had cracked an important Japanese code during World War II. Carey’s role is to assist the scientists with developing a means of communicating in a meaningful way with the Martians.
It turns out that the scientists’ son is the one who comes up with the idea of using pi (geometry & mathematical concepts) as the language of communication. From this it is hoped that the Martians will realize that they are to continue with a particular sequence of numbers being transmitted to them and that they will reply with the appropriate sequence of digits. Chris Cronyn uses his son’s idea with successful results.
Linda Cronyn, however, does not see the endeavor to establish contact with an advanced Martian civilization in terms of success. For her, the Martians could represent a significant threat to our own civilization, especially when you consider that major technological advances on our own planet have resulted in social dislocations and a heavy price being paid with more efficient ways being conceived of slaughtering one another. For Linda, this opportunity for communication with an advanced civilization would be far from being a “grandstand seat to the creation of the world.” Rather it could mean “its death.”
Meanwhile, in the Andes, a German scientist named Franz Calder (inventor of the hydrogen valve, former scientist under the Third Reich and convicted war criminal) is using a primitively equipped laboratory to try and contact Mars. Calder had been rescued from prison by agents of the Soviet Union. He was to be put to work for the benefit of Soviet interests and world power. Calder has tried to distance himself from his Soviet masters but he has not been successful in his isolated attempts to establish contact with Mars. However, he has been able to intercept all of the transmissions sent and received by the Cronyns. This ability will at least prove to be very useful to his Soviet masters.
Chris Cronyn arrives at the stage whereby he can ask the Martians some important questions such as;
How long do the Martians live for?
Answer: About 300 Earth-years
How do the Martians power their entire civilization?
Answer: By harnessing the energy of cosmic rays
Such questions and the answers they produce causes global political and economic chaos with panic affecting agricultural, coal, oil, and the electricity industries, all of which will probably be put out of business if the technology of the Martians is ever adopted on Earth.
This state of affairs is good news for the Soviets who consider the possibility of taking advantage of the social and economic crisis by immediately going to war with the West. That is until the next question posed to the Martians by Cronyn:
How, with all their advanced and powerful technology, have they managed to avoid destroying themselves with war?
Answer: War is an impossibility among the inhabitants of Mars because their planet is ruled………by God!
As proof of this revelation, they offer a quote from the Sermon on the Mount.
And what of this revelation from Mars?
Is it all just a hoax?
Do greed and self-interest and the accumulation of wealth become a thing of the past?
What implications are there for those living behind the Iron Curtain?
Will the Soviet Union experience popular uprisings?
Will the Soviet people who have been forced for decades to deny God now be free to embrace their religion?
Will the legacy of Lenin and Marx reside in the dustbin of
history?
Or.....
Will everything that Linda Cronan had feared become a reality for all of humanity?
Points of Interest
Linda Cronyn’s assertion that “Albert Einstein split the atom.” is not really accurate since it was his work that made it possible to predict what would happen if the atom was split.
In the first couple of decades of the 21st Century many of us have been viewing our entertainment using a flat screen wall-mounted TV. You'll notice that in the 1952 film, the Cronyn family use a flat panel wide screen set embedded in a wall. Perhaps a pretty good piece of prediction?
The eerie mood and atmosphere of the film is derived from the fact that neither the scientists nor we, the audience actually see any Martians. We don’t go to Mars and no Martians try to invade the Earth. Instead, messages are exchanged between Earth and Mars in the form of a code which is displayed as flickering lines on a video screen. The flickering lines, flashing lights and monitors and electric sounds add to the eerie and alien nature of the mysterious beings from another planet.
Another great feature of the film, “Red Planet Mars,” are the plot twists by which we are led to believe that the ex-Nazi scientist, Calder is the one who has been transmitting the `Martian' messages in order to trick the Americans and the whole world! As proof of his assertion, Calder suggests that the transmissions stopped at the time of his lab’s destruction by an avalanche. We are then taken through another twist in the plot and are confronted with a titanic struggle between the Cronyns’ preparedness to sacrifice themselves for the greater good and Calder’s hateful and vengeful attitude expressed by his assertion that it would be “better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.”
The two characters, Franz Calder and Arjenian are wonderful as the ex-Nazi scientist and Russian KGB agent respectively. They are both detestable in their own way, but you can’t help liking them as they bounce off each other and try to seek advantage over one another. For Arjenian, the Soviets “demand an accounting” for their investment, to which Calder replies, “you won’t harm me, you need me!”
There is one character, however, which really creeps me out! This is none other than Linda Cronyn. Her hysteria hits you like a sledge-hammer. Consider her reply to her husband’s contention that science has advanced us which she spits out at him, “and you’ll have done it!” and (off-screen in the movie with volume up high), “RIGHT INTO OBLIVION!” It is almost like Linda is a projection of the fear, hysteria and paranoia of the times. She frequently appeals to her husband, “don’t send a message tonight” and she feels as though “the whole world is scared” and that “fear has become a natural state.” Such sentiments are not surprising when you consider that the world of which speaks had not long before experienced the Great Depression, a truly global war and was then just coming to grips with the Korean war, a developing Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union and the internal insanity of the McCarthy anti-communist witch hunts.
“Red Planet Mars” encourages us to think about what happens when a technologically superior civilization comes into contact with one that is less advanced. Our history is littered with the tragic results of such kinds of contact including Australian Aborigines, South and Central American Indians and many African communities. Wholesale slaughter, decimation due to introduced diseases, destruction of religion and culture, theft of land; these have been the sad consequences of such cultural contacts and clashes.
In the film, “Red Planet Mars,” as a result of the messages being received, it is little wonder that Earth's economy has begun to collapse with coal mines shutting down, resulting in the steel industry grinding to a halt and nervous people withdrawing money from banks as stocks plummet. The response to this situation is violence, social unrest, political instability and the declaration of martial law.
It is unfortunate that the film's Christian message is laid on rather too thickly with its many references to God and Christ. This feature of the film results in it taking on a particularly naïve, arrogant and blinkered view of the world and existence. The following are some of the examples from the film;
Calder’s clue to the Russian’s, “You can find me only through finding Christ.”
Linda’s appeal, “Dear Lord, don’t make us sorry.”
News headlines like; “God Speaks From Mars!”
Messages from the ‘Supreme Being’ on Mars such as, “Seven lifetimes ago….” linking to the time of Jesus Christ.
The window frame in the lab forming the shape of the Cross with a view of the sky and God’s creation. Notice how it looms above the technological creations of Man’s materialistic science.
The world-wide religious upheaval with particular emphasis on everything Christian and including rather token all-embracing references to Islam and other religions.
On and on it goes. Such overloading of the film with religious, mainly Christian, messages tends to detract from its finer aspects. Instead, the film seems to come across as a poster film for the more lunatic elements of the American fundamentalist Christian right.
The overthrowing of the atheistic government in Russia and being replaced by a “nation finding its soul” and no longer sinfully “worshiping false gods” certainly has some parallels with what has taken place on the world stage in recent historical times. In the early 1990s we witnessed the fall of the communist dictatorship in Russia and the breakup of the former Soviet Union, along with a revival of Orthodox Christianity in Russia. Rather than being the result of an overwhelming desire to embrace Christianity, it had a lot to do with a bankrupted Soviet Union being outspent by the West. Tragically, this in turn gave rise to the increasing influence of criminal groups and oligarchies, along with political corruption, social inequality, expansionist military aggression and internal political repression! Not exactly “following the star of Bethlehem!”
Like so many other science fiction films of the 1950s, “Red Planet Mars” is definitely a product of its time. It provides us with a fascinating glimpse of a period in the USA’s history where 'duck and cover' drills for kids, the 'red scare’ and ‘reds under the bed’ menace and right wing paranoia were the order of the day. But what makes this film stand out from so many other films of this genre is that instead of relying on action and special effects, it does make you think and dare I say…..HOPE for something better!
**********
Phantom from Space (1953)
Good Fun
Low budget B-grader with limitations
Occasionally suspenseful & thoughtful
A lot of potential but falls a bit short
Director & Producer: W. Lee Wilder
Writers: William Raynor, Myles Wilder
Music: William Lava
Cinematography: William H. Clothier
Editing: George Gale
Distributor: United Artists
Running time: 73 minutes approx.
Cast
Ted Cooper: Lt. Hazen
Harry Landers: Lt. Bowers
Noreen Nash: Barbara Randall
James Seay: Maj. Andrews
Tom Daly: Charlie
Steve Acton: Mobile Centre Dispatcher
Burt Wenland: Agent Joe
Lela Nelson: Betty Evans
Burt Arnold: Darrow
Sandy Sanders: First Policeman
Harry Strang: Neighbour
Jim Bannon: Desk Sgt. Jim
Jack Daly: Joe Wakeman
Michael Mark: Refinery Watchman
Rudolph Anders: Dr. Wyatt
Michael Mark: Watchman
(Spoilers follow below.....)
What If……..?
[S E C R E T]
[Security Information]
REPORT OF MEETING OF JOINT INTELLIGENCE, MILITARY & SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANEL
ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT & ALIEN CONTACT INCIDENT
CALIFORNIA, APRIL 1, 1953
CONVENED BY OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE, CIA
UNDER AEGIS OF OPERATION MAJESTIC-12
RELEASED____________________
A. P. RIFOLLO
[ S E C R E T ]
[Security Information]
At 7.19 pm on April 1, 1953 an unidentified flying object was tracked entering the earth's atmosphere traveling at some 5,000 MPH.
The object was tracked 200 miles south west of Port Barrow Alaska; White warning issued.
The object was then tracked heading over British Columbia; Yellow Warning issued.
The object was tracked as far as Santa Monica, California; Red Warning issued.
After traveling some 3,000 miles down the Pacific coast, the object lost speed and seemed to have disappeared. All traces of the UFO had been lost by this stage.
Reports were soon received relating to radio and television signal interference.
It was speculated that it was the object that was being tracked and which disappeared over Santa Monica that was causing massive interference with television and radio transmissions.
Federal Communications Commission investigators led by agent Lt. Hazen, arrived in the San Fernando Valley after what, judging from the above sequence of events, appears to have been a UFO crash landing.
Several teams of FCC agents employed mobile tracking units to go out and look for the source of the interference, using RDF gear to triangulate the source.
During the course of the investigation, eye-witness reports were received of a man (designated ‘X’) dressed in a bizarre outfit. The following statements were given to FCC agents and LAPD personnel;
Betty Evans (whose husband was reportedly killed by (X) while having a picnic with his wife): “Wearing a suit like a diver.”
Pete _____ (Friend of & boarder with Betty Evens and her husband): “Crazy helmet, with pipes sticking out of it.” He went on to state that there was no head in the helmet.
The following is an artist’s sketch of (X) taken from Mrs. Evan’s & Pete_____’s description;
Initially suspicion fell on Pete _______ for the murder of Mrs. Evan’s husband as part of some sort of lovers' triangle with Betty, until a second murder was reported in the same area.
The interference was soon triangulated and tracked moving toward the Huntington Oil Fields where an oil tank was set ablaze in an explosion.
The source of the interference appeared to have been moving in a random pattern which led investigators to deduce that someone was carrying around the source of the interference.
Central to the function of this agency, is the possible scenario constructed by the investigators based on the available evidence. Namely, that
(X) was responsible for two murders and an explosion at the oil fields
(X) was wearing what appeared to have been a “flying suit with a helmet”
(X) was probably “dropped by parachute”
(X)was evidently “not one of ours”
It is likely that he was in the process of conducting “sabotage”
However, during a meeting conducted at the Griffith Observatory between Detective Bowers (LAPD), Lt. Hazen, Major Andrews (Air Force) and Doctor Wyatt (Griffith Observ.), the possibility of a clandestine espionage mission was discounted.
First of all, the unidentified object was tracked travelling at an estimated speed of 5000 MPH as stated above. Neither the United States nor any other country currently possesses a practical and functional craft capable of achieving such speeds.
Secondly, as the object was traveling horizontally, it was unlikely to have been a meteor.
Thirdly, (X’s) attire and actions did not suggest the presence of someone acting “under cover.”
It was concluded that (X) had come in on the UFO and was on the loose in west Los Angeles.
The FCC increased its efforts to track (X) by its interference until it was finally tracked down to a warehouse in the area of the oil refinery.
Despite apparently being cornered in a shed, (X) was nowhere to be found when members of the investigating team entered. Only the suit and helmet were discovered.
It was deduced that (X) had taken off his suit and helmet to avoid detection,
Due to the presence of radioactivity, the suit was contained in a lead-lined box and taken to the Griffith Observatory laboratories.
The investigation conducted at the Griffith Observatory, (together with a series of unusual events at the Observatory site provided in file #_____,) uncovered some highly classified facts which are relevant to the function of this agency, as well as various other government departments and agencies that have been appraised of the events covered by this document;
The presence of high levels of radioactivity associated with the suit and helmet.
That (X) was able to avoid capture using the “power” of invisibility.
The suit had no weave, was of a solid mass and could not be torn or burned. It appeared to have been made of a metallic material and it was magnetic.
(X’s) suit seems to have acted like an iron lung and was essential to his being able to survive in our atmosphere. The air inside the tanks was found to have been composed of 11% methane.
(X) was like a ‘superhuman’ with intelligence superior to our own.
(X’s) craft may have been a space ship that operated using magnetic levitation.
(X’s) presence could be revealed by use of ultra-violet light sources.
As in the case of human beings, (X) possessed an opposable thumb.
Unlike human beings which are carbon-based life forms, (X) appears to have been a silicon-based life form. Its cellular structure was somehow able to interact with our planet’s gases to render him invisible.
Although it seemed as if (X) could not talk as we do, what seems more likely is that it could communicate only by using a form of high frequency speech beyond the range of human hearing as determined by the reactions of a dog that was present at the Observatory.
The threat-assessment of (X) was reduced somewhat when the following factors were taken into account;
(X) apparently only killed in self-defence when he thought that he was being threatened by people.
The explosion at the oil refinery was the result of an accident.
(X) did attempt to communicate via a tapping morse-style code.
As with the case of previous similar encounters and anomalous events, we lack much in the way of survivable physical evidence, since in the incident described above, (X) and his suit have evaporated or disintegrated by some process as yet unclear to us. However, accurate documentation; reliable witness testimony; official military, intelligence, scientific investigative endeavours; formulation of strict and precise first-contact protocols; officially sanctioned group formation for the discussion of sightings; procedures for how to recover future crashed UFOs, where to ship the parts, and how to deal with the occupants; as well as public information access management will help us add to our capability to deal with any future potential external intrusions into our nation’s airspace and unauthorized breaching of our nation’ boarders.
[End Report]
Points Of Interest
It is unfortunate that the picture quality of “Phantom From Space” is rather faded. It is a bit like watching the televised picture of the first moon-landing. At least it’s the right way up! Hopefully, a digital remastering process will be used to clean and restore the film to an acceptable viewing standard. Still, it’s worth persisting with if you haven’t seen it before.
The narration at the start of the film is typical for such films of the era. However, it does serve to add to the sense of urgency and suspense, as well as providing a hook with its ticking off the code warnings, the craft’s inexorable progress, the time readings, height, distance, course and speed.
The first half of “Phantom From Space” is rather dull with the film getting off to a slow start with "Mobile 1" and "Mobile 7" roaming around and trying to pinpoint the location of a mysterious signal that's blocking communications. There is also so much running around in pursuit of the alien during the course of the film that it seems like we are watching a Keystone Cops’ film strip.
As a low-budget 1950's sci-fi film, the special effects are what you would expect to find. The invisibility effects remind us of the “Invisible Man.” It is almost as if “Topper” goes sci-fi! The ending contains a rather good effect that allows us to finally see the alien. It reminded me a bit of what you might've seen in an early “Twilight Zone” or “Outer Limits” episode.
The ending of “Phantom From Space” also reminded me of the ending of “King Kong” when Kong swipes at the attacking planes from the top of the Empire State Building. Perhaps both characters’ predicaments are similar and their respective endings just as tragic?
A lot of disparaging remarks could be made about the alien’s suit. However, it did serve as a simple device to make the alien appear more menacing, weird and unearthly than he actually was.
Unlike many films from the 1950s, the female main character, Barbara Randall, was quite composed when confronted by the alien in the lab. There was no attempt to depict a hysterical or fainting woman which was at the time a common portrayal of female characters when confronted with terrifying events.
Also unlike some of the sci-fi films of the era, we see in this film that an alien being is the victim of the earth's environment and of a misunderstanding. It is not the earth and its inhabitants that are being intentionally threatened by the alien's advanced technology. The alien had no intention to do the people of earth any harm. It is portrayed as being a misunderstood and sympathetic character that was simply stranded on earth and needed help.
It is instructive to note that if we treat and view newcomers to our shores, whether they be asylum seekers, refugees or immigrants in a less than humane manner, then one would have to wonder what kind of reception would a newcomer to our world receive?
The suspense of the film lies in the fact that for a large part of the time we are kept guessing about the motive of the alien: Did he intend to kill the two people? Was it an accident? Were they killed in self-defense? By the end of the film we discover that he was from a more technologically advanced race, but one which does not need to resort to violence merely in order to subjugate less advanced species.
And so, what will happen when we eventually make first contact with an alien species? How much will misunderstanding or miscommunication play a part in trying to establish a relationship between our different species? What will be the consequences of such a contact and for whom? How much, if anything will those not in authority or not a part of the politico-military & security establishment be permitted to know?
Assume nothing but expect anything!!
**********
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Great mixture of suspense and intrigue.
An intelligent, moody, atmospheric and thoughtfully crafted film
A worthy sci-fi classic
Directed: Jack Arnold
Producer: William Alland
Screenplay: Harry Essex
Story: Ray Bradbury
Music: Herman Stein
Cinematography: Clifford Stine
Editing: Paul Weatherwax
Distributor: Universal Studios
Running time: 81 minutes
Box office: $ US 1.6 million
Cast:
Richard Carlson: John Putnam
Barbara Rush: Ellen Fields
Charles Drake: Sheriff Matt Warren
Joe Sawyer: Frank Daylon
Russell Johnson: George
Dave Willock: Pete Davis
Robert Carson: Dugan (reporter)
George Eldredge: Dr. Snell
Bradford Jackson: Bob (Snell’s assistant)
Virginia Mullen: Mrs. Daylon
Kathleen Hughes: Jane (George's girl)
Paul Fix: Councilman
Robert "Buzz": Henry Posseman
(The following contains spoilers, so don’t say you weren’t warned!)
What If…..?
Sand Rock Star
STARGAZER SEES MARTIANS!
Just outside of Sand Rock, Arizona there was a report yesterday of a fireball streaking across the desert sky, followed by what is believed to have been an impact of a meteor.
Eye-witnesses to the impact, amateur astronomer John Putnam and his girlfriend, Ellen Fields chartered a helicopter from pilot, Mr. Pete Davis to take them to the impact crater situated by the old Excelsior Mine.
According to Mr. Putnam, after descending into the crater, he noticed a strange object and stated that it wasn't a meteorite that crashed, but was, he claimed, an alien spaceship!
When pressed for details, Mr Putnam stated that the object he saw was “some kind of a ship” and that it was “like a huge ball rammed there in the side of the crater.”
Apparently, the mysterious craft was buried in a landslide and consequently, Mr. Putnam’s story cannot be verified as there were no other witnesses.
A respected scientist, Dr. Snell was called in to investigate the impact site. He and his assistant took extensive radioactivity measurements, but could find no evidence of any radioactivity. Dr. Snell was convinced it was just a meteor. According to him, “everything points to it being a meteor.” He also went on to state that he deals in facts and science and not ‘witchcraft.”
Miss Ellen Fields was reluctant to talk to the press but it has been suggested that both she and Pete Davis believed that Mr.Putnam had just imagined everything, despite being at the impact site themselves.
Mr. John Putnam is regarded as being somewhat of an eccentric in the field of astronomy who tends to hold some very unorthodox views.
It would seem that the army is in no hurry to dig out the crater. Will an alien space ship be unearthed if they do? Some sources have suggested that all that will be uncovered will be a fanciful tale for a forthcoming book by an amateur astronomer seeking recognition.
By Itell Fibs, Sand Rock Star Reporter
[In the dramatic opening of the film, “It Came From Outer Space,” we see an object hurtling towards us and crashing to earth with the title of the film exploding on to the screen. This is followed by a relatively sedate aerial view of Sand Rock in the late evening in early spring. It is a place “knowing its past; sure of its future.” Inside an isolated ranch house outside of town we meet John Putnam, an amateur astronomer and his girlfriend Ellen Fields, the local school teacher. It is a scene which confirms the observation that it is a time where they can feel “so very sure of the future.”
The mood is one of optimism as John and Ellen engage in hopeful talk about marriage. In a marvelous piece of irony it is suggested that they “see what the stars have to say,” followed by Ellen wishing upon a star as the "meteor" from the opening shot cuts a swathe across the night sky. They are indeed both about to see what the stars have to say as their world is about to be turned upside down from this point.]
Extract from “What The Stars Had To Say,” by John Putnam
“From inside the crater at the old Excelsior Mine I stood transfixed amidst the eerie mist and beheld a sphere that was partially exposed. A hexagonal-shaped door slowly opened to reveal a black interior punctuated by flashing lights from some kind of machinery. Suddenly a flicker of movement caught my eye and I had the feeling that I was the one being observed.
“Before my eyes could resolve the black shadowy figure into a recognisable shape, my fear took over and I felt my feet impelling me backwards. Something similar may have been working on the mysterious occupant of the sphere as it too seemed to be retreating as if in an attempt to avoid contact. The closing of the sphere’s door triggered an avalanche in the crater, burying all evidence of my mysterious encounter.”
[The film is punctuated with instances that grab at the viewer by means of shock and suspense. Take for instance, the scene in the crater’s interior. We have a very clever combination of eerie mist with spooky and haunting theremin music; a mysterious, slowly opening and unconventional hexagonal door; the inky blackness of the sphere’s interior revealing only the mere hint of otherworldly technology; a point of view shot from the alien creature’s perspective whereby we see the world through some kind of gelatinous eyeball; the “snail trail” glitter left on the ground by the creature.
When John and Ellen go in search of whatever it was they appeared to have hit with the car, we have another one of those nerve-jarring moments. John tells Ellen to stay in the car but as he moves forward, a hand suddenly appears from off-screen and touches his shoulder. Of course, the hand belongs to Ellen. During the course of the scene there is the ever-present feeling of being observed by something.
Added to this suspense effect, is the equally ever-present Joshua tree which seems to loom over the onlooker like some kind of unearthly creature. In the biblical story, Joshua was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore and report on the land of Canaan, and only he and Caleb gave an encouraging report, a reward for which would be that only these two of their entire generation would enter the Promised Land. Could this perhaps explain the presence of these (and future?) alien visitors to Earth?]
Extract from “What The Stars Had To Say,” by John Putnam
“The incident that is the subject of my book served to highlight the kind of dilemma I have faced throughout most of my professional life and is one of the reasons it has taken me so long to write about and publish my experiences. I knew in my heart that the Excelsior Mine event would be the biggest thing that’s ever happened and that we were dealing with some form of life from outer space. But how could I prove it, even to myself? Not only that, but even those closest to me were urging me not to tell anyone what I saw for fear of personal ridicule. Being on the periphery of the scientific establishment and daring to think for myself has come at a high personal cost-a life of loneliness and self-doubt.”
[The Joshua tree thrives in the desert and it is this desert setting that adds to the eerie atmosphere of the film. The desert takes on the quality of a living, almost malevolent, being that is “alive…and waiting for you.” As John remarks, there are “a thousand ways the desert can kill.” It is this same desert where John and Ellen come across the county telephone linemen, George and his boss, Frank. Frank tells them that working out there in the desert they “hear a lot things, see a lot things.” At this time, Frank tells them he's hearing something very strange on the wires…….]
Extract from “What The Stars Had To Say,” by John Putnam
“After Ellen and I left Frank and George, it wasn’t long before we began to feel that something was wrong. We then decided to turn around and head back. We soon came upon the empty telephone truck on the side of the road, so with my gun in hand we started to search for the truck’s occupants. I soon noticed blood on the truck door along with a glittering trail. All of a sudden George appeared…… “
[While John and Ellen are searching for George and Frank, we notice a tendril of mist sneaking up behind Ellen. Once again we gasp with shock as the mist suddenly transforms into a human hand. Added to this unsettling moment we soon realise that the hand belongs to something impersonating George. His demeanor is odd and stilted and his voice has a tinny or metallic quality. This imposer “George” is also able to stare directly into the sun, “yes, the sun-beautiful.”]
Police Report Notes of Sheriff Matt Warren
At ___pm, received report from Mr John Putnam and Miss Ellen Fields concerning possible homicide involving county telephone linemen George____ and his boss, Frank Daylon.
Accompanied John and Ellen back out to where they reported encountering George and Frank.
Upon arriving at the scene and after a brief search no evidence of a truck or foul play could be found.
Conclusion: Traces of blood were detected, but its source was most likely a dead coyote found at the scene. The animal appears to have been struck by a passing vehicle.
Extract from “What The Stars Had To Say,” by John Putnam
“After our encounter with “George” and our fruitless search of the area with the sheriff, I could not help thinking about what he said, “We could not, would not take your souls or your bodies.” What exactly did these beings want? If their intention was not hostile, then why were they here?
After noticing “George” and “Frank” walking through the town I decided to follow and confront them. Did my blood turn to ice when I saw the sinister-looking silhouettes of the two “men!” What struck me about them most were the glowing orbs located where their eyes would normally be. A warning? A threat? A plea? They told me point-blank to “Keep away!” They explained that they didn’t want to hurt me, in fact, me least of all. They appealed to me that they needed more time or “terrible things will happen.” Time for what? What kinds of terrible things would happen if we didn’t give them that time?”
Police Report Notes of Sheriff Matt Warren
Nature of probable homicide investigation widened to include investigation of John Putnam’s claim that Frank and George are in fact the creatures from a space craft that is buried in the crater at the old Excelsior Mine.
Evidence so far includes;
Frank's wife, Mrs._____ and George's girlfriend, Jane Dean reported them acting strangely and are now missing. Their clothes are also missing.
Theft of electrical equipment from the town’s hardware store.
Dr. Snell and his assistant, Bob, have been reported missing.
Drove out to the crater with Mr. Putnam and located Dr. Snell's car, but could find no trace of Snell or his assistant.
[The era in which “It Came From Outer Space” was released was a time of hopeful optimism, but it was also tinged with its own set of fears and insecurities. A kid in a space suite knocks on the door and we jump as Ellen lets out a piercing scream. John declares “wouldn’t it be fine if I weren’t John Putnam at all.” Who can you trust if you can’t be sure who might wind up on your doorstep or who has been taken over or influenced by some kind of “alien” concepts, ideas, way of life, etc., ]
Extract from “What The Stars Had To Say,” by John Putnam
“Nothing could prepare me for the call I received at the Sheriff's office informing me that these…..xenomorphs had Ellen. After Matt drove me out into the desert, I waited and waited until I spotted what appeared to be Ellen standing on a ridgeline wearing a black cocktail dress. When she moved I followed her until she led me to the opening to the old Excelsior mine shaft. It was on that spot that I was soon to be face-to-face with a horrific sight more terrible than anything conjured up by the evil recesses of any human being’s subconscious.
“At first an almost disembodied-sounding voice informed me that these creatures were repairing their ship in order to leave our world and that they needed my help. Apparently their mission was to another world and an error caused them to go off course. Can they be believed? Is it feasible? They also told me that they were “not ready to meet in friendship” and that we’d be horrified at the sight of them. Perhaps they’re right; perhaps destruction would result from any meeting between our respective worlds. For our part, what we don’t understand, we try to destroy.
“I just had to see for myself!
I wish I hadn’t insisted!
I saw them as they really are…
Horrible!”
[Yet again a period of tension and suspense is inserted into the film at just the right moment when Matt is spoiling for a confrontation with the xenomorph impersonating the lineman. The sheriff, on-edge and with his voice rising, declares that “at 92 people get irritable!” With the ticking of the wall clock getting steadily louder (“That clock-ticking!”) and with Matt’s nerves stretched taut, the tension becomes too much and a fight erupts between Matt and John.]
Police Report Notes of Sheriff Matt Warren
“After my confrontation with John Putnam, the creature posing as Frank drove off in his telephone truck. I then decided to form a posse with the intention of stopping and confronting the creature on the highway by blocking its vehicle with a barricade.
As Frank’s truck approached, we had to open fire causing the truck to careen off the highway, hit a boulder and burst into flames, thereby killing the vehicle’s occupant.”
Extract from “What The Stars Had To Say,” by John Putnam
“I had to get to the mine before the others, so I borrowed Matt’s patrol car and drove there. After entering the mine, I once again came across the alien version of Ellen. My God, if I wasn’t more careful she would’ve let me fall to my death into the chasm at my feet.
“This alien Ellen (so beautiful like the real Ellen and yet so different, detached and cold!) informed me that they only needed a few more hours. She said that they didn’t want to use violence but that there was “no other way.”
“This version of my Ellen then attacked me with a wand that emitted a beam that could cut through rock. Fortunately, she missed. I had to use my gun to shoot this Ellen and watch the look on her face as she realised what had happened just before she toppled over into the chasm and dissolved in the lake below.
“Even though I know it was not the Ellen I know and love, the image of the other Ellen’s expression has been etched onto my soul for the rest of my days…..”
Segment of an interview conducted at KLTV studios after the publication of John Putnam’s book,
“What The Stars Had To Say.”
Interviewer: After you shot the Ellen alien imposter, what did you do then?
John Putnam: I heard the sound of machinery and after tracing its source I discovered the aliens in their human form making repairs to their ship. What I found to be the most disconcerting thing was me standing face-to-face with the head xenomorph who had assumed my identity. After he explained their mission and the equipment's power, I was left in no doubt as to their power to tear the world apart. According to my alien double, all they needed was time and that their dream was simply to know other worlds.
Interviewer: Did you believe them?
John Putnam: They could have destroyed our planet there and then. Anyway, I demanded Ellen's release as a sign of good faith and my alien double then ordered all the human hostages released. As you already know, I managed to seal the mine entrance with dynamite to keep the Sheriff’s posse away from the aliens. After the explosion, the ground shook beneath our feet and the aliens’ ship departed, streaking across the sky as if in haste to flee a place deemed to be off limits.
Interviewer: Why do you say that?
John Putnam: It just wasn’t the right time for us to meet. However, there is one thing we can all be sure of.
Interviewer: And what is that?
John Putnam: ......THEY’LL BE BACK!!!
**********
Devil Girl from Mars (1954)
You’ll get your money’s worth of film fun here!
A stern, leather-clad female Martian with an English accent, brandishing a ray gun and accompanied by a huge menacing robot, has come to Earth in order to collect our planet’s males as breeding stock. As far as alien invasions go, this extra-terrestrial visit could be a lot worse, right?
Directed by David MacDonald
Produced by Edward J. Danziger, Harry Lee Danziger
Written by James Eastwood, John C. Maher
Music by Edwin T. Astley
Cinematography: Jack Cox
Editing by Peter Taylor
Distributed by Danziger Productions
British Lion Films
Running time 76 min.
Cast
Patricia Laffan: Nyah
Hugh McDermott: Michael Carter
Hazel Court: Ellen Prestwick
Peter Reynolds: Robert Justin, alias Albert Simpson
Adrienne Corri: Doris
Joseph Tomelty: Prof. Arnold Hennessey
John Laurie: Mr. Jamieson
Sophie Stewart: Mrs. Jamieson
Anthony Richmond: Tommy
James Edmund: David (as James Edmond)
Stewart Hibberd: News Reader
1954: A Taste Of The Times
Bill Haley & His Comets record "Rock Around The Clock" and Rock and Roll is launched.
William Golding's novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ is published
The first “Godzilla” film premieres in Tokyo.
Top Movies include;
White Christmas
The Caine Mutiny
The Egyptian
Rear Window
Three Coins in the Fountain
Popular TV Shows include;
I Love Lucy
The Jackie Gleason Show
Dragnet
Disneyland
The Jack Benny Show
Popular Music featured songs like;
Mr Sandman by The Chordettes
Sh-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream) by The Crew-Cuts
Shake Rattle and Roll by Bill Haley and The Comets
Cry by Johnny Ray
Three Coins In The Fountain by The Four Aces
Oh! My Papa by Eddie Fisher
(Spoiler follow below…..)
A plane slices its way across the skies over Scotland sometime in the mid-20th Century. Inside the plane there are many people undertaking their own individual journeys toward unique destinations, unaware that from afar a bolt from Fate is about to intervene, cutting short their intended journeys in a shared destiny ending with their total annihilation.
The film, “Devil Girl From Mars” opens with this passenger plane being destroyed in mid-flight. We then move to an isolated inn, ‘The Bonnie Charlie’ in the Scottish Highlands. On the radio, the BBC Home Service announces that a bright light (“unidentified white object”) that was seen the previous night was a meteor and that the noted astronomer, Prof Hennessy has gone to the area to look for the meteor.
[Our day-to-day affairs are often conducted with false certainties and assumptions about what lies around the next corner, until what seems to be nothing more than a minor and insignificant event occurs, causing us to veer off the intended path we have set for ourselves with unexpected and far-reaching consequences for our lives.]
Astronomer Professor Arnold Hennessy together with reporter, Michael Carter are in fact hopelessly lost on the moors while looking for a huge meteorite that was supposed to have landed in the vicinity. The two men give up the search, with Hennessy believing that the object is probably nothing more than an engine cowling. As “luck” would have it, both men decide to put in at the Jamiesons’ inn.
[How easy it is for us to feel trapped by the very prisons of our own making. A wrong word, an ill-considered action and suddenly there is an unintended price to be paid. We may try to escape the consequences of our actions, only to find ourselves being trapped in yet another prison of our own making with even stronger bars to hold us in. Only by finding the right key via certain redeeming words and actions can there be any hope of us breaking free of our self-imposed bondage.]
In the film, we learn that a certain inmate named Robert Justin (Albert Simpson) has escaped from jail and is considered to be dangerous. He soon turns up at the inn and explains to his ex-girlfriend, Doris that he escaped. Doris is prepared to help him as they obviously have had a romantic relationship. She introduces him as a stranger on a hiking tour who while looking at fish in a stream had managed to lose his wallet. Mrs Jamieson gives him lodgings in return for performing odd jobs. It turns out that Robert had been sent to jail for murdering his wife, despite it having been an accident as he claims. Doris cannot understand why he married this woman instead of her.
Justin’s fake identity ploy does not fool Carter who it turns out had conducted some reporting on Justin’s case. He recognizes the fugitive who is acting as their waiter during dinner. Just as Carter is about to tell the others what he knows, a huge spaceship flies low over the Inn sending everyone scrambling for cover. The alien craft bursts in on the scene with blinding light and a deafening roar of motors.
The craft has landed in a nearby field and Carter concludes that it is an alien space craft, and sets about trying to contact the outside world. Hennessy prefers to investigate before reaching any firm conclusions. As the alien craft is red hot, it is apparent that nothing can be done for some hours yet.
While all this was happening, Justin has slipped away and Doris finds him an abandoned room to hide in. From this room, Justin witnesses a female figure emerge from the space craft and then spots a deformed worker from the Inn approaching the woman. The man is David and his appearance is something akin to an Igor—like character complete with limping gait. As he is seen as being “superfluous” and a “hopeless specimen” the alien unhesitatingly and mercilessly executes the worker in cold blood and then makes for the inn.
Meanwhile, Carter and Hennessy decide to try and reach a nearby village, but experience trouble starting their car. Having given up on the car, Hennessy and Cater return to the inn to find that Doris is strangely unresponsive and in a trace-like state.
Suddenly, the female alien arrives at the inn. Her name is Nyah and she is from the planet Mars. Her intention was to land directly in London, but her ship sustained damage while attempting to land.
WHY IS NYAH ON EARTH?
WHAT DOES SHE WANT?
IS THE EARTH IN DANGER?
[Over the last few decades there has been a gradual shift and realignment in the relationship between the sexes. Slowly the barriers to gender equality are being removed with still some way to go. Meanwhile, men have had to redefine their roles with a lot of the certainties of the past having been swept away. Men are no longer considered to be the “bread winner.” That notion is going the way of the idea of man as being the hunter and provider. So, what does it really mean to be a man in the modern world? This can be a very uncomfortable question to consider. In fact, men in general are being tarred with the same brush when it comes to such things as violence against women, sexual violence and discrimination. There is little mention of the overwhelming majority of men as being responsible and decent fathers, brothers, husbands, co-workers. Instead, men often find themselves being made to feel guilty and responsible for the actions of a minority of mongrels who behave in an appalling manner towards women. More bizarrely, there has even been talk about there one day being no need for men considering the advances being made in reproductive and other technologies, along with a worrying long term decline in male fertility and sperm counts.]
We are informed in the film that many centuries ago the emancipation of the women led to tensions between the male and female genders on Mars which then erupted into open warfare. The Martian women were victorious, but with the extermination of all but the weakest of the Martian males, the viability of their Martian society is in jeopardy due to the sexual impotence of their planet's male population resulting in a rapid decline in the birth-rate. The women of Mars therefore have decided to seek out worthier breeding stock from Earth.
The city of London would have been an ideal location to provide such breeding stock, but the plan has had to be modified due to Nyah’s ship sustaining damage upon entry into Earth’s thicker atmosphere. It is evident that her spacecraft was the meteor that Hennessy was trying to locate, and that Nyah had caused the airplane to blow up in mid-air earlier on.
While the self-replicating organic metal (an idea used in later sci-fi films) of Nyah’s vessel repairs the damage it sustained, Nyah decides to see which of the local males might be worthy of becoming Martian breeding stock – [OK fellas, put your hands down. No one called for volunteers. It seems that only local male kilt-wearing Scots with big sporrans need apply for now!]
[We need not go far to see what happens whenever there is clash of cultures and one of the cultures possesses superior advanced technology. The end result is that one civilization attempts to convert the thinking, beliefs and way of life of the other civilization. One civilization may also want what the other has, whether it is human or natural resources and will take it by force if necessary. The need to exercise power, to assume control, to satisfy greed, to maintain self-preservation are powerful motivating forces and cannot be assumed to be tempered by a civilization's level of scientific and technological advancement.
Once humanity ventures out into the universe and encounters other species, it is only right that any civilizations encountered should question our motives for being there and not just assume altruism and curiosity on our part. After all, our track record on just our own planet is not that great! This will need to be kept in mind when the day comes when an “alien” species comes to our planet (our home) and makes first contact with humanity.]
We learn that Nyah has now erected an invisible wall that surrounds the inn in order to prevent the locals from escaping. The idea of an invisible wall would be featured in later sci-fi films, TV series and most recently in the series, based on Stephen King’s “The Dome.” The invisible wall is to all intents and purposes a form of prison. However, it is not only Nyah that has erected an invisible barrier preventing those trapped inside from escaping. Apart from Justin, there’s Miss Prestwick who has also erected her own barrier in which she has imprisoned herself.
Miss Prestwick, a model from London and according to Doris, a “real good looker” has apparently come to the local area in order to escape a relationship she has had with a married man. Doris wonders what “she’s doing in a place like this.” No matter how often she had run away in the past, this man always managed to find her. Well, it turns out that she has been “found” by Michael Carter, a man imprisoned by his own demons conjured up from reporting from hell holes like the Spanish Civil War, D-Day and “a couple of atomic explosions.”
[One thing can be guaranteed when one group, culture, nation, civilization or intelligent species tries to subjugate another: resistance from those who are pushed too far. Those who are on the receiving end will eventually strive to reclaim life, liberty, freedom and equality despite overwhelming and incomprehensible power that is directed against them. One of the most potent weapons with which they will have to fight back is the need to know one’s enemy and their weaknesses in order to defeat them, as well as the willingness to sacrifice one’s own life in the pursuit of freedom from tyranny and control- “one life in exchange for millions.”]
In the film, “Devil Girl From Mars,” a plan is soon formulated to either capture Nyah or kill her. When suddenly Nyah returns to the inn. Carter shoots at her but without effect. Nyah declares, “I could control power beyond your wildest dreams.” She then orders everyone at the inn to go to her ship so that she can demonstrate the kind of power she possesses. A huge box-shaped robot emerges from the ship and fires a beam that destroys a tree, a car and storage shed. This is the one occasion when we see Nyah comes close to displaying an emotional response as a self-satisfied grin begins to crack her impervious unemotional demeanour.
Hennessy has a chance to see the extent of Nyah’s power (negative atomic energy, and perpetual motion) when he is inside her ship. Hennessy has so far been bumping his head against barriers of his own making and not just the one erected by Nyah around the inn. His barrier has consisted of his own scientific, orthodox and rational scepticism which has prevented him from immediately appreciating the full extent of the danger they have been placed in. Michael, on the other hand could make the connections almost instinctively. At least now, while being inside Nyah’s ship, the professor can use the opportunity to look for any weaknesses that can be used to their advantage.
Meanwhile back at the inn, a trap has been set to electrocute Nyah. When she returns to the inn, she triggers the trap but is completely unaffected by the charge. Nyah then warns the group that any further attempts will result in the death of Tommy whom she had earlier discovered hiding along with Justin and had ordered him into the ship. She had also hypnotized Justin and sent him back to the inn. As she hypnotises Justin, the close-up of her eyes reminds us of the close-up of one of the cat-women from the film, “Cat Women of the Moon” released the previous year.
After Nyah transfers herself in a blur to the 4th dimension, Carter comes up with a plan to rescue Tommy by offering to exchange himself for the boy. Nyah agrees to this and Tommy returns to the inn.
In the meantime, Hennessy becomes quite convinced that he can destroy the ship by finding a “vital spot at which one can strike,” but it would result in the death of whoever attempts it.
Back at the alien ship, Carter has managed to get possession of Nyah’s controller but is thwarted in this attempt by her robot. Nyah informs everyone at the inn that they are all now going to die because of Carter’s deception. Hennessy makes a desperate offer to be a guide for Nyah when she reaches London. After rejecting the offer, Nyah reconsiders the idea and declares that she will return later and choose someone….but……
The rest trapped within the inn under the dome are to be killed!!!!!!
Is the end now drawing near?
What of the doomed ones as they contemplate what the future might have been now that it is all over?
What of Hennessy’s plan of destroying the ship? Just a pipe-dream?
Who will be chosen to accompany Nyah on her mission to harvest the best of London’s manhood?
How many more sacrifices will need to be made to save the world from the….
DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS?
Points Of Interest
True to its origins, the film, “Devil Girl From Mars” seems to have a stage play quality about it. The sets and locations are quite minimal, consisting of a depiction of the Scottish moors, the alien craft and the inn. It was apparently shot on a low budget, with mostly no retakes and was shot over a period of three weeks.
Of particular note in the film, is Patricia Laffan’s role as Nyah, the Devil Girl. She comes across as a female Darth Vader dominatrix-type figure complete with boots and shiny black leather or latex outfit and cape. [Yes, we’ve all been VERY bad boys and deserve to be punished!] When she commands us to “COME!” we, like the professor, feel like we have no choice but to do what she says….or else.
As a side-note, it was also a joy to see Patricia Laffan in her role as Nero's wife, Poppeae in Quo Vadis? (1951). In that film she plays the role with even greater imperious evil haughtiness! And a lot of ‘eye-action’ too!
To bargain with Nyah is in fact like bargaining with the devil. When Tommy is taken by her, it is as if he is indeed in the hands of “that devil.” For Mrs Jamieson, Nyah’s presence and the grief she has visited on all of them is because they “must have sinned.”
Notice how Nyah emerges from her craft like Klaatu and Gort from “The Day The Earth Stood Still.” However, in Nyah’s case, her appearance is tinged with evil menace. For her there is no “IF” whenever objections are raised to her actions. As Tommy observes, “You are just like the black spider!” It is as if the character of Nyah has been plucked straight out of some horror comic or pulp fiction story and is portrayed in the film accordingly and well.
Nyah’s big boxy robot is a bit laughable as it lumbers around like a giant Kelvinator fridge employing its disintegration ray (the future evolution of smart fridges?). Anyone would be grumpy if they were constantly made fun of! The special effects, however, are quite good for a low-budget film like this as we witness the beam of light shooting out causing its target to glow and then disappear.
And there we have it: An amusing, unintentionally funny and very British science fiction film that is still entertaining to watch. It raises (probably unintentionally) some very interesting issues, but let’s not take it all too seriously. Just sit back and enjoy “Devil Girl From Mars” and hope that you haven’t been very, very naughty or
Mistress Nyah might just have to punish you……
**********
Stranger from Venus (1954)
(aka ‘Immediate Disaster’)
A pedestrian and plodding low-budget film with a purpose
Directed by Burt Balaban
Produced by Burt Balaban, Gene Martel, Roy Rich
Written by Desmond Leslie (story), Hans Jacoby (writer)
Music: Eric Spear
Cinematography: Kenneth Talbot
Editing: Peter R. Hunt
Running time: 75 minutes
Cast
Patricia Neal as Susan North
Helmut Dantine as The Stranger
Derek Bond as Arthur Walker
Cyril Luckham as Dr. Meinard
Willoughby Gray as Tom Harding
Marigold Russell as Gretchen Harding
Arthur Young as Scientist
Kenneth Edwards as Charles Dixon
David Garth as First Police Officer
Stanley Van Beers as General
Nigel Green as Second Police Officer
Graham Stuart as Police Chief Richards
In 1954 in Sylacauga, Alabama, a four-kilogram piece of the Hodges Meteorite crashed through the roof of a house and badly bruised a woman. It was the first documented case of an “assault” on a human being from outer space. But that fact didn’t stop 1954 turning out to be another great year for science fiction movies featuring an array of alien life forms, an armada of alien space craft and intrepid human beings bravely going where mostly no men and even fewer women had gone before. Some of these sci-fi films from 1954 that are featured in this ebook series include;
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Devil Girl from Mars
Gojira (Godzilla)
Gog
Riders to the Stars
Target Earth
Them!
Tobor the Great
Now…...witness the day that first contact is made with;
A peaceful and advanced intelligence from another planet!
A superior being from Venus who has the power of life and death!
A being that has come to Earth with
…… an ultimatum!
A being we will know as the….
Stranger from Venus
(Spoilers follow below)
“Stranger from Venus” begins with a moving aerial shot of rural fields accompanied by other-worldly sound FX. As the farmer and the couple on the seat gaze heavenwards, we have the instant feeling that ordinary folks’ lives are about to be changed forever.
On the night that a strange craft is spotted flying over Britain, Susan North is driving on a country road when she hears reports on the radio of a “strange phenomena of light in the sky.” As the report succumbs to static, a bright light dazzles her, causing her to lose control of her car.
The camera then tracks the lower portion of a man’s body approaching the car and observing a seriously injured Susan framed by the stranger’s body, arm and open car door.
In the bar of a rural English inn, the owner’s daughter, Gretchen Harding is concerned about Susan’s whereabouts after receiving a call from Arthur Walker, Susan’s fiancé, who is looking for her.
As Gretchen serves the bar’s sole patron, Doctor Meinard a stranger enters the bar.
The term “stranger” is given greater significance by the fact that he;
does not like the taste of beer.
has no money.
claims not to have a name. (“I have no name”)
has never paid taxes. (“I have never paid taxes”)
does not have a pulse. (“My friend, you have no pulse”)
Add to this the fact that initially we see only the back of the stranger’s head and almost see things from his perspective. When being questioned, the other characters are strategically placed around him and the audience is forced to follow their physical placement and line of sight directly to the object of their (and our) curiosity.
During the initial stages of “Stranger from Venus,” a kind of aura of unnerving silence seems to surround the stranger as the others halt in their tracks and regard him, such as when later one night he suddenly emerges from Tom Harding’s room.
At the crash site the police and Arthur discover that Susan is missing but conclude that she could not have survived, let alone wander away from the crash.
Later at the hotel as the police are organizing search parties for the morning, the stranger reappears and tells Arthur that Miss North is safe. This raises the suspicions of the police who question him about Miss North’s whereabouts.
The police eventually decide to arrest the stranger, but as they attempt to do so their efforts are thwarted by a kind of force field surrounding him. Susan suddenly appears, dazed but in good health. The story she relates about what she went through, together with her well-healed scars makes it apparent that it was the stranger who had helped her.
The stranger reveals that he has” traveled a great distance” and it was the landing lights from his space ship that caused Susan’s accident. He also reveals that he is not an inhabitant of this planet, but is from Venus. As the doctor observes, “this is no ordinary man.” Arthur soon contacts the Ministry Of War to inform them of what has transpired.
As if to confirm the doctor’s observation, later that night as everyone is asleep, the stranger enters Mr Harding’s room. It soon turns out that a limp Harding has had for many years is gone. In addition to the stranger’s ability to cure physical ailments, he later admits to Susan that he also has a limited capacity to read people’s minds.
In order for the stranger to compensate for the differences in atmospheric conditions between Earth and Venus, he has had to undertake 12 days’ training to condition his respiratory system in order for him to survive on Earth. It turns out that he only has another 100 hours on Earth before he will die.
While driving to a medical appointment, the doctor is stopped by a military roadblock. He is informed that the whole area has been quarantined and that he must return home until the situation has ended. It is apparent that the government has cordoned off the area so that no one can get in to find out the truth about what has taken place, or get out to tell the world what has happened. With the suppression of truth and the facts, the outside world is merely left with rumours that the “earth has been invaded by men from Venus” and that “according to the radio” the stranger doesn’t “exist at all.” As the doctor observes, “so that’s what you’re trying to do; build a prison around him.”
Meanwhile, Arthur has returned from London with a delegation consisting of Chief of Police, Richards and Charles Dixon from Associated Press, who have come to gain a better understanding of the Stranger’s purpose in coming to earth.
The unusual results of the fingerprint test, (“these are not the fingerprints of a human being”) together with a multi-lingual test, convinces Richards and the rest of the party that the Stranger is definitely not from Earth.
We further learn that the stranger’s species make use of thought transference rather than speech to communicate as this guarantees honesty among his people. The Venusian’s method of learning seems to involve a process whereby one “only need to concentrate on a topic to know it.”
The Stranger explains that Venus has been observing Earth for a very long time, and is concerned about Earth’s attempts at maintaining peace. He states that his people “have been amazed and amused at (our) behaviour.” He then informs them that his superiors will be arriving in two days and that the leaders from all the world’s governments must be present.
It turns out that the phones are being monitored by the military and that the public has not been informed about the stranger’s arrival due to a total government embargo on the story. In fact, we learn that “this story cannot be released until it is cleared by our government.” News of the stranger’s arrival has been kept under tight control.
It also turns out that a complicating romantic attachment between the Stranger and Susan has been developing.
The next day, more government representatives arrive, which angers the stranger as no other nations’ leaders are present as was earlier stipulated. He expresses his concerns at humanity’s use of nuclear power, and the kind of the damage that could be caused. He refers to the asteroid belt as an example of what can happen to a civilization that does not exercise caution. He then explains the danger posed to Venus and the rest of the solar system by the “delinquent member” of the solar system if too many bombs were detonated at the same time. Even if the Earth was to move an inch in its orbit as a result, this would over time increase until a point is reached in which the planet Venus is threatened. The intended meeting with the Venusians is to encourage the “cautious handling” of atomic energy and to teach Earth’s scientists.
Before leaving the meeting, the stranger tells those present that he knows what they are thinking: How to get the Venusians to reveal their interplanetary travel secrets and how far certain individuals can personally rise from the knowledge gained. The stranger makes it clear that the Venusian leadership would not agree to freely giving their secrets away.
It later transpires that the disk the stranger had earlier hidden has been stolen and that he can’t communicate with the arriving Venusians without it. In addition, the army has been building up its forces around the hotel and that an attempt will be made to capture the Venusian craft when it lands by using magnetized cables. The authorities’ do not realise that the plan to capture the spaceship could have disastrous consequences for Earth. According to the Stranger such an attempt will result in the death of everyone in the hotel when the Venusian mother ship incinerates a wide area around the hotel.
Arthur’s efforts to avert disaster by contacting the Minister of War in London are to no avail as he is ordered to continue to prepare the ambush.
Overhead, the descending ship from Venus prepares to land, but at the last minute the Stranger uses his retrieved communicator to alert the ship of the danger. The alien craft changes course and heads into outer space.
Without any means of being evacuated, the Stranger returns to the lake, the one place of earthly happiness to resignedly await to his inevitable fate.
Points Of Interest
“Stranger from Venus” appears to have been adapted from the Robert Wise classic, “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951), an impression further reinforced by having Patricia Neal cast as the female star. In both films an alien visitor arrives to deliver a dire warning about humanity’s irresponsible use of nuclear weapons, only to be met by unreasoning political and military actions. In the British version, alien visitors tend to land in the middle of nowhere, preferably close to an inn or pub, whereas visiting aliens in the US seem to crave attention by landing smack bang in the middle of Washington DC.
Helmut Dantine’s sedative-like performance coupled with the slow-moving and very static pace of the film makes it rather less than entertaining and quite bland. There is also not much in the way of special effects and those that are used for the Venusian spacecraft scenes don’t look at all convincing.
“Stranger from Venus” does effectively highlight the stupidity of officialdom and those who we entrust to look after our interests. In the film, the government immediately acts to isolate the area, blocks information and communication and refuses to invite in other nations as requested. In a final act of irresponsible, bureaucratic, paranoid and short-sighted thinking, it is decided to attempt to bring down the Venusian craft so that the authorities can steal the technology of its magnetic propulsion system, despite the possibility of utter destruction from such a course of action.
Even 70 years later not much seems to have changed with distrust, suspicion and personal and political scheming in order to gain advantage often influencing the course of human affairs.
“Stranger from Venus” clearly stands out as a Cold War era film with a message that that would resonate with audiences at the time: that nuclear arms pose a huge threat and Mankind must step back from the brink of destruction before it's too late. Unfortunately, these days while we focus on our own era’s real and manufactured threats, we are under the false delusion that the threat of nuclear annihilation no longer exists.
“Stranger from Venus” depicts the government as controlling and suppressing the truth about an alien landing. The area around the stranger's landing site is sealed off by the British government. We don’t have far to look in our own era to see governments employing the military and taking charge of an “alien” landing situation; For instance, in this case of refugees and asylum-seekers from foreign countries attempting to flee repression and persecution in their homelands by crossing boarders. The reaction has often been to take such people (termed “illegals” even though they could legally claim asylum) and imprison (“detain”) them in concentration “camps” sometimes set up in third countries. The only news we might receive about the asylum seekers is heavily controlled by the governments under the guise of “operational matters.” This lack of trust in and respect for those who are being governed by denying them the right to know only leaves room for rumors, speculation and half-truths and opens the door wide open to abuse of power. And this is what we do to members of our own species!
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Venus Fact File
When seen from Earth, Venus, the second planet from the sun, is brighter than any other planet or even any star in the night sky because of its highly reflective clouds and its closeness to our planet.
Venus and Earth are often called twins because they are similar in size, mass, density, composition and gravity.
Venus is the hottest world in the solar system as its dense atmosphere traps heat in a runaway version of the greenhouse effect. Temperatures on Venus reach 870 degrees F (465 degrees C), more than hot enough to melt lead.
Venus’ atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulphuric acid. The atmosphere is heavier than that of any other planet with a surface pressure 90 times that of Earth.
The surface of Venus is extremely dry with no liquid water since the scorching heat would cause any to boil away.
Venus takes 243 Earth days to rotate on its axis and it rotates the opposite way to Earth’s rotation. On Venus, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. However, it takes Venus 225 Earth days to orbit the sun which would mean that the days on Venus would be longer than the years. In reality, though, the time from one sunrise to the next is only about 117 Earth days long.
So tell me, do you think it likely that the Earth would be visited by a “Stranger from Venus?”
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The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955)
A small budget unpretentious allegory dealing with diverse issues
“The Beast with a Million Eyes” is a 1955 science-fiction movie about the arrival of an extra-terrestrial who is able to see through the eyes of the many creatures it takes control of. The alien uses them to threaten a dysfunctional family that owns an isolated date farm in the California desert.
Directed by David Kramarsky, Lou Place, Roger Corman (uncredited)
Produced by David Kramarsky, associate: Charles Hanawalt
Written by Tom Filer
Music by John Bickford
Cinematography: Everett Baker
Edited by Jack Killifer
Production company: San Mateo Productions
Distributed by American Releasing Corporation (later becoming American International Pictures)
Running time: 75 minutes
Budget: $33,000
Cast
Paul Birch (Allan Kelley)
Lorna Thayer (Carol Kelley)
Dona Cole (Sandy Kelley)
Dik Sargent (Larry)
Leonard Tarver ('Him')
Bruce Whitmore (voice of The Beast)
Chester Conklin (Old Man Webber)
PLOT
(Warning! Spoiler Alert)
With the Earth drifting isolated in space, an alien voice-over informs us that it needs our world. We are then given a shot of a space ship flying over the Earth superimposed by water-like ripples.
The alien informs us in a suitably stentorian voice that it's coming to our world and that it lives on hate. “I need your world….I live on fear and human hatred.” As a part of his plan of world domination, he intends to begin with the unthinking animals and weaker-willed humans as his eyes and ears. A superimposed single eyeball lunges toward us through the superimposed ripple effect. This then is……
The Beast with a Million Eyes!
The background to the opening credits contains a somewhat surrealist form of artwork consisting of trees and rocks with multiple eyes. We then fade to panning shots of a vast expanse of barren and sterile desert surrounding an almost oasis-like ranch of date trees. The voice-over of character, Alan Kelly informs us about how they're having another bad season, in fact “ten years of off seasons” and that they've been losing money for three years. To his way of thinking “I guess this makes me a failure.”
[Such a scenario reminds us of a nation finding itself in economic strife with its ordinary citizens bearing the brunt of the crisis and struggling to make a go of things. It is then not surprising that there should be a feeling of being left fearful, dispirited, isolated and surrounded by hostile forces somewhere out there leaving many of those so afflicted ripe for manipulation and control by powerful forces…..]
Alan contemplates the ever-present desert ominously surrounding his date ranch. It may appear to be lifeless, but Alan can’t shake “the feeling you get when you think what’s out there,” that “grinding, twisting thing that’s slowly destroying us.”
Things have also been hard on Alan’s wife, Carol. Alan goes inside to talk to Carol and tries to convince her to let their teenage daughter, Sandy go to college in the autumn. As Sandy overhears the conversation, Carol says she doesn't want Sandy to go to college, and bitterly declares that “sometimes when I see her so young and pretty….sometimes I do hate her.”
[There are many who feel that their hopes and dreams for a better and more meaningful life are for one reason or another thwarted. Often their inner turmoil and feelings of frustration are then misdirected as they lash out at those closest to them and those who are the most vulnerable, and not at the real cause of their dilemma.]
After Alan steps outside, Sandy enters the house with her German shepherd, Duke but Carol chases dog out of the house. After calming down, Carol admits to Alan that without Sandy, she'd go crazy with him working the date groves all day, being surrounded by “all that wasteland and mountains” and being alone with ……."Him." From a window of the shack next to the house a face looks out and to the accompaniment of ominous music, the curtains suddenly close.
Inside, “Him” (their nameless mute handy man) lies on a cot with a magazine next to a wall covered with pictures of women from magazines. It’s a part of a world that “Him” can only look at and wish for but from which he, as someone who has been “damaged” is excluded. A likely candidate for whatever force wishes to “recruit” him to its cause.
Meanwhile in the house, Carol chases Duke out of one door but he simply opens and enters the house through another door. (Dumb humans, eh, Duke!) Carol is on the verge of trying to explain to Sandy what's been bothering her: “Sandy there’s something I want…..” Sandy, however, is still hurt and curtly replies to her mother with “Do you really care?” Sandy then leaves to go swimming in a water hole in a date grove.
[Divisions between the generations can be exploited by forces that wish to direct the disaffection felt by youth toward particular causes that can serve to destroy social cohesion.]
Unknown to Sandy, “Him” follows her to the water hole and watches her from a vantage point high up a ladder next to a tree while she is swimming.
As Carol is working in the kitchen, a single high-pitched piercing tone erupts and intensifies. The terror Carol feels is written on her face as she screams.
Back at the water hole Sandy puts the noise down to "crazy pilots, always showing off." Duke’s barking soon causes Sandy to look up and spot “Him” up the tree. She tells “Him” to come down from the tree and then proceeds to scold him, but realizes he’s just a simple-minded mute.
Back at the house Carol calls the sheriff to report the incident and the damage caused. All of her glassware is broken. The camera focuses on the shattered remains of yesterday’s life, today’s disappointment and tomorrow’s hope for something better. As Carol stares at the shattered china cabinet and a broken goblet, somewhere deep within her she weeps for her shattered hopes and dreams symbolized by her broken glassware.
The last straw occurs when Carol runs into the kitchen and pulls her burnt dinner from the oven. Carol’s anger is not surprisingly directed at the harmless “Him” when she yells at him, “No food now or later! Get out!” And again later at her own daughter even when Sandy says she understands and observes that her mother’s glassware was all she “had left from home.” She even asks Carol, “what can I do?” to which Carol harshly responds, “You can pick up the glass in the living room.” She follows this up by yelling at “Him,” “Get out of my house!”
During the strange fly-over, in a scene reminiscent of Hitchcock’s “The Birds”, a bird strikes Alan’s car’s windshield as he is driving. While he's out of his car looking at the bird, he's attacked by a flock of birds.
Also during this time, Duke has been mysteriously drawn out into the desert…
Later on, Alan pays a visit at the farm of their elderly neighbour Ben. Ben informs him that things have been strange ever since a plane flew over earlier. At least to him it sounded like a plane. Ben observes that's the second time his cow has kicked over the milk bucket that day. Strange days indeed…..
Deputy Larry arrives at the house and asks about the damage. While in the company of Sandy, they come across “Him,” who is carrying an ax in an almost brooding and potentially threatening manner seemingly displeased about Sandy being with Larry.
[Jealousy and craving what can’t be possessed could open up another avenue of control and manipulation by whatever force is at work.]
Sandy explains to Larry that "poor old Him" doesn't talk and they don't know his name, but that Alan keeps him around anyway. This is followed by a shot of “Him” on his cot-his entire world framed by the window light, a world within a little room behind a locked door shutting out the wider world outside.
In the scene when Duke returns from the desert, Carol spots him and comes outside to call for him. However, Duke behaves in a threatening manner (despite happily wagging his tail and looking more like a friendly pooch!) Carol dashes inside while Duke goes to the other door and opens it. At that point Carol grabs a rifle, shoots but misses Duke.
After running out of house, Carol pleads with “Him” to let her in his shack, but he doesn't respond. Carol then grabs his ax and dashes into the woodshed. Duke follows her and fiercely barks and snarls at her. “Him” comes out his shack, but decides to run off while Carol screams in terror. “Him” then wanders off into the desert.
Later that evening, Alan and Sandy return from town. Sandy is excited as one of the packages she’s carrying contains a surprise present for Sandy from Carol; a dress. Alan enters to find Carol, sitting quietly on the couch in the dark. Despite all the light bulbs having been shattered earlier, she manages to turn on a light! She tells Alan that she doesn't want Sandy to see Duke, who she killed in the woodshed. While Alan goes out to see, Sandy enters and realizes her mother is acting strangely. Sandy then sees the gun on the floor and begins to join the dots. She suddenly runs out, screams and returns to the house. Carol tells her about how Duke was acting but Sandy doesn't believe Duke would act so savagely. Sandy then runs off.
Carol and Alan later conclude that something strange is going on, and that they have got to stay close. She feels that there is some kind of “power trying to tear us apart.” Carol declares, "We haven't been close in a long time."
As “Him” is walking in the desert under the alien influence, he soon comes into contact with Sandy, who was walking ahead of him. She comes out of her trance, grabs “Him,” and wonders what they were doing there. Sandy then takes “Him” by the hand and leads him back to the ranch. Even though supper is ready, “Him” refuses to come inside to eat.
Carol and Sandy manage to forgive each other, hug and make up. After supper, we have a shot of the three of them being a family in the living room and doing what many families did before the widespread use of TV, the internet and mobile phones. When Sandy gets up to go to bed, Alan tells her to sleep with the shutters locked-in a time when people rarely felt the need to lock the doors and windows in their own homes. He suggests that Sandy and “Him” being together in the desert made them stronger than the strange forces at work.
When the Kellys’ neighbor, Ben goes to the barn with a pail, his cow goes berserk and charges at him after he falls to the ground. Back at the ranch, Carol goes to feed the chickens which also run amok and attack her. Luckily Alan comes to the rescue with his blow torch and singes their feathers good and proper. Takes care of wondering what’s for dinner tonight.
Afterwards, Carol suggests that the chickens' abnormal behaviour is some kind of animal revolution. Alan replies that “revolutions have to have leaders.” (According to Orwell, it’s best to keep an eye on those crafty pigs!)
It seems that the events and shocks of the past day have brought about a positive change in Carol which is also noticed by Sandy who declares, “I feel like I have a family again.”
Alan and “Him” get into the car later on and head out to the field. Alan then drops” Him” off at a grove and tells him he'll be back in a few hours. “Him” begins to work but he's soon distracted. He looks up and sees a bird, and wanders off once again.
While Alan arrives at Ben's place and sees the damage caused by the cow along with Ben’s body, “Him” finds himself drawn to the alien craft.
Meanwhile at the ranch, Sandy and her mother see Ben's cow approaching. While attempting to obtain some milk from the cow, it charges at Sandy. Carol tries to fend the cow off with a rake but trips over and is in danger of being charged at by the cow when suddenly there's the sound of a gunshot. Thanks to Alan they will have a full freezer and lots of family BBQs.
Alan attempts to call the sheriff's office to talk to Deputy Larry but the phone goes dead, and the electric power is cut. It turns out that a flock of birds has purposely flown into a transformer causing it to explode.
[At about this stage in the film Alan concludes that, "it’s closing in” while Carol experiences the kind of fear as if there were “something more at stake.” Interesting comments in light of the context in which the film was made. It was a time of the fear of the Red Menace; fear of Communist infiltration and subversion; paranoia concerning perceived “un-American” activities; real and imagined threats to freedom, democracy and national unity from “Them” out there with their alien ideologies. Strange days indeed they were……
[Fast forward more than sixty years later and what do we find? A time of fear of terrorism and lunatic alien extremist religious, sectarian and fundamentalist ideologies; horribly real, potential, exaggerated and even largely manufactured threats to national security, often distracting attention away from really serious social and economic problems facing us; perceptions of being constantly under siege from those who wish to do us harm; a disturbing willingness to diminish personal freedoms, privacy and accountability in the interest of nationalistic and jingoistic slogans and concepts. Strange days indeed……most peculiar….]
Alan returns without “Him” and tells them that they must go to town and get help. Carol, however, refuses to go and declares that her place is with him. Alan eventually convinces her to leave.
After the girls have left, Alan goes in search of “Him.” While he's searching, he sees the damage caused to the transformer by the birds. Just then a flock of birds attack Alan and he tries to fend them off with a rifle first by futilely shooting at them and then by using the rifle as a club. When the birds stop attacking him, Alan notices a solitary black bird watching him.
When Alan gets back to the ranch, he is surprised to see Carol there placidly lighting lanterns and behaving as if everything is just normal. She then shows the car and the damage caused to its windshield by birds that attacked the car led by a black crow. Alan and Carol begin to arrive at some disturbing conclusions: First, that “there’s something guiding these birds.” Secondly, that it has to do with a “plane from somewhere else.”