The War of the Worlds (1953)

Directed by: Byron Haskin | 85 minutes | action, horror, science fiction | Actors: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Robert Corntwaite, Sandro Giglio, Lewis Martin, Houseley Stevenson Jr, Paul Frees, William Phipps, Vernon Rich, Henry Brandon, Jack Kruschen, Cedric Hardwicke

This 1953 production is a film adaptation of the eponymous story by HG Wells, known for his science-fiction stories. Also, the title of this ‘The War of the Worlds’ will ring a bell with many viewers about the radio play broadcast by Orson Welles in 1938, which many listeners interpreted as a report of an actual alien invasion and attacks by many listeners. led to mass hysteria. This 1953 film adaptation differs from Wells’ story in several respects, but that does not detract from the quality of this film adaptation.

The beginning is quite calm, not to say innocently designed. The not exactly alarmed reaction of the village to the nearby object that crashed, the friendly interaction of the various villagers, the villagers who also quietly stand around the radioactive object, the party held in the village hall, the three villagers flying with a white flag. welcome the Martians once they emerge from their ship… it all seems harmless so far and may raise the question whether and to what extent the subsequent developments are worthwhile for the enthusiast. That is indeed the case in no small part when the tone of events changes when the alien visitors do not appear to be overflowing with friendly intentions. They attack humanity with weapons superior to those of their terrestrial opponents. This provides the opportunity to feature numerous action scenes with devastating scenes in which the military engages in battle with the Martians.

Moving the story to 1950s Los Angeles hasn’t been such a bad choice, so that more weaponry can be donated in the battles against the Martians than if events unfold, similar to Wells’s story, at the end. of the 19th century had taken place. An arsenal of weaponry, from cannons, tanks and related weapons to atomic explosions pass by and this results in a series of flaming and explosive action scenes. The slow pace of the first fifteen minutes of the film is also released and the events follow each other at a fairly rapid pace. Tension and action are more than sufficiently assured in this film adaptation. At least as much, if not more striking, are the new and successful special effects in this film for that time, whether or not as part of the passing violent confrontations. Made possible again by the superior weapons of the Martians that move in floating saucers. Another departure from Wells’ story in which they move in three-legged machines, but something that makes sense given their technological knowledge. And the landing spaceships of the Martians, their floating saucers, the death and destruction-destroying destructive rays they fire from them, the force field they cast around their saucers and the glimpses of the Martians themselves, supported by appropriate music and the necessary sound effects, neatly depicted.

In line with this are the images of burning and collapsing buildings and the other devastation the Martians wreak in the cities falling prey to them. It is, certainly for the time from which this production dates, successfully and convincingly portrayed. It is a fine piece of work from the special effects department, which is why this film also rightly received an Oscar for these effects. The atmosphere that characterizes this film is also convincing, except for the more or less pleasant opening scenes. There is a clear threat from the alien visitors due to the ruthless and merciless massacres they inflict, as well as their calculating method and popping up in more and more places. The initial doggedness of the military commanders turns into a mood of panic as humanity is increasingly cornered in the hopeless struggle against the seemingly unassailable enemy. Successful supportive scenes also include the accompanying mass hysteria among the residents of Los Angeles and of deserted and destroyed streets that once again emphasize the powerlessness against the Martians.

The fortunes of the main characters also fit in with the course of the developments. Not a tough action hero who, alone or with some help through some ingenious finds, can save humanity from destruction for a while. Instead, a few fairly mundane and random scientists who, on their ramble through collapsing civilization, also lose out in clashes with the hysterical residents of Los Angeles. Neat renditions of the various actors. The downside of the design and the performances of the main characters is the lack of an imaginative hero. The more or less built-in, but rather superfluous, love story between the male and female protagonists can’t change that much either. Furthermore, with regard to the fight against the Martians, the exaggerated religious content in this film is quite striking. It is true that Wells has also included the necessary religious touches in his story, but with ironic intentions to emphasize the powerlessness of faith against the Martians. Apart from that, there will not be too much to criticize about this production for the lover of science fiction films. Lots of compelling action, a suspense that is usually well-evoked and held, and successful special effects make this film one of the better science fiction films of the 1950s.