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War of the Worlds
by Mark Knowles
War of the Worlds, written in 1898, by H.G. Wells is one of the defining movies of an era. Released in 1953 and directed by George Pal, this particular version of the film, despite changing huge parts of the storyline, remains to this day one of the best Sci-Fi films ever produced. The 2005 Steven Spielberg version starring Tom Cruise pales in comparison, and modern filmmakers could learn a lot by digging through the archives and taking a look at how a real craftsman produces a film.
Due to budgetary constraints, Pal decided not to film in England, where the story was originally set, instead choosing the far less expensive option of filming in California. The Cyclops eyes of the Martian invaders worked so well as to have me, for one, believing there could be invaders from another planet, and they would probably have a single, triple lensed eye. Not quite the same level of hysteria produced by the radio transmission of the story in 1938, but close.
The 1950’s produced a vast array of quality science fiction films, (along with a few clunkers) and Pal was a prolific director, but this was his masterpiece, combining previously unheard of sound and light effects to produce a realistic vision of an alien species bent on the destruction of humankind. The sound effects were apparently produced using a feedback loop from an electric guitar
I defy you to watch the movie and not feel a chill run up your spine when the first luckless casualties approach the space ship, and an appendage emerges and turns it’s gaze towards them. Then incinerates them with their heat ray. The “Martian War Machine” has to be one of the most original concepts of it’s day, and has been the basis for numerous copies in other movies, then and now. No-one has yet come up with a better version. Simple, completely alien in design, and playing heavily into the nationwide worry about flying saucers in those days. The heat ray combined with a “force field” would have made the Martians unbeatable. Thank goodness for a few earth-bound germs.
Despite being forced by studio executives who insisted on the standard Hollywood love match between the hero, played by gene Barry, and whichever starlet happened to be handy, in this case, Ann Robinson, (to provide fodder for the gossip columnists of the day) Pal manages to stay reasonably true to the intentions of the original story, and the romance blends into the background, where it belongs.
The main focus of the story is the invasion and the human’s reactions. There are a few nice little ironic pictures portrayed, such as when the hero is dumped at the side of the road by an angry mob stealing his truck and the image of the Eiffel Tower lying twisted and ruined. The images of dozens of planes dropping bombs on the indestructible invaders and rows upon rows of tanks and artillery throwing shell after useless shell are all too believable. You just know this is exactly the reaction the authorities would have today, although in this case, the Martians started it.
This movie is a must-see, and even if the special effects are a little out-of-date now, they still remain believable, and far more fun than the modern equivalents, especially when you consider the materials they had to work with at the time. The film is as fresh now as the day it was released and if you are looking for an evening’s entertainment, you could do a lot worse than get this one out of the local video store. I very much doubt you could say the same for most modern films.
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