Sci-Fi films of the 50's....

[GaryA]

By every logical qualification they are absurd cranky features with wobbly sets and silly costumes but....
I love them*

there is something hypnotic about the atomsphere, lighting, pace, build up, surrealism, nievity, cinematography and sheer imagination.
My 4 yr old lad loves them and shows more fascination for them than just about anything on the telly.
*Prompted a few months ago by buying a box set from forbidden planet and reliving youth
included the classics
Invasion of the body snatchers
Thing from another world
This Island Earth
It... from outer space
The thing from the black lagoon
Tarantula
Them!

 

[wiggydiggy]

The Day of Triffids is also good, doesnt stick to the book 100% but is still entertaining

The Blob was Steve Mcqueens debut lead and is also good fun

 

[BSRU]

What about Forbidden Planet, the first film I remember giving me nightmares when I watched as a kid.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Them! is my favourite.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Plan 9 from outer space.

So bad it became a classic.

 

[Mr Phoebus]

The Day The Earth Stood Still.




Gort, Klaatu barada nikto.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

The Day The Earth Stood Still.

That's my favourite.

Also...

Village of the Damned (1960 though)
The Fly
Incredible Shrinking Man
The Time Machine (might not be 50s)

BBC2 used to run a series of Sci-Fi classics years ago.

 

[calibanzwei]

Can only mirror the above, but don't forget that radio was a popular medium for Sci-Fi in the 50's too...
Journey Into Space

Dimension X

X Minus 1


...and no, I aint that old

 

[GaryA]

Good choices folks.
Yes Forbidden planet is probably the most impressive and articulate to modern eyes.
I believe The Time machine is 1960 but we will include it
Another errie one is the british film 'the quartermass experiment' and an even scarier Quartermass in the mid 60's set in the london underground..that one really scared me as a kid.
Until I got that boxed set from Forbidden planet store I'd never seen Tarantula or the creature from the black lagoon both are full of memorable scenes.
The creature from.. is a bit of an 50's eco- fable; there he is, his species happily unchanged for millions of years in his Amazon lagoon when invading nosey scientists invade his home and start digging for relics...when he gets a bit fed up and swipes one of them he gets shot with a spear gun, dynamited, poisoned and imprisoned in a cage. Taking the sensible option of not going to a zoo or dessection table, he escapes and decides to nobble the lot of them to keep his home secret...but he's polite to the female scientist; he only wants to syncronise swim with her.
Anyroadup, I was rooting for the creature.

 

[GaryA]

Can only mirror the above, but don't forget that radio was a popular medium for Sci-Fi in the 50's too...
Journey Into Space

Dimension X

X Minus 1


...and no, I aint that old

'Journey into space' was repeated on R4 in the late 70's and it scared the poop out of me...all in my imagination, making the scenes and filling in the gaps

 

[Mr Phoebus]

Until I got that boxed set from Forbidden planet store I'd never seen Tarantula

Tarantula was Clint Eastwood's first film. He played one of the pilots.





In his other film Coogans Bluff, when he's in the rave they are projecting images on the wall and they show some stills from Tarantula.

 

[Night Train]

There is something about period sci-fi that really works. I guess it had to work as there wasn't the technology to have rubbish effects for the sake of it to support a second rate film. A good film will withstand low tech effects but high tech effects can't support a second rate film.

 

[calibanzwei]

BBC Radiophonic Workshop at its best

I have all 4 series on mp3 and regularly listen to them as I fall asleep

 

[wiggydiggy]

That's my favourite.

Also...

Village of the Damned (1960 though)
The Fly
Incredible Shrinking Man
The Time Machine (might not be 50s)

BBC2 used to run a series of Sci-Fi classics years ago.

An absolute classic with an awful horrible ending

Also one of the only films I know where the remake is also an excellent take on a classic horror story.

 

[GaryA]

Another one I really liked (but havn't got or seen for years) is Invaders from Mars which is filmed from a small boys prospective; its quite surrelistic, in fact salvador dali could have designed some of the sets...

The incredible shrinking man has a philosophic streak running through it- especially at the end- and even now the effects look convincing.

Another on I havnt seen is 'Queen of outer space' which involves male astronauts from Earth landing on The planet venus populated by curvy 1950's style nubiles in high-heel leather boots and their man hating queen...anyone know where i can get a copy?
"Daddy why are you rewinding that bit of the DDD"?