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

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calibanzwei

Well-Known Member
Location
Warrington
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...


That the one with the sand trap and the end of the path? Awesome film!
 

guitarpete247

Just about surviving
Location
Leicestershire
Some excellent films from that period. Some real turkeys as well. I remember Michael Medved introducing a series on Channel 4 called "The Worst of Hollywood". That's were I saw "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and learnt about the strange world of Edward D. Wood.

Forbidden Planet has, since my early teens, been one of my favourite films as has the show "Return to the Forbidden Planet". Robby the Robot I saw in Space family Robinson so I've just done a little googling and found this site. He was still finding work over 10 years from his first film.

I know it's just outside the 50's at 1961 but "The Day the Earth Caught Fire". A classic British Sci-Fi.
 
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GaryA

GaryA

Subversive Sage
Location
High Shields
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"Help me! Help me!"
 

Melonfish

Evil Genius in training.
Location
Warrington, UK
Wow, epic films in fact i reckon i've seen most. Invaders from mars, THEM! the day the earth stood still and all the quatermass ones were my faves!
not to mention when worlds collide, war of the worlds, attack of the 50 foot woman, earth vs the flying saucers etc.

one film i always remember was a sci fi where they discover another planet opposite earth, i.e. the other side of the sun and send an expedition to it, everything is backwards there/opposites. i think that was a 60's film tho.
 

Flying_Monkey

Recyclist
Location
Odawa
Ah, a great thread. Lots of fun stuff here: This Island Earth and The Day the Earth Stood Still are my favourites. Lots of politics being played out here what with McCarthyism stalking Hollywood, and the spectre of the Soviet Union scaring the bejesus out of the average American.

And of course, this was also a good time for Japanese films of the same type - The Mysterians and Gojira (Godzilla) being the most well-known. These films tended to be more overtly allegories of nuclear weapons, although I think in Them!, it was also nuclear testing that cause the ants to mutate, wasn't it?
 

Zoiders

New Member
Pre war and prophetic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_To_Come

Worth it for just for some of the startling set piece scenes alone, a film well ahead of it's time.

Free to view on the youtube film channels if anyone is interested.
 
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GaryA

GaryA

Subversive Sage
Location
High Shields
Quite a few of these films were set in white small town Americia- usually in the west - I cant recall seeing a black or brown face in any of them....They seemed idyllic sleepy places where everyone knew each other, where one of the hero charachters was usually a doctor- invariably called 'Doc' The peace was shattered by the sudden appearance of alien(s) only to a select few, who faced ridicule and derision from the authorities- until various gruesome events proved them right, the cops and the army were the righteous, flag waving, heros. There was never much moralising about taking a flame thrower to the monsters :whistle: one exception was 'IT came from outer space' where the hideous one eyed aliens took human form to walk around with impunity, collecting equipment to get off Earth where they were stranded. The (astronomer) hero in this case was defending the aliens against the frightened town lynch mob.
As FM pointed out in the 50's the aliens were the Russians and the monsters Nuclear weapons...these films must have sunk into the subconscious and helped prepare the population for a collective response to an 'external enemy' but like the films, there wasnt much thought put into analysing the threat. ;)
 
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