Halloween Picks: The War of the Worlds

First off it is that time of year again where I give many of you my picks of films that I like to watch at this time of year and I know that many of you are aware that I am an avid defender of the found footage genre and the fact that many of the films present themselves as real and in some cases such as the Blair Witch Project and Cannibal Holocaust have not only presented themselves as real but also succeeded in convincing many of the population that their movies are in fact the genuine article.

In the early years when the most popular medium was radio this feat was also accomplished and half of the nation was sent into a panic.

October 30, 1938 CBS aired its Halloween edition of the Mercury Theatre featuring Orson Wells’ rendition of the War of the Worlds.

 Based on the novel by H.G. Wells The radio play told the story of an alien invasion from the perspective of radio broadcasters witnessing the invasion as the aliens destroy Grover’s Mills as well as New Jersey and New York City.

Many listeners were tuning to a different channel at the beginning of the broadcast and turned over to CBS at the time that the aliens were beginning their invasion and with the tensions from the events in Europe that would become World War 2 many listeners believed that the invasion was real and began to panic believing that the world was coming to an end.

The next day Orson Wells issued a public apology to the nation stating that was not his intention and that was the end of the story and the beginning of Orson Wells’ Career.

The Radio broadcast was inspired by H.G. Wells’ novel also serves as a major influence on the  1953 George Pal Produced film of the same name.

Now this film holds a special place for me as I was introduced to the film when I was 8 years old watching Channel 21 and a TV spot for the show came on and My Mother knew that I would like the show and she recorded it for me.

That year saw the release of the War of the Worlds Television Series and the Movie was aired to promote the show and to launch the new season for the channel. I will get to the series later.

Orson Wells put a bid into Paramount Studios who had just acquired the rights to the novel to produce the film. Wells was hot after the War of the Worlds incident and naturally he wanted to make the film version. However the head of the studio was quite a fan of George Pal and wanted him to produce the film bringing in Byron Haskin to direct.

As is common with the time, the film is different from the novel and had more to do with the Orson Wells Broadcast.

Also hoping to work on the project was Ray Harryhausen who even animated a test of the Martians emerging from their ship. Sadly Harryhausen did not work on the final film.

The novel focused on the narrator of the novel while he witnesses the invasion and his efforts of survival. The film shows the human resistance to the aliens on a grander scale with Scientists working alongside the military and the invasion across the world.

Gene Barry in his first movie role as Dr. Clayton Forrester a  renowned nuclear physicist from Pacific Tech who witnesses the original appearance of the Invaders and meets Sylvia van Buren who remains as his companion and love interest in the film.  Sylvia was played by Anne Robinson. Barry and Robinson were unknowns at the time and were selected to star so that the focus on the film would be the invaders and the special effects.

Told from Forrester’s perspective the viewer is shown the effort from both the military and scientists to try to defeat the aliens. In the process of the film Forrester and Van Buren witness the original invasion and in retreat end up in an abandoned farmhouse where they encounter the aliens close up and fight them while making their escape back to Pacific Tech where the alien’s blood is analyzed as well as the eyes of the invaders. And they witness the final attempt to stop the aliens with nuclear weapons and after all fails the alien’s fall to Bacteria that mankind has been long immune.

The Martian war ships were designed by Al Nozaki seeking to get away from the more traditional saucer design Nozaki based the look of the Martian death ray off a record player.

In the novel the ships were walking tripods however the budget of the film could not have the alien ships as tripods and as a result the ships look like flying machines however the dialog in the film state that the ships have invisible legs that allow them to walk and if you watch the early scenes in the film you notice that you can in fact see the beams and the scorching of the ground.

One aspect of the novel that was dropped is the use of the red weeds and the fact that the Martians are using the humans for fertilizer in the red weeds making it like Mar’s surface. 

The Ships were made of copper and sadly were all melted down in the 1960s for a copper drive and none of them exist today.

The Martians themselves were designed by Charles Gemara who in a haste had to change the size of the alien being and worked with his daughter and as a result the arms are far larger than intended.  

The film was a Academy Award Winner for Special Effects and was nominated for Film Editing and Sound Recording and the Martians are ranked #27 on the AFI 100 Heroes and Villians as well as multiple nominations for the other listings over the years.  

The film was released during the Red Scare where Americans are far more afraid of Nuclear attack and these fears are showcased in the film.

The film also showcases more of the reactions of the populations that want to escape the invaders in one of the best scenes in the film Dr. Forrester is driving through Los Angeles and is attacked by a mob taking anything on wheels who destroys his instruments that was their only hope to stop the aliens. In effect “Cutting their own throats” Making you ask the question who is worse the aliens or the humans who are looking to survive.

There is definitely a religious aspect of the film. The character of Uncle Matthew is the local minister in Grover’s Mill who at one point tries to communicate with the Martians only to be killed by them off camera. There is also the scenes where the survivors are trying to seek shelter from the invaders inside of the many churches as well as the reunion of Clayton and Sylvia and in the final scene where the narrator thanks god and his infinite wisdom placing the microorganisms on the earth.

Another Easter egg for all of you fans is Woody Woodpecker. Walter Lantz and George Pal were close friends and Pal always made it a point to have his creation in his film. Woody Woodpecker can be seen on top of a tree during the crashing of the first meteorite falling into Grover’s’ Mills.

Unlike Many Sci-Fi Films War of the Worlds had a sequel 35 Years after it was released in the form of the War of the Worlds Television series.

Taking place 35 Years after the events of the film it is revealed that the Martians had infact not died but that they were placed in a coma for 35 Years and are awakened by a radical terrorist organization and the Invaders take over their bodies wearing them like suits.

The invaders even have a trio of leaders called the Advocacy who actually reminded me of something out of Dr. Who rather than a George Pal Film.

The Martians are also now referred to as the Mor-Taxans from the planet Mor-Tax instead of Mars.

The Invaders face the resistance from the Blackwood Project which is a group of scientists and a Military Colonel that are both trying to defeat the invaders as well as warn other humans of the invasion. Ann Robinson reprises her role as Sylvia van Buren in this series.

The Television Series was a prime example of many of the Horror/Sci-Fi films that were released at the time which were far more violent and dark Syndicated programs like War of the Worlds, Friday the 13^th: The Series, Freddy’s Nightmares and Forever Knight. These programs were met with much controversy in the time because of the violence and sexual content that they featured.

The Second Season featured many drastic changes to the series such as the deaths of major characters and the replacement of the alien invaders by a new breed and the title of the series was changed to War of the Worlds: The Second Invasion.

A Pre Highlander Adrian Paul joined what was left of the cast for this series which was canceled later in the season.

The Legacy of the 1953 film remains in pop culture as the villain in the early seasons of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 is named Dr. Clayton Forrester as a tribute to the film and the character is featured in the 1996 Film version of the series.

The film was also a major influence in 2005 when Stephen Spielberg directed his own version of the film.

Starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, This version of the film definitely follows more  the novel as it follows the character of Ray Ferrier as he struggles to  take his children to Boston where their mother is.'

 Along the journey Ray witnesses the invaders attacking a ferry on the Hudson River as well as seeing the aftermath of the attack on the home of his ex-wife finally ending up in a house with a man that may have his own agenda with Ray’s Daughter.

Where the original film was clearly influenced by The Cold War this film is highly influenced by a post 9/11 world. 

like the original The film also places a scary face of the other survivors in their quest for their own lives at the expense of the others around them.

Spielberg admitted that he was highly influenced by the 1953 film and placed his own references and tributes to the film with similarities in some of the scenes such as the Alien Camera in the house 

There is also the scene where the hand is falling out of the ship after the fall of the invaders that is a definitely a tribute to the original film.  

Even the poster makes a refrence to the 1988 promotional poster and logo.

The greatest tribute to the 1953 Film is when the grandparents are revealed to be none other than Gene Barry and Anne Robinson.

Now 60 Years later This film remains on my list of films that I enjoy watching at this time of year.

 Keep Watching the Skies.