Lovesusti
The Worst Film Ever
Infamousta
brilliant actors, brilliant editing
Maidexpl
Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast
mark.waltz
And in this case, it's a normal good guy, William Schallert, playing the villain. As earthlings Robert Clarke, Raymond Bond, Margaret Clarke and Schallert discover an unknown planet heading into the direction of earth, they prepare for the best or the worst. When a lone creature from the earth man named planet X does show up, all but Schallert treat the visiting and nonspeaking being with sensitivity. Schallert, obviously a suspicious type, takes drastic measures to get into the visitor's mind, even going as far as physically attacking it.This is 1950's sci-fi without the camp, without ridiculous subplots that really don't belong, and without a ridiculous looking creature. There's nothing but the story of conflicts in humanity over what's the best way to deal with the unknown, and a theory that we shouldn't shoot first and wonder about the alternative later. It's moody and deliberately slow, subtly fascinating, and more intelligent than most audiences going into expected. That makes this slow going at times, certainly having a conflict yet never fully grabbing you past feeling sorry for the poor visitor who seems to be there with good intentions. An interesting moment in the career of cult director Edgar G. Ullmer.
classicsoncall
My choice for a summary line was a toss up between the above and newspaperman John Lawrence's comment to a local constable - "Believe me man, we're in trouble". I found the dialog to improve considerably in the second half when the British authorities came on the scene and delivered their distinctive brand of local colloquialisms. I just about rolled on the floor when the conversation turned to 'boogeys'; I didn't quite know what to make of all that.Well this might not be one of the best outer space flicks coming out of the Fifties, but it was one of the first and had it's cool share of scientific gobbledy-gook to keep one invested in the story. Of note was the specific gravity of the space object discovered by Lawrence and Enid Elliott (Margaret Field), one-fifth that of steel making it incredibly strong but with tremendous tensile strength. The space creature's first appearance is also a neat shocker if you're not expecting it, sending Miss Elliott into screaming fits as she dashed across the Scottish countryside.Shot on a virtual shoestring budget in only six days, the set used by director Edgar Ulmer was a hold over from the 1948 Ingrid Bergman film "Joan of Arc". Economizing even further, Ulmer capitalized on additional use of fog to fill in the spaces where there was no set. Considering the obstacles, Ulmer wound up with a product that's not nearly as cheesy as it could have been. The picture even poses a thoughtful question for the viewer to consider after the alien sphere is obliterated and the threatening planet zooms away - was the coming alien invasion a blessing or a curse?For all that, it was many years after the picture's release that the actor who portrayed the alien was even revealed for his role in the picture. Not only was Pat Goldin uncredited, he wasn't even paid!, according to Turner Classic Movie commentator Ben Mankiewicz. I wonder how many times he had to get in and out of that space suit.
Woodyanders
A mysterious alien (Ray Goldin in a genuinely eerie costume) lands his spaceship in a remote Scottish village and stirs up the locals. Director Edgar G. Ulmer, working from a smart script by Aubrey Wisberg and Joack Pollexfen, works wonders on a very tight and modest budget: the absorbing story unfolds at a steady pace, there's a vivid evocation of the isolated fog-shrouded hamlet, and the potently gloomy and spooky atmosphere never falters for a minute. Moreover, this movie deserves extra praise for not making the extraterrestrial malevolent from the get go; the alien starts out as ambiguous in its intentions and only turns malign after being cruelly treated by evil opportunistic scientist Dr. Mears (superbly played by veteran character actor William Schallert). Kudos are also in order for the restrained and convincing acting by the sturdy cast, with especially praiseworthy work from Robert Clarke as affable American reporter John Lawrence, Margaret Field as the perky Enid Elliot, Raymond Bond as the practical Professor Elliot, and Roy Engel as resolute town constable Tommy. Both John R. Russell's sharp black and white cinematography and Charle Koff's stirring score are up to par. Recommended viewing for fans of the genre.
Richard (richreed-1)
In my mind, this film has two major distinctions. The first is veteran character actor William Schallert playing, possibly for the only time in his career, a weaseling villain. After all, to us Boomers he was Patty Duke's father in "The Patty Duke Show," or the humble, self-effacing-yet-professional Air Corps pilot that planned and led the interception of Japansese Admiral Yamamto in "The Gallant Hours." The second distinction is that this is the first movie that scared the crap out of me. I was 7 years old and after seeing this movie couldn't sleep with the lights off for a week. Even into adulthood, driving past the salt marshes of Eastern Long Island on a foggy night caused my imagination to go a bit bonkers.While it certainly scared a bunch of kids, the cult appeal that other horror or B-movie flicks enjoyed doesn't carry over into adulthood. The dialogue appears to have been written by adolescent comic book authors. Enid, the heroine, upon getting a flat tire, actually says "Confound the luck!" And the egghead Professor Elliot seems to like the word "singularity," as he inserts it all over his speech at random and without any meaning. Plot devices used to connect to the next scene seem to have been made up on the set at the last minute. All the clothing, especially hero John's Air Force bomber jacket and his trenchcoat, appear to have been rented cheap provided they don't get wrinkled or dirty.But, in the end, it needs to be enjoyed for what it is: A Cheesy Rainy Saturday Afternoon B-Flick. Get some of the frat brothers together, tap a mini-keg, and laugh at the dialogue, the cheap sets, the just-off-the-rack look of all the clothes, the plot devices, and the special effects.
