Based on the classic 1898 novel by H.G. Wells, and produced by
legendary fantasy filmmaker George Pal, The War Of The Worlds, released in 1953,
has since become a classic in its own right. The opening narration is adapted
from the novel as it introduces the viewer to the world of Mars, and how the
Martians, looking for a new world to conquer, scan the planets of the solar
system until they settle on Earth, with its Goldilocks climate that's not too
hot nor too cold. Once the narration is over, we see the first of the Martian
cylinders crash land in a rural area of California. Thinking it's a meteor the
local authorities call on three scientists who are vacationing in the hills
nearby. Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry) goes out to examine the meteor, which
is radioactive, judging from the way it sets off the Geiger counter in his car.
Deciding to wait until it cools down Forrester spends the night in town,
attending one hootenanny of a square dance in the process.
The townsfolk leave three men behind to watch over the meteor, and they soon
bear witness to some mighty strange stuff, such as a piece of the meteor that
literally unscrews itself. When an eye-like pod on the end of a slender neck
emerges from the hole, the three men try to welcome it in peace by waving a
white flag. The response is a death ray that mows them down, disintegrating the
men into a pile of ashes. The military is soon called in and surrounds the
cylinder, just as more cylinders begin to land all over the world. The Martian
war machines are different here than they were in the book. Wells described them
as massive pods that sat on three legs, which were steam powered. Because of
budget restraints, Pal had to settle on the now-famous, majestic manta-ray
design that hovered off the ground, with a single glowing eye on a tapered stem.
I recall watching as a boy for the first time the scene when these mighty ships
fall under an all-out assault by the US ground forces, and feeling chills as
they merely floated regally unaffected by the immense firepower that was hurled
at them…and then I watched, stunned, as the Martians unleashed their own
enormous firepower upon the helpless Earth.
Although you can now easily see the strings holding up the Martian ships in
certain shots (thanks to the gorgeous, crystal clear print used for this DVD
edition), The War Of The Worlds is still a potent film more than 50 years after
its release. Although there's no mention of the black smoke, or the red weeds
that the Martians used in the novel, this film version still effectively
captures the spirit of Wells' masterwork. And the recently released Special
Collector's Edition DVD is the definitive version of this marvelous film, with
newly created special features, such as the original 1938 radio show of The War
Of The Worlds, presented on this disc in its entirety. Produced by Orson Welles
a few years before he made Citizen Kane, this broadcast was infamous for
creating real panic in the streets when it first aired.
Other special features include audio commentaries with stars Gene Barry and Ann
Robinson, as well as a second audio commentary that features director Joe Dante
(Gremlins, The Howling), film historian Bob Burns and writer Gene Warren (author
of Keep Watching The Skies!). And with all due respect to Barry and Robinson, it's
the audio commentary with Dante, Burns and Warren that's the most
enjoyable. These three film buffs are both fascinating and fun to listen to.
There's also a great retrospective documentary called The Sky Is Falling: The
Making Of The War Of The Worlds. It features interviews with Barry, Robinson,
actor Robert Cornthwaithe, as well as Bob Burns and effects master Ray
Harryhausen as the all talk about the making of the film and its impact. There's
also another, shorter documentary about H.G. Wells called H.G. Wells: The Father
Of Science Fiction. This features interviews with Nicholas Meyer (director of
Star Trek: The Wrath Of Kahn) and monster magazine legend Forry Ackerman, among
others, as they discuss H.G. Wells, the man and his work. It's high time this
classic SF film received the special treatment that it so richly deserves.
--SF
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