A small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.A small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.A small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 5 wins & 2 nominations total
Robert Cornthwaite
- Dr. Pryor
- (as Bob Cornthwaite)
Houseley Stevenson Jr.
- Gen. Mann's Aide
- (as Housely Stevenson Jr.)
William Phipps
- Wash Perry
- (as Bill Phipps)
Cedric Hardwicke
- Commentary
- (voice)
- (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Peter Adams
- Pine Summit Fire Watcher
- (uncredited)
Eric Alden
- Man
- (uncredited)
Hugh Allen
- Brigadier General
- (uncredited)
Ruth Barnell
- Mother
- (uncredited)
Edgar Barrier
- Prof. McPherson
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe estate of H.G. Wells was so pleased with the final production that it offered George Pal his choice of any other of Wells' properties. Pal chose The Time Machine (1960).
- GoofsModern viewers often complain that the wires used to suspend the Martian war machines are plainly visible throughout the film. The film was originally shot in three strip Technicolor, with prints made using a dye transfer process that resulted in very saturated colors, but with a slight reduction in overall resolution. This reduction in resolution "fuzzed out" the wires in original prints, making them effectively invisible. Later prints were made in Eastman Color, which uses a photographic process and yields sharper prints, but here had the side effect of making the support and electric wires plainly visible - the models had electrical wires as the side pods of the machines really lit up green and the "cobra heads" lit up as well. It is common practice in the film industry to take into account what details will be visible when a print is projected so as not to waste production time and money on details that will never actually be visible to a viewing audience, especially in the areas of effects and matte paintings. Thus, the filmmakers never thought the wires would be visible and in fact they weren't until the first Eastman Color prints of the film were struck in the late 1960s, and they had become even more visible on modern video releases as there is no dye sublimation resolution loss when making video masters from the original negatives. In the 2018 restoration this was resolved using digital technology.
- Quotes
Radio Reporter: All radio is dead, which means that these tape recordings I'm making are for the sake of future history - If any.
- Alternate versionsFor the 2018 restoration Ben Burtt created a new 5.1 surround sound mix with replacements for many of the film's original sound effects, with the jarring result that the sound effects have fidelity far above that of surrounding dialogue in the film. The 2020 Criterion Collection release features this new sound mix as well as the original mono track.
- ConnectionsEdited from When Worlds Collide (1951)
Featured review
A Classic!
Somewhere out in the American West, a huge meteor-like projectile crashes in the soil. Everyone initially believes it to be nothing more than a meteor, but soon all learn it is really an investigative ship from the planet Mars out to destroy anything and everything in its path. This film directed by Byron Haskin, based on a script by Barre Lyndon, and produced by George Pal is one of the quintessential science fiction films of the 50's, otherwise known as the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Based on the novel of the same name by H. G. Wells, this film keeps the spirit of the book intact while changing some things like the setting. The book takes place primarily in and around London. All of the talents in this film help make The War of the Worlds an innovative, intelligent, and evocative film that tries to get one thinking about alien invaders and their intentions. The earthlings in this film are the good ones...trying to be friendly, yet, treated as nothing more than impediments in the Martians' way. So many scenes in this film are strong: the army fighting the Martian space ship while a man of God tries to make peace with the strangers, the old farmhouse, and the ending as the aliens attack Los Angelos. Acting is strong too as leads Gene Barry - doing a very good job as a scientist who just happens to be nearby - and Ann Robinson convincingly portray what life might be like in a world with such horrific news. But despite a first-rate script, solid direction from Haskin, and good acting, The War of the Worlds owes its greatest debt to producer George Pal. Pal knew how to put films like this together and was a driving force in the film's innovative and unique special effects. Who could forget those bright green Martian ships or that figure of a Martian?
helpful•7415
- BaronBl00d
- Nov 22, 2004
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- H.G. Wells' the War of the Worlds
- Filming locations
- Westminster Presbyterian Church - 1757 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA(First church Forrester searches)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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