Rent Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
3.4 of 5 from 79 ratings
1h 20min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Dr. Russell Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) works for Operation Skyhook, a government task force sending rockets into space to probe for future space flights. But when the rockets begin mysteriously disappearing, Dr. Marvin investigates along with his wife and assistant, Carol (Joan Taylor), only to find the rockets are being intercepted by an army of space aliens who give humanity an ultimatum: loyalty or death! As the aliens begin attacking cities and landmarks across the Earth including an unforgettable assault on Washington D.C. it's up to Dr. Marvin and his wife to figure out how to stop these diabolical creatures before it's too late.
- Actors:
- Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba, Thomas Browne Henry, Grandon Rhodes, Larry J. Blake
- Directors:
- Fred F. Sears
- Producers:
- Charles H. Schneer
- Writers:
- Donald E. Keyhoe, Curt Siodmak, George Worthing Yates, Bernard Gordon
- Studio:
- Columbia Tristar
- Genres:
- Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 13/10/2008
- Run Time:
- 81 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- Arabic, Brazilian, English, English Hard of Hearing, French, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary
- Remembering Earth vs. the flying saucers – Featurette
- The Hollywood blacklist and Bernard Gordon – Featurette
- Photo galleries
- Interview with Joan Taylor
- The colourisation process - Featurette
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Reviews (1) of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
Fifties sci-fi. - Earth vs. the Flying Saucers review by Steve
The title tells all in this ultra low budget sci-fi film which boasts flying saucers created by visual effects legend Ray Harryhausen. It aims for a documentary style realism, with voice over narration and lots of pseudo-science, adapted from a non fiction book by Major Donald Keyhoe, formerly of the US marines who headed up a national committee on UFOs!
But of course it's just an entertaining B film. It may be poorly budgeted, but it had some advantages in being made for Columbia pictures who had Harryhausen under contract. He creates a good space ship though his models of the collapsing landmarks of Washington DC are no better than ok.
The story mimics the cold war in that it depicts a rapid escalation of military capability, though there is no nuclear. The humanoid invaders (their planetary home is left vague) have an effective ultra-sonic weapon and the Americans invent an electro-magnetic ray gun which interferes with their engines. Although at times a six shooter has to do.
Hugh Marlowe is pedestrian and careworn enough to play a research scientist, but perhaps not sufficiently charismatic for the action hero he becomes. But he does have an exceptionally sexy assistant/wife in Joan Taylor. This is a pioneering film. Anyone today showing a sky full of UFOs over the monuments of a world famous city is doing nothing that Fred Sears and Harryhausen didn't do first. It's a must-see for fans of fifties sci-fi.
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