1950s sci fi films reflective of times
Adult-style science fiction films came of age in the 1950s.
| |
They were picked up for television in the 1960s, laughed at in the high-tech days of "Star Wars" in the 1970s and 80s and remade with reverence in the new century.
The trouble is, the remakes aren't as good as the originals, even with all of today’s high-tech gadgetry. (Check my review of the original “War of the Worlds” vs. the recent Tom Cruise debacle.)
I haven't seen the updated “Day the Earth Stood Still” yet, but the critics haven't been kind. The original 1951 version has been considered a classic, the first adult-style sci fi story that comments on the Cold War of its day.
Then there’s 1956’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” a short but exceptionally effective story about aliens who replace humans with emotionless creatures by creating duplicates first in seed pods. When the actual human falls asleep, the alien creature takes over, but with all of the memories of the original person.
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a suspenseful tale centering on a small California town. Dr. Miles J. Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is the town's handsome young physician who is away at a medical conference. His nurse summons him home because a myriad of townspeople aren't feeling right. They are suspicious that family members and friends aren't who they seem to be.
McCarthy hooks up with an old flame, Dana Wynter, who plays Becky Driscoll. They meet with some of the suspicious townspeople who suddenly decide all is right with the world.
Well, that of course is because they aren't who they seem to be. They have been taken over by aliens!
Remember, this was filmed during the Cold War, when we were all supposed to watch our neighbors, fearing we were being infiltrated by the Communists.
The suspense builds in this masterpiece, directed by Don Siegel.
The film was so popular it was effectively remade in 1978 starring Donald Sutherland and included a part for, yes, Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy, by the way, is still making movies even as his age, 94!
The summer 2007 version, title shortened to “The Invasion,” came and went at the theater and stars Nicole Kidman in the title role. She plays a psychiatrist who fears people are being taken over by aliens. The new version works pretty well too, although with a lot more car crashes.
The original “The Day the Earth Stood Still” holds up pretty well. This 1951 tale has a spacecraft land in Washington, D.C. Americans, paranoid over the Communist threat at the time, take the first opportunity to shoot one of the aliens, who is played by the underused Michael Rennie.
The Rennie character is taken to Walter Reed Army Hospital where he soon slips out to live amongst real Earthlings. He wants to save Earth, not destroy it. But if Earth doesn't heed his message to stop wars and nuclear testing, it will endanger other, more advanced planets. The result: Earth will need to be destroyed.
The Rennie character takes a room at a boarding house where a young Billy Gray lives (later Bud on "Father Knows Best,") along with Frances Bavier, who a decade later would play Aunt Bea on "The Andy Griffith Show," and Patricia Neal, the film's love interest.
"The Day the Earth Stood Still" has an exceptional ensemble cast and is carried as much by young Billy Gray as it is by the adult cast. Sam Jaffe stars as a scientist and one of the great brains of Earth at the time. Jaffe later became popular as Dr. Zorba on “Ben Casey.” Earth is bent on destroying what it doesn't understand. Commercials for the “Day the Earth Stood Still” remake say it is “only in theaters.” Well, that's not entirely true. The original, much heralded version, is available in a few forms on home video, including a new, pristine Blu-Ray version. Will the remake hold up as well in 57 years as well as this one does? INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) • Directed by Don Siegel • Written by Jack Finney and Daniel Mainwaring • Runtime: 80 minutes • Not rated but intense for younger children • 4 stars out of 4 DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL • Directed by Robert Wise • Screenplay by Edmund H. North, based on a story by Harry Bates • Runtime: 92 minutes • Not rated but intense for younger children • 4 stars out of 5
No comments:
Post a Comment