BYU

Harold B. Lee Library

Invaders from Mars

Starring Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Morris Ankrum, Leif Erickson, Hillary Brooke.

  • Time: 7:00 PM
  • Date: Friday, October 24, 2008
  • Place: HBLL Auditorium, 1st Floor; Admission is free; arrive early for seats.


About the Event
In the years since its release, this independently produced film, one of the first sci-fi movies to begin production in the 1950s, has become a cult classic. Youngster David MacLean (Hunt) observes the landing of a flying saucer in a field behind his home and reports it to his disbelieving parents, whose minds are soon after taken over by the alien forces, as are the police chief and others in their small town. Paranoia, spaceships, and large green mutants who eventually come up against the might of the U.S. Army make Invaders From Mars an apt metaphor for 1950s concerns about the growing threat of Communism. Its low budget is otherwise visually enhanced by the stunning work of famed production designer William Cameron Menzies (Gone With the Wind and many others), who also is its director. We are showing the rarely screened long version of this science fiction mainstay that was only distributed in Europe. Edward L. Alperson/20th Century-Fox, 1953. 79 mins. Cinecolor. Director: William Cameron Menzies.

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