I'm 68 and to this day I still think it's a fantastic movie and story ! I use to count how many times I've seen it and lost track at about 70 + times, never gets old !
If people remember how frightened they were when they first saw the raptor's attack in the first Jurassic Park movie, that's how frightened we were in 1953 when we first saw War of the Worlds. Now, 70 years later, I still can't watch the special effects in this old classic without getting a few goosebumps.
@@swissarmytenor Hahahaha. I know, I know. My teen daughter was sitting next to me when the raptor jumped through the ceiling tiles trying to catch the people escaping up the step ladder. She screamed out loud and almost knocked me out of my seat.
Another fact you might have missed, in the 1964 movie " Robinson Caruso on Mars ", a Martian war machine model left over from " The war of the worlds" was repainted and altered and used as an Orion mining ship that zoomed across the sky on Mars. Both movies were produced by Paramount Pictures.
Same director. RCOM, was a total work of art, despite a modest budget, where they all threw their hearts and souls into it, and that comes across. WOW similarly, but they had significant budget and resourches.
In 1952 my dad packed up the family and took a vacation to Long Island, NY. His mother and older sister were there. In the early 1930s my dad's dad died and he went to New York to make money for the family. So, naturally, Dad wanted to see how much New York had changed. I still remember standing at Times Square and looking at the huge theater sign advertising "War of the Worlds." I asked Dad if we could see it. He looked at his watch and said that the matinee was over and the prices had gone up. So, I had to wait until it came to my hometown theater to see it. That was more than 2 years later. But there I got to see it for about 50 cents. A lot of people don't know it but it was originally designed to be filmed in 3-D. If you watch the distancing in each scene you can see this to be. And, especially when the alien's weapon fired directly at you it is most evident. Sadly, seems they only had enough money to film the movie in color and not make it in 3-D. With the technology today filming it in 3-D it would be still a great film to watch.
They should turn it into 3d. Seems like the 3d thing has died off again. It goes away and comes back again. It's fun watching a 3d movie every now and again.
A film iconic enough to still get high ratings is still iconic to me. And I'm sure I'm not alone when I say it. Some people are just jealous of these classic masterpieces.
No, you are not alone there! And it's interesting to note that H. G. Wells' classic is still in print, since first being published in 1898! A great read and one,if not my favourite works of science fiction.
@@luthermcgee3767 Yep, but Wells first wrote The War Of The Worlds in 1897 for Pearson's magazine as a serial, before it was published by Heineman's in it's current form the following year.
I hope you all enjoy my new video on the War of the Worlds. This was one of those movies I saw for the first time when my parents got cable way back in the 80's. Did you think the Tom Cruise version was as good?
I have watched this movie more times than I can count and NEVER have I ever seen the wires... now I will have to view it again to see if it was just my fixation on what was going on or just a lack of paying attention...??? I still love this movie no matter what ...
Another fun fact is that Dr Forrester speculates that the Martian heat ray is 'neutralizing the meson force' that holds matter together. The notion of the meson was cutting edge physics in 1953. Nice detail.
He actually was talking about the green rays being shot from the wingtips. The heat ray he had already seen and described it as such. But only after the martians opened fire in the gully does he see the green rays and quickly surmised what they do. That's why he was so terrified by them and told the general to warn Washington. Sylvia earlier also mentioned that Forrester was behind the new atomic rocket engines being developed, that was very cutting edge for 1953. 😁
I sent an autograph request to Ann Robinson last year. Within the request I asked her several questions including a question about the Ranger scene. My question mentioned the fact that the scientist was cracking up at the actions of the ranger and I was curious if the scene or any other scenes were adlibbed. I got the autograph back a couple of months ago and some handwritten responses to my questions. She answered that question short and sweet "no adlibbing." So, whatever was going on, the ranger was doing exactly what the director wanted and the laughing was also what he wanted. It's an interesting scene because it's shows normal people doing normal things. Right before the scene the same ranger is caught by the camera cheating at cards. There's a lot of that kind of thing in this movie. If you listen to the background dialog some of it is really funny. Like the girl that likes it in the dark.
Robert Cornthwaite, who was the camper with the cigarettes in his pocket, had been the scientist in the 1951 movie The Thing, in which he tried to reason with the alien, like the preacher did in War of the Worlds. He only got roughed up in that one.
In the early drafts of "The Thing" script Cornthwaite's character Dr. Carrington was conceived as way more of an antagonist of the military guys , and he's also the boyfriend of Margaret Sheridan's character. In the early drafts he gets killed by the alien, and after the final conflict one of the soldiers look at the results and then says something to the order of : "The Monster is dead, both of them".
"The Thing" still sends shivers up my spine, especially at the end of the movie where Scotty tells his radio audience to look up into the skies and that beautiful creepy music is playing in the background. Still gets me, and I'm 71.
They didn't actually erase the wires. The film was restored to it original presentation, color saturation, contrast, etc. which made the wires invisible as they had been in 1953. Even more modern films, like "The Empire Strikes Back", prior to the Special Edition, would show the garbage matt lines around the models when shown on television due to the difference in contrast between film and TV.
It's a shame the original Martian ship models were destroyed when the studio handed them over to a scrap metal drive, I think it was by the Boy Scouts. They were made out of copper. I kind of like to think one of the kids sneaked one away and it is sitting in an attic somewhere. I'm sure the Smithsonian would have scooped them up for display alongside the USS Enterprise from Star Trek.
I've held that academy award in my hands. I worked for the winner, Tim Baar, back in the late 60s. He had two of them on his mantle place in his home. He got one for The Time Machine too.
I disagree completely. I usually think "men of god" are shown in a particularly good light, especially when they are Catholic priests in older movies. Besides, this minister is practicing what he should be preaching. He was just too naive and too trusting in this situation.
The wire ‘goof’ is as you said; different techniques used in production. Back in this time, long before cgi, when wires were used, they were as thin as possible, often even fishing line. Then they’d use hair spray or similar aerosol sprays to dull any shine those lines might have from the lighting being used. Tricks like careful filming angles were employed and, if the production had the budget for it, any remaining indications of the wires would be removed from the negatives by carefully airbrushing them away frame by frame. George Pal’s team was faced with challenges another George faced about 25 years later; there was stuff he wanted to put to film that really couldn’t be done yet. So people working for both Georges figured out how to do the impossible.
When you view the Martian ships rising from the "carrier craft" you may very briefly glimpse wires BENEATH them. Pal and his FX crew wanted to replace the novel's tripod legs with electrical discharges. Didn't work, and reportedly quite dangerous, but the glimpse remains.
I saw at movie theater in the early 60s at about age 8. I about jumped out of my seat when the Martian hand touch the woman's shoulder. Very scary scene. Always been a favorite film.
There is a continuity goof at the crater when Sylvia and Professor Forrester walk up to it. They are right at the edge of the crater, the scene Cuts away to something else and then comes back and they are just walking up to the edge of the crater.
"The War of the Worlds" has always been one of my favorite films. I was fortunate to catch a double feature of "The War of the Worlds" and "When Worlds Collide" at a small theater back in the early 80's. The Criterion Collection re-master in HD is an absolute must and by restoring the original presentation, completely eliminates the wires suspending the war machines. A nice feature is the new 5.1 Dolby sound re-mix by sound master Ben Burtt, which puts you right in the middle of the battles. I'm not sure the the electronic eye is a goof as you can see when it is being tested at Pacific Tech that it is in two pieces.
I could be wrong, but it looked to me like when he was axing it the round lens part come completely out and in the other scene it looked attached. It would definitely be fun to see War of the Worlds in a theater.
"War of the Worlds" was one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies! And I think you're right, the actor, thinking ahead in the scene, noticed he doesn't have the cigarettes. Nice observation! 😉
A cool video would be a compilation of clips from all the movies, tv shows, cartoons, etc. that used the sound effects from War of the Worlds. I think there are many.
Gene Barry was also the first villain that Columbo faced in a TV movie titled "Prescription Murder" which was made several yrs before the series of Columbo first aired.
The Criterion Collection 4k restoration with the restored technicolor saturation is absolutely gorgeous, no wires and color that just jumps off the screen.
As a scientist, and growing up in Southern California, I have always loved 50s sci-fi movies. I was behind the rope line watching the filming of "Invasion of he Body Snatchers" in my hometown of Sierra Madre. Among my oldest friends, sitting around, someone is likely to say "What time is it? My watch has stopped.", immediately followed by "Funny, my watch has stopped, too." "Pacific Tech" is a favorite lair of the scientists who will save the world, often using an "entirociter". In fact, as homage, the concave disc at the front of the Star Trek "Enterprise" was named the "Rotating Feinberg Entirociter".
I think the film is a wonderful piece of Sci Fi history - the network I watched it on did the commercial breaks with the War machines "scanning" noise with a black screen and it frightened the living daylights out of everyone! Gene Barry does really well and the supporting actors are good. To compare it with the modern version is like comparing " A night to remember" with the mediocre Cameron remake.
Every time I see this movie, I crack up when those three yokels walk out with the white flag, and the one guy says, "We'll talk in sign language". And then they get roasted.
I agree that's not quite right. The correct term is "meteoriticist." for one who studies meteors, meteorites and meteoroids. For meteorology, it is the study of atmospheric phenomena, including weather. "meteor" is derived from the Greek "meteroron" meaning "something high up" which can be adapted to the study of weather (or atmosphere more generally).
You missed a big blooper. The scene is a briefing room filled with reporters and the scientists. They all move to the huge chalkboard across the room, and in the upper left you can clearly see the shadow of the boom microphone.
I saw War of the World's at the RKO Hillstreet Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. I grew up downtown due to my father managing The Hotel Huntington on Main St. and 8th. There was a scene where Forester is walking right in front of the Theater looking for the truck carrying his girl and the Scientists. The Ubion Bank was at his back and he stands in the center of 8th and Hill St. I also saw where the death rays from the ships blasted the area where I lived. I was really scared cause the Theater and the Movie were at the same place. For a second I thought I had no home.
I don't know if you have seen time after time with Malcolm Mcdowell, but there's a scene with a pane and there's what looks like wires over the top of it. :)
I watched this movie on TV as a young kid either back in the late 60's or early 70s. I loved it. I later read the original book and was amused at how the aliens communicated through loud "horns". H.G. Wells missed or overlooked the invention of the radio. The book was written between 1895 and 1897, around the same time that Marconi developed the long-distance radio.
@@musicloverme3993 That is true. Wells couldn't have known about radio as we understand it today because the technology simply didn't exist in the form we know it during his time. His novel was based on the scientific knowledge and technology available in the late 19th century, which didn't include the advanced communication methods we have today. In fact, Radio as a means of long-distance communication didn't become practical and widely used until the early 20th century. However, Wells accurately predicted the emergence of airplanes, tanks, space exploration, nuclear arms, satellite TV, and a precursor to the World Wide Web. In his science fiction writings, he envisioned concepts like time travel, extraterrestrial invasions, invisibility, and genetic manipulation long before these were known or even possible at all.
When people still dig out new facts about such movies. The wire mess up is very interesting, a shame we cannot watch the old version. All in all, the movie still aged very well. I watch it regular, and as a kid, it was very scary.
yep got me own copy,watch it once or twice a year at least,one lots of the old 50s 60s horror movies,put them on when i exersize beats the hell out of the shit on tv nowadays,still trying to get a copy forbbiden planet etc,rare as rockinghorse shit sadly
@@trevorlewis847 Yeah, I've been looking 4 an old clay action movie. Has a monster similar 2 a Kraken monster, but can never come up with the name. Sucks
Fun facts here! Side note: there was an uncredited WOTW restoration effort done to DVD before the full restoration on Blu Ray. The uncredited restoration had the unfortunate effect of making the martian ship support wires glaringly visible!
That's the risk you take whenever you try to make something better, you might end up making it worse. Sometimes it's best leaving things alone. I think they finally got it looking good now though.😀
There's another goof not mentioned, though it might only be on the DVD. When Sylvia first meets Clayton at the Martian pit, he says, "That's it over there." and you see Sylvia mouth "Yes." but you don't hear her. If you switch to the French language soundtrack, you'll hear her say "Oui".
Classic film the original book was based in England & the aliens first landed near where I live at Woking if you go into Woking Town they have a big statue of the alien ship 😀
@raymondhopwood9393 They did a TV version quite recently on the BBC but it was drivel. They simply can't make a drama set anytime in the past without filling it with current socio-political rubbish such as changing the gender of central characters and even their sexualities. It would appear that to the producers that was more important that recreating Well's classic tale. Spielbergs version wasn't much better. None of the characters had any redeeming traits the only thing that saved it in my opinion was the special effects. It certainly wouldn't figure highly on Spielbergs CV. Which goes to show just how good the original version was. Any big screen version requires Hollywood money so there'll never be a War Of The Worlds movie that isn't set in the US and doesn't have America saving the world (again).
The scene in which Marine Colonel Ralph Hephner is zapped by the Martian war machine, the actor who played the Colonel had to stand in that position for 15 minutes. Les Tremayne really knows how to drink a cup of coffee. LOL The scene where looters are trying to get out of Los Angeles. You can see a man in drag on top of a truck or bus. The destruction scene of the building in Los Angeles was also used in the film Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers. The sound of the heat rays from the war machines was made by electric guitars and an electric bass. Another sound effect was when the cylinder opens and the cobra like neck rise up, was done with a high hat cymbal being hit in time. The War Of The Worlds was well made, a newspaper article said that it can be watched on Halloween. The writer of the article asked “Will the Martians be stopped?” And, “Will Gene Barry’s girlfriend ever stop screaming?” Ray Harryhausen made a sequence in which the Martian emerges from the machine to die. The Martian was as H.G. Wells described. But Byron Haskins wanted to use another special effects technician.
Nice breakdown of goofs and facts. The version I have doesn’t have visible strings on the ship. I recently re-watched the sequel TV series on DVD. Loved it and I love this masterpiece of a film.
I never understood why the forest ranger even had to tell them, it was only about 10-12 miles away, and a meteor that size the scientist should have known it when it happened, even if they were in the process of traveling there.
@@JoseyWales44s The only thing is the size of it, something that big they should have known it for 20-30 miles in every direction. like I said, i don't buy that one part.
I was always struck by the preacher, who wanted to "communicate" with the Martians, and instead walks forward praying and waving a cross as if he's about to perform an exorcism.
There is another goof that wasn't mentioned. At 4:35sec of this video where the preacher is in the full sight of the martian war machine it appears very small and toy like in the size. At the end of the movie where one crashes into the side of the building you get a feel for the real supposed size of the machines, which is the size of a small house. Top class movie and remains one of my favorites to this day.
Even though I owned the Criterion version of this movie, I bought the version that was part of the double disc set with When worlds collide, because that was the only way to get "Collide" in bluray. To my delight this version of "war" was not only better(4k) but it had a spectacular remastered sound track. And when worlds collide was exelent also
George Pal was a good friend of Walter Lantz and included a reference (via Woody Woodpecker) in as many films as he could. In one scene near the beginning of WOTW you can see a small Woody Woodpecker figure outlined in the treeline. :)
"Are they sure it's a meteor?" might be a mistake. Technically a "meteor" never strikes the ground. When a meteor hits the ground it is than a meteorite. Clayton Forrester is a scientist and would know that. Maybe he didn't correct the Ranger out of politeness?
Fun! What a great film this remains. At the end you see the Martian's arm sticking out of the opened hatchway in the air under the war machine but then next see it laying on the bottom of the hatchway door barely moving (a continuity gaffe). Originally a doctor (standing next to Barry as they exit the church) crawled under the hull of the war machine and felt the Martian's pulse pronouncing it dead. They re-shot the scene and gave the doctor's lines to Barry, "We were all praying for a miracle." There are stills of the doctor laying on his side feeling the Martian's pulse. Not sure who played the doctor.
I disagree. Peaceful first contact is the best move to discover their intentions. We can always fight if need be. The preacher sacrificed his life in hopes of saving humanity. One of the best films ever.
I agree the movie is really good, but even as he was walking toward the space ships he was acting like he knew he was going to get zapped. I'm all for peace, believe me, but from a safe long distance away. 😀
@tvcrazyman There was no fear. He knew the chance he was taking. He quoted scriptures for strength and peace of mind.. This is what heroes are made of.
I got to thinking about it last night, and I think the reason they put the preacher in this situation in the story was to eliminate any doubt as to the threat the martians were and what their intentions were to the audience. @@perry3928
It really doesn't matter about the special effects in these old classics they were better films than the remakes they churn out today, films these days give you endless action instead of a good storyline and given a choice I'd watch 1953s War of The Worlds before the Tom Cruise remake with it's CGI effects any day. And the same goes for The Day The Earth Stood Still, another classic, the original's are the best.
I've always like learning how they did the special effects back before CGI. Anytime they showed something about behind the scenes on TV I was always watching. They had to come up with such creative ways to do things.
I didn't even know this movie existed, I just missed it, born the year following its release. I had read Classics Illustrated and read the original novel by HG Wells, as well as seen Robinson Crusoe on Mars, well before I even found out about the first WOTW. The reason I mention Robinson Crusoe on Mars[1964] is that it used flying saucers based on the Martian crafts, and were damn cool; and the director was the same as WOTW. I can't remember when I finally got to see WOTW but I didn't like it . . I was deeply moved by the Classic Illustrated rendition of the tripods, which fit very well with Wells' description. I suppose tripods would have been too tall an order in 1953. I think Spielberg's version is terrific--he did it his way but remained true to Wells' original intent and a great job on the tripods. I still regard WOTW and HG Wells the very best of science fiction, CHECK IT OUT. Also the other 2005 WOTW is not too bad but also departs from the original. Also BTW in the original novel a group of white flag waving citizens does the same thing the preacher did here--meeting the same fate.
What bothered me most about this movie was the speed at which the Martian moved after Forrester attacked it. In Wells' novel, they were very sluggish due to earth's higher gravity (and devoting themselves to intellectual, rather than physical labour), They required a Handling Machine to move about and perform tasks, when outside of their Flying machines. That made sense to me, given that earth has a little more than 2.5 times the gravity of Mars. If my 150 lb self had to suddenly carry around an extra 225 lbs, I certainly wouldn't be moving as fast as that Martian, especially if my lower appendages were as stubby as his appeared to be.
Interesting fact aboult that: one of the workers off camera pulled the platform the Martian was on so hard that Charles Gemora(who was keeling inside the costume that he and his daughter quickly made overnight) nearly fell out the back of it. That was why it was tipping over slightly.
My brother and I used to hurry home from school so we could we could view the "annual" showing of WOTW. It was a high water mark of our young, unsophisticated lives.
Note also that the man in the plaid shirt (with the ciggarettes at campfire) was actor Robert Cornthwaite, who played Dr Carrington in the origional (1951) movie The Thing (from another world).
One change they made in editing I found a bit sad was the deputy who is killed at the first crash site as he is driving away in the sheriff car. In the script, after the sheriff and Forrester see the ashes of the 3 dead men, who were the first victims of the heat ray, the sheriff orders the deputy to drive to the crash site entrance to prevent anyone else from coming in range of the heat ray. As the deputy drives off the heat ray catches the vehicle and the deputy is incinerated with it. That dialog was cut from the film so now it appears the deputy drives off like a coward and is killed in poetic justice.
Treat yourself to the classic. I enjoyed Spielberg's take on the subject, which was a more modern version of the novel, which centered on the protagonist making his way across England trying to get home to his wife. He threw in a number of homages to the '53 film. However, Pal's "War of the Worlds" is the definitive film version.
As they should. I mean, you got to be prepared for anything, right. 😀 I say pray from a safe distance when it comes to dealing with Martian invasions.😀
Still one of the greatest science fiction movie of all time
BIG-TIME!😱
No need for the remake.
@@frankgesuele6298 I would imagine someone was a fan of the movie & felt the urge to put his own stamp on the story!)🤣
I'm 62. As a boy, i found this movie terrifying. The special effects were top notch and still hold up today.
My Dad told me he saw Godzilla at the Show (Born 1920) he walked home Backwards HaHa
As old as it is, it's by far the best of all the other remakes....Imagine SFX like it had, being seen in 1953......well deserving of its Oscar......👍
I'm 68 and to this day I still think it's a fantastic movie and story ! I use to count how many times I've seen it and lost track at about 70 + times, never gets old !
If people remember how frightened they were when they first saw the raptor's attack in the first Jurassic Park movie, that's how frightened we were in 1953 when we first saw War of the Worlds. Now, 70 years later, I still can't watch the special effects in this old classic without getting a few goosebumps.
The Martians massacreing the American army in the big fight is still very effective!
It was the Star Wars of its day.
100%
I was 24 when I went to see JP and it still scared me.
I still have the claw marks my wife dug into my forearm during the T-Rex attack in the first Jurassic Park movie.
@@swissarmytenor Hahahaha. I know, I know. My teen daughter was sitting next to me when the raptor jumped through the ceiling tiles trying to catch the people escaping up the step ladder. She screamed out loud and almost knocked me out of my seat.
Another fact you might have missed, in the 1964 movie " Robinson Caruso on Mars ", a Martian war machine model left over from " The war of the worlds" was repainted and altered and used as an Orion mining ship that zoomed across the sky on Mars.
Both movies were produced by Paramount Pictures.
Interesting!
Argh! I mentioned this too.
Me too.
They also had the same director, Byron Haskin.
Same director. RCOM, was a total work of art, despite a modest budget, where they all threw their hearts and souls into it, and that comes across. WOW similarly, but they had significant budget and resourches.
In 1952 my dad packed up the family and took a vacation to Long Island, NY. His mother and older sister were there. In the early 1930s my dad's dad died and he went to New York to make money for the family. So, naturally, Dad wanted to see how much New York had changed. I still remember standing at Times Square and looking at the huge theater sign advertising "War of the Worlds." I asked Dad if we could see it. He looked at his watch and said that the matinee was over and the prices had gone up. So, I had to wait until it came to my hometown theater to see it. That was more than 2 years later. But there I got to see it for about 50 cents.
A lot of people don't know it but it was originally designed to be filmed in 3-D. If you watch the distancing in each scene you can see this to be. And, especially when the alien's weapon fired directly at you it is most evident. Sadly, seems they only had enough money to film the movie in color and not make it in 3-D. With the technology today filming it in 3-D it would be still a great film to watch.
They should turn it into 3d. Seems like the 3d thing has died off again. It goes away and comes back again. It's fun watching a 3d movie every now and again.
A film iconic enough to still get high ratings is still iconic to me. And I'm sure I'm not alone when I say it. Some people are just jealous of these classic masterpieces.
It is a classic and still fun to watch.
No, you are not alone there! And it's interesting to note that H. G. Wells' classic is still in print, since first being published in 1898! A great read and one,if not my favourite works of science fiction.
@@robanderson473 , 1898? WOW!
@@luthermcgee3767 Yep, but Wells first wrote The War Of The Worlds in 1897 for Pearson's magazine as a serial, before it was published by Heineman's in it's current form the following year.
@@robanderson473 , Thanks! A little history.
At 5:41: not a goof. The Piper J-3 cub has bracing wires on the tail. This is an example of accuracy, not a mistake.
One scene that always made me laugh. When LA is being looted, you see a couple of guys stealing a rolled up carpet! Lol!
I know, that has always mystified me and the fella on the right running from the shop, seems to be carrying a roll of curtain material under his arm!
I hope you all enjoy my new video on the War of the Worlds. This was one of those movies I saw for the first time when my parents got cable way back in the 80's. Did you think the Tom Cruise version was as good?
JESUS tried to communicate with humans and they murdered him!!
Definitely not!
It was bloody awful and seemed rushed. And don't get me started on those gobshite kids!
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!😡
I have watched this movie more times than I can count and NEVER have I ever seen the wires... now I will have to view it again to see if it was just my fixation on what was going on or just a lack of paying attention...??? I still love this movie no matter what ...
Another fun fact is that Dr Forrester speculates that the Martian heat ray is 'neutralizing the meson force' that holds matter together. The notion of the meson was cutting edge physics in 1953. Nice detail.
He actually was talking about the green rays being shot from the wingtips. The heat ray he had already seen and described it as such. But only after the martians opened fire in the gully does he see the green rays and quickly surmised what they do. That's why he was so terrified by them and told the general to warn Washington. Sylvia earlier also mentioned that Forrester was behind the new atomic rocket engines being developed, that was very cutting edge for 1953. 😁
My very first favorite sci-fi show that put on a lifetime of movies and tv shows in that genre. :)
I sent an autograph request to Ann Robinson last year. Within the request I asked her several questions including a question about the Ranger scene. My question mentioned the fact that the scientist was cracking up at the actions of the ranger and I was curious if the scene or any other scenes were adlibbed. I got the autograph back a couple of months ago and some handwritten responses to my questions. She answered that question short and sweet "no adlibbing." So, whatever was going on, the ranger was doing exactly what the director wanted and the laughing was also what he wanted. It's an interesting scene because it's shows normal people doing normal things. Right before the scene the same ranger is caught by the camera cheating at cards. There's a lot of that kind of thing in this movie. If you listen to the background dialog some of it is really funny. Like the girl that likes it in the dark.
Robert Cornthwaite, who was the camper with the cigarettes in his pocket, had been the scientist in the 1951 movie The Thing, in which he tried to reason with the alien, like the preacher did in War of the Worlds. He only got roughed up in that one.
Sounds like he did better than the preacher then. 😀 People got to learn reasoning with creatures from space is not worth the risk.
In the early drafts of "The Thing" script Cornthwaite's character Dr. Carrington was conceived as way more of an antagonist of the military guys , and he's also the boyfriend of Margaret Sheridan's character. In the early drafts he gets killed by the alien, and after the final conflict one of the soldiers look at the results and then says something to the order of : "The Monster is dead, both of them".
"The Thing" still sends shivers up my spine, especially at the end of the movie where Scotty tells his radio audience to look up into the skies and that beautiful creepy music is playing in the background.
Still gets me, and I'm 71.
Also, the name Dr. Clayton Forrester was "borrowed" by Mystery Science Theater as the name of the head mad scientist.
Yes. Why haven't I connected that. Huge fan of both.
They were paying homage.
Still my favorite spaceships.Also one of the most beautiful color movies ever made.
One of my favorite movies. I’d love to see it in a theater.
IMAX!
I just adore this movie, I have the 4K surround sound remaster of it, they erased the wires in most scenes and boy does it help!
They didn't actually erase the wires. The film was restored to it original presentation, color saturation, contrast, etc. which made the wires invisible as they had been in 1953. Even more modern films, like "The Empire Strikes Back", prior to the Special Edition, would show the garbage matt lines around the models when shown on television due to the difference in contrast between film and TV.
It's a shame the original Martian ship models were destroyed when the studio handed them over to a scrap metal drive, I think it was by the Boy Scouts. They were made out of copper. I kind of like to think one of the kids sneaked one away and it is sitting in an attic somewhere. I'm sure the Smithsonian would have scooped them up for display alongside the USS Enterprise from Star Trek.
Wow, it is amazing what Hollywood will throw away.
@@tvcrazyman Hindsight is 20/20.
Still the most amazing sci-fi film ever to exist never beaten
I've held that academy award in my hands. I worked for the winner, Tim Baar, back in the late 60s. He had two of them on his mantle place in his home. He got one for The Time Machine too.
Awesome! I always like reading stories like that. The Time Machine was a great movie.
@@tvcrazyman one of his last jobs was design work on the shark in Jaws. My BIL was the Prop Master on the movie too.
Great video, sir! I agree. It always bugged me how clergymen were portrayed in a lot of shows.
JESUS tried to communicate with humans and they murdered him!!
Thanks! Yes, it's something that pops up a lot. Almost every time a preacher is shown you know they are gong to show him in a bad light somehow.
I disagree completely. I usually think "men of god" are shown in a particularly good light, especially when they are Catholic priests in older movies. Besides, this minister is practicing what he should be preaching. He was just too naive and too trusting in this situation.
I watched this when i was about 6, and it scared the crap out of me lol
As a child of the seventies, absolutely love your channel. Your content is well appreciated, keep up the good work sir. Regards from England👍
Thank you very much!
The wire ‘goof’ is as you said; different techniques used in production. Back in this time, long before cgi, when wires were used, they were as thin as possible, often even fishing line. Then they’d use hair spray or similar aerosol sprays to dull any shine those lines might have from the lighting being used. Tricks like careful filming angles were employed and, if the production had the budget for it, any remaining indications of the wires would be removed from the negatives by carefully airbrushing them away frame by frame.
George Pal’s team was faced with challenges another George faced about 25 years later; there was stuff he wanted to put to film that really couldn’t be done yet. So people working for both Georges figured out how to do the impossible.
Some of those wires as I understand, were to run power to the lights on the machines as well as the wires to hold them up. Still a great flick but!
@@robanderson473 Understandable.
When you view the Martian ships rising from the "carrier craft" you may very briefly glimpse wires BENEATH them. Pal and his FX crew wanted to replace the novel's tripod legs with electrical discharges. Didn't work, and reportedly quite dangerous, but the glimpse remains.
I saw at movie theater in the early 60s at about age 8. I about jumped out of my seat when the Martian hand touch the woman's shoulder. Very scary scene. Always been a favorite film.
On a big screen in a dark theater with loud speakers it would make you jump.😀
The scene in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" where ET puts is hand on Elliot's shoulder was Spielberg's homage to "The War of the Worlds".
Love this movie. Goofs and all.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
There is a continuity goof at the crater when Sylvia and Professor Forrester walk up to it. They are right at the edge of the crater, the scene Cuts away to something else and then comes back and they are just walking up to the edge of the crater.
"The War of the Worlds" has always been one of my favorite films. I was fortunate to catch a double feature of "The War of the Worlds" and "When Worlds Collide" at a small theater back in the early 80's. The Criterion Collection re-master in HD is an absolute must and by restoring the original presentation, completely eliminates the wires suspending the war machines. A nice feature is the new 5.1 Dolby sound re-mix by sound master Ben Burtt, which puts you right in the middle of the battles. I'm not sure the the electronic eye is a goof as you can see when it is being tested at Pacific Tech that it is in two pieces.
I could be wrong, but it looked to me like when he was axing it the round lens part come completely out and in the other scene it looked attached. It would definitely be fun to see War of the Worlds in a theater.
the 4k pressing is amazing..... Watched it last week for the first time. It's great seeing the wires removed.
Love the 1953 version of war of the worlds ❤
"War of the Worlds" was one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies! And I think you're right, the actor, thinking ahead in the scene, noticed he doesn't have the cigarettes. Nice observation! 😉
An alltime favorite. Thank you for this. Always interesting in any trivia bout this classic film.
Thanks! This movie really scared me when it aired in two parts on network tv back in the mid sixties!
Saw this as a kid in the 60s.
It was fascinating...the Priest represented the goodness in man to this PROUD CATHOLIC child's eyes.....
He wasn't a priest. He was a Protestant minister. And I thought he was a fool, even when I first saw this as a Sunday-school going kid.
Turn the other cheek can't always be taken literally. @@gogreen7794
@@gogreen7794 Never flash a symbol of a Roman torture/ death device to ignorant aliens, they may rightfully take it as a threat.
A cool video would be a compilation of clips from all the movies, tv shows, cartoons, etc. that used the sound effects from War of the Worlds. I think there are many.
Gene Barry was also the first villain that Columbo faced in a TV movie titled "Prescription Murder" which was made several yrs before the series of Columbo first aired.
😁😁😁
The Criterion Collection 4k restoration with the restored technicolor saturation is absolutely gorgeous, no wires and color that just jumps off the screen.
A great movie my parents and my sister and I saw this movie back in outdoor theaters
My favorite movie next to, The day the earth stood still and The first men on the moon.
There have been many remakes of this movie, but this one has a special charm.
As a scientist, and growing up in Southern California, I have always loved 50s sci-fi movies. I was behind the rope line watching the filming of "Invasion of he Body Snatchers" in my hometown of Sierra Madre. Among my oldest friends, sitting around, someone is likely to say "What time is it? My watch has stopped.", immediately followed by "Funny, my watch has stopped, too." "Pacific Tech" is a favorite lair of the scientists who will save the world, often using an "entirociter". In fact, as homage, the concave disc at the front of the Star Trek "Enterprise" was named the "Rotating Feinberg Entirociter".
I think the film is a wonderful piece of Sci Fi history - the network I watched it on did the commercial breaks with the War machines "scanning" noise with a black screen and it frightened the living daylights out of everyone! Gene Barry does really well and the supporting actors are good. To compare it with the modern version is like comparing " A night to remember" with the mediocre Cameron remake.
A Night To Remember is way better than the Cameron version, in my opinion.
Every time I see this movie, I crack up when those three yokels walk out with the white flag, and the one guy says, "We'll talk in sign language". And then they get roasted.
Yokels! 1 was a Minister.
Love that movie. Way better than Spielbergs
Loved this movie, when it came out and today.
The biggest writing blunder was calling for a METEOROLOGIST to examine the meteorite!! 😅
I agree that's not quite right. The correct term is "meteoriticist." for one who studies meteors, meteorites and meteoroids.
For meteorology, it is the study of atmospheric phenomena, including weather. "meteor" is derived from the Greek "meteroron" meaning "something high up" which can be adapted to the study of weather (or atmosphere more generally).
You missed a big blooper. The scene is a briefing room filled with reporters and the scientists. They all move to the huge chalkboard across the room, and in the upper left you can clearly see the shadow of the boom microphone.
I saw War of the World's at the RKO Hillstreet Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. I grew up downtown due to my father managing The Hotel Huntington on Main St. and 8th. There was a scene where Forester is walking right in front of the Theater looking for the truck carrying his girl and the Scientists. The Ubion Bank was at his back and he stands in the center of 8th and Hill St. I also saw where the death rays from the ships blasted the area where I lived. I was really scared cause the Theater and the Movie were at the same place. For a second I thought I had no home.
I don't know if you have seen time after time with Malcolm Mcdowell, but there's a scene with a pane and there's what looks like wires over the top of it. :)
I still think this is better than the Tom Cruise version.
Thanks for the interesting commentary
Glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate it.
I watched this movie on TV as a young kid either back in the late 60's or early 70s. I loved it. I later read the original book and was amused at how the aliens communicated through loud "horns". H.G. Wells missed or overlooked the invention of the radio. The book was written between 1895 and 1897, around the same time that Marconi developed the long-distance radio.
Perhaps the radio wasn't well known quite yet at the time?
@@musicloverme3993 That is true. Wells couldn't have known about radio as we understand it today because the technology simply didn't exist in the form we know it during his time. His novel was based on the scientific knowledge and technology available in the late 19th century, which didn't include the advanced communication methods we have today. In fact, Radio as a means of long-distance communication didn't become practical and widely used until the early 20th century. However, Wells accurately predicted the emergence of airplanes, tanks, space exploration, nuclear arms, satellite TV, and a precursor to the World Wide Web. In his science fiction writings, he envisioned concepts like time travel, extraterrestrial invasions, invisibility, and genetic manipulation long before these were known or even possible at all.
I love this film, funny how they know the aliens are from Mars
I hadn't thought of that. 😀
Forbidden planet surely is the greatest sci fi ever
Goofs aside this is the only version that is worth a damn. IMHO.
The sounds were wicked.
The guy in the flannel shirt played Dr Carrington in Howard Hawkes the Thing.
Hey Tvcrazyman.. according to IMDB Carolyn Jones...Morticia Addams..has an uncredited role as,"Blonde party guest"...great vid as usual TVC!!
When people still dig out new facts about such movies. The wire mess up is very interesting, a shame we cannot watch the old version. All in all, the movie still aged very well. I watch it regular, and as a kid, it was very scary.
I remember seeing the movie on TV as a kid and looking for the wires which I knew must be there - I didn't see them.
Saw this move like 3 weeks ago. Still like it
It's a good movie. I think I enjoy it now more than when I was a kid.
yep got me own copy,watch it once or twice a year at least,one lots of the old 50s 60s horror movies,put them on when i exersize beats the hell out of the shit on tv nowadays,still trying to get a copy forbbiden planet etc,rare as rockinghorse shit sadly
@@trevorlewis847 Yeah, I've been looking 4 an old clay action movie. Has a monster similar 2 a Kraken monster, but can never come up with the name. Sucks
Fun facts here! Side note: there was an uncredited WOTW restoration effort done to DVD before the full restoration on Blu Ray. The uncredited restoration had the unfortunate effect of making the martian ship support wires glaringly visible!
That's the risk you take whenever you try to make something better, you might end up making it worse. Sometimes it's best leaving things alone. I think they finally got it looking good now though.😀
Big fan of George Pal’s War of the Worlds and Steven Spielberg’s version. Interesting story about the visible wires.
There's another goof not mentioned, though it might only be on the DVD. When Sylvia first meets Clayton at the Martian pit, he says, "That's it over there." and you see Sylvia mouth "Yes." but you don't hear her. If you switch to the French language soundtrack, you'll hear her say "Oui".
Classic film the original book was based in England & the aliens first landed near where I live at Woking if you go into Woking Town they have a big statue of the alien ship 😀
Awesome! That would be fun to see.
They should do a version of the movie that's set in 1890s London.
@raymondhopwood9393 They did a TV version quite recently on the BBC but it was drivel. They simply can't make a drama set anytime in the past without filling it with current socio-political rubbish such as changing the gender of central characters and even their sexualities.
It would appear that to the producers that was more important that recreating Well's classic tale.
Spielbergs version wasn't much better. None of the characters had any redeeming traits the only thing that saved it in my opinion was the special effects. It certainly wouldn't figure highly on Spielbergs CV.
Which goes to show just how good the original version was.
Any big screen version requires Hollywood money so there'll never be a War Of The Worlds movie that isn't set in the US and doesn't have America saving the world (again).
I'll be brief. Don't get me started on the BBC's version!
@@tvcrazymanIt is, not just the ship/cylinder but a thirty odd foot statue of a tripod too!
The scene in which Marine Colonel Ralph Hephner is zapped by the Martian war machine, the actor who played the Colonel had to stand in that position for 15 minutes.
Les Tremayne really knows how to drink a cup of coffee. LOL
The scene where looters are trying to get out of Los Angeles. You can see a man in drag on top of a truck or bus.
The destruction scene of the building in Los Angeles was also used in the film Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers.
The sound of the heat rays from the war machines was made by electric guitars and an electric bass.
Another sound effect was when the cylinder opens and the cobra like neck rise up, was done with a high hat cymbal being hit in time.
The War Of The Worlds was well made, a newspaper article said that it can be watched on Halloween. The writer of the article asked “Will the Martians be stopped?” And, “Will Gene Barry’s girlfriend ever stop screaming?”
Ray Harryhausen made a sequence in which the Martian emerges from the machine to die. The Martian was as H.G. Wells described. But Byron Haskins wanted to use another special effects technician.
Watch the movie again, when the Marines begin firing their mortars, you can see cords running up to and down the mortars tubes! 🤣🤣🤣
Nice breakdown of goofs and facts. The version I have doesn’t have visible strings on the ship. I recently re-watched the sequel TV series on DVD. Loved it and I love this masterpiece of a film.
I never understood why the forest ranger even had to tell them, it was only about 10-12 miles away, and a meteor that size the scientist should have known it when it happened, even if they were in the process of traveling there.
Well, it did come down pretty "spurtz". However, I think he was there to ask for their assistance in investigating it.
@@JoseyWales44s The only thing is the size of it, something that big they should have known it for 20-30 miles in every direction. like I said, i don't buy that one part.
The ranger reminds me of Mat Foley (SNL), LOL!
Thanks!
Appreciate it!
@@tvcrazyman " The Name of The Game " was the Best .Smart well Dressed and a Great Script like once every 4 weeks $$$$$$$$.ALOHA😁😁😁
I was always struck by the preacher, who wanted to "communicate" with the Martians, and instead walks forward praying and waving a cross as if he's about to perform an exorcism.
There is another goof that wasn't mentioned. At 4:35sec of this video where the preacher is in the full sight of the martian war machine it appears very small and toy like in the size. At the end of the movie where one crashes into the side of the building you get a feel for the real supposed size of the machines, which is the size of a small house. Top class movie and remains one of my favorites to this day.
Even though I owned the Criterion version of this movie, I bought the version that was part of the double disc set with When worlds collide, because that was the only way to get "Collide" in bluray. To my delight this version of "war" was not only better(4k) but it had a spectacular remastered sound track. And when worlds collide was exelent also
Dr. Clayton Forester, oh MST3K you got me again with another joke I only figured out years later.
Nice video - great film
Think I"ll watch your WotW/Superman mashup on Halloween night; I like to listen to the original Radio Broadcast almost every Halloween as well 😅
I in Joy
This ❤
Cool Looking vidio Clip
😊💨👍
I watched this movie a few times as a kid on analog TV and never noticed the wires.
George Pal was a good friend of Walter Lantz and included a reference (via Woody Woodpecker) in as many films as he could. In one scene near the beginning of WOTW you can see a small Woody Woodpecker figure outlined in the treeline. :)
One of my favorite sci-fi flicks along with George Pal's The Time Machine. I always thought Ann Robinson was a hottie. 😊
"Are they sure it's a meteor?" might be a mistake. Technically a "meteor" never strikes the ground. When a meteor hits the ground it is than a meteorite. Clayton Forrester is a scientist and would know that. Maybe he didn't correct the Ranger out of politeness?
The Heat ray for the Martian machines was made by holding a welding rod up to a torch
Little things like the wires never bothered me. It's just a fun film!
Fun! What a great film this remains. At the end you see the Martian's arm sticking out of the opened hatchway in the air under the war machine but then next see it laying on the bottom of the hatchway door barely moving (a continuity gaffe). Originally a doctor (standing next to Barry as they exit the church) crawled under the hull of the war machine and felt the Martian's pulse pronouncing it dead. They re-shot the scene and gave the doctor's lines to Barry, "We were all praying for a miracle." There are stills of the doctor laying on his side feeling the Martian's pulse. Not sure who played the doctor.
I disagree. Peaceful first contact is the best move to discover their intentions. We can always fight if need be. The preacher sacrificed his life in hopes of saving humanity. One of the best films ever.
I agree the movie is really good, but even as he was walking toward the space ships he was acting like he knew he was going to get zapped. I'm all for peace, believe me, but from a safe long distance away. 😀
@tvcrazyman There was no fear. He knew the chance he was taking. He quoted scriptures for strength and peace of mind.. This is what heroes are made of.
I got to thinking about it last night, and I think the reason they put the preacher in this situation in the story was to eliminate any doubt as to the threat the martians were and what their intentions were to the audience. @@perry3928
@@tvcrazyman Agreed 👍
It really doesn't matter about the special effects in these old classics they were better films than the remakes they churn out today, films these days give you endless action instead of a good storyline and given a choice I'd watch 1953s War of The Worlds before the Tom Cruise remake with it's CGI effects any day. And the same goes for The Day The Earth Stood Still, another classic, the original's are the best.
I've always like learning how they did the special effects back before CGI. Anytime they showed something about behind the scenes on TV I was always watching. They had to come up with such creative ways to do things.
I thought the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still was absolute boggin!
I didn't even know this movie existed, I just missed it, born the year following its release. I had read Classics Illustrated and read the original novel by HG Wells, as well as seen Robinson Crusoe on Mars, well before I even found out about the first WOTW. The reason I mention Robinson Crusoe on Mars[1964] is that it used flying saucers based on the Martian crafts, and were damn cool; and the director was the same as WOTW. I can't remember when I finally got to see WOTW but I didn't like it . . I was deeply moved by the Classic Illustrated rendition of the tripods, which fit very well with Wells' description. I suppose tripods would have been too tall an order in 1953. I think Spielberg's version is terrific--he did it his way but remained true to Wells' original intent and a great job on the tripods. I still regard WOTW and HG Wells the very best of science fiction, CHECK IT OUT. Also the other 2005 WOTW is not too bad but also departs from the original.
Also BTW in the original novel a group of white flag waving citizens does the same thing the preacher did here--meeting the same fate.
If Classics Illustrated is the comic book version, I'm pretty sure I have the one you are talking about. Now I have to get it out and read it again.
@@tvcrazyman That's it! Wish I could re-read it too.
In the 90s movie Independence Day, there are tons of nods to this version of War of the Worlds including the name of the military base "El Toro."
This one and The Thing are my fave movies from that time period. But this one was better made.
What bothered me most about this movie was the speed at which the Martian moved after Forrester attacked it. In Wells' novel, they were very sluggish due to earth's higher gravity (and devoting themselves to intellectual, rather than physical labour), They required a Handling Machine to move about and perform tasks, when outside of their Flying machines. That made sense to me, given that earth has a little more than 2.5 times the gravity of Mars. If my 150 lb self had to suddenly carry around an extra 225 lbs, I certainly wouldn't be moving as fast as that Martian, especially if my lower appendages were as stubby as his appeared to be.
"Mars has a little more than 2.5 times the gravity of earth."?
Interesting fact aboult that: one of the workers off camera pulled the platform the Martian was on so hard that Charles Gemora(who was keeling inside the costume that he and his daughter quickly made overnight) nearly fell out the back of it. That was why it was tipping over slightly.
My brother and I used to hurry home from school so we could we could view the "annual" showing of WOTW. It was a high water mark of our young, unsophisticated lives.
Note also that the man in the plaid shirt (with the ciggarettes at campfire) was actor Robert Cornthwaite, who played Dr Carrington in the origional (1951) movie The Thing (from another world).
One change they made in editing I found a bit sad was the deputy who is killed at the first crash site as he is driving away in the sheriff car. In the script, after the sheriff and Forrester see the ashes of the 3 dead men, who were the first victims of the heat ray, the sheriff orders the deputy to drive to the crash site entrance to prevent anyone else from coming in range of the heat ray. As the deputy drives off the heat ray catches the vehicle and the deputy is incinerated with it.
That dialog was cut from the film so now it appears the deputy drives off like a coward and is killed in poetic justice.
Never saw the classic saw the remake with Tom cruise though great goofs
Treat yourself to the classic. I enjoyed Spielberg's take on the subject, which was a more modern version of the novel, which centered on the protagonist making his way across England trying to get home to his wife. He threw in a number of homages to the '53 film. However, Pal's "War of the Worlds" is the definitive film version.
The Tom Cruise remake is horrible, the original is much, much, better.
One of the very first things you are taught upon entering the priesthood is. DO NOT 🚫🚫 walk up to martians.👽👾
As they should. I mean, you got to be prepared for anything, right. 😀 I say pray from a safe distance when it comes to dealing with Martian invasions.😀
Cool 👍
Still a great movie