The War of the Worlds

It’s still a better movie than the Tom Crues version

Excellent movie of Martian invasion.

Well, this is it.Unless somebody with more imagination than Steven Spielberg, finally decides to make a faithful transliteration of H.G. Wells' Classic.Although it suffers, as many movies of the period (1950s), of primitive special effects, it is one of those legendary tiny masterpieces of the genre.George Pal and Byron Jaskin's Team deliver a splendid and vivid account of the facts that led to the Martian invasion of Earth.Gene Barry (who can also be seen in a short interview in this special DVD version), and Ann Robinson play convincing characters in the 1953 movie.Far more than Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Miranda Otto in the 2005 remake.The settings are mostly seen at night (a forced choice, in view that the Alien ships were hung on steel wires and would otherwise, give away their secrets) and this alone makes the entire ambience more eerie than the remake that swings from day to night and back again.Also the storytelling alone, is far more coherent, concise and linear than the newer version.Some people stated that Spielberg added visible Aliens.Big Deal!In the classic movie version, one only sees an eye of one, single Alien and that alone is scary enough to send you a chilling feeling up your spine, while in the newer version, they even study (of all things) a bicycle!I don't know is Steven Spielberg wanted to add humor to the scene, but fact is, that it falls fatally flat and reminds you of very cheap slapstick comedy as employed in the early Twenties when the director had nothing better to offer.At 85 minutes, compared with the almost two hours of the remake, Byron Haskins delivers, while Spielberg is still trying to find out, why the heck he wanted to do his movie in the first place.Musicwise, if one can use the word, there is a big difference as well. While the original version keeps the music in the background, almost perceptible and just in key scenes, in which it is truly needed to enhance the threat feeling, John Williams new score is constantly there, bombastic and fastidious, and more threatening than the Aliens themselves.The choice of colors too are a big difference with the newer version. Despite mostly filmed at night (or at least set at night), the 1953 version has a color harmony in itself, while the modern version is vulgar and shabby, even in scenes playing in plain daylight.What can I say?They don't make them like this anymore!It may sound obvious and repetitive, but it is true.We spend ten, if not twenty times more money to make today's movies and we are not even able to come up with something original and beautiful at the same time.Long gone are the days of truly creative, and yes, genial minds, the years of true visionaries such as Stanley Kubrick, George Pal, Ray Harrihausen and yes, the first George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.In their case, age has truly not made them wiser. Just older.Thank Heavens, we still have movies on DVD, like the present version of "War of the Worlds" and others such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "Forbidden Planet", "Fantastic Voyage", the original "Planet of the Apes" and its sequels, and finally the masterpiece of masterpieces "2001: A Space Odyssey", to fill our evenings with true emotions, true visions and true acting.Pity that producers and directors nowadays don't stop to think what their predecessors did to be so fondly remembered.It would be nice if they would reconsider their artistry and care a bit more about us, the audience at the receiving end of their products.Maybe a bit of more respect and consideration for us, as well as for our intelligence, would inspire them much more to do better things and perhaps more simpler things in the future.I am an actor and I was always taught that "Less is more".Maybe, if the movie creators of these days would create less, put less special effects, put less music in their movies and rather put more storytelling and more acting in their place, they may not always fall so short in their efforts.Computers will never replace a man, at least not as long as man is master on this Planet.Stop and consider this, you professionals of the Entertainment Business.And to you, the readers, always stick to the original versions.Except for just a couple of notable exceptions, all remakes ever made in recent years, were just that, unimaginative, flat and boring attempts to outsmart Masters and Geniuses.In doing so they just showed you their mediocrity and their immense arrogance at wanting to surpass masters such as Hitchcock or Peckinpah.I repeat and exhort, stick to the originals.Learn to know them, criticize them if you want, but learn to ask for quality, not quantity.Absolutely a must to own.

This DVD was exactly as described in the ad,came in perfect condition and played like dream,I had recently bought the model kit and just had to have the movie as well(call me a sci Fi nut lol) well with the price,get yours today you won't be sorry I promise.

War of the Worlds (1953)Directed by Byron HaskinStarring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson and Les TremayneParamount Pictures | 1953 | 85 min | Rated G | Released Apr. 20, 1999The Film 4/5War of the Worlds won an Oscar for Best Special Effects and was nominated for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. That's somewhat hard to believe now, but I imagine that the effects did look advanced in 1953. Looking at the movie now, it's obvious that the backdrop is fake. Martian machines are clearly held up by wires and the acting is terrible by modern standards, but that doesn't mean that the movie doesn't work.The story begins with what's thought to be a meteor strike in California, but it turns out to be nothing of the sort. The opening monologue tells us that beings from Mars covet Earth for its mild climate and abundance of water. Three locals see a hatch in the "meteor" unscrew and a snake-like head emerges. The music in this scene is overly dramatic, but it somehow works. As it's the 1950s, the three men can't call the police on their phones, so they decide to investigate on their own and are killed by a burst of fire from the strange machine.Meanwhile, the lights and phones in town all stop working and everyone's watch stops at the same time. It's clear that something unusual is happening. Although I have pointed out how bad the effects look now, there's still plenty of tension. I always find myself wanting to see what will happen next. The original radio broadcast of the story (by Orson Welles in 1938) had many Americans thinking that the attack was real. So, remember that the story was original when the movie was first shown. Audiences weren't conditioned to believe that any visiting aliens were automatically malevolent.A local professor, Dr. Clayton Forrester (Barry) happens to be on hand. He advises the police to call in the military. One of the better scenes involves speculation about what a Martian might look like. It takes into account everything we know about Mars. How would Earth's gravity affect a Martian? What about the composition of the air or the temperature? Unfortunately, few of the scenes contain that level of authenticity.Sylvia (Robinson), a young woman who is familiar with Forrester's work, meets him at the crash site. This eventually develops into a romantic interest. Her uncle is a priest and all three are allowed to contribute as the military try to devise a plan of action. I can't imagine that happening today. The priest ignores everyone's wishes and decides that diplomacy is the best course of action. He speculates that as a more advanced species, Martians would naturally be closer to the creator. I can't imagine a more controversial topic than that one. Would God favor one planet's inhabitants over another? Did He create everything, or just us? I'm not touching that one.In any event, the priest doesn't get the reaction he's hoping for.As the plot develops, the military assumes a bigger role. Various methods are tried, but the Martian machines seem unharmed. Nuclear weapons fail to stop the machines and it's clear that some kind of invasion is taking place. If the Martians want the Earth, why do they attempt to destroy everything? Why don't any of the humans attempt to take over the machines and use them to fight back?Dr. Forrester proves to be suitable hero material. He's not only quick-witted, he's able to fly a plane. The story develops into what looks like a hopeless struggle for humanity, and we're shown what happens to Forrester and Sylvia.The H. G. Wells novel was written in 1898 and was considerably ahead of its time, just like the movie. The idea that impresses me the most is revealed in the conclusion of the story. How would such a potent force, seemingly impervious to any weapons Earth has to offer, ever be defeated? Wells' resolution was brilliantly conceived. It doesn't play out well as a movie, because the end is so abrupt, but the idea itself is the most interesting idea in the entire story.War of the Worlds looks dated. Would you expect anything else from a movie made in 1953? But, despite the cheesy story, there's enough originality to make it an important movie. I still enjoy it and completely understand why Steven Spielberg chose to make an updated version in 2005. Try to overlook its obvious faults and think about how you might have reacted if you had been around when it was released.

The War of the Worlds and When Worlds Collide are bona fide classics. Both produced by George Pal.As a double feature package, the set from Paramount is tremendous; the native 4K UHD of The War of the Worlds is stunning, being perfectly detailed, brightly coloured and both black and white scales pushing the envelope, while its DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track is loud, effects laden and bombastic…

El pack contiene dos películas, de las cuales sólo “La guerra de los mundos” viene en 4K y sonido 5.1. La edición es excepcional, tanto en audio como en vídeo. Una remasterización increíble, teniendo en cuenta que es una película del año 1953. No obstante, la otra película que contiene el pack, “Cuando los mundos chocan” viene en un blu Ray magnífico, que no desmerece a la anterior. Audio y subtítulos en castellano. Dos joyas imprescindibles.

Le transfert sur DVD a rehaussé la qualité du film en général et de l'image en particulier... J'ai du voir ce film 6 fois à la télé depuis que je suis né en 1955 , et je ne m'en suis jamais lassé. C'est donc une oeuvre-référence dans le genre, portée par des acteurs impliqués. Pas un temps mort, pas de séquences inutiles, pas de longueurs. On est pris par l'action de bout en bout. La qualité de l'image a du quelque peu être restaurée , la qualité du son non, mais malgré l'âge du film, la piste son Française est encore très bonne. Heureuse surprise, que l'on ne retrouve jamais sur ce genre de films un peu vieux, nous avons le choix de la version Américaine en mono, mais aussi....De la même version Américaine en STEREO !! J'ai essayé, avec les sous-titres Français, ben c'est encore deux étages au dessus de la même version Américaine en mono ! Riche idée que d'avoir proposé ce choix, le film en est encore plus vivant ! Une totale réussite, donc !

Two science fiction classics from the 1950's as a double feature. War of the worlds probably the best known of the two but both movies are essential viewing for any sci-fi fan. Both are in glorious technicolor with War of the worlds never looking better with a terrific 4k transfer.

La novela de H.G. Wells fue un parteaguas para el género de ciencia ficción en la literatura, por lo que el séptimo arte no podía quedarse atrás, y en 1953 se llevó a cabo la primera de cuatro adaptaciones, misma que si bien se aleja de la obra original, nos brinda excelentes momentos con efectos especiales impresionantes para el momento en que se estrenó. La calidad de imagen es en donde más brilla este transfer, con Dolby Vision que hace a cada una de las escenas un bello retrato con colores vivos y muy nítidos. El apartado sonoro contiene pista DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 que da buen acompañamiento a la película. Celebrando los 70 años de esta mítica película, y a un súper precio que vale la pena.