Red Planet Mars (1952)

Sadly Over-hyped

How sad is this?

Excellent but underrated film

Best movie of this year hands down!

I never saw this movie before, quite outdated now, but gives a good look of a bit of the cold war and science fiction. This has mission impossible Peter Graves in it. Much better acting than todays junk.although comet shows some of these old sci fi, some are quite interesting. this one was pretty good.

Director: HARRY HORNER. Screenwriter: Anthony Veiller, John L. Balderston, based on the play Red Planet by John L. Balderston, John E. Hoare. Film editor: Francis D. Lyon. Cinematographer: Joseph Biroc. Music composed by Mahlon Merrick, David Chudnow. Production designer: Charles D. Hall. Set decorator: Murray Waite. Assistant director: Emmett Emerson. Production manager: Joseph Paul. Producer: Anthony Veiller. Executive producer: Donald Hyde.Copyright 15 May 1952 by Melaby Pictures Corp. Released through United Artists Pictures. New York opening at the Criterion: 14 June 1952. U.S. release: 15 May 1952. U.K. release on the lower half of a double bill: floating from January 1953. Australian release: 23 October 1952. 7,762 feet. 86 minutes. Cut by United Artists to 74 minutes in Australia.Alternative title: MIRACLE FROM MARS.NOTES: The stage play, "Red Planet" opened on Broadway at the Cort on 17 December 1932, running a dismal total of seven performances under the direction of Burk Symon and Chester Erskine. The leading players were Bramwell Fletcher, Valerie Taylor, Eugene Powers, Richard Whorf, Wilfrid Seagram, Louis Hector and Henry Herbert. The elaborate production was designed by Lee Simonson and produced by Rowland Stebbins.COMMENT: Despite its preposterous naivety, this morality play is still somewhat moving — a tribute to the sincerity of its makers. The film is a genuine curio, of interest only to the connoisseur. Action and science fiction fans are warned to give it a wide berth. The version at present circulating has been improved by excising the scenes of the Russian revolution, criticized by overseas critics for the poverty of their budget.The script is adapted from a stage play by John L. Balderston and John Hoare and, as might be expected, it's a rather talky affair. Director Horner keeps it moving however, and the acting is surprisingly straight-faced.OTHER VIEWS: Incredibly, fascinatingly bad in its messagey (in more ways than one) and up-lifting way. Raises hysterically irresponsible plotting to the level of art (or something). — Donald C. Willis.

*Spoiler/plot- Red Planet Mars, 1952. A married couple of radio scientists have a laboratory in California. They have been using a new technology to speed up and allow radio signals to reach Mars. They finally make contact and a series of Martian messages about their advanced science throws the US and many countries into chaos. The Soviet Union is monitoring this disruption of the West with pleasure. But the latter messages have a spiritual meaning which causes Soviet citizens to go back to their religious heritage pre-revolution. The whole world in benefited by the Martain contact.*Special Stars- Peter Graves, Andrea King, Marvin Miller *Theme- A religious spiritual belief is necessary to keep mankind happy.*Trivia/location/goofs- B&W, Many elements of this film foretold of upcoming matters; the collapse of the Soviet Union, flat screen TV, the use of super-cold conductor elements to accomplish unheard of actions in physics & sound.*Emotion- A very dramatic and memorable film about 1950's US fear about the Soviet Union and Cold War. An excellent cast of B-Movie lead and character actors support an interesting script combining science fiction with some spiritual beliefs. This is a fun and exciting film of a different time in world history. It's religious ending of self-sacrifice is thought provoking, but a bit preachy for today's time. It's one of a kind film and message makes it unique.

An interesting sci-fi flick that attempts to be intellectual instead of thrilling, but in reality it's too stupid. Peter Graves stars as a scientist who contacts Mars. After a series of communications, it turns out that God Himself is from the Red Planet and is disappointed with the Earthlings and their Cold War. As silly as that sounds, I don't think that premise itself is what ruins the film. It's just that the film isn't at all interested in the implications of that revelation, but far more interested in demonizing the Soviets, who gleefully machine-gun down people gathered in prayer, and patting the Americans on the back for being so God fearing (Andrea King, who plays Graves' wife, is so obnoxiously self-righteous you just want to murder her). There's an interesting twist late in the picture, but they immediately undercut it. This is a virtual remake of a much better film from a couple of years previous, William A. Wellman's The Next Voice You Hear. That one was a far more intellectually curious story about God speaking up about the Cold War (and the following year's much more famous The Day the Earth Stood Still strikes me as a virtual remake of that film).