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Quatermass and the Pit / Five Million Years to Earth (1967)
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The Spike
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:55 pm    Post subject: Quatermass and the Pit / Five Million Years to Earth (1967) Reply with quote



Creepy, interesting, above all else...intelligent.

Whilst excavating at the site of a new underground tube station, workers unearth a mysterious object.

On to the case comes Professor Quatermass who deduces that the object is Martian in origin. Initially viewed with scorn and disbelief, it becomes apparent that the Martian race have been involved in the human race before, and now they have been awakened.

This was the third Hammer film adaptation of Nigel Kneale's BBC-TV Quatermass serial, with previous entries being The Quatermass Experiment & Quatermass 2.

To me, though, this is undoubtedly the shining light of the bunch. Chiefly what works the best in this one is the wonderful fusion of mystery and intelligence, the eerie sense of dread only off-set by a yearning to find out just what has happened.

And more crucially, what will happen?

Building up perfectly, courtesy of Roy Ward Baker's astutely paced direction, Quatermass And The Pit is a film that just begs you to pay attention to every little detail. Each conversation is fully fleshing out this most intriguing story. Then there is the finale that pays off handsomely. To hint at what is involved would result in a spoiler of sorts, and it would be really stupid for me to prepare you for the film's closure.

See it because it's one of the best genre entries of the 60s, a must for sci-fi enthusiasts that like a bit of brains to go with their genre persuasion. 8.5/10

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 10:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oops, I didn't see your post under the other name the film was released as, and I posted this one recently. I deleted mine and put it here. Very Happy
__________________________________________

[Also release as: "Quatermass and the Pit"]

Andrew Keir stars in this third film involving the famous British scientist, Professor Quatermass.

When a buried alien spaceship is unearthed during the construction of a London subway, Quatermass is called to investigate.



One scene is wonderfully reminiscent of "The Day the Earth Stood Still"; a group of soldiers and engineers try to penetrate the indestructible hull of the spaceship. Inside the ship they find the remains of the dead Martian crew, midget-sized insect creatures in a honeycombed hive.



Adding to the mystery is the fact that the area around the hatch of the ship is littered with the remains of ape-like animals resembling prehistoric men. The thick-headed government and military men persist in believing the indestructible ship is a propaganda weapon sent by Germany during World War II!

They pay a terrible price for their ignorance, and all hell breaks loose when various occult-like phenomenon begin to disrupt the area.

The scenes of destruction and mass hysteria are genuinely shocking. The basic concept of this film (involving the evolution of mankind and the origin of certain superstitions) is intelligent, thought-provoking, and disturbing.

The film does a remarkable job of incorporating ancient myths and legends into a hard science story. The special effects (credited to Bowie Films) are excellent, and there are a generous number of them. The alien ship is beautifully designed and constructed under the supervision of art director Ken Ryan and production designer Bernard Robinson.



The whirlwind pace and the spirited direction by Roy Ward Baker keeps the viewer riveted to this highly original story. There isn't a shred of padding in the narrative (no love interest, no comic relief), just a lean-and-mean science fiction thriller.

James Donald contributes a fine performance as the dedicated anthropologist. Barbara Shelley is the courageous and beautiful assistant to the scientists. Original story and screenplay by Nigel Kneale. Fine score by Tristram Cary.

A highly recommended film.

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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Jul 15, 2022 12:03 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

One of the main attractions of this movie is Barbara Shelley, the lovely lady who also spiced up Village of the Damned. She reminds me of the beautiful Eleanor Parker — and that's high praise indeed.




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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Mar 02, 2018 1:25 pm; edited 2 times in total
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 8:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did you do something to her eyebrows? Confused
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

No, but I could if I wanted to! It's easy!

However, I did blur the background a little more than it already was, to make Barbara stand out better, and I removed a bright light bulb in the background on the right because it was distracting. Very Happy

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~ The Space Children (1958)
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 5:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is another movie I would like to add to my collection. I'm really disappointed that there's no DVD or Blu-ray edition of this movie on the market (at least not for region 1 players).
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mach7
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is one of my favorite films from the '60s.

As The Spike said, this is an intelligent, well done movie.

I first saw this on Boston station Ch 56's Saturday Creature Feature and was amazed. A very different kind of story.

This is my only exposure to the Quartermass films. I would really like to see the others.

I agree, this should be out on DVD or Blu-Ray.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mach7 wrote:
This is my only exposure to the Quartermass films. I would really like to see the others.

Don't expect too much from the others. They don't compare very well in my opinion.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Oct 10, 2022 3:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
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alltare
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

orzel-w wrote:
This is another movie I would like to add to my collection. I'm really disappointed that there's no DVD or Blu-ray edition of this movie on the market (at least not for region 1 players).

If you don't have an objection to torrents, you can download a 1080p torrent of this movie from
https://yts.gs/movies/quatermass-and-the-pit-1967 .
They also have Q2 and Q Xperiment.

Pirate Bay has torrents of all of the Q movies, too.
https://thepiratebay.org/search/quatermass

To use these torrents, you will need to install Bit Torrent or MicroTorrent first.
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
Don't expect too much from the others. They don't compare very well in my opinion.

Nor in mine.

Alltare: Thanks for the tip.
Very Happy
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mach7
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2018 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
mach7 wrote:
This is my only exposure to the Quartermass films. I would really like to see the others.

Don't expect too much from the others. They don't compare very well in my opinion.

Well I just watched Quartermass 2, Enemy from Space.

Aside from having a basic storyline that is similar to "The Invaders" (a Quinn Martin production), it was one and a half hours of my life that I won't get back.
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Moviegoers who believed the hyperbolic ad copy on the American release poster were bound to be disappointed.

"Cities in flames! World panic spreads! Women defiled by invaders from outer space!"

Sorry, there's none of that stuff here! It's as if the film's U.S. distributor didn't understand the movie and had no idea how to sell it.
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johnnybear
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2018 2:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Surely there is a DVD of Quatermass And The Pit? I remember seeing one as a double bill years back on the Anchor Bay label! There are quite a few copies available on region 2 DVD!
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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

____________
______________Quatermass and the Pit Trailer


__________


__ [img]https://imgur.com/c6j5uFE[/img]

U.S. Title: Five Million Years to Earth. There were two Quatermass films in the fifties, starring Brian Donlevy as the British scientist, and based on BBC TV serials.

This was the 3rd one, with Andrew Keir taking over the role, also based on a BBC serial from the late fifties. This was the first one in color, perhaps a partial reason why some fans look upon it with more favor. As before, Professor Quatermass finds himself in the middle of revelations concerning aliens and the human race.

_________
__________

The other main character is an archaeology professor (James Donald). He's in the middle of uncovering some ancient bones dating back 5 million years (hence, the alternate USA title).

The bones seem humanp — or rather proto-humanp — but with curiously over-developed skulls. All this is happening smack dab in the middle of London, as construction crews are working to expand the subway system.

Besides the skeletal remains, they also find an object which at first is mistaken for a World War II missile. However, though it looks like metal, it resists all efforts to puncture it, eventually fully uncovered as some sort of small vessel. Quatermass soon deduces that it is extraterrestrial, especially when dead aliens resembling locusts are discovered inside.




The story introduces the provocative theory that mankind's development was influenced by alien forces millions of years ago, that our species may in fact owe all our intelligence to these Martians.

It also explains all the mysterious incidents and legends of the past concerning paranormal activity, ghosts, demons and even the devil.

Needless to say, the establishment does not take kindly to such theorizing (Julian Glover plays a scoffing military man), but it all becomes a rather moot point as all hell breaks loose in the final act. The film ambles along slowly and gracefully for the first three-quarters and then explodes into a frenzy of apocalyptic sf horror.




Quatermass Trivia: Director Roy Ward Baker and writer Nigel Kneale hated the U.S. title



____________


BoG's Score: 7 out of 10


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Maurice
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PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2019 2:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There was a previous version done as a six-episode series on the BBC in 1958. That version is on the Internet Archive:

Episode 1 (start)
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6

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