ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

Jimbo Berkey's website, Free Classic Movies, offers this much better copy of his neglected movie that the poor VHS tape I've owned for years. The scenes of the rockets in space are striking, and their designs are inspired by Chesley Bonestell and Werher Von Braun.

Unfortunately, Jimbo shut down his great website a few years ago . . .
_____________________________________________________

The End of Mankind . . .

A solar storm surrounding the military base on Mars prevents them from observing a giant asteroid from deep space, heading straight for the Earth!


__]


Only Professor Benson (played by Claude Rains) knows that the total destruction of the Earth is only hours away. As the meteor quickly approaches the Earth, something very strange happens. Not only does the meteor miss our planet, it enters an orbit around the Earth.


__]


Suddenly the Earth has two moons! Only Professor Benson understands what this means. Earth Space Command is completely clueless, but Professor Benson understands. He calls the rogue asteroid The Outsider.


__]


He believes that the huge asteroid is actually a space ark . . . a gigantic ship carrying beings from a dying star system. His fears are confirmed when the Earth Space Command sends a rocket ship to explore the asteroid. As the rocket approaches, a fleet flying saucers appear from behind the asteroid and quickly aim destructive beams at the Earth ship until it explodes.


__]


The Earth military command is now helpless against the flying saucers until Professor Benson saves the day when he determines that very high frequency radio transmissions can destroy the flying saucers that come from the alien spacecraft.


__]


With the protective flying saucers destroyed, Earth can now send atomic weapons to destroy the alien threat. But the professor wants to visit the spacecraft to learn its scientific secrets. Professor Benson leads a mission of discovery . . . a quest to learn the secret knowledge that will propel mankind into a vast new future. But he only has three hours inside the gigantic spacecraft to find the alien life forms and their storehouse of knowledge.


__]


Pop a big bowl of white kernel popcorn with plenty of warm melted butter drizzled over it and enjoy the show.[/size]


____Jimbo Berkey
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

The plot of this wide-screen, color production from Italy is both imaginative and ambitious. Readers of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series will recognize key elements of the plot.

The story involves an asteroid which approaches Earth on a collision course. But at the last moment, the object suddenly changes course and goes into orbit.

Claude Rains (in his last role) is delightful as an eccentric and reclusive scientist who is shunned by the world's scientific community, even though he manages to consistently surpass their efforts to puzzle out the mystery of the orbiting object's true nature.

Rains finally convinces the other scientists that the object is actually a huge spacecraft when they witness a formation of flying saucers emerge from the object and attack the fleet of rockets which Earth sends out to investigate.

The great 1950s-style rockets are highly reminiscent of Chesley Bonestell's fantastic designs. True fans of classic rockets will enjoy the film for this reason alone. Please note the use of smokeless flames to depict the rockets' exhausts — a decided improvement over many 1950s sci-fi films such as Flight to Mars and Satellite in the Sky.

Viewers should also note the admirable inclusion of female astronauts among the spaceships' crews. If this seems like a trivial point, just ask astronaut Sally Ride how long it took her to become the first woman into space.

The film is directed with less than complete competence by Anthony Dawson (aka Antonio Margheriti) who also directed "Assignment in Outer Space". Unfortunately, the DVD currently being sold on Amazon is just copy of the old VHS tape sold by GoodTimes video, about twenty years ago (complete with film scratches in all the same places). The DVD offers absolutely no improvement in picture quality.

Enjoy this spirited trailer, beautifully narrated by Dick Tufeld ("Danger, Will Robinson!").


__________ Battle of the Worlds (1961) - trailer


__________
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

[scotpens]

[Bud Brewster]

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

This YouTube version of the movie has a fuzzy picture, but at least it isn't a cramped 4:3 image like every other version I've seen.

I really wish a fully restore version would be released . . .

________ Battle of the Worlds 1961 Best Quality


__________
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[ralfy]

Feature in 1080p:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2KpZC-8rQI