ALL SCI-FI

[The Spike]

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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The quality of mercy is not strnen.

[Bud Brewster]

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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?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

Did you do something to her eyebrows?
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...or not...

WayneO
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[Bud Brewster]

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

[orzel-w]

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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...or not...

WayneO
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[mach7]

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.

[Bud Brewster]

[alltare]

[orzel-w]

[mach7]

[scotpens]

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.

[johnnybear]

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!
JB

[Bogmeister]

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______________Quatermass and the Pit Trailer


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__ [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.

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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


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BoG's Score: 7 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus

[Maurice]

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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"The absence of limitations is the enemy of art."
― Orson Welles

[Bud Brewster]

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Thanks, Maurice! I love the Internet Archive. Finding the Cinefantastique article on Forbidden Planet was a dream come true, because I wanted to post it here on All Sci-Fi. I wish they had the novelization, but they don't seem to.

I checked the picture quality of the episodes you posted the link for, and they look pretty good!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)