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Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
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Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Find all by Sony Pictures
Directed By: Fred F. Sears
Audience Rating: Unrated
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Theatrical Release: July 2, 1956
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Starring: Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba
Relive the exciting days of sci-fi movie matinees with the cult classic EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS! Featuring extraordinary visual effects by cinematic genius Ray Harryhausen the film pits earthlings against alien humanoids in a violent battle for Earth's survival! When the zombielike aliens arrive at the U.S. Army base in search of help for their dying planet they try to make friendly contact with scientist Dr. Russ Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and his recent bride Carol (Joan Taylor). But the military greets their fleet of saucers with gunfire and the aliens are forced to retaliate. Can Marvin invent the ultimate weapon in a deadly game of beat-the-clock to save the human race? Hold on to your seat for an intergalactic flight into fantasy with EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS!System Requirements:Running Time: 83 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: NR UPC: 043396078659 Manufacturer No: 07865
User Submitted Earth vs. the Flying Saucers Reviews
November 27, 2008
Colorization has come a long way in the past decade!
First thing's first, as a movie it has many flaws, but of course you can't expect perfect Hollywood cinema here. But in terms of just plain sci-fi fun, this movie triumphs. Harryhausen's effects are as wonderful as always.
Now to ease your curiosity, I'll be the first to admit that while I'm 100% against the colorization of classic B&W films, they did a rare and remarkable job here. Every scene was carefully supervised by Harryhausen himself to make sure the colors are as authentic and sensitive to the film's integrity as possible. He also points out in the DVD extras that he also hates the idea of colorization, but this movie, as well as 20,000,000 Miles to Earth (another classic Harryhausen picture also colorized in the same process) were always meant to be filmed in color. Budgetary constraints made color filming impossible. The fact that this movie was filmed in B&W was not an artistic choice, but an economic one. So from that perspective, you can appreciate what they tried to do. Of course it's nice that you can get to choose from color and B&W. I would have knocked off another star if that weren't the case.
The actual video quality looked a bit soft to me though. I don't know if this is how the original film looked but I was expecting a bit more detail because it's from a new high-def master (clips from 20,000,000 Miles to Earth in the bonus material looked much crisper). This is nitpicking though. It certainly still looks great and the slightly soft nature of the video quality never detracted from the enjoyment of this film.
As for the sound... it ROCKS! Of course don't expect Lucasfilm quality sound, but considering this is a remix of a monophonic source, it's quite enveloping and effective, and really took me by surprise. The saucers truly swoosh over your head and there's an adequate amount of subsonic rumble when appropriate. Of course the original mono source is included for purists like myself, though I found the new 5.1 mix to be far more effective and I highly recommend it over the mono track.
Bonus material is just adequate. Nothing terribly worthy of note, but most of it is definitely welcome and interesting material.
All in all, it's a decent package, though in my personal opinion, a tad overpriced. It should be $15 at most. I bought this for $7 at Walmart around Halloween and they had the other colorized Harryhausen films at that price. I was shocked to find out it was only a Halloween special price and that they actually retail for $22 (with the Blu-ray versions costing only a dollar or two more!). I should have picked the other ones up when I had the chance... but oh well. It's your call.
October 21, 2008
Great flying saucer movie
Out of all the flying saucer / aliens from Mars classic movies there are, this is not too bad. (I rate "The Day the Earth Stood Still" as #1) The storyline is pretty decent and believable, and the special effects aren't too bad for the time. Nothing compared to todays standards of course, but overall, not bad. Definitely worth adding to your collection of 50's martian / monster movies. Also the actors really did a decent job. The ending is also pretty good. I give it a B+.
September 16, 2008
unhappy
I was unhappy with the item because.
1.It wouldn't play on my DVD player or my computer.
2. the warning that it has to be for a certain region needs to be put up front.
3. when you have to send an item back because it doesn't work it cost the consumer. its like a penalty .
August 27, 2008
Never Received
I wrote the Seller and Amazon because I was sent the wrong movie. I never received and answer from either one of them!
August 6, 2008
Hilarious and ridiculous paranoia
From the opening scenes of the doofus Air Force fighter pilot to the ditzy airline stewardess dropping the passengers food; you're in for a real treat of 1950's science fiction. Woooooooooo! Just listening to the opening commentary will have you on the floor. Wooooooo! The dramatic "flying saucer music" will make you so tense, you'll pass gas in fear. Wooooooo!
Sit back and enjoy some terrible acting and really stupid-looking aliens. Woooooooooo! UFO's ! The Aliens have landed! Run for your freakin' 1950's lives. Woooooooo! Flying Dinner Plates! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll kiss $14 good-bye (average price for used DVD) with apologies to "Hardware Wars."
Oh, and wait'll ya' see the Giant Cray Super Computers in the background! Whirrrr! Click! Snap! Pop!
July 26, 2008
EARTH VS FLYING SAUCERS-Special Color Edition
EARTH VS FLYING SAUCERS-(Special Color Edition) was a good old sci-fi movie that I would consider a 3 to 4 star film. The great DVD transfer and new color process provided for a great show on a large screen TV and was very enjoyable. Those not in favor of colorized old B&W films should hear Ray's opinion on this matter, as he now says that if the low budget had permitted it, all of his films would have been in color.
The commentary was also very enjoyable as were the opinions expressed that today's more up to date sci-fi thrillers could learn a thing or two about making effective use of time and saving money by using stock film shots, and other tricks of the low budget trade at which Ray was a master.
However, who is kidding who? Ray turned out masterpieces of hand crafted and lovingly made movies that never could be produced today for the price of his labor. He made these films for next to nothing and was happy to do so for the same reason that other artists have been successful. He loved creating these movies and employing other people in larger financial circles to get them onto the big screen. In doing this he was demonstreating what he was capable of doing with his technique.
On the other hand, today's films are truly mind blowing and are the result of bringing together teams of talented people working for a combined financial fortune. Hollywood doesn't have to be told that they could learn a thing or two from Ray. Hollywood pays what it currently does in order to make a return on their investment, and the results (with all its inefficiency, unused footage and redundant shots) are worth it.
I am happy to see a product where money is almost no object, coupled with the fact that it pays for itself in the end. This is the reason we can expect to see great future sci-fi films supported extravagantly by Hollywood, and paid for by the fans at the box office.
In this way top notch talent (acting, direction, film editing, set design, special effects, CGI, music, etc.) can be brought to bear producing the best possible result without the sorry constraint of cost. Modern sci-fi films are a good example of capitalism at its best, and I say bless it. I have been told by marketing people that the public will gripe about the cost of bread and fuel, but are often willing (when able) to pay almost anything for their entertainment).
June 16, 2008
pure 50's Sci-Fi fun!
Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers is pure 1950's B movie fare. The plot and acting are campy, the budget is minuscule, and it's filled with 50's sci-fi clichés, but the film had one thing going for it, and that was the stop-motion wizardry of Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen's incredible talents made this film rise above other similar films of the era that have been long forgotten. Make no mistake about it...there's no way this movie would be released on a two DVD special edition over 50 years later without Harryhausen's involvement. The newly-remastered set comes with an incredible array of special features that puts most new films to shame.
The thin plot centers around Marlowe's character of Dr. Russell Marvin, a scientist working with the U.S. Army. Martin is launching rockets into space to begin gathering information for man's eventual travel into space. However, almost as soon as the rockets reach space communication is lost and the rockets come crashing back to Earth. Marvin and his wife, Carol (Taylor) have also had an encounter with a flying saucer and they soon put one and one together and determine the aliens are shooting down their rockets. The aliens relate their tale to Marlowe when they explain they have come to Earth to take over...in a nutshell. Dr. Marvin and a group of other scientists rush to complete a weapon that they hope will disrupt the alien's gravitational fields. This all leads to an all-out battle in Washington DC with some of the Capitol's most well known landmarks being destroyed.
In truth, Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers is a fairly slow moving picture up until the final fifteen minutes or so. Saucers are seen flying casually around, barely creating a panic as if people see them every day. Occasionally they land and unload a group of plodding aliens in suits who shoot out death rays as soldiers. It's Harryhausen's effects that are the star of the film. His saucers have a spinning action with the top of the saucers moving one way and the bottom moving the opposite which truly made them appear as if they were flying, compared to the usually ship on a fish line type of movement. The explosions and destruction of the Washington Monument and Capitol building are the landmark scenes from the film.
The movie doesn't have the all-out death and destruction of War of the Worlds and it certainly didn't have the same caliber of acting, but it also didn't have nearly the budget of that film either. While the film was shot in just a few weeks, Harryhausen continued to work on the effects for months afterwards. This isn't a great film from a plot or acting standpoint. There's little in the way of character development and the science is laughable by today's standards. It's still an entertaining film for those that appreciate Harryhausen's unique talents.
Extras: Wow! Where do I begin? This is one of those releases that make you rejoice in the DVD format. First, the film comes in either the original black & white or new colorized format. This new Chroma-Color process is vastly improved over the old colorizing process of 10 or 20 years ago. The colors are not gaudy but look natural, especially the skin tones. When you see shots of the sky you don't just see a solid blue with white clouds but subtle gradients of color. What's cool is that you can toggle back and forth between color and B&W by pressing the "Angle" button on your DVD remote.
The film comes with audio commentary with Harryhausen and visual effects artists Jeffrey Okun and Ken Ralston.
Remembering Earth vs. The Flying Saucers is Harryhausens own recollections about making the film and runs 22:00
A Present Day Look at Stop-Motion takes a look at film students learning the art of stop motion. 11:36
The Colorization Process runs 11:02 and is a look at the new Chroma Color Process that Harryhausen was very impressed with. Ray says he would have liked to shoot the film in color but they did not have the money to do it.
Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen. Director Tim Burton interviews Harryhausen as ray discusses how the saucers were made and other interesting tidbits about the film. Great segment but it's almost ruined by Burton who babbles almost incoherently and uses the words "you know" and "amazing" about a hundred times during the 27:09 minute interview.
Original Ad Artwork Producer Arnold Kunert looks at the film's ad materials including rare posters and lobby cards from Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers and other films. 17:30
Interview with Joan Taylor: Actress Joan Taylor shares her thoughts on the film and her amazement that the film is coming out again over 50 years later. She's genuinely humbled by the attention all these years later. 17:28
David Schecter on Film Music's Unsung Hero Is a retrospective on the career of composer Misha Bakaleinikoff 22:32
The Hollywood Blacklist and Bernard Gordon. Original screen writer Bernard Gordon's name was removed from the credits as he fell victim to Hollywood's infamous Blacklist of the 1950's. His name is finally restored on this DVD. 29:23
Sneak Peek of Digital Comic Book Flying Saucers vs. the Earth
Video Photo Galleries.
May 27, 2008
Great Science Fiction that will never grow old! :)
Great story, and marvelous special effects that are dated, but still great for the time. I recommend! Both kids and adults will enjoy this one! Also, nice to see it done in color even though I prefer the original black and white. :)
May 9, 2008
Earth Vs the Flying Saucers Revisited
I enjoyed it very much even colorized. It took me back to when I was 10 years old. Loved the special features.
April 15, 2008
when where UAV's invented
excellent movie as always. the ability to switch from B/W to color in 1 button push instantaniously is great. I had not seen this flick in its entirety for years and it is a welcome addition to my video library. the angle change icon being visable the entire film was annoying at first but soon overlooked.
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