The War Of The Worlds (1953)

This movie was filmed and edited well for it's day. It is good to watch. I have been wanting this specific movie/edition for years. Now I have it. I have the newer remakes but they are not like this release. But I coralled them as a set.

I remember growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana as a kid in the 1960s and one of the local TV Stations would air this movie around Halloween. Our family would get together after taking us kids Trick or Treating at my Mamaw's house to go through all of our candy and make sure it was safe to eat. Then after the adults ate a lot of our candy and us kids finally got to eat some, we would watch War of the Worlds on a black and white TV that Mamaw had in the early 1960s and since it was a tradition every year she finally got a color TV in 1966, and so did the rest of the family. When watching the movie my Mamaw and some of my older Aunts and Uncles had mentioned they had heard the radio broadcast back in the late 1930s and how people thought the world was actually being invaded, because they didn't hear the broadcast at the very beginning when the announcer explained it was not real. They told us people became the invaders, because they flock to the stores to buy as much food and water they could and even when they were told at the stores it wasn't a real alien invasion some people didn't believe it. A lot of stores made some huge sales! They also told us the some people tried to sue the radio stations and failed. This movie brings back so many great memories and even though the CGI effects were kinda cheesy compared to the one with Tom Cruise, I'm leaning on liking the 1953 version better. I still gotta a kick out the three idiots waving a white flag to make contact and ended up getting fried and the images on the ground was funny even back as a kid we would laugh. I highly recommend this movie. The way this world is now a days, just like President Reagan once said, would it take a Alien Invasion to bring the Nations and the People together? Really makes me wonder the way we are so divided right now.

It wouldn’t be Halloween without wotW!

Well, this is it.Unless somebody with more imagination than Steven Spielberg, finally decides to make a faithful transliteration of H.G. Wells' Classic.Although it suffers, as many movies of the period (1950s), of primitive special effects, it is one of those legendary tiny masterpieces of the genre.George Pal and Byron Jaskin's Team deliver a splendid and vivid account of the facts that led to the Martian invasion of Earth.Gene Barry (who can also be seen in a short interview in this special DVD version), and Ann Robinson play convincing characters in the 1953 movie.Far more than Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Miranda Otto in the 2005 remake.The settings are mostly seen at night (a forced choice, in view that the Alien ships were hung on steel wires and would otherwise, give away their secrets) and this alone makes the entire ambience more eerie than the remake that swings from day to night and back again.Also the storytelling alone, is far more coherent, concise and linear than the newer version.Some people stated that Spielberg added visible Aliens.Big Deal!In the classic movie version, one only sees an eye of one, single Alien and that alone is scary enough to send you a chilling feeling up your spine, while in the newer version, they even study (of all things) a bicycle!I don't know is Steven Spielberg wanted to add humor to the scene, but fact is, that it falls fatally flat and reminds you of very cheap slapstick comedy as employed in the early Twenties when the director had nothing better to offer.At 85 minutes, compared with the almost two hours of the remake, Byron Haskins delivers, while Spielberg is still trying to find out, why the heck he wanted to do his movie in the first place.Musicwise, if one can use the word, there is a big difference as well. While the original version keeps the music in the background, almost perceptible and just in key scenes, in which it is truly needed to enhance the threat feeling, John Williams new score is constantly there, bombastic and fastidious, and more threatening than the Aliens themselves.The choice of colors too are a big difference with the newer version. Despite mostly filmed at night (or at least set at night), the 1953 version has a color harmony in itself, while the modern version is vulgar and shabby, even in scenes playing in plain daylight.What can I say?They don't make them like this anymore!It may sound obvious and repetitive, but it is true.We spend ten, if not twenty times more money to make today's movies and we are not even able to come up with something original and beautiful at the same time.Long gone are the days of truly creative, and yes, genial minds, the years of true visionaries such as Stanley Kubrick, George Pal, Ray Harrihausen and yes, the first George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.In their case, age has truly not made them wiser. Just older.Thank Heavens, we still have movies on DVD, like the present version of "War of the Worlds" and others such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "Forbidden Planet", "Fantastic Voyage", the original "Planet of the Apes" and its sequels, and finally the masterpiece of masterpieces "2001: A Space Odyssey", to fill our evenings with true emotions, true visions and true acting.Pity that producers and directors nowadays don't stop to think what their predecessors did to be so fondly remembered.It would be nice if they would reconsider their artistry and care a bit more about us, the audience at the receiving end of their products.Maybe a bit of more respect and consideration for us, as well as for our intelligence, would inspire them much more to do better things and perhaps more simpler things in the future.I am an actor and I was always taught that "Less is more".Maybe, if the movie creators of these days would create less, put less special effects, put less music in their movies and rather put more storytelling and more acting in their place, they may not always fall so short in their efforts.Computers will never replace a man, at least not as long as man is master on this Planet.Stop and consider this, you professionals of the Entertainment Business.And to you, the readers, always stick to the original versions.Except for just a couple of notable exceptions, all remakes ever made in recent years, were just that, unimaginative, flat and boring attempts to outsmart Masters and Geniuses.In doing so they just showed you their mediocrity and their immense arrogance at wanting to surpass masters such as Hitchcock or Peckinpah.I repeat and exhort, stick to the originals.Learn to know them, criticize them if you want, but learn to ask for quality, not quantity.Absolutely a must to own.

A great rendition - to include sound effects...impressive special effects too.A good wholesome movie from the 50's. Nice. :) Hope you enjoy it and its good virtues.

Just a word fo the wise.... the thousand plus 5 star reviews here DO NOT refer to film you're buying, they relate to the Bluray release of the original 70's (or 60's?) War of the Worlds.The film you're about to pay for is a pale, wishy washy and rather confusing rehash... which I wish I'd saved money by not buying.

**CAUTION** - DON'T confuse "WOTW 2021" with one of the original WOTW films - it's a cheap re-hash and one of the worst films I have ever seen, ever. THE POSITIVE LISTINGS ARE FOR THE OTHER WOTW FILMS, NOT THIS VERSION.This 2021 remake is a low (zero) budget, unknown actors, rushed plot, laughably wooden acting, dodgy CGI, over use of stock footage of cities & military and the battle scenes look like a bad video game. It trades on the War of the Worlds name, but at best it is a very, very poor TV movie. One for the bin - I'd be too embarrassed to give it to a charity shop. Get the 1950s version or the one with little Tom Cruise instead.

nothing to do with the seller, they came up trumps, there it was, on the day of release as promised, they were great, my problem is with just how bad this movie is, i couldn't even give it away in good conscience, you don't have to take my advise , but try and find a few clips, there the best bits and see for yourself, it's just sad, poor acting, poor dialog, i just find the words for how bad this film is, amateur, is the best i can say.

I cannot believe some of the reviews. This is an ultra-basic, lowest of the low budget, wooden, one of the most truly appalling movies we have seen. Disjointed, uninspiring and repetitive camera shots and a script to lull you to sleep. Desperate.

As i wanted to upgrade these 2 films, from dvd to blu ray, i bought this set. Unfortunately, they have never had a uk blu ray release, i saw 4k and blu ray on the cover. Any other release with this would give both films in both formats. Not here, one on 4k and one on blu ray.i do not want to upgrade again to an overrated overpriced format.Where is the blu ray for war of the worlds????????????Both films would have fit on both discs.i jusr paid 30 quid and can only play one film.