Older Science Fiction Films Still Entertain
Nuclear Disasters, Space, and Monster Movies Thrill Modern Audiences
Aug 21, 2009
These older science fiction films, most made in the 1950s and 1960s, were based on America’s fear of nuclear power. They were made at the height of the Cold War, after the world had seen what the destructive power of atomic energy could do after the bombs were dropped on Japan, ending World War II.
The films also played to America’s fear of exploring the unknown regions of space. Space exploration was in its infancy at this time, and the nation could only imagine what sort of horrors lurked in the fathoms of darkness that stretched out seemingly forever. It is interesting to note that benevolent creatures were seldom imagined, except for some notable exceptions, such as The Day The Earth Stood Still, where an alien and his trusty robot companion try to save the human race.
Nuclear Disaster Films
Whilst the special effects in these older films may seem almost laughable compared with today’s extravagant effects, they boast something today’s films sometimes lack: actual story lines, a chance to feel empathy for the characters, and crisp, witty dialogue.
- The Amazing Colossal Man, 1957, black and white. Glenn Langan plays Lt. Col. Glenn Manning, an unfortunate U.S. Army officer trapped in a plutonium blast that eventually causes him to grow to 60 feet and slowly go insane. This film is enjoyable to watch, but at the same time poignant and even a bit sad.
- Them!, 1954, black and white. This is a story about the human race’s terrifying encounter with radiation-giganticised ants. One of the first “nuclear monster” films, this one was nominated for an Oscar for special effects.
- Attack of the Crab Monsters, 1957, black and white. A group of scientists visit a remote island where atomic tests had been conducted to look for a team of colleagues who have disappeared. To their horror, they find the atomic tests have created mutated giant crabs that ate the earlier team and have gained a collective intelligence by absorbing the minds of their victims. The new team struggles to survive as its members begin to fall to the giant crab monsters.
These films demonstrate Americans' terrors about nuclear disasters and fear of atomic power. Perhaps, in today's world, after everything humans have learned about harnessing and using this power for good, these films might seem a bit juvenile. But each society has its fears, and in the 1950s, these films wove powerful spells for their audiences.
Films About Space Travel and Monster Aliens
The fascination with space travel and monsters that might lurk in the seemingly infinite darkness has been present in the human race for a very long time. In the 1950s, especially, the fascination seemed to peak and a slew of films emerged depicting possible scenarios of what might happen when Americans visited space and other planets, or aliens came to Earth.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, 1958, black and white. A wealthy heiress comes in contact with an enormous alien, causing her to grow into a giantess. She goes after her cheating husband, named Harry. This film is famous for its witty dialogue. The town sheriff says: “She’ll tear up the town looking for Harry.” A deputy responds: “Yea, and then she’ll tear up Harry.”
- It Conquered the World, 1956. This is a story about an alien from Venus trying to take over Earth, with the help of an embittered, cynical scientist.
- It! The Terror from Beyond Space, 1958, black and white. The tagline on the poster for this film shows just how fear permeated the infant space program: “The revelation shocker of things to come!” A team of astronauts has been dispatched to Mars on a rescue mission. However, they only find one member of the previous crew and suspect him of murdering the others to save rations for himself. He is taken onboard as a prisoner, and one of the junior crew-members leaves the door to the ship open for a few moments… It, or the creature, is not seen for most of the film. In the true old-fashioned sense, film director Edward L. Cahn knew less is more and viewers only see shadows, doomed crew members' reactions, or a glimpse of a menacing arm.
- 20 Million Miles to Earth, 1957. This film could be said to be a precursor to the popular “Alien” series of the late 1970s. A group of scientists travel to Venus for exploration purposes and bring back a jelly-enclosed egg which eventually hatches. A reptilian creature emerges, and, in true science fiction horror sense, begins to grow and get hungry.
- This Island Earth, 1955, Technicolor. This is a complex story about space travel to a distant planet, with two human scientists becoming embroiled in a civil war there between the planet’s inhabitants and a group of wicked mutants. The special effects in this film were much praised when the film came out, and film buffs still cite them as equivalent to today’s special effects.
In the 1950s and 1960s, American film studios produced some funny, poignant, sometimes violent, yet ever exploratory, science fiction involving atomic power, nuclear disasters, space travel, monsters and aliens.
The violence in these films, however, is typically not of today’s blood-and-guts gory variety. There is crisp dialogue, real characters with whom one can empathise, and complex storylines that go beyond one character after another being killed.
For Halloween viewing, fans of science fiction may want to discover – or re-discover – these films, some now more than 50 years old, but still worth watching and sometimes, still even a bit scary.
Sources:
“Famous Monsters of Filmland, 40th Anniversary Issue,” Warren Publishing Company, 1966.
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