This Island Earth

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

For reasons that defy logic, the excellent This Island Earth was held up for ridicule as an allegedly bad movie in the film version of TV's Mystery Science Theater. If not the best science-fiction film of the 1950s, Earth is certainly one of the most intelligent and elaborate. The story begins when the image of Exeter (Jeff Morrow), a huge-domed scientific genius from the planet Metaluna, appears on an experimental 3D television screen. Exeter invites several noted scientists from around the world to work on a top-secret project at Exeter's earthly mansion. Among those accepting the invitation are Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) and his ex-fiancee Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue). Soon, Cal and Ruth learn Exeter's true motives; to use the Earth's atomic knowhow in building a defense shield to protect Metaluna against the enemy planet Zahgon. Eventually, Exeter boards his high-tech flying saucer and whisks Cal and Ruth off to his dying planet, where, among other perils, they are menaced by a hideous mutant. Based on a novel by Raymond F. Jones, This Island Earth is one of those rare 1950s speculative films that holds up as well today as it did when first released, despite the comparative quaintness of the special effects and high-tech paraphernalia. Incidentally, the climactic Metalunan scenes were directed by Universal's resident sci-fi specialist, Jack Arnold. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Fre/Spa
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: DDM2.0
• Features:
  • cc

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Jeff Morrow - Exeter
       Faith Domergue - Dr. Ruth Adams
       Rex Reason - Cal Meacham
       Lance Fuller - Brack
       Russell Johnson - Steve Carlson
       Douglas Spencer - Monitor
       Robert Nichols - Joe Wilson
       Karl Ludwig Lindt - Dr. Adolph Engelborger
       Coleman Francis - Expressman

• Director:

  Jack Arnold, Joseph Newman

• Producer:

  William Alland

• Screenwriter:

  Franklin Coen, Edward G. O'Callaghan

• Book Author:

  Raymond F. Jones

• Cinematographer:

  Clifford Stine

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Joseph E. Gershenson

• Composer (Music Score):

  Henry Mancini, Hans Salter, Herman Stein

• Editor:

  Virgil Vogel

• Art Director:

  Alexander Golitzen, Richard H. Riedel

• Set Designer:

  Russell A. Gausman, Julia Heron

• Costume Designer:

  Rosemary Odell

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Leslie I. Carey, Robert Pritchard

• Makeup:

  Bud Westmore, Millicent Patrick

• Special Effects:

  David S. Horsley, Clifford Stine

• First Assistant Director:

  Fred Frank

REVIEW:

• Just keep in mind that while you're doing whatever you're doing, big-headed creatures from space are watching you and making plans. Well, at least they are in this better-than-average science fiction movie. The big-headed creatures are Metalunans, one of whom has set out to seek help from Earth. Metaluna is under attack, and help is needed from Earth -- help that Exeter, in human disguise or otherwise, has been sent to gather. The film is not just about the special effects or the plot line; this is a polemic rather than a tale, warning against the expansion of atomic energy concerns and the misuse of resources. By way of telling about the Metalunan disaster, it warns against the hubris of the age and the consequences of this hubris. The Metalunans descend into tragedy on the scale of grand opera, warning the human cast to walk the narrow way -- never forgetting the Metalunans in the meantime. Disaster, whether atomic, military, or ecological, is only a mistake or two away. This Island Earth, sometimes unfairly picked on, is well worth seeing, especially if a video triple bill with Forbidden Planet and The Day the Earth Stood Still can be arranged. ~ Steven E. McDonald, Rovi