The Red Planet Mars (1952)

A Classic Cold War Science Fiction Propaganda Film - An American scientist contacts Mars by radio and receives information that Mars is a utopia and that Earth's people can be saved if they return to the worship of God. Revolution sweeps the Earth, including the Soviet Union. But there remains doubt about the messages being genuine, as an ex-Nazi claims he was duping the Americans. Starring Peter Graves With Andrea King, Herbert Berghof, Walter Sande And Marvin Miller, Story By John L. Balderston And John Hoare, Original Music By Mahlon Merrick Cinematography By Joseph F. Biroc, Film Editing By Francis D. Lyon Art Direction By Charles D. Hall, Produced By Donald Hyde And Anthony Veiller and Directed By Harry Horner Product Description

Great Modern Counter-Culture Film

Young Peter Graves is at least as good in the starring role as in the TV series, Mission: Impossible. So, that should tell you something about the movie. Well done. Actually - it's a movie and a well done movie is often better than a TV series. Since I among many others enjoyed the TV series (which is unrelated to the story in this movie) ... I'm saying the movie is well done.

Pictures of the rather young Stalin are on the walls in offices in the Moscow; so the movie directly confronts the greatest threat to peace and freedom of the era. But capitalism takes a beating too; all for recognition of what we have known all along as preserved in the great religions of the world. A very interesting and thought provoking film.
December 21, 2007

An unchanging classic

I saw this film during the single week that it remained on the bill of one of the theaters in my old neighborhood, the old Victoria. It was on the bottom half of a double bill with some western or Joan Crawford tearjerker that my parents wanted to see. I was nine years old.

In my immature judgement, it seemed to me to be the most blatant piece of pietistic claptrap and balderdash I had ever seen on any screen--and that was after being exposed to the duck-and-cover extravaganzas regularly screened at Marshall School, the elementary school that sat just one block beyond the old Victoria.

It has turned up at odd hours of the night and early morning on local television stations about once a decade since that time.

I stumbled across this DVD on the shelves of a local video rental shop. I gave it a try, just to compare my current critical stance with that of my younger self. With a few more years of life experience behind me and five or more viewings scattered across half a century, I can now say that "The Red Planet Mars" is the most blatant piece of low budget, lowbrow, low aiming, pietistic claptrap and balderdash I have ever seen on any screen.

The classics remain ever true to themselves. April 30, 2007

COLD WAR CHILDHOOD REVISITED

Just by chance,I caught most of"RedPlanet Mars" oncable.it was a scary experience, mostly because the portrayalof unreasoniing panic by the societies shown seemed very much the way i elieve people would act. I recall vividly howit was to be a childin the 1950's, when any car backfire or any trash-burning made people think it had happened; the Soviets were attacking,and World War 3 was beginning.

"RedPlanet Mars" accidentally or intentionally anti-Soviet propaganda, and it is effective cinema in that respect. As II watched this film,I was thinking how youngpeter Graves was in thismovie -and at about the same time his brother, James arness, was playing the alien monster in "The Thing."

Great movie, and the dvd is crisp and clear.This is a must for any Science fiction film collection. February 18, 2007

AKA message from Mars

The movie was made in a time when everyone was into the red scare. A common urban family has the means and knowledge to build a device (from public domain information before the internet) to transmit to a 1952 version of Mars.

Using a new hydrogen technology transmitter Chris Cronyn (Peter Graves) sends a message to Mars; a message appears to return. The content disrupts economics and supports the concept of theocracies over democracies (Iran is an example of a theocracy).

However it is not so much the messages that catch your eye, as the 1950's stereotypes. The nuclear family is just missing the family dog. The wife (Andrea King), even thought standing beside her husband or more behind him and is scared of her own shadow. The commies are ruthless and dumb. The president (this is before we started to degrade presidents) is fair and benign. I can go on but you get the idea. Now it is amusing to watch in retrospect. But if any of these people existed today it would be scary.

Peter Graves gets to play the good guy "look to the future" father.

Marvin Miller (Arjenian) the confused bad guy (typical 50's commie) can bee seen again as Michael Anthony in the 1955 TV series "The Millionaire"

I Lead 3 Lives:Citizen, "Communist," Counterspy
January 1, 2007

The Lord lives on mars

An interesting mix of scifi and religion, along the lines of "The next Voice You Hear". I saw this film recently on video. A radio transmission is received from Mars, supposedly being the voice of God. if I remember it correctly, this results in the eastern block getting religion and the overthrow of Communism. This movie is fascinating because it is a reversal of usual scifi fare, even during the 1950s. Usually, these films portray America as the country which needs talking to, and Americans being the people who need to change. This movie is very pro-American and pro-traditional Judeo/Christian values. In essence, the cold war (which was revving up in 1952) is won through the intercession of God him/herself. HEAVY DUTY STUFF, DUDE!!! December 8, 2006

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