EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956)

Special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen gave filmgoers a close encounter of the first kind in this visually striking science fiction film. When a flying saucer buzzes the car of a space scientist played by Hugh Marlowe and his new wife (Joan Taylor), the couple spearheads a program to contact the aliens. Although they originally claim to be on a peaceful mission, the visitors soon prove to be invaders out to lay claim to the planet. While this was not the first film to feature flying saucers, Harryhausen brought the same techniques he had used to create giant creatures in earlier films to their design and animation. By giving the spaceships revolving panels, he kept them visually interesting even when just hovering. He also used detailed miniatures to stage an attack on the nation’s capital. His work set the standard for the sub-genre of flying saucer films that followed and also inspired the look of the invading ships in director Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! (1996).

d. Fred F. Sears, 84m, DCP

Courtesy of Sony Pictures.

2K DCP created from HD master (2006 HD scan of fine grain); audio is sourced from 2007 restored upmixed 5.1.