BY TIM MCGLYNN

Criterion has released a Blu-ray edition of one of the best science fiction films from the 1950s or any other decade for that matter.  George Pal’s version of War of the Worlds, directed by Byron Haskin, landed in theaters in 1953 and has become an iconic symbol of alien invasion stories.

H.G. Wells’ novel had already been made famous by Orson Welles’ landmark CBS radio drama in 1938.  The Martian invasion played out as news bulletins concerning an attack on the East Coast by enemy tripod machines armed with a terrifying heat ray and poisonous gas.  With Americans nervous about a possible war in Europe at the time, audiences listening that night were especially vulnerable hearing the fabricated reports of destruction and carnage.  One has to wonder why many of the people glued to their radios didn’t turn to another station for confirmation.

With Alfred Hitchcock and Cecil B. DeMille linked to film adaptations of Wells’ novel at different times, it was producer George Pal who finally brought the story to the screen in 1953.  Pal, an Academy Award winning animator, had already thrilled moviegoers with Destination Moon and When Worlds Collide, both of which were box office successes.  His Puppetoon short from 1942, Tulips Shall Grow, depicted the Nazi invasion of Holland and provided a template for the attack sequences in War of the Worlds.

Featuring a relatively hefty budget of $2 million, Pal funneled most of his resources into the famed special effects depicting the deadly Martian war machines destroying Los Angeles.  An in-house team at Paramount, led by Gordon Jennings and art director Albert Nozaki, designed and built the futuristic swan-like vehicles armed with ferocious heat rays and skeleton beams that lay waste to all military weapons that stood in their way.  Striking miniature work and beautiful paintings by astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell completed the look of this Technicolor masterpiece.

The cast included future Bat Masterson star Gene Barry, beautiful newcomer Ann Robinson and radio actor Les Tremayne. The script was fashioned by Barre Lyndon who transferred the story from Victorian England to modern day California. The three-strip Technicolor photography was supervised by George Barnes and the pulsating music score was composed by Leith Stevens. The unsung heroes of War of the Worlds were the sound effects teams led by Paramount regulars Gene Garvin and Harry Lindgren.  All manner of new sound cues were created for this film and many of these effects are still in use today.

Criterion’s Blu-ray features the 2018 4K restoration produced by Paramount Pictures, and the results are truly spectacular with amazing color saturation and crisp, clear sound.  Errors in registration of the Technicolor strips have been cleaned up and an alternate 5.1  soundtrack has been realized by Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt.  Purists will be happy to know that the original mono track has been included as an option.

War of the Worlds was filmed in the 1.37 aspect ratio although some theaters were exhibiting it in a matted 1.66 version.  After adjusting my monitor to view this cropped presentation, I found the picture to look cramped and noticed that important information was occasionally lost.  The original stereo tracks are now lost but, according to Ben Burtt, they only provided exaggerated sound effects to the additional speakers.

As a 9 year-old watching War of the Worlds on its’ NBC television premier in 1967, I was terrified and hooked at the same time. Much like experiencing an E-ticket ride at Disneyland, I enjoyed being

scared.  I found the narration by Sir Cedric Hardwicke to be gripping as he described the “rout of civilization" during a montage of destruction.  Through the years I continued to enjoy this film on network and local television broadcasts and at college screenings.  Eventually I owned home video copies in the VHS, CED disc, DVD and now Blu-ray formats.  To say War of the Worlds is my favorite film is an extreme understatement.