Tag: 1956

Categories
Movie Review

The Mole People (1956) Movie Review

The Mole People – ABC Film Challenge – Horror – M – The Mole People – Movie Review

Mole People

Director: Virgil W Vogel

Writer: László Görög (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A party of archaeologists discovers the remnants of a mutant five-millennia-old Sumerian civilization living beneath a glacier atop a mountain in Mesopotamia.

Runtime: 1 Hour 17 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Mole People starts when Dr Roger Bentley (Agar) finds a tablet referring to an ancient society. The Shadow Dynasty was believed it was destroyed. As they go in search of an entrance and after an earthquake reveals one the team enter it.

However, once they enter the cave, they find an ancient temple. That isn’t the biggest problem, The High Priest Elinu (Napier) doesn’t want to let people into their kingdom. Now, the doctors need to escape before becoming the latest sacrifices.

Verdict on The Mole People

The Mole People is an adventure horror following scientists looking for answers to the mysteries within the Earth. They find a society that has ritual beliefs and clash when they are trying to escape.

Like many movies of this era, we get a story that is exploring the chance of finding something new in undiscovered locations. It uses the idea of an unknown society in Earth with mysterious creatures involved. There is the typical mystery about what is going on, while never being as scary as it imagines it is. This fills the typical 1950s-style movie and makes you feel like you are in the era.

Final Thoughts – The Mole People is a typical 1950s-style movie with a great environment we are placed in.

Categories
Movie Review

Earth vs the Flying Saucers (1956) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Favourites – E – Earth vs the Flying Saucers (1956) Movie Review

Earth vs The Flying Saucers

Director: Fred F Sears

Writer: Bernard Gordon, George Worthing Yates (Screenplay) Curt Siodmak (Story)

Starring: Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba, Thomas Browne Henry, Grandon Rhodes

Plot: Extraterrestrials traveling in high-tech flying saucers contact a scientist as part of a plan to enslave the inhabitants of Earth.

Runtime: 1 Hour 23 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Earth vs. the Flying Saucers starts when scientists Dr Russell Marvin (Marlowe) and Carole Marvin (Taylor) have a strange experience travelling. As they learn they have recorded the alien spacecraft.

The spacecrafts attack, they try to communicate with Russell, explaining why they have arrived on Earth. What they want from the planet and the people, but could this still be danger.

Thoughts on Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is a sci-fi movie that will use the very real fear of UFOs that was striking the nation in the 1950s as the motivation of the unknown. It shows a scientist trying to learn what is wanted. While seeing them needing to battle back against the alien invaders that have their own motivation.

This is the founding blocks for nearly every alien invasion movie based on Earth. Which puts in place the idea the military would shoot first, the scientist would get too close, and the battle would see 1000s die through use of weapons beyond our understanding. This will be an entertaining movie, with great performances from the whole cast. One movie that you need to check out, if you want to learn the origins of the space fears from UFOS.

Final Thoughts – Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is a great vintage movie.

Categories
Movie Review

The Searchers (1956) Movie Review

Director: John Ford

Writer: Frank S Nugent (Screenplay) Alan Le May (Novel)

Starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, John Qualen, Olive Carey, Henry Brandon

Plot: An American Civil War veteran embarks on a journey to rescue his niece from the Comanches.


Tagline – He had to find her… he had to find her.

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Typical Wayne Western

Story: The Searchers starts Civil War soldier Ethan Edwards (Wayne) visits his brother in a small Texan house, when he goes to investigate a local incident his family is butchered by Comanches, with them kidnapping the 9-year niece.

Ethan is joined by Martin Pawley (Hunter), Rev Samuel Johnstone (Bond) and other men looking to revenge, who are tracking down the Indians that butchered the family in search of their lost relative

Thoughts on The Searchers

Characters – Ethan Edwards is a celebrated Civil War Solider that after the war ends still holds a grudge against the Native Americans, when his family is butchered, he leads the hunting party towards them, determined to find the remaining family members, which will take him years. Martin Pawley is the young man that wants to help Ethan, despite the fact he doesn’t want help, he will leave the love that is under his nose to go on this risky business. Laurie Jorgensen is the love of Martin’s, she has always waited for him, supported him and wants him to stay back and not go on the rescue adventure.

Performances – John Wayne is the lead in the film and did what he always did, dominated the screen with his performance that you will know it is him. Jeffrey Hunter is the supporting role does well without getting too much time to outshine Wayne, while Vera Miles does perform well when she gets the screen time.

Story – The story here follows a former civil war solider that goes on the hunt for his enemies that have butchered his family and kidnapped his niece, an adventure that will take years for him to recover the truth. When it comes to the western story, we get a pretty typical idea for a story, the heroic cowboy needing to fight the ‘evil’ Indians or now Native Americans, this does everything that idea has given us without do much more around it. We really don’t get overly tested, but this formula was what worked for the release era, but just isn’t edgy enough for the modern audience.

Western – This is everything you would imagine a western to be, it would be listed under most searches and shows just how the battle between cowboys and Indians was perceived.

Settings – The film does bring us a couple of the most iconic movie sets of all time, with the mountain range always being something people will known.


Scene of the Movie – Over the ridge.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Just way the cowboys look at the Native Americans.

Final Thoughts – This is everything you could imagine from a western, without testing the audience along the way.

Overall: By the book Western.