I heart Hammer Studios!
This movie stands right along side Kubrick's 2001 (released a year later) in its depth and power. Both are very similar in their themes. This film has been hard to find on source like Netflix, but this is a gloriously clean version for youtube. The film was released in the US with the title Five Million Years to Earth.
The late Mac Tonnies once listed his 10 favorite science fiction films, but this wasn't included. I emailed him right away asking him why not? He replied that he had never heard of it. This is a movie I know he would have completely mesmerized him.
The late Mac Tonnies once listed his 10 favorite science fiction films, but this wasn't included. I emailed him right away asking him why not? He replied that he had never heard of it. This is a movie I know he would have completely mesmerized him.
Full Movie in glorious HD
The Nigel Kneale script was produced for BBC in 1958. This six-part series is longer with more subtlety and complexity. On many levels it's better than the Hammer Studio version from nine years later. Christopher Knowles speaks to these ancient astronaut themes better than I could in series of posts on The Secret Sun, linked HERE and HERE.
Episode ONE of a glorious British Drama with ancient aliens
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3 comments:
Incredibly influential as well- Stephen King took this and Night Slaves and added not a hint of an original thought and called it Tommyknockers. He made millions off the thievery as it was made it into a TV movie with CSIs Marg Helgenberger and LA Laws Jimmy Smits. A new version is in preproduction. The BBC version especially became the basis of the entire thesis of The X-Files, that alien consciousness grafted onto primates was the basis of all supernatural phenomena. Chris Carter once said "all our episodes are Mythology episodes."
It's too bad Nigel kneale died 10 years ago. It would have been good to interview him and see what was his inspiration was in writing it.
I wonder if he had family that knows about it. Or if they have their own experiences. It seems like a pretty specific interpretation of a current phenomenon that would be tough to get to without some direct experience. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.
-Nycjeff
I watched both the movie and the six-part TV series, and I have to say that the series is better. The movie starts out like a creepy horror/ghost/demon movie then segues into a UFO flick, and it's a bit confusing as to how the two go together. The series makes more sense--and the special effects are better, IMO, which is odd considering they are ten years older.
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