Several folks have mentioned WoW, and I must agree, the George Pal version is a winner. I hear it's been redone, for release later this year? I hope they don't screw it up. I remember a cartoon in a sci-fi convention program, depicting a Martian with a bad cold and Kleenex, saying "We're not whibbed yet, earthligs...." Another one in the middle of the atomic bomb blast, saying, "Man! Don't THAT make your ears ring!" Back in that magic decade, Jeff Wayne did a musical version that was faithful to the book; Richard Burton played the reporter (narrator), there were several other big names in music at the time in the cast, including Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues. Some folks my age may remember the top-40 hit "Forever Autumn" on the radio back then. Some didn't like the disco beat but it worked for me, and I didn't like disco otherwise! The imagery of Well's wrtiting was so powerful, and Burton's voice so authoritative, that I was easily transported into the middle of the action. It is available on CD, at least was a few years ago when I got my copy. I also have the LP (full of fantastic artwork), which I got at the Cosmic Aeroplane, I think. Another teenage hangout of my misspent youth. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone. http://mobile.yahoo.com/maildemo
Ah yes, the old War o' Worlds -- how could I have overlooked that one? In fact, a couple of days ago I had the great enjoyment of watching it on DVD, and it really is a fine movie. It's from 1952 and the Technicolor is fine. What's most sophisticated about the movie, besides great special effects for its day, is that you are led to believe the scientist may come up with some solution. He bashes the camera device, analyzes it that it works like the Martians' eyes, starts to cart it off to another lab when his must be evacuated -- and then it all gets out of his control, the mob wrecks the vehicles carrying the scientists, he loses his equipment, and is helpless just like everybody else. It's a great device, because you're suckered into thinking this is a typical adventure movie where somebody comes up with a solution. But there is no solution. We are defeated by the aliens -- except that the microbes give us the crucial hand of flagella or something. It is closer to Wells' original than The Time Machine movie, and it's really a great one. -- Joe
participants (2)
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Chuck Hards -
Joe Bauman