The 1953 sci-fi classic Invaders From Mars has belatedly been added to the National Film Registry – a sign of how highly-regarded it’s become.
Directed by William Cameron Menzies, Invaders From Mars is one of the most captivating and beautiful-looking sci-fi films of its era. One of a handful of films that has shrugged off its B-movie origins, Menzies’ genre piece is to be preserved at the Library of Congress National Film Registry – placing it in such esteemed company as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Forbidden Planet.
First released in 1953, Invaders From Mars tells the story of a little boy named David (Jimmy Hunt), who sees a flying saucer descend into the sands at the end of his garden one stormy night. In the days after, he notices that his family and neighbours, one by one, become strangely cold and emotionless…
The film’s paranoid tone places it in the same subgenre of Red Scare-era films that also includes Don Siegel’s equally wonderful Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and Jack Arnold’s It Came From Outer Space. What makes it unique is not only its youthful perspective but also Menzies’ ingenious direction.
Although made on a low budget, Menzies’ background as a production designer means that he constantly made the most of his meagre resources; the sets are angular, like something from a German Expressionist movie. This, and its use of colour and a chanting score by Raoul Kraushaar, make Invaders From Mars feel like experiencing a waking nightmare.
Read more: 10 classic sci-fi films of the 1950s
In recent years, Menzies’ classic was restored by Ignite Films, with preservationist Scott MacQueen and his team tracking down the original prints and sensitively correcting its now deteriorated colours. It’s this restored version which will be added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry for future preservation.
It’s especially scary to think that, at one stage, the original version of the film could potentially have vanished from existence.
“We are especially gratified as not that long ago this film was on the precipice of being lost,” MacQueen said in a statement. “It is so good to know that our attention to Invaders From Mars has received such an honor from the National Film Preservation Board.”
The restored Invaders From Mars can also be purchased from Ignite Films as a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. Short of finding a revival cinema screening somewhere, it’s the best way to watch one of the most creative – and important – genre films of the 1950s.
