It Conquered the World
Encyclopedia
It Conquered the World is a 1956 American science fiction film
about an alien from Venus
trying to take over the world with the help of a disillusioned human scientist. It was directed by Roger Corman
, written by Lou Rusoff (with uncredited contributions by Charles B. Griffith
), and starred Peter Graves
, Lee Van Cleef
, Beverly Garland
, and Sally Fraser
.
alien in his radio transmitter. The alien wants to take over the world with its mind-control devices and thus make a new home for itself, but claims only to be bringing peace to the Earth through the elimination of emotions. Anderson agrees to help the creature in this ploy, even allowing that the creature assimilate his friend Dr. Nelson (Graves) and his wife (Fraser). The alien's first action is to suppress all electric power on Earth, including the ignition and starting systems of motor vehicles, leaving Dr. Nelson resorting to riding around on a bicycle.
After killing a flying bat-like creature which carries the mind-control device, Nelson returns home to see his wife is assimilated and, as she attempts to assimilate him with another bat creature, he kills her. By this point, the only people left that are not mind controlled are Nelson, Anderson, Anderson's wife, and a small group of soldiers camping in the woods. Dr. Nelson finally persuades the paranoid Anderson that he has been wrong about the alien's motives and that he has made a horrible mistake, allying himself with a creature bent on world domination. They hurriedly leave when they discover Tom's wife has picked up a rifle and gone to the alien's cave to try to kill it. The monster succeeds in taking the life of Mrs. Anderson before the two doctors make it to her rescue. Finally seeing his hubris
and the loss of everything he holds dear, Dr. Anderson kills the monster, sustaining lethal wounds of his own in the confrontation.
in July, 1956. During the 1960's the title was syndicated to television by American International Television. In the 1990's VHS
versions appeared on the US home video market (by RCA Columbia Home Video) and in the UK
, but these are no longer in distribution.
Time Out magazine, however, gave the film a negative review, criticising the film for its poor special effects.
Leonard Maltin
called the film "well acted and interesting but awkwardly plotted".
All Movie Guide gave the film three out of five stars, calling it an "above-average quickie".
Rotten tomatoes
gave the film 80%, regarding it "fresh", based on 5 Reviews, while the Rotten Tomatoes User Community gave the film 60%, also regarding it "fresh", based on 5 reviews.
under the name Zontar, The Thing from Venus
.
Frank Zappa
's 1974 live album Roxy & Elsewhere
refers to the film in the introduction for the song Cheepnis
.
In 1991, it was mocked on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000
; subjects for jokes included the poor monster props, occasionally wooden acting, and the overblown closing monologue.
Audio samples from the film are played in the song Facing That from M83
's self titled debut album
, released in 2001.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
about an alien from Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
trying to take over the world with the help of a disillusioned human scientist. It was directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, written by Lou Rusoff (with uncredited contributions by Charles B. Griffith
Charles B. Griffith
Charles B. Griffith was a Chicago-born screenwriter, son of Donna Dameral, radio star of Myrt and Marge...
), and starred Peter Graves
Peter Graves (actor)
Peter Aurness , known professionally as Peter Graves, was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his starring role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973...
, Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
, Beverly Garland
Beverly Garland
Beverly Garland was an American film and television actress, businesswoman, and hotel owner. Garland gained prominence for her role as Fred MacMurray's second wife, "Barbara Harper Douglas", in the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons...
, and Sally Fraser
Sally Fraser
Sally Fraser is an American actress who appeared on television and in numerous films. She became best known for appearing in low-budget science fiction films of the 1950s....
.
Plot synopsis
Dr. Tom Anderson (Van Cleef), an embittered scientist, has picked up the voice of a VenusianVenus in fiction
Fictional representations of Venus have existed since the 19th century. Its impenetrable cloud cover gave science fiction writers free rein to speculate on conditions at its surface; all the more so when early observations showed that not only was it very similar in size to Earth, it possessed a...
alien in his radio transmitter. The alien wants to take over the world with its mind-control devices and thus make a new home for itself, but claims only to be bringing peace to the Earth through the elimination of emotions. Anderson agrees to help the creature in this ploy, even allowing that the creature assimilate his friend Dr. Nelson (Graves) and his wife (Fraser). The alien's first action is to suppress all electric power on Earth, including the ignition and starting systems of motor vehicles, leaving Dr. Nelson resorting to riding around on a bicycle.
After killing a flying bat-like creature which carries the mind-control device, Nelson returns home to see his wife is assimilated and, as she attempts to assimilate him with another bat creature, he kills her. By this point, the only people left that are not mind controlled are Nelson, Anderson, Anderson's wife, and a small group of soldiers camping in the woods. Dr. Nelson finally persuades the paranoid Anderson that he has been wrong about the alien's motives and that he has made a horrible mistake, allying himself with a creature bent on world domination. They hurriedly leave when they discover Tom's wife has picked up a rifle and gone to the alien's cave to try to kill it. The monster succeeds in taking the life of Mrs. Anderson before the two doctors make it to her rescue. Finally seeing his hubris
Hubris
Hubris , also hybris, means extreme haughtiness, pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power....
and the loss of everything he holds dear, Dr. Anderson kills the monster, sustaining lethal wounds of his own in the confrontation.
Cast
- Peter GravesPeter Graves (actor)Peter Aurness , known professionally as Peter Graves, was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his starring role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973...
as Dr. Paul Nelson - Lee Van CleefLee Van CleefLee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
as Dr. Tom Anderson - Beverly GarlandBeverly GarlandBeverly Garland was an American film and television actress, businesswoman, and hotel owner. Garland gained prominence for her role as Fred MacMurray's second wife, "Barbara Harper Douglas", in the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons...
as Claire Anderson - Sally Fraser as Joan Nelson
- Russ Bender as General James Pattick
- Taggart Casey as Sheriff N.J. Shallert
- Karen Kadler as Dr. Ellen Peters
- Dick MillerDick MillerRichard "Dick" Miller is an American character actor who has appeared in over 100 films, particularly those produced by Roger Corman, and later in films of directors who started their careers with Corman, including James Cameron and Joe Dante, with the distinction of appearing in every film made...
as First Sergeant - Jonathan HazeJonathan HazeJonathan Haze is an American actor. He is best known for his work in Roger Corman films, and especially for the black comedy cult classic, The Little Shop of Horrors.-Early years:...
as Corporal Manuel Ortiz - Paul Harbor as Dr. Floyd Mason
- Charles B. Griffith as Dr. Pete Shelton
- Thomas E. Jackson as George Haskell
Release History
It Conquered the World was released theatrically by American International PicturesAmerican International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
in July, 1956. During the 1960's the title was syndicated to television by American International Television. In the 1990's VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
versions appeared on the US home video market (by RCA Columbia Home Video) and in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but these are no longer in distribution.
Reviews
Chicago Reader gave the film a generally positive review, saying "Amazingly, this 1953 picture isn't half bad […]".Time Out magazine, however, gave the film a negative review, criticising the film for its poor special effects.
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
called the film "well acted and interesting but awkwardly plotted".
All Movie Guide gave the film three out of five stars, calling it an "above-average quickie".
Rotten tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gave the film 80%, regarding it "fresh", based on 5 Reviews, while the Rotten Tomatoes User Community gave the film 60%, also regarding it "fresh", based on 5 reviews.
Legacy
In 1966, a remake of It Conquered the World was produced for televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
under the name Zontar, The Thing from Venus
Zontar, The Thing from Venus
Zontar, the Thing from Venus also known as Zontar: The Invader from Venus is a 1966, made for television, science fiction film, directed by Larry Buchanan and based on the teleplay by Hillman Taylor and Buchanan. It is a remake of Roger Corman's It Conquered the World , and also featured an alien...
.
Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's 1974 live album Roxy & Elsewhere
Roxy & Elsewhere
Roxy & Elsewhere is a live album by Frank Zappa & The Mothers which was released in 1974. Most of the songs were recorded at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California on December 8, 9 and 10, 1973...
refers to the film in the introduction for the song Cheepnis
Cheepnis
Cheepnis is a song by Frank Zappa written for his never-produced musical Hunchentoot, a tribute to B-movies. The song first appeared on his 1974 album Roxy & Elsewhere, from a live recording. Another live version of the song was released on You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 2...
.
In 1991, it was mocked on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
; subjects for jokes included the poor monster props, occasionally wooden acting, and the overblown closing monologue.
Audio samples from the film are played in the song Facing That from M83
M83 (band)
M83 is a musical act by French musician Anthony Gonzalez. It is named after a spiral galaxy, Messier 83. The band was founded in 2001 by Gonzalez and former member Nicolas Fromageau in Antibes, France...
's self titled debut album
M83 (album)
M83 is the self-titled debut studio album by M83. It was recorded in 2000 and released in Europe in April 2001 by Gooom. The album was reissued in North America by Mute Records in September 2005 and is thus sometimes referred to as 0905...
, released in 2001.