Unearthly Stranger

Every month or so NASA comes up with they have discovered X star in X Galaxy etc and then depresses us with the fact that these are xx LIGHT years away, so there is no hiding the fact that we are going nowhere in a space ship- sooner- or later. Likewise there are no aliens coming here in a space ship either as traveling at the speed of light in a space ship is a scientific impossibility. This modest little movie explores how the travel could be done by an advanced alien. It's wonderful cast of 6 ! (few set pieces,no effects or bug eyed monsters) and stark photography make it all very plausible, and something think to about even today as it leaves us questioning the real life stories of the fate of certain people of influence and the hope that indeed love conquers all ..everywhere.

Just watched this on Talking Pictures TV, here in the UK, an independent channel that is always screening little known or forgotten movie gems. Unearthly Strangers being a good example. It starts off with one of the main characters running up a superb spiral staircase, had this been filmed in colour instead of black and white the effect would not have been anywhere near as good. But talking of effects, in regards to the aliens they are practically non existent. The only give away signs are that they don't blink, nor do they suffer burns when handling hot casserole dishes without wearing gloves! Acting is good. Gabriella Licudi is gorgeous. The film is very reliant on dialogue and may bore some viewers but the final scene is genuinely chilling and worth waiting for.

To call this modest British film low budget is the worst kind of misrepresentation: the budget on creativity and skill at work here surpasses that found in most multi-million dollar productions.

Filmed in stark black-and-white with virtually no visual effects, "Unearthly Stranger" relies on sheer dramatic power to tell its story of an alien plan to sabotage Earth's developing ability for space travel. The film is written and directed with care and performed with a conviction that brings across the suspense and humanity of this story in a way rarely seen in the genre.

Many of the filmmakers would soon be working on TV's "The Avengers", including producer Albert Fennell and director John Krish. Fans of that series will also recognize many familiar faces among the cast. The strongest performances come from John Neville, distinguished stage actor and teacher, and the almost-unknown and very beautiful Gabriella Licudi who, in the title role, brings the concept of interplanetary communications to an entirely new level.

The odd man out in this production is certainly scenarist Rex Carlton. On the basis of this film, it is almost inconceivable that he is the same man responsible for the lurid "Brain That Wouldn't Die" and "Blood of Dracula's Castle", among others. One is tempted to give credit to Jeffrey Stone, who penned the original screen story. But this is a claim that's impossible to support, because Stone was involved as a writer on no other films. So, one can only say that none of Carlton's other screen work would ever approach the level of this, his most subtle and affecting accomplishment.

It is well worth tracking down for any fan of fine science fiction or, indeed, any fan of quality filmmaking.

Even though I'm a fan of obscure movies, it's amazing to me that I even heard of this movie, much less find a copy, but I consider it worth the effort. The stark minimalism technique makes this like a slightly extended episode of an anthology series like "The Twilight Zone" (and the running time is still quite short at 75 minutes). The one word I think that best describes this movie is "competent." In other words, the filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing; they had to, I suppose, working with what seems an almost non-existent budget. They knew how to elicit an emotional reaction of claustrophobia from the audience - something few filmmakers can do exceptionally well in the sci-fi genre - Ridley Scott's "Alien" is one other film that comes to mind. Every bizarre angular shot composition, every set piece, every facial close-up, every soundtrack cue, is blended seamlessly to make the viewer sweat.

For science fiction, this movie is very unique - even for a typically-cerebral British sci-fi production. There are no slimy aliens to look at, no space craft, and no robots. Instead, like the storyline itself, all the suspense comes from the viewer's own imagination. If you can find it, I highly recommend seeing this at night. The only other movie I can think of which demonstrates such continuous suspense with scant resources is Edgar G. Ulmer's 1945 film noir "Detour." I almost think they should show this as a primer to film students on how to make a film successfully with little or no money.

I remember the first time that I saw this SF chiller was at a local drive-in theater in the late 60's as the second feature. I don't remember what the first one was--that's how creepy "Unearthly Stranger" was for me. For a low-budget film it has everything: wit, intelligence, excellent acting, compelling direction, and for it's modest budget more than adequate (minimalist) use of special effects. I've seen it a few times since on t.v., and just recently acquired a second or third generation copy on ebay. I was waiting for the scene where the professor's wife ( whom we already know is a tad unusual) goes for a walk into town and loiters near the public schoolyard, where the nine-to twelve-year-olds are playing. While standing there, the children, one by one, begin to take notice of her, and in a mass, start backing away from her...well, if you haven't seen it, what follows is worth the price of viewing by itself. A bit of info: many years ago a friend told me that this film was actually inspired by the SF novel "To Walk The Night" by William Sloane, originally published in 1938. When I finally got a copy, I was surprised how the closely the plotline of "Unearthly Stranger" hews to Sloane's novel. Hard to understand why the producers would fail to give credit where credit's due...at any rate, find a copy where you can, and pray for it's release on DVD!