A Message from Mars

A MESSAGE FROM MARS is an intriguing little sci-fi movie with two distinguishing factors: it's a silent film, released in 1913, and there aren't too many of them around; also, it's British, which is unusual in itself from this era. We have the BFI to thank for recently cleaning up the print and putting it on general release.

As for the film itself, I think it's fair to say this is no classic. I was expecting a low rent British version of A TRIP TO THE MOON from the title, but what we get instead is a morality story along the lines of A Christmas CAROL. The plot involves a disgraced Martian who, in order to reintegrate into his society, must help a selfish human see the error of his ways in order to become a better person.

A MESSAGE FROM MARS is an hour long production with accompanying music and sound effects and tinted scenes varying between sepia, blue, and red. The acting is exaggerated, as you'd expect from the era, but the storyline is quite involved. Although the Martians themselves are disappointingly dated, the 'zap' effects are cleverly staged, and there's a decent set-piece involving a burning building. The camera-work is static for most of the time but there's a good rolling shot of a moving vehicle which must have been tough to stage. I should imagine that this was electrifying stuff for audiences at the time although nowadays it's more of a quaint curio than anything else.

The BFI version was screened on the Talking Pictures TV channel in January 2025. Bearing in mind the film was made in 1913 it is easy to be critical of its shortcomings but this was still the early days of British cinema. The film is not completely studio bound and features several outdoor scenes some of which give interesting contemporary background street scenes. The basic story of converting a bad person to a good person by some practical or magical means was not new and has been used in many films since. Picture quality is very good and the film is quite watchable both from the historic perspective and the style of acting used in silent films. Interestingly, according to IMDb several of the players never appeared in any other films and of those who did, none made it into the sound era.

This is a restored version of A Message from Mars. The first full length British silent movie.

It is also a science fiction movie but in the end it is less to do with Martians and more to do with A Christmas Carol.

A Martian is exiled on Earth for some undisclosed crime. His only way back is to reform a selfish man.

That selfish man is Horace Parker (Charles Hawtrey) who has been jilted his fiancée Minnie (Crissie Bell.)

The Martian turns him into a vagrant so he can learn the error of his ways as he has to rely on other down and outs.

The lead actor is a tad too old for the role and it does feel like a stage play with some special effects. It does have historical value more than merit in the film itself.

The original Charles Hawtrey recreated his stage success in this fanciful piece of what would today be called science fiction in which - in a fashion reminiscent of Ebenezer Scrooge - he receives a visitation to persuade him to mend his selfish ways.

In this telling the meanie answers to the name of 'Horace' - first seen carefully avoiding eye contact with the lower orders - while the Martians look on in disapproval, and decide to send a messenger to make him change his ways.

Followed by the messenger - presumably an invisible one, since none of the other Earthlings ever seem to notice him - Horace initially grudgingly complies by giving a coin to a flower seller, before going on to demonstrate that he's truly a changed character by (SPOILER COMING:) rescuing a child from a burning building.

Meanwhile back on Mars all this has been viewed with approval by the assembled Martians on a big glass globe, and the messenger is rewarded by being restored to all his former Martian finery. The End.

Others have described this movie as a scientifictional version of Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and that's not a bad tag. On Mars, where everyone wears Medieval garb and a big ankh, E. Holman Clark has committed some crime. For his punishment, he has his ankh taken away and must redeem Charles Hawtrey.

This is not the Charles Hawtrey of the CARRY ON films, but a stout, well-to-do man who wants to stay home and read the paper when his fiancee, Crissie Bell wants to go to a dance. After she breaks their engagement and he settles in, a man comes with a note asking if Hawtrey can do something for him. The answer is apparently no. After this, Martian Clark pops in using standard camera tricks, and tries to redeem Earthling Hawtrey by tormenting him.

It is based on a play by Richard Ganthony from 1899 and this is believed to be the earliest British sf feature -- make of those distinctions what you will. I found the hour-long restoration a bit abrupt, but well carried out, the story well acted and the print quite watchable; doubtless the tinting helped. I am always glad to see any early movie restored, and to see one, like this, that is quite watchable on its own terms is a pleasure.

What I found distinctly not a pleasure is the sound track that the BFI allowed it to be saddled with by Matthew Herbert, credited here as "Sound Designer." I have heard Mr. Herbert's work previously on the Best Foreign Oscar-winning UNA MUJER FANTASTICA, and he is certainly competent in that. For this movie, his sound design sounds as if part of it has been lifted from the 1960s version of DOCTOR WHO; the music, including dance music, is something I can only describe as electro-junkyard Reggae; and his idea of what an Edwardian London Street sounds like on a clear, clean evening, is that of the Indianapolis Speedway on a slushy afternoon. Other sound effects are equally over-the-top.

Like many a contemporary musical artist brought in to compose for a silent movie, Mr.Herbert seems to think that there are silent movie fans who will watch this regardless, so he needs to get in the kids who wouldn't watch it without the weird and ugly music. The result, I fear, will be something that will please no one but Mr. Herbert. People like me, who enjoy silent movies, will be rude about it, and the kids won't come to see this movie anyway. Not until they have gone to a lot of the more easily accessible silents. At that point, they will, at best, be puzzled.