Un messaggio da Marte

Charles Hawtrey (more about that name later) was an actor-manager in Victorian England, specialising in light comedies. One of his biggest hits was "A Message from Mars" by the American playwright Richard Ganthony. Hawtrey premiered this play at the Avenue Theatre, London, in 1899. The play ran for nearly two years. In 1901, Hawtrey made his triumphant American debut in this same play at the Garrick Theatre, New York City.

The plot line of "A Message from Mars" is glaringly similar to "A Christmas Carol" ... so similar, in fact, that anyone who has read Dickens's novel (or seen any of its dramatisations) will be able to guess all of the plot developments in "A Message from Mars". The chief difference between them is that "A Message from Mars" is lighter and more comedic in tone.

Horace Parker (Hawtrey) is a wealthy young man who is exceedingly selfish and self-centred: not only is he a miser, but he also expects his friends (and everyone else) to conduct their lives according to his personal convenience. Parker is engaged to Minnie Templer (played by the attractive ingenue Crissie Bell), but Minnie has discovered Parker's selfishness and she is on the brink of calling off the engagement.

Parker does have one constructive hobby: he is an amateur astronomer, and owns a magnificent telescope. One evening he reads a magazine article which speculates about the possibility of intelligent life on Mars. Parker is sceptical about this, and he drifts off to sleep in his study.

Suddenly, Parker is awakened by a visitor: Ramiel, a messenger from Mars. If you're wondering what a 1913-vintage movie Martian looks like, you'll be disappointed. Ramiel (played by E. Holman Clark) looks like a handsome Englishman in tight-fitting black clothes. He doesn't have a spaceship or any other interplanetary gear; he simply ARRIVES in Parker's study. All through the story, Ramiel acts more like an angel than an alien: he really seems to be a visitor from Heaven (using some sort of magic or divine intervention) rather than a visitor from another planet with access to advanced technology.

Ramiel has come all the way from Mars to teach Parker the error of his ways. Just as the Spirits of Christmas did with Scrooge, Ramiel is able to teleport himself and Parker to different locations, where they observe other people's actions while remaining invisible to everyone but us.

First, Ramiel makes Parker witness the lives of people much less fortunate than himself ... including an inventor who was cheated out of the fruits of his labour and now must live as a starving tramp. Parker is unmoved. Next, Ramiel allows Parker to eavesdrop on his friends and to overhear their real opinions of him: most of his "friends" actually despise Parker's selfishness and are only interested in him for his money. Parker is angered but unmoved. Finally, Ramiel manipulates reality so that Parker's fortune is lost and he is a pauper.

SPOILER ALERT: The ending is obvious. Parker was asleep when the Martian arrives, so of course all of this turns out to be (surprise!) a dream. Now he awakens, and (like Scrooge) he has learnt his lesson. Parker vows to end his selfishness, using his fortune to help others. Minnie decides to marry him after all, without bothering to wonder how Parker has changed so drastically overnight.

The script of "A Message from Mars" was published in book form in 1913, illustrated with photo stills from the movie. This may be the very first book/movie publicity tie-in.

Most film fans will associate the name "Charles Hawtrey" with an English comedian of a later era, who starred in the "Carry On" movies and played supporting roles in several major British films, including "Sabotage" and "Passport to Pimlico". For years, I mistakenly assumed that he was Charles Hawtrey Junior, son of the Victorian stage actor who stars in 'A Message from Mars'. In fact, the 'Carry On' actor's real name was George Hartree. During his adolescence, as a child actor (when the original Charles Hawtrey was still well-remembered), Hartree cynically changed his name to "Charles Hawtrey" with the specific intention of misleading people into believing that he was Hawtrey's son.

"A Message from Mars" is creaky and predictable, and not a science-fiction film as I define the term, but it holds some interest for those interested in the Victorian theatre.

Ramiel (E. Holman Clark), a Martian law-breaker, is sentenced to travel to Earth where he is to "redeem the most selfish of mortals" (Horace Parker, played by Sir Charles Hawtrey). He does so by forcing Parker to experience life as a tramp, during which the wealthy but thoughtless man realizes the value of friendship and kindness. While often cited as Britain's first full-length science-fiction film, 'The Message from Mars' is only nominally science fiction. The 'Martians' could have just as easily been a group of angels (they refer to Earthlings as 'mortals' and "Ramiel" is the name of an archangel in the apocryphal Book of Enoch) and there is no Martian 'technology' contributing to the story (Ramiel simply appears and disappears at will). The film is very slow moving and stagy (not surprising considering its provenance). The acting is typical of the era: lots of exaggerated gestures and posturing (po-faced Ramiel spends most of his time on Earth crossing his arms and frowning in disapproval). The film does mix indoor and outdoor filming and the recently released BFI edition includes the original colour tinting. There are a number of routine substitution splices but the only really interesting 'special effect' is the 'shaking' that Ramiel gives an initially belligerent Parker. The film is often compared to "A Christmas Carol" but unlike Dickens' complex story, Parker needs only to briefly experience life as indigent person to find enlightenment. Hawtrey, who had played Parker in the 1899 stage play is too old for the role of the suitor who thoughtlessly jilts his girlfriend Minnie (he is 55 years old to ingénue Crissie Bell's 23 years). The restored BBC version was scored by Matthew Herbert, and the minimalist machine-music is often out of place and dull. At about 60 minutes in length, 'The Message from Mars' is watchable but will likely only be on any real interest to film historians or to fans of the genre.

To be allowed to return home to the Kingdom of Mars, a Martian must make good of Horace Parker, the most selfish man on Earth.

You never quite know what goodies are going to pop up on Talking Pictures; it makes me question why on Earth I'm paying for Sky Movies, which I seldom watch. A message from Mars is frustrating for most modern-day audiences, I should think, but as a piece of history, it's quite fabulous. For a silent film made so many years ago, I think it's quite remarkable.

Credit goes to the team involved in its restoration; they achieved jaw-dropping results with it, and the result is quite something. The story is easy to follow, and when you think of how limited the technology was for them, they did a grand job.

Sure, the Martians look a little unusual; it's fair to say they're not quite the little green men you may think of, but they are definitely an unusual group. It is astonishing to see the streets of London so empty and so clean! Trafalgar Square and several other locations.

6.5/10.

Called the first British science-fiction film, this is more precisely a fantasy inspired by "A Christmas Carol" with the moral guidance coming not in a dream but from Mars. It stars Charles Hawtrey, at 56 far too old for the role of a selfish young man, Horace, a part he first played on stage in 1899. Although this play has been considerably opened out, with scenes on Mars and in the streets of London (including Trafalgar Square), it still offers rare insight into the way a drama would have been staged more than a hundred years ago. Hawtrey was regarded as one of the first of the naturalistic actors and yet he still uses what would now be called stock gestures. He rubs his hands with glee about four times in succession. The supporting cast is even more melodramatic. The film is also of interest because of its relative sophistication. Although the camera is static, there are several special effects, the most notable (and contemporary) being the process used to suggest that Horace has been "zapped" by the Martian. The budget also allowed for a burning building, not common in 1913. The version under review was restored by the BFI in 2014. It's tinted and so the tech specs should reflect that, officially, the film is now in colour. (The night scenes, tinted blue, are disorienting because the shoot was clearly done in bright sunlight). The new electronic score, commissioned from Matthew Herbert, suggests other-worldliness but doesn't aid the ballroom scenes. The print, available online and on TV, is around 60 not 69 minutes. It's not clear whether the reviewer who posted here in 2002 somehow saw a longer version; but for the record this is how the new version differs from his. We don't know that Horace is an astronomer, he doesn't read a magazine article about intelligent life on Mars, and he doesn't go to sleep in his study. He is only shown in his living room and the opening scenes and inter-titles imply that what follows is not a dream. The Martian does not wear "tight-fitting black clothes" and he is shown arriving outside Horace's house. There is no indication that the tramp is "an inventor who was cheated out of the fruits of his labour". He too merely turns up at Horace's house seeking work. There are no scenes in which Horace is allowed to eavesdrop on his friends' conversations nor those in which Horace's fortune is lost. The film is also valuable in that it shows that it was once common to tip policemen. Postscript 2018: The other review I refer to above is by the notorious F Gwynplaine Macintyre. By the time I reviewed "A Message from Mars" he had been dead for 5 years. Many will know that, after his death, it was revealed that he made a habit of pretending to have seen very old films, many of them presumed lost. I think we can safely say that he did not see a longer version of this film.

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.