In my youth I watched any kind of science fiction film or TV show. I saw The Mysterians on some Saturday in the late 60s or early 70s. Some bits from that flick stuck with me into my early fifties (i.e. now): the bird-headed robot with ray-gun eyes, the Mysterians' cool helmets and capes, the abduction of Earth women from hovering saucers. Recently, I noticed it had come out on DVD; I ordered it immediately. After 3 viewings I must say I am impressed with the beautiful Mysterian gadgetry and the splendid martial music accompanying the parade of tanks, planes, missiles, etc.
The version I got was dubbed, but when I listened to the original Japanese trailer
, I realized that "Mysterian" was not the translation of some Japanese word. They actually call them "Mysterians," which must suggst the exotic, mysterious Occident.* The DVD cover supplies the uncredited quote "The Greatest Science Fiction Picture ever Conceived by the Mind of Man," which may be a bit inflated. Still, it's definitely worth at least a look at the trailer for the American release. I may have to have a Mysterian party.
*(The allure of the west still rules in modern Japan. Teenagers are keen to have their eyes embiggened.)
A former co-worker told me, when she noticed I had checked out the video I Married a Monster From Outer Space, "You know, that was about Communism." I had heard that interpretation before. Hostile 50s movie aliens, especially those who assumed human form, were supposed to be a veiled reference to Communists. (They look just like your neighbor, but they are evil and aim to take over.) Of course, there were also wise, nice aliens that the ignorant earthlings, especially belligerent small-town sheriffs, wanted to destroy. I suppose those films could represent the viewpoint of Communist sympathizers, the sheriff character being a veiled portrait of Joseph McCarthy. I've never heard it suggested, but it might appeal to proponents of the first theory.
But the whole theoretical edifice topples when we consider Red Planet Mars (1952). The Martians in this flick are born-again Christians! An American scientist (Peter Graves) gets Bible quotes in messages from Mars. There is an evil Nazi who claims to be sending all the messages--which inspire the Russians to abandon Communism--but it actually turns out that the Martians really are Christians. (Don't worry that I've spoiled the movie for you; it is so bad that it's beyond spoiling.) The Martians destroy Communism. Everybody wants to be Christians, just like the Martians.
These famous words are from The Day the Earth Stood Still. Noticing that a remake is coming out, I was reminded of the demonstration of alien strength in that flick. Klaatu has come to warn us Earthlings to mend our nuclear ways, or our planet is toast. To demonstrate the aliens's awesome power, he arranges to have all machinery on Earth (excluding that in hospitals and suchlike places) stop functioning for half an hour. The aliens don't have to go to the power plants; they have power over all machines: cars, telephones, watches, electric lights. The indwelling spirits of machinery* are in the power of the aliens. Bad-guy aliens, such as those in It Conquered the World, also have this power. Like Klaatu, the ICTW aliens could make exceptions to the general disablement of world machinery; they allowed the cars and jeeps of their Earthling allies to work.
Perhaps my readers can supply other examples of this power.
In my last post, I pointed out the unusual power aliens have over the
indwelling spirits of Earthling machinery. Now I wonder if the aliens actually are those spirits. It makes sense. These techno-sprites would have planted the seeds of technical inspiration in human heads. They would be the real
ghosts in the machine. So in films like
The Day the Earth Stood Still, the techno-sprites are reminding us that
they, not we, are the true inventors; if we thing think we are in control of our gadgets, well, think again!
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