A Message from Mars is a 1913 British science fiction silent film directed by J.Wallett Waller.[1] According to the British Film Institute, it is the first British science-fiction film.[2]
| A Message From Mars | |
|---|---|
The film | |
| Directed by | J. Wallett Waller |
| Written by | Richard Ganthony J. Wallett Waller |
| Based on | A Message From Mars by Richard Ganthony |
| Produced by | Nicholas Ormsby-Scott |
Production company | United Kingdom Photoplays |
Release date |
|
Running time | 68 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
The film was written by Waller and Richard Ganthony, based on Ganthony's 1899 play A Message from Mars. The play had been issued as a book in 1912 credited to Lester Lurgan (aka Mabel Knowles) and Ganthony.[3] The story is similar to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol of 1843, with the theme that the rich should care for the poor.[2]
Plot
editHorace Parker is an exceedingly self-centered, wealthy man. Not only is he a miser, but he also expects everyone else to conduct their lives according to his personal convenience.
Parker is engaged to Minnie Templer, but Minnie has discovered Parker's selfishness and she is on the brink of calling off the engagement.
On Christmas Eve, however, a messenger from Mars comes to Earth to show Parker the error of his ways. The two of them become invisible and eavesdrop on all the terrible – and true – things Parker's friends and family are saying about him.
Restoration
editIn September 2014, the British Film Institute announced that they were publishing the restored film online on their website. This version is longer and restores the film's original tinting and toning.[2][4]
Cast
edit- Charles Hawtrey as Horace Parker
- E. Holman Clark as Ramiel
- Chrissie Bell as Minnie Templer
- Frank Hector as Arthur Dicey
- Hubert Willis as a tramp
- Kate Tyndale as Aunt Martha
- Evelyn Beaumont as Bella
- Eileen Temple as Mrs. Claremce
- R. Crompton as the God of Mars
- B. Stanmore as the wounded man
- Tonie Reith as the wounded man’s wife
Taglines
edit"A fantastical photo-drama, in four parts."
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "A Message from Mars". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ a b c BFI press release (23 September 2014)
- ^ "SFE: Lurgan, Lester". sf-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ BFI press release (4 December 2014)
External links
edit- A Message From Mars at IMDb
- A Message from Mars Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine at The British Film Institute (full-length film)
- A Message From Mars (1913) at SilentEra
- Website with photo of Marquette, Michigan Opera House and copy of UK magazine cover showing poster for A Message From Mars
- advertisement for the film
