The Man From Planet X

Starring:Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert, Roy Engel, David Ormont, Gilbert Fallman, Tom Daly (III), June Jeffery, Charles Davis, Pat Goldin
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Daring reporter John Lawrence (Robert Clarke) narrates this gripping tale of an alien's attempt to take over a tiny village in Scotland. As the story opens, Lawrence is visiting his old friend, Professor Elliot, who's made the startling discovery of a new planet that is approaching Earth at breakneck speed. Soon Elliot's lovely daughter, Enid, has spotted a mysterious craft in the middle of the moor. Lawrence and Elliot decide to investigate, inexplicably allowing the clearly evil Dr. Mears to assist. Lost the plot? Not to worry! The Man from Planet X cheerfully helps slower viewers by offering expository dialogue as frequently as humanly possible. "Look!" says Elliot, "It seems as if he's trying to turn that knob to the right, but doesn't have the strength or coordination," as the alien tries to turn the knob to the right, but doesn't have the strength or coordination. All seems lost as the alien begins using telepathy to control the local villagers. Luckily for the Earth, the alien's superior mind-control powers are not matched with superior common sense--he never bothers to give his slaves such crucial commands as "Don't tell the enemy my entire plan!" or "Let me know if any outsiders show up!" or "By the way, don't follow the commands of anybody but me!" A guaranteed hoot of an evening. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

Classic Sci-fi.......2007-04-30

Three of the most wonderful alien invasion movies of all time were made in 1950's. "The Day The Earth Stood Still," "Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers," and, "The Man From Planet X." Each of these films are dvd must haves. "The Man From Planet X" is a film response among others to social issues as well as the public interest and fears of numerous ufo sightings during that time period i.e. "UFOs Buzz the White House" and of course Roswell. The same thing has been going on for the past several years. Kecksburg Incident, Phoenix Lights...Signs, Independence Day, Close Encounters of the Third Kind...Whatever the case, I was extremely pleased with my purchase. It was delivered within 3 days of purchase.

The hour is near and The Man from Planet X will be waiting.......2006-08-06

The story is mostly narrated by a newspaperman John Lawrence (Robert Clarke) that also takes part in an adventure that we now hear only as a rumor. It takes place in 1951 on an isolated Scottish island near the end of the world (in more ways than one). A planet (Planet X) is approaching ours and they seam to have sent a vanguard for what purpose we do not know.

To fathom this out is a renowned scientist Professor Elliot (Raymond Bond) his demure daughter Enid (Margaret Field) and the newspaperman. Also aboard the characters is Dr. Mears (William Schallert) who has a nefarious past and should have gotten twenty years. Friend or foe what will we find? And how will Dr. Mears communicate?

As Planet X approaches the hour is near and The Man from Planet X will be waiting.

1950's entertaining S-F.......2006-05-24

"The Man From Planet X" is a low-budget black and white 1950 science-fiction movie, one of the earliest of the genre that included "The Thing," "Them," etc. I believe this VHS edition was released in 2000 and it is a good quality transfer, full screen with no closed captioning. As for the quality of the movie itself, do you really have to ask? I first saw it when I was eleven and I thought it was very scary and atmospheric, with all that fog blowing across the Scottish moors late at night, and the grotesque alien peering out of the porthole of his tiny spacecraft. The production designer did a nice job with an obviously minimal budget, and the lighting, settings, and costumes do contribute to the suspenseful atmosphere. The movie has all the usual 1950's S-F cliches, including the strange object approaching the Earth, the wise old scientist and his beautiful daughter who falls in love with the courageous investigating reporter and who screams piercingly and predictably at the sight of the hideous visitor from space, and so forth. If you're in the mood, and if movies like this could draw you to the theater during your childhood, you'll enjoy it. And it's fun to be eleven again.

Scarey Alien.......2006-02-01

I haven't seen this one yet, but from what I understand, the Alien bears an uncanny resemblance to the Kid From Deliverance. Now THAT's worth watching!

Classic '50s scifi.......2005-11-04

Like another reviewer, I too was scared to the living daylights by this film. Born in 1951, I remember seeing it on a snow covered afternoon (probably during the same time I was exposed to Howard Hawks' "The Thing"). For months afterward, I had visions of looking behind my bed for the "Man from Planet X" (why he would visit me is beyond comprehension). However, to the movie itself: filmed in black and white, it is a strange film, more a mystery than a techno scifi thriller. It is a Brit film, which may explain the unique feel of the film. The alien's spacesuit is traditional for the early '50s (bubble helmet, backpack, etc. The use of "music" as an inter-planetary language is unique (Speilberg was perhaps influenced by this film in this respect re: close encounters). The spaceship also resembled the ship in "E.T.", so there might be some comparison here. If fact, both this film and E.T. center on the "misunderstanding" between two interplanetary cultures. Interesting. This film is great for its atmosphere of early '50s scifi and should not be missed. Although this might be pushing the point, the eventual discovery that the alien, although an unknown creature, was not a threat, had true resonance during the cold war. Highly recommended if you prefer atmosphere over special effects.

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