The beast from outer space

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Movie
German title The beast from outer space
Original title 20 Million Miles to Earth
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1957
length 79 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Nathan Juran
script Christopher Knopf
Bob Williams
production Charles H. Schneer
music Mischa Bakaleinikoff
camera Carlos Centimilia
Irving Lippman
cut Edwin H. Bryant
occupation

The Beast from Space (original title: 20 Million Miles to Earth ) is an American monster film by Nathan Juran from 1957 . The German premiere took place on September 6, 1957.

action

The film begins with a huge rocket crashing off the coast of Gerra, in a small fishing village in Sicily . The two fishermen Verrico and Mondello and the fisherman's boy Pepe row there and save two crew members before the rocket sinks: Col. Robert Calder and Dr. Sharman. Since there is currently no doctor available, Marisa Leonardo, daughter of Dr. Leonardo, the two. Dr. However, Sharman dies of a mysterious illness, while Calder survives.

Meanwhile, Pepe found a metal container washed up on the coast, the contents of which is a slimy mass. He sells this to Dr. Leonardo. A little later, a small monstrous creature hatches that Leonardo thinks is a sensation.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. McIntosh and Dr. Judson Uhl that there is a survivor of their mission and immediately set off for Gerra, where they are received by Commissioner Charra and the government officials Contino. Finally, the two learn from Dr. Uhl, McIntosh and Calder, what happened: Calder was the leader of a team that was on the planet Venus . On the return flight, the rocket was damaged by meteorites. Except for Calder, all crew members died. Calder also explains that a creature from Venus was kept in the container. From the fisherman's boy Pepe, they find out where the container is and make their way to Leonardo.

The rapidly growing creature, now almost as big as a human, has now escaped from Leonardo's cage and reached a farm. There it is attacked by a guard dog who is killed in this fight. Calder, Commissioner Charra and a few men try to catch the animal alive, but the farmer attacks it. Thereupon the farmer is seriously injured, the creature escapes and heads towards Vesuvius . Charra then refuses any cooperation, because he now wants to kill the creature. However, Calder has a plan. He wants to lure the animal out with sulfur bags in order to then stun it with an electrically charged net. Charra keeps his word and tries with a few men to kill the creature. Nevertheless, Calder and Uhl manage to catch the animal. It will be transported to a zoo in Rome , where it will be examined and later exhibited. McIntosh allows a few reporters to see the animal and ask questions about it. In addition to Calder, Leonardo and Marisa are also involved in the investigation of the creature. But then the power generator that was supposed to keep the animal unconscious is damaged. It breaks out of the zoo and fights an elephant. It emerges victorious and causes chaos and panic in Rome. McIntosh and Contino meanwhile call the military. Led by Calder, they follow the animal to the Coliseum . It escapes to the highest point, but where it crashes from hits from machine guns and rocket launchers and thus dies.

Reviews

"Naive thrill with passable special effects."

- The beast from space in the lexicon of international filmTemplate: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used
  • American Schmarrn , film observer , quoted from Hahn / Jansen
  • The monster has no real personality ... If Harryhausen had managed to weave something like a relationship between the scientist and this creature into the plot at the beginning ... and give him something to do in Rome, the film would have been more dramatic , Bill Warren, KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES, quoted from Hahn / Jansen

background

  • Ray Harryhausen was responsible for the special effects . After filming in Italy, he added the Venus monster to the film in stop motion . He made a guest appearance as a zookeeper in the elephant enclosure.
  • The film was shot under the title The Giant Ymir . The monster was called Ymir, but was never mentioned by name in the film.
  • The film, entitled Dinosaurs Threaten Rome, was shown on television. The strip, originally turned in black and white, was colored with the most modern means in 2006 for a British DVD release (which contains the German cinema dubbing) and was given the title The Beast from Space .

synchronization

role actor Voice actor
Col. Robert Calder William Hopper Eckart Dux
Contino Jan Arvan Curt Ackermann
Dr. Judson Uhl John Zaremba Axel Monjé
Dr. Leonardo Frank Puglia Konrad Wagner
Dr. Sharman Arthur Space Arnold Marquis
Maj. Gen. AD McIntosh Thomas Browne Henry Erich Fiedler
Marisa Leonardo Joan Taylor Margot Leonard
Miss Reynolds Darlene Fields Friedel Schuster
Mondello Don Orlando Erich Kestin
Pepe Bart Braverman Uwe Paulsen
Police Commissioner Chianti Tito Vuolo Alfred Balthoff
Speaker Barry Russo Rainer Brandt
Reporter Roi James Dime Hugo Schrader
Verrico George Khoury Horst Niendorf
teller William Woodson Heinz Petruo

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Beast from Space. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous index , accessed on April 1, 2020 .