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that the United States government made up the religious messages, which he allowed because he wanted to see the destruction of the Soviet Union. The
Cronyns know that the religious messages were not hoaxes, but Calder's claim will be believed and it will mean disaster for a now peaceful Earth. Unseen by Calder, Chris opens the valve to the hydrogen supply and tells Linda to leave. Calder refuses to allow it. She asks her husband for a cigarette. He says quietly that in all their years together he has never seen her smoke. They both know the spark will ignite the hydrogen and destroy the lab. But before Chris can use his lighter, a message begins to come through and an enraged Calder fires into the screen, blowing up the transmitter, himself and the Cronyns before the message is complete. However, the first part is decoded, and later the President reads it aloud to the world: "You have done well my good..." the rest evoking the
430:, while giving the film a mixed review, wrote well of some of the performances, "Peter Graves and Andrea King are serious and competent, if slightly callow in appearance, as the indomitable scientists. Marvin Miller is standard as a top Soviet agent, as are Walter Sande, Richard Powers and Morris Ankrum, as Government military men, and Willis Bouchey, as the President."
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mountains of South
America. The transmitter was destroyed by an avalanche. There have been no transmissions since then. He shows them his log. When Linda raises the question of the religious messages, Calder is contemptuous. He says that he transmitted the original messages supposedly from Mars, but
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government imposes a news blackout and orders the transmissions to stop due to fears that the Soviet Union could pick up and decode their messages. This ends when the next message reveals that the Earth is condemned to the constant fear of nuclear war as a punishment for straying from the teachings
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takes place on terra firma, sans space ships, cosmic rays or space cadets. It is a fantastic concoction delving into the realms of science, politics, religion, world affairs and
Communism Despite the hokum dished out, the actors concerned turn in creditable performances."
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This revelation leads to political and economic chaos, especially in the
Western hemisphere, and is said to have "done more to smash the democratic world in the last four weeks than the Russians have been able to do in eleven years". The
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The messages cease. Calder, armed with a handgun, confronts the
Cronyns in their lab. He wants to announce that he has been duping the world with false messages from a secret Soviet-funded radio transmitter high in the
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The film critic Dennis
Schwartz panned the film in 2001, writing, "One of the most obnoxious sci-fi films ever. It offers Hollywood's silly response to the 1950s 'Red Scare' sweeping the country".
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by a hydrogen powered radio transmitter, using technology based on the work of Nazi scientist Franz Calder. They communicate first through an exchange of mathematical concepts, like the value of
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His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!'
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suggesting large-scale environmental changes are occurring at a pace that can only be accomplished by intelligent beings with advanced technology. Scientist Chris Cronyn (
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in the Gospel of
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described the film as "lunatic farrago that has to be seen to be believed".
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Philip Bayard
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of the Bible. Revolution sweeps the globe, including the
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is an eerily fascinating artifact of the era of the
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Dir. Harry Horner. Melaby
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391:as Dr. Boulting, Mitchell's assistant
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80:by John L. Balderston and John Hoare
268:and John Hoare and was directed by
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655:American science fiction films
645:American black-and-white films
385:as Secretary of Defense Sparks
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675:1952 directorial debut films
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16:1952 film by Harry Horner
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299:) have been contacting
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367:as Admiral Bill Carey
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670:United Artists films
246:science fiction film
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616:- the complete film
244:is a 1952 American
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526:The New York Times
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140:Joseph Biroc
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600:Andrea King
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373:as Arjenian
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297:Andrea King
264:written by
258:Andrea King
114:Andrea King
91:Donald Hyde
85:Produced by
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630:1952 films
624:Categories
458:References
285:astronomer
262:Red Planet
217:87 minutes
200:1952-05-15
165:Production
77:Red Planet
442:Red Scare
402:Reception
252:starring
146:Edited by
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602:web site
578:AllMovie
544:Allmovie
434:Allmovie
230:Language
156:Music by
102:Starring
72:Based on
614:YouTube
587:at the
512:Variety
414:Variety
233:English
222:Country
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309:utopia
330:Andes
567:IMDb
495:2019
341:Cast
317:U.S.
301:Mars
289:Mars
279:Plot
256:and
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