The Cosmic Man    /     The Flying Saucer    /    Stranger From Venus

 

Look up to the stars... for we are not alone! First The Cosmic Man arrives in a strange spherical spaceship. Is he here to destroy the world or bring it peace? Humanity stands in the balance in this powerful and engaging sci-fi saga with John Carradine, inspired by The Day the Earth Stood Still. Then a Stranger From Venus has the power of life and death at his touch, and Academy Award-winner Patricia Neal is a woman caught up in the biggest event in history in this touching and haunting story of "first contact" with a peaceful and advanced intelligence from another planet. Finally, America and Russia race against the clock in a thrill-packed contest to capture The Flying Saucer hidden in the uncharted, avalanche-prone wastelands of Alaska. After experiencing these three fantastic tales of Cold War-era visitors from another world, you'll never look through a telescope the same way again! *** Well, lets not kid ourselves - kindly referring to them as B-pictures helps disguise how really poor they are. These are just plain old bad, frugally made films... but fortunately I have a real soft spot for weak cinema of both the sci-fi and noir variety. I suppose it is the strong atmospheric elements that are so easily implied. Some people bond this way to the horror genre. The come-on to the set is probably the Patricia Neal Stranger From Venus (originally shown on television) but be prepared that this is no The Day the Earth Stood Still .  I suppose if you, like I, are keen on the genre then throwing in one of these films on a rainy Sunday afternoon is paramount to an excessively enjoyable family viewing. These films have some depth behind their plots but the limited production dollars seem to easily cloak our receptiveness. But it's the 50's - full of innocence and blossoming social acknowledgement of our human limitations and possible existence that we aren't the smartest bunch if we include the vastness of space. 'Keep Watching the Skies' is an apt title for the package - illuminating the prevalent paranoia and fear of any potentially invading ideology - being of this world or another. Some supplements on the DVDs would have been nice but you can't fight the price - you save a bundle from buying together rather than individually. To me watching this is nirvana... and I, of course, recommend! Gary Tooze