It Conquered the World (USA, 1956) 71 min B&W DIR-PROD: Roger Corman. SCR: Lou Rusoff, Charles B. Griffith. MUSIC: Ronald Stein. DOP: Frederick E. West. CAST: Peter Graves, Beverly Garland, Lee Van Cleef, Sally Fraser, Russ Bender, Jonathan Haze, Dick Miller. (American International Pictures)
In one of Roger Corman’s best-remembered early films, Earth is intercepted by survivors on the planet Venus. First they are blowing up our satellites in orbit, because they fear that mankind is adapting far too quickly, and not ready to embrace any space program. Further, scientist Tom Anderson (played by Lee Van Cleef, in one of his most substantial early roles) is contacted by the dying Venusian race, and helps with their plans to take over the planet
A spaceship lands in the mountains, and from it emerges one of science fiction’s most baffling monsters (and also perhaps make-up artist Paul Blaidsell’s most famous creation)… a pint-sized abomination best described as a humanoid carrot, which seems to float as if on wheels. In a scene that will surely remind people of The Day the Earth Stood Still, all automotive, construction, communication and entertainment devices are halted, except ones used by those who come under the Venusian’s control. This monster dispatches these “control devices”, which are living bat-like creatures that implant a stinger in the back of a human’s neck, thereby doing the Venusian’s bidding
Once stung, a general blames this power failure on a Communist uprising, which is amusing, since this entire picture is a clever metaphor of the Communist threat on America. When Anderson rationalizes his actions to the film’s good guy, Dr. Paul Nelson (Peter Graves), his defence is awfully similar to the “untroubled world” that the infected people promise in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and is full of rhetoric on the societal and cultural changes that have occurred in history after a huge political upheaval. It was very clever to cast blond, all-American everyman Peter Graves against Lee Van Cleef, whose angular face and slightly exotic features represent the embodiment of the foreign threat to white picket fence America in the 1950s. The movie ends with a long zoom from the planet Earth into the cosmos, with a narrator stating that in order for man to achieve, it must “come from inside”. In other words, stay bland… don’t infect the world with anything resembling ideas
Even though Van Cleef is third billed, someone obviously felt that Anderson is clearly the most interesting character in the movie. Most of the conflict in the film occurs in his household… especially when his wife Claire (scream queen Beverly Garland) begins to rebel against him and that pesky monster from Venus. (And this character is certainly more interesting than the thankless soldier roles given Jonathan Haze and Dick Miller, whose biggest developments are clunking their heads together.)
This mini-favourite, despite a ridiculous looking monster, creates a lovely sense of dread and disorientation… showing how easily vanquished is this ultra-clean, suburban, new America. One memorable sequence features Nelson going home to face his wife Joan (Sally Fraser), and thanks to a menacing glow from a well-placed table lamp, we know that she is “one of them”
Although this was released to VHS on Columbia’s line of 50’s drive-in pictures, It Conquered the World still isn’t on DVD or Blu-ray. This is among a handful of titles still owned by Susan Hart, widow of AIP executive producer James H. Nicholson, who has been holding out for too much money to release them. This movie was remade for television as Zontar: The Thing from Venus (itself becoming a midnight movie favourite) by AIP exec Samuel Z. Arkoff, in colour and with a poverty row budget, directed by Larry Buchanan.
