Product Description

Space expert Professor Quatermass returns in this sci-fi thriller through the depths of the unknown! During a routine drive to his observatory, Professor Quatermass (Brian Donlevy) stumbles upon a mysterious government facility surrounded by guards and mines. Curious of this unusual site, Quatermass begins to investigate and discovers a remarkably large number of meteors in the area. As his investigation comes to a turning point, Quatermass comes to a horrific conclusion: alien invaders. The ensuing danger couple mean the end of human civilization! In an attempt to save the country and ultimatley the world from intruders, Quatermass must face the terrible dangers ahead and the disasters that follow them.

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25737 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-12-05
• Running time: 85 minutes

Customer Reviews

This is a DVD-R
This is not so much a review, but rather some information about this DVD. The movie itself is a great black & white British Sci-Fi thriller and I recommend it. I used to own the Anchor Bay release of this movie that went Out-Of-Production several years ago and started fetching big bucks on Amazon Marketplace and "that other auction site". As much as I liked the film, I sold original copy for a tidy profit and was hoping this film had been Re-released on DVD when I ordered this. After receiving it, I found out this was a DVD-R copy of the original. What that means is it is "burned" onto a writable DVD rather than being "pressed" or manufactured in a factory. DVD-Rs are pretty much the same as DVDs, but they don't play in some very old dvd players (1998 and earlier) there is some question as to their longevity. I sent it back for a refund, so I am not sure if it has the exact same features as the original Anchor Bay disc. If you are dying to see this movie, this is the only way to legally do it right now, but I think the asking price is too high for a DVD-R.

A Lost Masterwork
I first saw this classic Hammer film (1957) when it premiered on US television in the early '60's on New York channel 9's (WOR-TV) "Million Dollar Movie". The idea was that the station would play the same film twice an evening (7 and 9 PM) and several times in a row on the week-ends. I happened to catch it early in the week and recall spending the rest of the week watching it over and over again (this was the age of "you miss the broadcast, you missed it entirely" television).

Of course, compared to the current age of CGI graphics and action sequences designed specifically to be as spectacular as possible, this 1957 low budget black and white British "pulp sci fi" film seems rather tame. But in terms of content, story, tightness in pace and execution it is a stunning example of how a brilliant director (Val Guest) can wring great things out of very limited raw materials.

Personally I would place this as one of my top 10 all time favorite sci fi films. I revisit it at least twice a year (I have the VHS release from long ago), and it never fails to impress and unnerve.

Even the strident performance by Brian Donlevy (best known as a B-Picture villian from the '30's and '40's) adds a sense of urgency to the tone of the picture. The action takes place over three days between the first hint of something not quite right in the little (and currently missing) village of Winerdon Flats, to the explosive conclusion when the alien infestation is defeated. In between the film presents an unrelenting atmosphere that is dark, creepy and rife with paranoia. It gets it's power not from what it shows but from what it implies. Like the American classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" there are contemporary political overtones rooted in the "Red Scare" of the 1950's, but "Quatermass II" does them better and crisper.

Also worth noting is how skillfully director Val Guest is able to infuse a sense of realism through overlapping dialogue and a hint of "happening right now" urgency in various scenes.

In general the performances are sharp, real and impelling. If it has a flaw it is that it must bow to its budget limitations for the final reveal of the monster in the final five minutes. You sense that director Guest had to suck it up and muddle through something he knew would never come off the way he might have hoped but was necessary to completing the film.

Even the musical score is startling, consisting of strings and timpani in a combination of "fingernails on a blackboard" screech and thunderous, ominous rumbling that gets the viewer in the proper (highly disturbed) mood before the action even begins.

On the whole it is an example of just how brilliant, insightful and disturbing a thing can be created with extremely limited resources and any sci-fi fan will be utterly delighted by this unique experience. Well worth the investment and likely to become a favorite.

Beware, this is NOT an Original Anchor Bay!
The movie itself is great, but please be aware that this is NOT the original Anchor Bay edition of this dvd. I ordered this dvd, thinking that this rare dvd had finally been re-released by Anchor Bay, only to find out it's only a DVD-R copy of the original. Amazon needs to be much clearer in their description of this dvd & let buyers know that it is not a factory pressed DVD. I'm not sure how the licensing for such a DVD-R was worked out with Amazon & Anchor Bay (presumably it was or it would not be for sale on Amazon) but Amazon should not list it like the original Anchor Bay edition which is obviously still out of print and rare. I sent mine back for a refund since as a collector I want the real thing.