I first saw this movie today on TCM. When I saw the title, I was misled into thinking that I was going to be treated to the typical alien-monster excitement that accompanies such films. Nothing could be further from the truth. This was a Red-Scare propaganda film masquerading with a science fiction title. It had all of the anti-communist rhetoric, along with the typical scare tactics of how bad and evil the commies were, contrasted by the western world's freedoms of religion and speech as was viewed by many during those turbulent times. And isn't it a coincidence that the powers-that-be weaved a story about the "Red" planet that featured the evils of the "Red" menace? Apparently "Red" was a popular color in this black and white production.
What was the cause of all this nonsense? Immediately after the conclusion of the second World War a distrust deveioped between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both sides, of course, had their reasons for such distrusts and cannot be elaborated here. However, a lot of anti-Soviet propaganda films were made by Hollywood between 1946 and 1963. One such film, an MGM short called "The Hucksters" (1951) reflects this paranoia with zeal. During an era when the House on Un-American Activities were busy with their "witch hunts" many great actors and actresses were victimized. The Red Planet Mars is a product of a worried Hollywood reacting to this persecution. Incidentally, President Truman, during the election campaign of 1948 called this witch hunt a "red herring". So, we have "red" menace, "red" planet and "red" herring.
There were many such films created during this time period. People were scared stiff of an atomic attack from the Soviet Union (the Soviets first tested an atomic bomb in 1949), so a movie like this capitalized on such fears.
And the movie moguls from this period took advantage of sci-fi films as another avenue to portray the evil Russians, albeit in an alien creature guise. Of course, this was all a sign of the times during this era. What could be worse? alien threat or Communist takeover? This was simply a reflection of the ignorance that dominated the minds of many about both subjects, and ignorance, if left unchecked, breeds fear.
As a science fiction film, this movie falls flat on it's face. However, it is recommended to anyone out there who likes the propaganda slant that this film has to offer.
What was the cause of all this nonsense? Immediately after the conclusion of the second World War a distrust deveioped between the United States and the Soviet Union. Both sides, of course, had their reasons for such distrusts and cannot be elaborated here. However, a lot of anti-Soviet propaganda films were made by Hollywood between 1946 and 1963. One such film, an MGM short called "The Hucksters" (1951) reflects this paranoia with zeal. During an era when the House on Un-American Activities were busy with their "witch hunts" many great actors and actresses were victimized. The Red Planet Mars is a product of a worried Hollywood reacting to this persecution. Incidentally, President Truman, during the election campaign of 1948 called this witch hunt a "red herring". So, we have "red" menace, "red" planet and "red" herring.
There were many such films created during this time period. People were scared stiff of an atomic attack from the Soviet Union (the Soviets first tested an atomic bomb in 1949), so a movie like this capitalized on such fears.
And the movie moguls from this period took advantage of sci-fi films as another avenue to portray the evil Russians, albeit in an alien creature guise. Of course, this was all a sign of the times during this era. What could be worse? alien threat or Communist takeover? This was simply a reflection of the ignorance that dominated the minds of many about both subjects, and ignorance, if left unchecked, breeds fear.
As a science fiction film, this movie falls flat on it's face. However, it is recommended to anyone out there who likes the propaganda slant that this film has to offer.