A Message from Mars (1913 film) should not be confused with A Message from Mars (1903 film).
| A Message From Mars | |
| Director: | J. Wallett Waller |
| Producer: | Nicholas Ormsby-Scott |
| Based On: | A Message From Mars by Richard Ganthony |
| Studio: | United Kingdom Photoplays |
| Runtime: | 68 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | Silent film English intertitles |
A Message from Mars is a 1913 British science fiction silent film directed by J.Wallett Waller.[1] According to the British Film Institute, it is the first British science-fiction film.
The film was written by Waller and Richard Ganthony, based on Ganthony's 1899 play A Message from Mars. The play had been issued as a book in 1912 credited to Lester Lurgan (aka Mabel Knowles) and Ganthony.[2] The story is similar to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol of 1843, with the theme that the rich should care for the poor.
Horace Parker is an exceedingly self-centered, wealthy man. Not only is he a miser, but he also expects everyone else to conduct their lives according to his personal convenience.
Parker is engaged to Minnie Templer, but Minnie has discovered Parker's selfishness and she is on the brink of calling off the engagement.
On Christmas Eve, however, a messenger from Mars comes to Earth to show Parker the error of his ways. The two of them become invisible and eavesdrop on all the terrible – and true – things Parker's friends and family are saying about him.
In September 2014, the British Film Institute announced that they were publishing the restored film online on their website. This version is longer and restores the film's original tinting and toning.[3] [4]
"A fantastical photo-drama, in four parts."
