Battle of the Worlds 1961

Overview

Battle of the Worlds is a 1961 Italian science fiction film directed by Antonio Margheriti. The film stars Claude Rains, Bill Carter, Umberto Orsini, and Maya Brent, and also features an early appearance by Giuliano Gemma in a supporting role. Originally titled in Italian as The Planet of Extinct Men, the picture falls into the science fiction and thriller genres with a runtime of one hour and twenty-four minutes. The story follows a stray planet, also described as a runaway asteroid dubbed The Outsider, which is initially on a collision course with Earth. Instead of colliding, the celestial body takes orbit around the Earth. What initially seems to be a dead planet suddenly launches a fleet of flying saucers that proceed to attack human space fleets, threatening Earth with lethal force.