The War of the Worlds (1953)

1. In the first world war, and for the first time, in the history of man,

2. nations combined to fight against nations, using the crude weapons of those days.

3. The second world war involved every continent on the globe,

4. and men turned to science for new devices of warfare,

5. which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction.

6. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super science,

7. menacing all mankind and every creature on earth, comes...

8. The war of the worlds

9. No one would have believed in the middle of the 20th century,

10. that human affairs were being watched keenly and closely

11. by intelligences greater than man's.

12. Yet., across the Gulf of space, on the planet, Mars,

13. intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic

14. regarded our earth with envious eyes,

15. slowly and surely, drawing their plans against us.

16. Mars is more than 140 million miles from the sun,

17. and for centuries, it has been in the last stages of exhaustion.

18. At night, temperatures drop far below zero,

19. even at its equator.

20. The inhabitants of this dying planet

21. looked across space with instruments and intelligences

22. of which we have scarcely dreamed,

23. searching for another world to which they could migrate.

24. They could not go to pluto, outermost of all the planets,

25. and so cold, that its atmosphere lies frozen on its surface.

26. They couldn't go to Neptune or uranus,

27. twin worlds in eternal night and perpetual cold,

28. both surrounded by an unbreathable atmosphere

29. of methane gas and ammonia vapor.

30. The martians considered saturn,

31. an attractive world with its many moons and beautiful rings of cosmic dust,

32. but its temperature is close to 270 degrees below zero,

33. and ice lies 15,000 miles deep on its surface.

34. Their nearest world was giant Jupiter,

35. where there are Titanic cliffs of lava and ice,

36. with hydrogen flaming at the tops,

37. where the atmospheric pressure is terrible,

38. thousands of pounds to the square inch.

39. They couldn't go there.

40. Nor could they go to Mercury, nearest planet to the sun.

41. It has no air,

42. and the temperature at its equator is that of molten lead.

43. Of all the worlds,

44. that the intelligences on Mars could see and study,

45. only our own warm earth

46. was green with vegetation, bright with water,

47. and possessed a cloudy atmosphere eloquent of fertility.

48. It did not occur to mankind that a swift fate might be hanging over us,

49. or that from the blackness of outer space,

50. we were being scrutinized and studied,

51. until at the time of our nearest approach

52. to the orbit of Mars, during a pleasant summer season...

53. - Is that a fireball, or something? - Boy, that's big!

54. Maybe it's a comet.

55. Boy, that had me scared.

56. I wonder where it lit.

57. - Miles away, I bet you. - Hey, let's go find it, huh?

58. That probably dropped halfway to pomona.

59. - It was nearer than that. - I'm gonna see. Who's coming?

60. - This is pine summit. I got a smoke. - 160, 30.

61. Azimuth reading: 160 degrees, 30 minutes.

62. Big? I'll bet it's as big as anything that ever lit in California.

63. You better get something over there. It's started a Blaze already.

64. Over here. Hey, let's go this way.

65. You there, with the shovel!

66. Let me get in there!

67. Out of the way! Out of the way!

68. Bring that hose over here!

69. We're getting it licked, fellas. Keep at it.

70. Hey, grab this.

71. Joe, Joe, lend a hand over here.

72. Number three to d.O. Number three to d.O.

73. D.o. To number three, come in.

74. We're getting this under control. We won't need any more help. Over.

75. Okay. Send the tanker in,

76. but you can stand by until that thing cools off. Over.

77. I think somebody ought to check on it. Over.

78. Well, there's some fellows fishing at pine summit.

79. I think they're scientists.

80. They probably saw it come down. I'll let 'em know. What's it look like?

81. Can't get near enough to see it very well. It's too hot.

82. But it's a whale of a size.

83. I got a message for you.

84. You're the guys from pacific tech, ain't you?

85. Right.

86. Looks like the fishing was good.

87. Have some?

88. It's about that meteor.

89. They say it's a whopper.

90. The district officer phoned us at the lookout up on the summit.

91. I thought you might be interested.

92. It's about 10 or 12 miles from here, over by Linda Rosa.

93. Are they sure it's a meteor? It didn't come down like one.

94. That's right. Came down in kind of spurts, didn't it?

95. Well, you fellas will have to figure it out. You're scientists.

96. All I know is, they say it's as big as a house, and practically red-hot.

97. I'd like to borrow your car and take a look at it in the morning.

98. We ought to get back.

99. - I can fly bilderbeck down in your plane. - Okay.

100. The insurance is paid up.

101. - Light? - No, I'll smoke it later.

102. - Did you watch it come down? - I seen it from my window.

103. Harold. Harold. Look here a minute.

104. Step over to your left. Just a little and hold it.

105. Smile.

106. It must've hit way up there, and then skidded along the gully.

107. After it stopped, all that loose earth and stuff shook down over it.

108. - Excuse me. - I guess most of it's buried.

109. That's 12 feet thick, easy. Maybe more.

110. Meteors always run heavy.

111. They won't be able to haul this one away to no museum.

112. It'll be a real good attraction for Sunday drivers.

113. Better than a lion farm, or a snake pit. We won't have to feed it.

114. Sure. We can sell the tamales, and the enchiladas, and the hot dogs, too!

115. Yeah! Ice cream, cold drinks, souvenirs.

116. I think we should put up a few picnic tables.

117. No, no. Then they'd bring their own lunches.

118. What's the idea, buck?

119. - Gonna dig for gold? - You think you're kidding?

120. It's gonna be like having a gold mine in our own backyard.

121. I'm gonna get a closer look at it.

122. Reckon it's solid all through?

123. Lucky it didn't come down in the middle of town!

124. I wonder who owns this property.

125. That's it, over there.

126. - What are you gonna do... - Feels pretty darn hot!

127. What's the idea of the shovel?

128. - Be careful, buck. - Yeah, watch it, buck.

129. Easy, buck. Come on.

130. It's pretty hot there.

131. - Did you see it come down? - Yes. I was fishing up in the hills.

132. Well, you must've caught plenty with all that tackle.

133. There were three of us. The others flew back in my plane.

134. I don't understand why a meteor that size didn't make a bigger crater.

135. It hit sideways, and skidded in.

136. At least that's what I think. I don't really know.

137. But the ranger said a scientist is coming from pacific tech.

138. He'll tell us.

139. Clayton forrester. Ever hear of him?

140. What's that fellow trying to do over there, dig it out?

141. He's top man in astro and nuclear physics. He knows all about meteors.

142. You seem to know all about him.

143. Well, I did a thesis on modern scientists, working for my master's degree.

144. - Did it do you any good? - Why, sure. I got it.

145. - Say, do you have a match? - No, I'm sorry. I don't smoke.

146. Forrester's the man behind the new atomic engines.

147. They had him on the cover of time.

148. You know, you've got to rate to get that.

149. He isn't that good.

150. Well, now, how can you say that when you don't even know him?

151. I do know him. Slightly.

152. - What's he like? - Well, he's like...

153. Like...

154. Well, you certainly don't look like yourself in that getup, Dr. forrester,

155. but I'm happy to meet you, anyway.

156. I'm Sylvia Van buren. I teach library science over at usc.

157. I didn't know how to stop you.

158. Well, I might have recognized you without the beard,

159. and you didn't wear glasses on the time cover.

160. They're really for long distance.

161. When I want to look at something close, I take them off.

162. Boy, you could fry eggs on that thing!

163. All that sand will keep the heat in for a long time.

164. Uncle Matthew, this is Dr. Clayton forrester.

165. My uncle, Dr. Matthew Collins, pastor of the community church.

166. - Well, I... how do you do, Dr. forrester? - How do you do, sir?

167. Hey, you!

168. What you got in here, fella? Ticking like a bomb.

169. This is a geiger counter for detecting radioactivity.

170. We did a little bit of surveying while we were up in the hills.

171. It's that meteor.

172. It's radioactive?

173. Yes. Difficult to account for a reaction like that.

174. Look at this thing. It's going crazy.

175. Maybe we ought to keep people away from it, huh?

176. Might be a good idea.

177. I'll post two or three deputies.

178. They can make sure it doesn't start any more fires, too.

179. You know, that meteor's either very light,

180. which is unheard of, or else it's hollow somehow.

181. If it were heavy and solid,

182. it would have made a tremendous crater when it landed.

183. I think I'll wait around until it cools off.

184. If you tell me of a place in town, I'd like to clean up.

185. I'd be delighted if you'd stay at my house, Dr. forrester.

186. Thank you.

187. Probably won't be cool for another 24 hours.

188. What do people do around here on a Saturday?

189. They don't do much of anything.

190. There's a square dance at the social hall this evening.

191. Well, let's take another look at it.

192. Almost cold now, ain't it?

193. It won't start any more fires. We might as well go home.

194. Yeah, no sense staying out here.

195. Let's go.

196. Hey! It's moving!

197. It's a bomb.

198. It don't go off last night.

199. Maybe it's gonna go off now, huh?

200. It's an enemy sneak attack.

201. - Let's get out of here. - Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

202. Bombs don't unscrew.

203. It's no meteor, that's for sure.

204. Darnedest thing I ever saw.

205. The way that's unscrewing.

206. Thank you, Dr. forrester. You having fun?

207. Yep. And you want to know what I was thinking?

208. If we could gather all the energy expended in just one square dance,

209. we could send that meteor back to where it came from.

210. - Must be somebody in there. - Who?

211. - Where do you think they come from? - How would I know?

212. I read someplace Mars is near the earth right now.

213. Happens every 18, 20 years, they say.

214. Men from Mars.

215. What do you think?

216. Maybe these are not men, not like us.

217. Everything human doesn't have to look like you and me.

218. If it's men from Mars, we ought to let them know we're friendly.

219. Don't fool around with something when you don't know what it is.

220. We'd be the first to make contact with them, see?

221. We'd be in all the papers.

222. How about that?

223. We could show them we're friendly, huh?

224. Walk out there with a white flag.

225. Hey, I got an old sugar sack in my car.

226. What are we going to say to them?

227. "Welcome to California.”

228. Come on.

229. We're friends! Yeah!

230. Hey, there! Open up!

231. - How they gonna understand us? - We'll talk in sign language.

232. - They'll understand us, all right. - Sure. Sure!

233. Everybody understands when you wave the white flag,

234. you wanna be friends.

235. Hey, there! Open up!

236. Come on out! We're friends!

237. That's right! We welcome you!

238. We're friends! Yeah!

239. - Hey! Hey! - Hey! Hey!

240. Where's the fuse box?

241. No smooching in the dark, folks.

242. Any candles around?

243. Hey, look! Look! All the lights in town have gone out!

244. Somebody's found some candles.

245. - Zippy? - T like it in the dark.

246. Call the electric company and see what happened.

247. Okay.

248. - Hey! The phone's gone dead! - That's funny.

249. The phone's not on the same circuit as the lights.

250. What are they saying, honey? Something's wrong with my hearing aid.

251. Well, we always play goodnight, ladies at 12:00, anyway.

252. It must be nearly that now.

253. - My watch has stopped. - I've got the time.

254. - Mine stopped, too. - So has mine.

255. Jeepers, mine ain't working. What is this?

256. Why, they've all stopped at the same time.

257. There's only one explanation for a thing like this.

258. Do you have a pin?

259. - Look! - Look!

260. See that? My watch is magnetized.

261. How could it happen to everybody's watch altogether?

262. - Do you have a pocket compass? - Yeah.

263. Hey, that needle isn't pointing north!

264. It's pointing to the gully where that meteor came down.

265. All right, folks, let me through. Let me through here.

266. Sheriff, what's going on?

267. I don't know any more than you do, Joe.

268. Look at the fire out there.

269. Let's go see.

270. The power lines are down. That explains why the lights went out.

271. What the... hey, look at the car!

272. Where are the three men you left out here?

273. Look therel

274. Jump! Get under cover!

275. What is that gizmo?

276. I think that gizmo is a machine from another planet.

277. We better get word to the authorities.

278. Look!

279. Sheriff, you'd better get word to the military.

280. You're going to need them out here.

281. Get moving, on the double!

282. Take cover along the riverbed! Get those.30s over here!

283. The area is under control of marines from El toro base,

284. and the gully is surrounded.

285. And here's professor mcpherson

286. of the Canadian meteorological research council.

287. Is it true, professor, you've had reports of landings

288. - in other places? In Canada? - Not in Canada yet.

289. But in Bordeaux, France. Some in Spain.

290. There's supposed to be one down near the Gulf of taranto, Italy.

291. We're trying to locate the second meteor

292. that landed in this vicinity just about midnight.

293. Well, do you think they come from Mars?

294. What do you think, Dr. forrester?

295. It's possible. At least it seems certain

296. they're from some planet other than our own.

297. Suppose they are martians, professor. What would they look like?

298. Bigger than us? Smaller?

299. Well, as to martians,

300. our gravitational pull would weigh them down.

301. Our heavier air would oppress them.

302. Then you think they'd be breathing creatures like us.

303. What about the hearts and blood and all that?

304. But if they are martians, and if they do have hearts,

305. they'd almost certainly beat at a slower rate.

306. Their veins might be distended.

307. Their senses could be quite different from ours, of course.

308. They may, for instance, be able to smell colors.

309. Precedent in our own evolution

310. makes it possible that they have more than one brain.

311. You mean two? Three? Just think of that, folks!

312. It's only speculation.

313. Now, Dr. forrester, what about these meteor machines?

314. They're probably controlled by jets after they enter our atmosphere,

315. and navigated by some form of gyroscopic mechanism.

316. Thank you, Dr. forrester.

317. Colonel, can you tell us anything about this plane that's coming over?

318. It'll drop a flare.

319. That's the only way we dare put light on them.

320. Then air force cameramen will get pictures.

321. That was marine colonel Ralph heffner.

322. There's been a lot of mysterious activity around the machine.

323. Lights and dust, as if they're digging themselves out.

324. And there it comes again!

325. If this keeps up, it'll be a guide for the plane when it comes over.

326. - Is that the plane, now? - Yes. He's signaling.

327. The pilot has just blipped his motor. That means he's dropped the flare.

328. He's flying high, so, it'll take a few seconds for it to come down.

329. When it does burst, we shall be the first men on earth

330. to get a real look at these invaders from space.

331. They're going after the plane with their ray!

332. - Take cover! - Jump for it!

333. We are...

334. Hey!

335. They cut me off! They got my truck!

336. It looks like they're gonna come out of that gully pretty soon.

337. We'll have to rush our defenses to be ready when they do.

338. You're going to need plenty of reinforcements.

339. We'll get them.

340. They got the fire road blocked.

341. A truck turned over.

342. The troops are certainly moving in here.

343. I know you sent word to the sixth army command.

344. No, I just told them the local situation. Colonel heffner's in charge.

345. You never know where you're going to wind up

346. when you go to a square dance, do you?

347. Runner? Where's a runner?

348. - That's d-24. - Correct.

349. Now, locate your observation post on this hill.

350. Position your recoilless 75s back here, carbon canyon.

351. - Yes, sir. - I want your battery here.

352. You may find at daylight, you're too exposed,

353. so, keep your prime movers ready to pull you out fast.

354. But you'll get first crack at them.

355. - Suits me. Will that be all, sir? - Colonel heffner?

356. Yes. Report when you're setup.

357. Heffner.

358. Half-tracks? Okay.

359. Get in back of hill three.

360. Repeat, hill three.

361. If it's a moving target, follow up from there.

362. - All right. Over and out. - Number seven, do you hear me?

363. Anybody get a look at the martians yet?

364. They've located that second meteor.

365. Mark it up.

366. Weapons truck turned over on the road. Take action and report.

367. Company tactical net out of action. No radio.

368. Three, one, eight, zero...

369. There's one. There's the other. And here we are, right between them.

370. So is the town, I notice.

371. I warned them to be ready if they have to evacuate.

372. I just came to tell you everyone has been alerted.

373. As you were.

374. General mann, I was told to expect you, sir. I'm colonel heffner.

375. I'm here to make up a report,

376. not to interfere with the operations you've setup.

377. You're still in command.

378. Clayton forrester.

379. - I haven't seen you since oak Ridge. - Good to see you, general.

380. - This is pastor Collins. - How do you do?

381. - Sheriff bogany, head of local control. - General.

382. - Miss Van buren. - Miss Van buren.

383. How do you do, general? Would you care for some coffee?

384. Thank you.

385. General mann's in charge of intelligence for the pacific area.

386. That's their position.

387. Well, you've certainly got them surrounded.

388. I suppose they neutralized all communications here.

389. Not all, sir. Radio's out, but our field phones are okay so far.

390. Well, they'll go the minute there's another heat-ray.

391. "Cylinder reported down by huntington beach."

392. - Well, that's a job for the Navy. - Any news from abroad?

393. Washington is in constant touch with the military of other nations.

394. Apparently, they're coming down all over.

395. South America.

396. Santiago has two cylinders.

397. They're outside London.

398. They're in Naples.

399. We've got them between here and Fresno. Outside Sacramento. Two on long island.

400. They're just coming down at random.

401. No.

402. According to information from foreign sources,

403. they're working to some kind of a plan.

404. Now, what it may be isn't clear yet,

405. simply because, once they begin to move, no more news comes out of that area.

406. We've been getting reports of destruction, massacre.

407. Here's an instance,

408. "town of St. Julien, south of Bordeaux, wiped out by ray of undetermined nature.

409. "Local reports say nothing remains.”

410. Nothing remains. What do you make of that?

411. All we've seen is the heat-ray they use.

412. Well, some of our newest weapons are in here.

413. - We want to be sure to stop them. - We will, sir.

414. Now, from the data

415. from that picture the air force took earlier tonight,

416. what we've got out there, is the original pilot ship.

417. On the basis of its observations, the others were guided down.

418. Pattern-wise, one lands, then two,

419. making groups of threes, joined magnetically.

420. - Is that possible? - If they do it, it is.

421. My orders are not to go into action

422. unless they move out of the shelter of that gully.

423. Well, meanwhile, we'll have a chance to observe them.

424. This is the only place we've had time to surround them

425. with sufficient force to contain them.

426. What happens here will be a guide to all other operations.

427. Now, the minute action begins and a pattern of defense develops,

428. I'll get my report to Washington.

429. - You've deployed your forces well. - Thank you, sir.

430. If they start anything, we can blast them right off the earth.

431. They'll probably move at dawn.

432. There's something moving in the gully.

433. Look at it, will you?

434. Beings from another world.

435. - Is that some kind of a flying machine? - No, no.

436. It's supported from the ground by rays,

437. probably some form of magnetic flux, like invisible legs.

438. This is amazing.

439. They must keep the opposing poles in balance and lift the machine.

440. Stand by to fire.

441. All command posts, stand by to fire.

442. But, colonel, shooting's no good.

443. It's always been a good persuader.

444. Shouldn't you try to communicate with them first,

445. and shoot later if you have to?

446. Target as indicated. Repeat. Target as indicated.

447. The 75s report they've got them under open sights, sir.

448. I think we should try to make them understand

449. we mean them no harm.

450. There's another machine coming out.

451. - They are living creatures out there. - But they're not human.

452. Dr. forrester says they're some kind of advanced civilization.

453. They should be nearer the creator for that reason.

454. It'll be a moving target. Prepare to follow-up.

455. No real attempt has been made to communicate with them, you know?

456. Let's go back inside, uncle Matthew.

457. I've done all I can in there. You go back.

458. Sylvia, I like that Dr. forrester.

459. He's a good man.

460. Attention, all batteries. Prepare for volley fire.

461. Repeat. Prepare for volley fire.

462. Who's that?

463. What's he think he's doing?

464. - Uncle! Uncle Matthew! Stop him! - It's too late now. He's too far away.

465. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

466. "t will fear no evil."

467. Stop him!

468. It's seen him.

469. "Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over.

470. "And I will dwell in the house of the lord forever."

471. - Let them have it! - Fire!

472. Those shells can't get through to them.

473. They've put out some sort of electromagnetic covering,

474. a protective blister.

475. That skeleton beam must be

476. what they used to wipe out the French city.

477. It neutralizes mesons somehow.

478. They're the atomic glue holding matter together.

479. Cut across their lines of magnetic force, and any object will simply cease to exist.

480. Take my word for it, general.

481. This type of defense is useless against that kind of power.

482. You'd better let Washington know, fast!

483. - Hold them as long as you can. - Right, sir.

484. Order all command posts.

485. Everything pull back north of highway 60 tunnel bunker.

486. Right.

487. Everybody, out of here! Everybody, out!

488. The air force will take care of these babies now.

489. Dr. forrester, get out of here. Everybody out of here!

490. Everybody...

491. You'll hit something. Can't you go higher?

492. No. The air will be full of jets in a minute. There they are!

493. All about the martian invasion. They're in New York and Miami,

494. invasion killer rays!

495. Fighting outside Los Angeles.

496. All about jt!

497. Hold it right there, general, please.

498. You're the gentlemen I asked to come here.

499. - Get Washington. - General mann,

500. what do you think of this situation?

501. Is it your opinion the army can hold them?

502. Sorry, I've no time.

503. You had guns and equipment going out there all night.

504. - Wasn't that enough to... - Come on. Break it up.

505. The way he's hedging, maybe the army didn't hold them.

506. I've seen news off the pacific cables. Sydney, Australia. Penang, rangoon, India.

507. From what's coming through, nobody's stopped them yet.

508. I wanna know if the city must be evacuated...

509. We're ready. Lots of people have already moved out.

510. We've mobilized emergency cars and buses in the yards.

511. The red cross is standing by.

512. Now, for your information, the enemy is 25 or 30 miles outside Los Angeles.

513. Not down in full force yet, but developing.

514. It can happen any minute.

515. The crisis will come if they move toward the metropolitan area. Now, we've got...

516. Washington's on the line, sir.

517. General mann.

518. I'd say our effective losses were nearly 60% men, 90% material.

519. Well, the jets went in, but not one of them came out.

520. I watched high-level bombers drop everything they carried.

521. They were knocked out of the sky, and their bombs did nothing.

522. Nothing was effective against them.

523. Yes. They have some sort of electronic umbrella.

524. It's quite impenetrable.

525. Dr. forrester believes they generate atomic force

526. without the heavy screening we use.

527. That's where they get the power for their rays.

528. Very well, sir.

529. Call victorville, tell them I want the fastest plane they've got.

530. You'll get all further instructions from sixth army command.

531. Now, I'll make a statement to those reporters.

532. Right.

533. All right, fellas. The general will see you now.

534. General, we heard

535. that Dr. Clayton forrester was out there with you.

536. What's he think about this?

537. Ask him. He's back at pacific tech.

538. No, he's not. We tried to get him there. He hasn't shown up.

539. Wake up.

540. Let's get moving, huh?

541. Are you all right?

542. - Is that machine... - It's gone.

543. Where are we? Southwest of corona somewhere.

544. There must have been another cylinder down here.

545. They've been through this whole area and cleared everybody out.

546. There's a farmhouse out there.

547. Let's see if we can find something to eat, huh?

548. We're doing all right. You know, I almost forgot when I ate last.

549. Hey, that looks good.

550. You know, mostly, I get my meals in coffee shops and restaurants.

551. - Don't you live at home? - No, on the campus.

552. - I haven't any family. - I come from a big one.

553. There's nine of us, all in Minnesota, except me.

554. I have no close folks. My parents died when I was a kid.

555. A big family must be fun. I imagine...

556. I imagine it makes you feel you belong to something.

557. It does. Maybe that's why I feel kind of lost right now.

558. We'll get out of here safely. Don't worry.

559. But they seem to murder everything that moves.

560. If they're mortal, they must have mortal weaknesses.

561. They'll be stopped. Somehow.

562. I've been as close to them as anyone,

563. I feel like I did one time when I was small.

564. Awful scared and lonesome.

565. I'd wandered off. I've forgotten why.

566. But the family and whole crowds of neighbors were hunting for me.

567. They found me in a church.

568. I was afraid to go in anyplace else.

569. I stayed right by that door,

570. praying for the one who loved me best to come and find me.

571. It was uncle Matthew who found me.

572. I liked him.

573. He liked you.

574. I could bawl my head off.

575. But you're not going to. You're not the kind.

576. Look, you're tired. You've been up all night.

577. You cracked up in a plane, slept in a ditch.

578. You want to know something?

579. It doesn't show on you at all.

580. Get down!

581. - How long was I out? - Hours. I've been so scared.

582. They're right outside. Several of them came down together.

583. There's a machine standing right alongside of us.

584. An electronic eye.

585. Like a television camera.

586. It's looking for us.

587. Maybe they're not too sure we're here.

588. They could be as curious about us as we are about them.

589. Maybe.

590. Maybe they want to take us alive.

591. It's pulling out.

592. Can't we get out of here?

593. Something moved out there.

594. There's nothing there now.

595. It was one of them.

596. What was it like?

597. I couldn't see much in the dark, but it was one.

598. We're right in a nest of them. I've got to get a good look at them.

599. - They've blocked it. - It's blocked here, too.

600. They've pushed earth or something, all around, outside.

601. Here. This way. The stairway up to the attic.

602. Look out!

603. Your scarf.

604. It's wet.

605. Blood.

606. No, no.

607. Nol

608. - stop it! Stop it! - It's not blood!

609. We gotta make a run for it. Come on.

610. The martians had calculated their descent upon our earth

611. with amazing perfection and subtlety.

612. As more of their cylinders came from the mysterious depths of space,

613. their war machines, awesome in their power and complexity,

614. created a wave of fear, which swept into all corners of the world.

615. In every country, government officials met in desperate conclave,

616. seeking ways to coordinate their defenses with those of other nations.

617. The government of India, driven from New Delhi,

618. met in a railroad coach,

619. while massive hindu populations streamed

620. for the imagined safety of the faraway himalayas.

621. The redoubtable Finnish and turkish armies,

622. Chinese battalions and Bolivians worked and fought furiously.

623. Every effort against the tremendous power

624. of their other-world antagonists ended in the same frantic rout.

625. As the martians burned fields and forests, and great cities fell before them,

626. huge populations were driven from their homes.

627. The stream of flight Rose swiftly to a torrent.

628. It became a giant stampede without order and without goal.

629. It was the beginning of the rout of civilization,

630. of the massacre of humanity.

631. A great silence fell over half of Europe as all communication was disrupted.

632. When the last wire photo out of Paris

633. reached the French cabinet exiled in strasbourg,

634. they hit upon the idea of using super-speed jets as couriers.

635. Stripped of armament and loaded with extra fuel,

636. these planes maintained connection with the Scandinavian countries,

637. north Africa, the United States, and especially with england.

638. It was plain the martians appreciated

639. the strategic significance of the British isles.

640. The people of britain met the invaders magnificently.

641. But it was unavailing.

642. As the martians swept northward toward London,

643. the British cabinet stayed in session,

644. coordinating every item of information that could be gathered,

645. passing it on to the united nations in New York.

646. From there, the news was forwarded to Washington

647. because here was the only remaining unassailed strategic point.

648. Forty-eight north. Two west.

649. Thirty-one east.

650. - Anchored on Cairo. - Checking.

651. Dover blanked out.

652. Brazil checking.

653. Urgent. Major Bentley Dawson, report to general mann.

654. Eighty west by 38 north.

655. Make every effort to contact the civil authorities,

656. evacuating declared emergency area.

657. And this much is certain,

658. it's vital to prevent the martian machines from linking up.

659. Once they do, they adopt an extraordinary military tactic.

660. They form a Crescent.

661. They anchor it at one end and sweep on,

662. until they've cleared a quadrant.

663. Then they anchor the opposite end and reverse direction.

664. They slash across country like scythes,

665. wiping out everything that's trying to get away from them.

666. That explains why communication is cut the moment their machines begin moving.

667. Montreal's blacked out. Nothing more has come through.

668. Same thing that happened on the pacific coast.

669. - Anything from them yet? - No, Mr. secretary.

670. We've had nothing from San Francisco for over five hours.

671. Excuse me, gentlemen. Here's that Los Angeles picture, sir.

672. This is a Sonic radar picture taken from extreme altitude.

673. It shows full details of the martian nest outside Los Angeles.

674. Their machines appear as round blobs. Newly-fallen cylinders are elongated.

675. We know there are three cylinders to each group

676. and three machines to each cylinder.

677. All right. I've seen enough.

678. There's only one thing that'll stop the martians.

679. We've held back because of the danger of radiation to civilians.

680. Now, there's no choice.

681. The white house will confirm an order to use the atom bomb.

682. Then our first target will be the initial landing place outside Los Angeles.

683. First thing you get there,

684. arrange for the pacific tech scientists to monitor the drop.

685. I'll send wire orders ahead of you, and have the area cleared all around.

686. We've still time to hit them before dark.

687. Then we'll blast them all over the world.

688. Pacific institute of science and technology

689. forrester, everybody's been looking for you.

690. I know. We've walked halfway from corona. Finally found an abandoned truck.

691. This is miss Van buren.

692. Dr. gratzman, Dr. pryor, James, bilderbeck.

693. What's this I hear about the a-bomb?

694. We've been assigned as special detail.

695. We're going in right afterwards, study its effect.

696. We're leaving in half an hour. What's that?

697. - King-sized fisheye? - This is an electronic eye.

698. The martians modeled it after their own eye.

699. They use it the way we use a periscope.

700. It'll tell us a lot about their metals and alloys.

701. If this is actually a lens, we can find out about their optics.

702. - Interesting. Very interesting. - And this...

703. Blood of a martian.

704. I don't remember ever seeing blood crystals as anemic as these.

705. They may be mental giants,

706. but by our standards,

707. physically, they must be very primitive.

708. Isn't it curious how everything about them seems to be in threes?

709. Their eyes have three lenses, three distinct pupils,

710. - strong light shocks them. - They're not accustomed to it.

711. Sunlight on Mars is approximately half as strong as we get it.

712. Add their clouds and dust, it amounts to no more than our twilight.

713. Now, if you'll step over here, please.

714. We've rigged the epidiascope

715. to reflect whatever the martian lens picks up.

716. Move in a little. Thank you.

717. There's how the martians see us.

718. Evidently, there's a shift in their spectrum.

719. Their color absorption must be different from ours.

720. Let's see why they were so curious about you, miss Van buren.

721. Time to get started, gentlemen.

722. Let's go.

723. That martian blood,

724. let them make a quick analysis of it to see what we've got.

725. It might give us something.

726. - Something we could use. - Let it go.

727. If you're interested in martian blood,

728. you'll get all you want right after the plane drops the bomb.

729. The flying wing is going to carry it.

730. Hello, tower, this is air force flying wing ready for takeoff.

731. Over.

732. Flying wing, this is the tower. Clear for takeoff. Over.

733. Wish us luck. Roger.

734. The target for the a-bomb is this nest of martian machines in the puente hills,

735. where more of these meteor-cylinders came down early last evening.

736. A plane will pinpoint the target for the drop from six miles up.

737. We've been warned that this bomb is 10 times more powerful

738. than anything previously used.

739. It's the latest thing in nuclear fission.

740. Nothing like this has ever been exploded before,

741. and we're going to be pretty darn close.

742. But there are observers down in the valley in a forward bunker,

743. they'll be a lot nearer than us.

744. The whole world is waiting,

745. for this will decide the fate of civilization and all humanity.

746. Whether we live or die, may depend on what happens here.

747. Attention, please. Four minutes to bomb time.

748. There must be a couple of million people

749. back of us in the shelter of the San Gabriel hills.

750. Waiting. Waiting to find out whether they can go home again.

751. Everywhere, all around the world, people have been driven from their homes.

752. Direct cable communication is being maintained with Washington,

753. but there's no radio at all,

754. not even with the bombing plane that's coming over.

755. All radio is dead.

756. Which means that these tape recordings I'm making

757. are for the sake of future history.

758. If any.

759. Future history, he said.

760. Yes. If any.

761. Bilderbeck has calculated how long we have got

762. until martians take over the entire world.

763. If the a-bomb fails, that is,

764. the martians can conquer the earth in six days.

765. The same number of days it took to create it.

766. Attention, please. Two minutes to bomb time.

767. Prepare to take shelter.

768. If you have no goggles, turn away.

769. Remember, the heat flash and concussion that follow are dangerous.

770. Fifty seconds.

771. - There's the plane. - Right.

772. Forty seconds.

773. - We've spotted the plane, sir. - Right.

774. Thirty seconds.

775. Look. Look!

776. They're using those protective blisters again.

777. Twenty seconds.

778. Attention. Stand by.

779. Fifteen seconds.

780. Ten seconds.

781. Nine, eight, seven,

782. six, five, four,

783. three, two, one.

784. Hello! Hello, hello, there. What can you see?

785. There's something moving.

786. They haven't even been touched!

787. It didn't stop them.

788. Guns, tanks, bombs. They're like toys against them.

789. It'll end only one way. We're beaten.

790. No. Not yet.

791. Washington issued orders.

792. In the event the a-bomb failed, evacuate all cities in danger of attack.

793. They'll be moving on Los Angeles now.

794. We'll establish a line and fight them all the way back to the mountains.

795. Our best hope lies in what you people can develop to help us.

796. All right, on the double. Get me back to sixth army hq. Hurry up!

797. Six days, you said. Six days.

798. They'll stamp the city flat.

799. We'll take all our instruments

800. and establish a base laboratory in the rocky mountains.

801. It'll give us time to search out some weakness in the martians.

802. A forlorn hope, but there is a chance.

803. We may get a lead from that anemic blood.

804. You mean by some biological approach?

805. We know now, that we can't beat their machines.

806. We've got to beat them.

807. Everybody, listen carefully. The martians are coming this way.

808. We must evacuate the city.

809. Take food and water and extra clothing with you.

810. All major highways have been marked

811. to lead you to shelter and welfare centers in the hills.

812. Come on, come on. Keep going.

813. Keep going.

814. Keep them rolling, there. Keep going.

815. Come on.

816. Come on!

817. Gratzman, did you get those biotics?

818. No, I thought you had them!

819. Never mind. I'll get them! You get in the school bus!

820. Sylvia will drive you!

821. Let me up.

822. - Get off, buster! - I'll give you $500 for your place.

823. - I'll make it $1,000! - Money's no good anymore, Mac!

824. Here comes another truck!

825. - Throw that guy off there! - Get him out of therel

826. stop, you fools!

827. Get over!

828. You fools!

829. Quick! Help me! We've got to stop them!

830. We can't stop them. The law's no good here now.

831. They're thieves, robbers, worse. They wouldn't leave with the rest.

832. - It's like this all over. - They've got to be stopped!

833. Those instruments!

834. Hold it! Hold it a minute!

835. We've got to have those instruments. They're our only chance!

836. Did that mob grab the trucks ahead of me?

837. There were a lot of pacific tech people with those trucks. Did you see them?

838. I don't know anything about other trucks.

839. There's been fighting on all the streets.

840. A school bus. A girl was driving. Did they get that?

841. If they saw it, they took it. They'll grab anything on wheels.

842. You can't buy a ride for love or money!

843. School bus

844. Gratzman! Bilderbeck!

845. Sylvia!

846. Hey, you, better get out of here.

847. I'm looking for some pacific tech professors!

848. - There's nobody left around here now! - We had a chance.

849. We could've stopped them.

850. The mob stole all the trucks, smashed everything up.

851. Fools! They cut their own throats!

852. He's nuts. Come on. Jump in.

853. - Hurry up! Jump in! - There was a girl with them.

854. - If I can find them... - Come on. Jump in, will you?

855. - She's kind of lost. - You look kind of lost yourself.

856. But I think it know where she'll be.

857. Come on, come on. It's your last chance to get out of here.

858. We humbly beseech thy divine guidance, o lord.

859. Deliver us from the fear which has come upon us.

860. From the evil that grows ever nearer.

861. From the terror that soon will knock upon the very door of this, thy house.

862. O lord, we pray thee,

863. Grant us the miracle of thy divine intervention.

864. Don't go, son. Stay with us.

865. No. I'm looking for someone. She'll be in a church, near the door.

866. Forrester!

867. Duprey, bilderbeck!

868. Are you...

869. Where are the others?

870. A mob attacked us. We don't know what happened to the rest.

871. I... I got...

872. I got knocked under our truck.

873. Duprey pulled me out.

874. What happened to Sylvia?

875. We never did see her again.

876. In our peril, we plead, succor and comfort us in this hour.

877. Please, god.

878. Sylvia!

879. Sylvia!

880. Sylvia!

881. - Here! Here! - Sylvia!

882. Let me through, please!

883. Maybe they've gone another way.

884. Let's go see.

885. It must be all right.

886. Something's happening to them.

887. It's dead.

888. We were all praying for a miracle.

889. The martians had no resistance to the bacteria in our atmosphere

890. to which we have long since become immune.

891. Once they had breathed our air, germs which no longer affect us

892. began to kill them.

893. The end came swiftly.

894. All over the world, their machines began to stop and fall.

895. After all that men could do had failed,

896. the martians were destroyed and humanity was saved

897. by the littlest things

898. which god, in his wisdom, had put upon this earth.