The War of the Worlds
“Mighty panorama of Earth-shaking fury as an army from Mars invades!”
Synopsis
The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
How Chicken Wire Rescued a 1950s Cinematic Epic | The War of the Worlds (1953)
Type: Featurette • Published 2026-04-09
Top Cast
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Gene Barry
Clayton Forrester
Ann Robinson
Sylvia Van Buren
Lewis Martin
Matthew Collins
Les Tremayne
General Mann
Frank Kreig
Fiddler Hawkins (uncredited)
Vernon Rich
Ralph Heffner
Sandro Giglio
Dr. Bilderbeck
Ann Codee
Dr. Duprey (uncredited)
Robert Cornthwaite
Dr. Pryor
Cedric Hardwicke
Commentary (voice)
Houseley Stevenson Jr.
General Mann's Aide
William Phipps
Wash Perry
Jack Kruschen
Salvatore
Paul Birch
Alonzo Hogue (uncredited)
Paul Frees
Second Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer
Henry Brandon
Cop at Crash Site
Peter Adams
Pine Summit Fire Watcher (uncredited)
Eric Alden
Man (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
London
Festival / Special Debut
August 13, 1953
Wide Cinema Exhibition
September 2, 2009
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$2M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$2M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
1x
+undefined net gain
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Byron Haskin
- Screenplay & Story
- Barré Lyndon
- Original Score
- Leith Stevens
- Original Title
- The War of the Worlds
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- Hindi, German, Italian, English, Spanish
- Runtime
- 1h 25m
- Production Budget
- $2M
- Worldwide Gross
- $2M
- Production Studios
- Paramount Pictures
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Byron Haskin
Barré Lyndon, H. G. Wells
Leith Stevens
George Barnes
Everett Douglas
George Pal, Cecil B. DeMille
Department Leadership Roster
Edith Head
Costume Design
Barré Lyndon
Screenplay
Everett Douglas
Editor
Leith Stevens
Original Music Composer
Byron Haskin
Director
George Barnes
Director of Photography
George Pal
Producer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
G: General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.
International Certification Matrix
General — Suitable for all audiences.
General — Suitable for all ages.
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.
General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The War of the Worlds.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The War of the Worlds.
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Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
Filmsack Movie List
Filmsack Movie List of Films that the Filmsack Podcast has already covered. || http://filmsack.com || https://quicksack.li || https://quicksack.li/stats/
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Frequently Asked Questions About The War of the Worlds
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The War of the Worlds about?
The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.
Who directed The War of the Worlds?
The War of the Worlds was directed by Byron Haskin.
Who stars in The War of the Worlds?
The principal cast of The War of the Worlds includes Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Lewis Martin, Les Tremayne, Frank Kreig.
When was The War of the Worlds released and how long is it?
The War of the Worlds was released in 1953 with a total runtime of 1h 25m.
What was the box office and production budget of The War of the Worlds?
The War of the Worlds had a reported production budget of $2M and grossed $2M at the worldwide box office (1 return on budget, classified as a budget recovered).
Who composed the musical score for The War of the Worlds?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The War of the Worlds was composed by Leith Stevens.
Is The War of the Worlds based on a book or true story?
The War of the Worlds is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "H. G. Wells".
What is the age rating and content advisory for The War of the Worlds?
The War of the Worlds holds official age classifications: AU: G (General — Suitable for all audiences.); CA: G (General — Suitable for all ages.); DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); GB: PG (Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.); US: G (General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.).