Question 1

Why did Ultra Film cast Claude Rains in Battle of the Worlds?

Accepted Answer

After the poor US distribution of Assignment: Outer Space (1960), Ultra Film added a 'name' American actor, Claude Rains, to improve performance in the US market. Rains had just played a grumpy professor in The Lost World (1960) and was deemed perfect for the grumpy Prof. Benson.

Question 2

How was Battle of the Worlds distributed in the US?

Accepted Answer

Major US distributors passed it over. It was picked up by a very minor distributor and not released until 1963, receiving scant bookings. It later became popular via TV syndication in the 1960s and VHS in 1986 from Goodtimes Home Video.

Question 3

Who actually wrote the screenplay for Battle of the Worlds?

Accepted Answer

The credits list 'Vassilij Petrov', but the screenplay was actually written by Italian screenwriter Ennio De Concini.

Question 4

Which director and writer team re-teamed for this film after Assignment: Outer Space?

Accepted Answer

Director Antonio Margheriti and writer Ennio De Concini re-teamed immediately after Assignment: Outer Space (1960) to make Battle of the Worlds.

Question 5

What is the basic plot of Battle of the Worlds?

Accepted Answer

A stray planet on a collision course with Earth instead takes orbit. It appears dead but suddenly launches flying saucers that attack Earth's space fleets.

Battle of the Worlds

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