Devil Girl from Mars
Encyclopedia
Devil Girl from Mars is a black and white 1954 British
science fiction
film, directed by David MacDonald
. It was adapted from a stage play and became a cult favorite.
dressed in black vinyl, is headed for London. She is part of the advanced team that are looking for men to replace the dying male population on their planet
. However, because of damage to her spaceship caused by atmospheric entry, she is forced to land her flying saucer
in the remote Scottish moors
. She is armed with a raygun
that can paralyze or kill, and is accompanied by a menacing robot
.
On Nyah's home world, the emancipation of women eventually led to open warfare between the sexes. The females won, usurping the political power of the men and leading to the complete impotence of the male population. The result has been a rapid decline in birthrate. The aliens possess a type of advanced organic, self-regenerating technology, which was used to construct Nyah's spacecraft. Against this technology, human weaponry proves ineffectual, as demonstrated when Nyah comes away unscathed by shots from a gun. However, the alien technology is unreliable and the alien women have not been able to use it to artificially produce new offspring.
The film opens in the lobby of an English country inn where most of the movie takes place. The alien intermittently enters the inn lobby, makes threats, then leaves so the residents can contemplate her words. Intermixed with the appearances of Nyah, a pair of romantic sub-plots are followed. In the first, a fashion model, Miss Prestwick (Court), has fled to this remote hotel in order to escape a married American reporter, Michael Carter (McDermott). Michael doggedly follows her to the hotel, hoping to rekindle their affair. Meanwhile, a convict who accidentally killed his wife has managed to escape prison and travel to the hotel, hoping to connect with the barmaid whom he truly loves.
s columnist Doug Pratt called it a "delightfully bad movie". The "acting is really bad and the whole thing is so much fun you want to run to your local community theater group and have them put it on next, instead of Brigadoon
." American film reviewer Leonard Maltin
said the film is a "hilariously solemn, high camp British imitation of U.S. cheapies". The reviewer for the Monthly Film Bulletin
(1954) wrote that the "settings, dialogue, characterisation and special effects are of a low order, but even their modest unreality has its charm. There is really no fault in this film that one would like to see eliminated. Everything, in its way, is quite perfect." In Going to Mars, the authors described the film as "an undeniably awful but oddly interesting" film. They noted that the plot was "more a reflection of the 1950s view of politics and the era's inequality of the sexes than a thoughtful projection of present or future possibilities".
Eric S. Rabkin likens the character Nyah to a dominatrix and even a neo-nazi. He said of the film that, "a host of charged images and subconscious fears" are handled with a broad camp irony. Otherwise, "without some underlying psychological engagement, how could anyone sit through a movie so badly made"? The film inspired Hugo
and Nebula
award winning author Octavia Butler to begin writing science fiction. After watching the motion picture at age twelve, she declared that she could write something better. Likewise, the Los Angeles avant-garde artist Gronk lists this film as the crucial factor that guided him in his career choice.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film, directed by David MacDonald
David MacDonald (director)
David MacDonald was a British film director, writer and producer. His first major film as director was The Brothers.-Select filmography:*The Last Curtain...
. It was adapted from a stage play and became a cult favorite.
Synopsis
Nyah, a sexy, commanding female alienExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
dressed in black vinyl, is headed for London. She is part of the advanced team that are looking for men to replace the dying male population on their planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
. However, because of damage to her spaceship caused by atmospheric entry, she is forced to land her flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
in the remote Scottish moors
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
. She is armed with a raygun
Raygun
Rayguns are a type of fictional directed-energy weapon. They have various alternate names: ray gun, death ray, beam gun, blaster, laser gun, phaser, etc. They are a well-known feature of science fiction; for such stories they typically have the general function of guns...
that can paralyze or kill, and is accompanied by a menacing robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
.
On Nyah's home world, the emancipation of women eventually led to open warfare between the sexes. The females won, usurping the political power of the men and leading to the complete impotence of the male population. The result has been a rapid decline in birthrate. The aliens possess a type of advanced organic, self-regenerating technology, which was used to construct Nyah's spacecraft. Against this technology, human weaponry proves ineffectual, as demonstrated when Nyah comes away unscathed by shots from a gun. However, the alien technology is unreliable and the alien women have not been able to use it to artificially produce new offspring.
The film opens in the lobby of an English country inn where most of the movie takes place. The alien intermittently enters the inn lobby, makes threats, then leaves so the residents can contemplate her words. Intermixed with the appearances of Nyah, a pair of romantic sub-plots are followed. In the first, a fashion model, Miss Prestwick (Court), has fled to this remote hotel in order to escape a married American reporter, Michael Carter (McDermott). Michael doggedly follows her to the hotel, hoping to rekindle their affair. Meanwhile, a convict who accidentally killed his wife has managed to escape prison and travel to the hotel, hoping to connect with the barmaid whom he truly loves.
Production
The film was shot on a low budget, with no retakes except in cases where the film became broken. It was shot over a period of three weeks, often filming into the night. Actress Hazel Court later said, "I remember great fun on the set. It was like a repertory company acting that film". The robot named Chani was constructed by Jack Whitehead and was fully automated, although this machine suffered breakdowns during the filming.Cast
- Patricia LaffanPatricia Laffan-External links:*...
as Nyah, the Devil Girl - Hugh McDermottHugh McDermott (actor)Hugh McDermott was a British actor who made a number of film and television appearances between 1936 and 1972. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1908 and made his screen debut in Well Done, Henry and followed it up with an appearance as HM Stanley in David Livingstone...
as Michael Carter - Hazel CourtHazel CourtHazel Court was an English actress best known for her roles in horror films during the 1950s and early 1960s.-Early life:...
as Ellen Prestwick - Peter Reynolds as Robert Justin, alias Albert Simpson
- Adrienne CorriAdrienne CorriAdrienne Corri is an actress of Italian parentage.She is probably best known for her role as the rape victim Mrs. Alexander in the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange, and for her appearances as Valerie in Jean Renoir's The River and as Lara's mother in David Lean's Dr. Zhivago...
as Doris - Joseph TomeltyJoseph TomeltyJoseph Tomelty was a Northern Irish character actor and playwright. He worked in film, television, radio and on the stage, starring in Sam Thompson's 1960 play Over the Bridge.-Early life:...
as Professor Arnold Hennessey - John LaurieJohn LaurieJohn Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier...
as Mr. Jamieson - Sophie StewartSophie StewartSophie Stewart was a British actress. She was born in Crieff, Perthshire on 5 March 1908. Died 1977. In 1937 she starred in Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel as Lady Blakeney.She was married to the actor Ellis Irving.-Selected filmography:...
as Mrs. Jamieson - Anthony Richmond as Tommy
- James Edmund as David
- Stewart Hibberd as News Reader
Reception
Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s columnist Doug Pratt called it a "delightfully bad movie". The "acting is really bad and the whole thing is so much fun you want to run to your local community theater group and have them put it on next, instead of Brigadoon
Brigadoon
Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
." American film reviewer Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
said the film is a "hilariously solemn, high camp British imitation of U.S. cheapies". The reviewer for the Monthly Film Bulletin
Monthly Film Bulletin
The Monthly Film Bulletin was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a narrow arthouse release. The MFB was edited in the mid-1950s by David Robinson, in the late...
(1954) wrote that the "settings, dialogue, characterisation and special effects are of a low order, but even their modest unreality has its charm. There is really no fault in this film that one would like to see eliminated. Everything, in its way, is quite perfect." In Going to Mars, the authors described the film as "an undeniably awful but oddly interesting" film. They noted that the plot was "more a reflection of the 1950s view of politics and the era's inequality of the sexes than a thoughtful projection of present or future possibilities".
Eric S. Rabkin likens the character Nyah to a dominatrix and even a neo-nazi. He said of the film that, "a host of charged images and subconscious fears" are handled with a broad camp irony. Otherwise, "without some underlying psychological engagement, how could anyone sit through a movie so badly made"? The film inspired Hugo
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
and Nebula
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
award winning author Octavia Butler to begin writing science fiction. After watching the motion picture at age twelve, she declared that she could write something better. Likewise, the Los Angeles avant-garde artist Gronk lists this film as the crucial factor that guided him in his career choice.