Pregnant woman and husband's plane lands in strange town due to atmospheric disturbance. Townspeople act zombie-like, repeating same actions. Couple trapped, seeking escape as they unravel t... Read allPregnant woman and husband's plane lands in strange town due to atmospheric disturbance. Townspeople act zombie-like, repeating same actions. Couple trapped, seeking escape as they unravel the mystery behind the eerie phenomenon.Pregnant woman and husband's plane lands in strange town due to atmospheric disturbance. Townspeople act zombie-like, repeating same actions. Couple trapped, seeking escape as they unravel the mystery behind the eerie phenomenon.
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Yes this is a awful movie however I was in it: This was my first movie I play(name not on credits) the little girl walking around and riding on the carnival ride in a complete trance. My uncle was a producer and assisted Arch Obler on this film. I was only 7 years old but what memories. Gilligans Island,Big Valley ,Its about Time were all being filmed and I hung out with all of the actors. Michael Cole and Debra Wally were in the Bubble and were great to me. I will never forget that time. I continued on until into my 20 in the Hollywood scene and then decided to move on. I now own a successful Ice Sculpting and Event Decor company on the West Coast. I was so surprised to see this on the amazon.com I had to laugh. I even went to the opening it was at a theatre in Hollywood i got to walk down the red carpet and could barely write my name when another child asked if i was in the movie and wanted my autograph I only new how to print not write.
I have a real soft spot for this awful movie. I had nightmares for weeks after seeing it on its release; I was 6 years old. I remember ripping the 3D glasses off my face in abject terror. I would have run screaming from the theater if I had not been in the company of a large group of friends. Years later, I still had a rather vivid memory of the images that had terrified me and I searched high and low for this movie. When I finally found a VHS copy I was astounded at how cheesy and tame the whole thing was, though when I came to the part that had originally traumatized me, I still found it rather unnerving. I can't recommend it to the average viewer, but genre fans (that bad 60's horror genre) and 3D enthusiasts might want to take a look.
If I recall correctly, this movie, when shown "flat" on TV has some perplexing moments when characters inexplicably move objects toward and away from the camera, apparently for no reason other than to create a 3D effect, like in the old Second City TV skit "Doctor Tongue". If you're looking for a big budget aliens attacking flick like Independence Day in 3D, you'll be disappointed. It's a little more cerebral, creating atmosphere and suspense instead of thrills. In order to appreciate this kind of a movie, you have to be willing to work with it.
I was a teen in the 60's and a big horror movie fan who saw and read anything I could get my hands on regarding horror films, and especially 3D horror films of the 50's. I distinctly remember reading the press releases in the Detroit newspapers that Arch Oboler, one of the technical pioneers of 3D films in the 50's, was in town to supervise the installation of special silver screens for his new 3D process.
It was not new because it used polarized lenses...those had been used in the majority of the 3D films in the 50's. The new process related to the projection of the film. (I don't recall the articles going into much more detail about that process, but now I know it was apparently the first to combine both images on a single filmstrip.)
I was so excited that Oboler himself was in my hometown to supervise the showing I made sure to go see it. I believe it was at the Adams in downtown Detroit.
The 3D was mind-blowing! The beer tray floating out over the audience has still (this is mid 2013) not been topped for jaw-dropping 3D. I have thought of it many times since, and I think the reason it worked so well, and so much better than explosions or other fast-moving moves out of frame, is that the tray moved slow enough to follow and keep in focus by our eyes. (This is similar to holding one finger in front of your face and slowly moving it toward your nose. Your eyes cross slowly as your finger gets nearer.) I remember little else of the film, but I know that I walked out feeling I got my money's worth, just for the 3D alone.
It was not new because it used polarized lenses...those had been used in the majority of the 3D films in the 50's. The new process related to the projection of the film. (I don't recall the articles going into much more detail about that process, but now I know it was apparently the first to combine both images on a single filmstrip.)
I was so excited that Oboler himself was in my hometown to supervise the showing I made sure to go see it. I believe it was at the Adams in downtown Detroit.
The 3D was mind-blowing! The beer tray floating out over the audience has still (this is mid 2013) not been topped for jaw-dropping 3D. I have thought of it many times since, and I think the reason it worked so well, and so much better than explosions or other fast-moving moves out of frame, is that the tray moved slow enough to follow and keep in focus by our eyes. (This is similar to holding one finger in front of your face and slowly moving it toward your nose. Your eyes cross slowly as your finger gets nearer.) I remember little else of the film, but I know that I walked out feeling I got my money's worth, just for the 3D alone.
A young couple (the guy is Michael Cole) find themselves in a mysterious town.
I am guessing many retro sci-fi fans don't even know this film exists for the simple reason that the title - The Bubble - does not give any hint as to what genre of movie this is.
Hit and miss best describes this flick. Cole does some great acting, the backlot town looks creepy enough, the moody musical score fits in well and there are some very well done moments that Under The Dome (2013) may have pinched.
But this is a long movie that really needed to be a 25 minute or 50 minute TV episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. The ending is a bit average. Also, the 3D tricks (actors pointing things at the camera) are not welcome.
I would suggest a late night viewing when you are not feeling very demanding.
I am guessing many retro sci-fi fans don't even know this film exists for the simple reason that the title - The Bubble - does not give any hint as to what genre of movie this is.
Hit and miss best describes this flick. Cole does some great acting, the backlot town looks creepy enough, the moody musical score fits in well and there are some very well done moments that Under The Dome (2013) may have pinched.
But this is a long movie that really needed to be a 25 minute or 50 minute TV episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. The ending is a bit average. Also, the 3D tricks (actors pointing things at the camera) are not welcome.
I would suggest a late night viewing when you are not feeling very demanding.
Did you know
- TriviaOriginally released with a running time of 112 minutes but several critics complained about the slow pacing so, in 1968, director Arch Oboler cut it to 91 minutes. Unfortunately, the edits were made directly to the original camera negative and the footage was discarded. It was thought to be lost until a personal copy of the original print belonging to Deborah Walley was located. The 2014 Kino Lorber blu-ray retains the original title & 3-D but is still the 91 minute edit of the film.
- GoofsAfter Tony commandeered the taxi, he and the cabaret dancer are in the front seat while Mark and the driver are seen in the back, after a quick cut-scene of the road of statues, Mark and the dancer have switched seats.
- Alternate versionsAbout ten years later, this film was re-released in a edited and re-titled version. Approximately two reels of footage was removed and it was re-titled "Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth." In the early 1980s, this edited and re-titled version was released again during the brief 3-D revival of that period.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Starfilm (2017)
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- Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth
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- Runtime
- 1h 52m(112 min)
- Color
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