Comparison of the 1953 and 2005 Versions of "War of the Worlds."

I've watched both version of "War of the Worlds," and as there both thrillers, I decided to compare them. Both films have similarities and differences between them. One of the first things I noticed was that in the older version of “War of the Worlds,” the mise-en-scene is a lot darker, especially at the beginning of the film when the first alien lands on earth. This connotes a feeling of coldness and isolation among the characters. However, this is a completely different concept with Spielberg’s version of the film, as he chooses a New York City mise-en-scene, which is filled with a much faster pace of life. It also has the ability to introduce all sorts of drama, as the city itself is a very busy place.
The way the alien is revealed in both films, are very different in terms of angle shots and atmosphere. For example, in Spielberg’s version of “War of the Worlds” there’s a huge build up with lightening storms, before any actual sightings of the alien. This is in contrast to the 1953 version of the film, when almost straight away you see a long shot of the alien crash into the rural setting. When the alien first appears in the 2005 version of the film, Spielberg has hundreds of people gathering around the open hole in the ground, while using a nice overshot of everyone’s heads. Suspense is created, by rapidly tracking the splitting road. As soon as the craft actually rises, immediately panic is among everyone, with Spielberg using plenty of over-shoulder and POV-shots, as a way of throwing the audience into the action themselves. There are zooming close-ups of Rays face, stating the shock that he is feeling and how vulnerable he must be, and uses helicopter shots to show how the big and “transformer like” the craft is in comparison with New York City. The tripods make sinister foghorn sounds to rally its comrades. This connotes that the foghorn is a way of communicating with each other, which is actually what animals also do, especially as a call for help.
However Pal uses a completely different approach, as the actual mise-en-scene is very dark and dreary, with only a few people actually present when the craft reveals itself. Before this happens, there are no signs of people panicking; in fact, they are looking at the possible commercial value of it. The build up is more slow and comical. When the alien does emerge, Pal uses a close-shot of the blinking eye, as it rises up almost like a sinister plant. The camera positions itself behind the crafts neck, using a high-angle-over-shoulder-shot, making the victims seem small and helpless. There are long shots of red smoke and the first sign of destruction as there’s a blast of heat-ray, much to the victim’s surprise. There aren’t any non-diegetic sounds; instead Pal wants the audience to focus purely on the sounds which the craft makes itself, which emphasises the use of sci-fi iconography. When the alien craft is also the first shown, it makes an electronic beeping sound, which connotes a sort of radar examining the area for hostiles.
Spielberg continues to create suspense very cleverly, as he uses the reflections from car windows to almost trick the audience, and Rapid cutting is used to create fear and panic among the victims. There are spectacular long shots of the alien all the way throughout the film, making the craft seem massive and over powering. However the pace of Pal’s version of the film is much slower and panic is only really emerged after the vaporisation of human beings.
Pal’s version of the film is also very Stereotypical, as the all the way throughout the film, the woman is portrayed as a typical 50’s subservient woman i.e. “fetching the tea” and looking after the men. She is also shown which was again typical of the 50’s as a screaming, vulnerable heroine. However, this aspect has been cut completely from the 2005 version of “War of the World’s,” as any female audience watching the film would be insulted by such stereotyping. This proves how attitudes to how women are viewed since the older version of the film.
Film companies today are under great pressure to make huge profits, so it is essential for the ultimate success of the film to cast big names. (Star Theory) Tom Cruise, although portrayed as a husband with a failed marriage his wholesome American appearance still shows him to be a stereotypical caring and ultimately heroic father. In the 1953 version, Gene Barry was not a father but more of a sex symbol to encourage the female audience. Interestingly, the main difference between the two films is that the heroine in the later version is not an adult, but a little girl. (Dakota Fanning)
50 years on in Spielberg’s film there is no longer a threat from communism. (Pal suggests the red eye of the 1953 alien connotes the under lying fear of most Americans of the USSR). However is Spielberg’s alien invasion suggestive of America’s and the worlds new under lying fear of Muslim extremism?