The Angry Red Planet is a 1959 American science-fiction film about a Mars mission that returns with a warning from the planet’s life forms. Its outdoor Mars scenes are its visual signature: the filmmakers used an optical printing technique called Cinemagic to turn live-action footage into a red, graphic, almost illustrated world.
What is The Angry Red Planet about?
Months after the experimental rocket ship MR-1 vanishes during a mission to Mars, signals lead to a recovery operation. The ship is found in the Nevada desert. Dr. Iris Ryan is alive, while another crew member is gravely ill. At the hospital, Ryan recounts the expedition and the crew’s encounters on Mars.
The film combines space exploration with dangerous alien life and a warning intended for Earth. In a radio message reproduced in the AFI Catalog, the broadcast begins: “Red alert…we of the planet Mars give you this warning.” The catalog does not identify the voice performer.
Why do the Mars scenes look red and unusual?
The film’s Mars sequences use Cinemagic, an optical printing process developed by producer Norman Maurer. Rather than aiming for naturalistic planetary photography, the technique gives the outdoor scenes an intentionally artificial, graphic look.
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The American Film Institute describes the effect as shades of red or deep pink across the planet and its atmosphere, with sets and props taking on a comic-book-like quality. Viennale also describes strong red filtering and a negative effect in the Mars scenes. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences information sheet cited by AFI characterized Cinemagic as “a printing process employing the use of special optical equipment” and said four separate printings were needed to produce the final Cinemagic negative.
Who made the film?
Ib Melchior directed The Angry Red Planet. AFI credits Sidney Pink and Melchior as writers, and Pink and Norman Maurer as producers. The principal cast includes:
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- Gerald Mohr as Col. Tom O’Bannion
- Nora Hayden as Dr. Iris Ryan
- Les Tremayne as Prof. Theodore Gettell
- Jack Kruschen as Chief Warrant Officer Sam Jacobs
AFI says the miniatures were based on Maurer’s sketches and built using latex and stay-foam plastic with different coverings. It also relays a modern-source attribution identifying dwarf actor Billy Curtis as the performer inside the Martian creature suit; that identification is not presented as a primary production record.
Was it released in 1959 or 1960?
Both years appear in the film’s release history, but they refer to different openings. AFI records a Los Angeles premiere on November 23, 1959, and a Los Angeles opening the following day. It lists a New York opening on May 4, 1960. Rotten Tomatoes gives November 23, 1959 as the limited theatrical release date, while Viennale catalogs the film as a 1959 U.S. production.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsCalling it a 1959 film is consistent with those records; a date should specify the event and market when precision matters. AFI gives the running time as either 83 or 85 minutes, without establishing that the difference represents a distinct cut.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the production record say?
AFI reports that a contemporary Hollywood Reporter item noted the budget was raised from $250,000 to $500,000 shortly before production began. These are figures for a reported preproduction budget change, not an independently audited final cost. AFI records production beginning September 9, 1959, at Hal Roach Studios.
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Where can you watch or buy it?
Current streaming availability and current physical-media inventory are not established by the cited film records. If you are looking for a disc, search for “The Angry Red Planet DVD,” then check that a listing exists and verify its edition, condition, region compatibility, and seller before buying. The title alone does not confirm that a particular DVD edition is currently available.
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Sources
- American Film Institute Catalog: The Angry Red Planet
- Rotten Tomatoes: The Angry Red Planet
- Viennale: The Angry Red Planet
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