A Message from Mars (1913 film)
A Message From Mars (1913) is a British science fiction silent film.
- For the 1903 New Zealand film version of the play, see A Message from Mars (1903 film).
| A Message From Mars | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | J. Wallett Waller |
| Produced by | Nicholas Ormsby-Scott |
| Written by | Richard Ganthony J. Wallett Waller |
| Based on | play A Message From Mars by Richard Ganthony |
Production company | United Kingdom Photoplays |
Release date | July 1913 |
Running time | 68 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Silent film English intertitles |
Plot
Horace Parker, played by Charles Hawtrey, is an exceedingly self-centered, wealthy young man. Not only is he a miser, but he also expects everyone else to conduct their lives according to his personal convenience.
Parker is engaged to Minnie Templer, but Minnie has discovered Parker's selfishness and she is on the brink of calling off the engagement.
On Christmas Eve, however, a messenger from Mars comes to Earth to show Parker the error of his ways. The two of them become invisible and eavesdrop on all the terrible—and true—things Parker's friends and family are saying about him.
Restoration
In September 2014, the British Film Institute announced that they were putting the restored film online on their website. This version is longer and restores the film's original tinting and toning. According to the BFI website, the plot is very similar to that of the Charles Dickens novella A Christmas Carol.[1][2]
Cast
- Charles Hawtrey as Horace Parker
- E. Holman Clark as Ramiel
- Crissie Bell as Minnie Templer
- Frank Hector as Arthur Dicey
- Hubert Willis as a tramp
- Kate Tyndale as Aunt Martha
- Evelyn Beaumont as Bella
- Eileen Temple as Mrs. Claremce
- R. Crompton as the God of Mars
- B. Stanmore as the wounded man
- Tonie Reith as the wounded man’s wife
Taglines
"A fantastical photo-drama, in four parts."
