A Message From Mars (1913) is a British science fiction silent film.
| A Message From Mars | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | J. Wallett Waller |
| Written by | Richard Ganthony J. Wallett Waller |
| Based on | play A Message From Mars by Richard Ganthony |
| Produced by | Nicholas Ormsby-Scott |
Production company | United Kingdom Photoplays |
Release date | July 1913 |
Running time | 68 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
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.
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]
"A fantastical photo-drama, in four parts."
