MovieChat Forums > The War of the Worlds (1953) Discussion > Cecil B. DeMille - responsbile for the r...

Cecil B. DeMille - responsbile for the religious tones?

posted 10 years ago by Big G-2
3 replies | jump to latest

As hard core film fans know, it was Cecil B. DeMille that had the exclusive rights to make WAR OF THE WORLDS for Paramount Pictures. He had wanted to make it in the 1930s, but somehow that never came to fruition. He then brought in famed Russian director Sergei Eisenstein (BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN), but that fell through. Even Alfred Hitchcock was approached, but nothing came out of that. Orson Welles was not interested. DeMille eventually handed the project to George Pal in the early 1950s.

As a tribute, when we see the folks standing at the movie theater watching the meteor crashing in the mountains, the marque reads SAMPSON AND DELILAH, DeMille's popular 1949 feature.

And this brings up the question of the religious tones. Some are bothered by it (I am not one of them), but the oddity is that in George Pal's next movie CONQUEST OF SPACE, it is a man who becomes a widely religiously fanatic who more or less serves as the villain of that film. And in later Pal movies, we see little to NO religious themes. Which brings the question, were the heavy religious tones in WOTW put in because DeMille demanded it or was it to please him? I tend to think it was the first.

[–] hawkofmay67 9 years ago

No one should be surprised if they read the book, the source of the story itself. But, I can't peg people of today, smart yet manner-less/class-less (not all of course) that can't have a civilized discussion about God/nature. So, the one's that just attack (are trolls of course, lol) the religious aspects should go dig up Herbert George and have a chat with him. From the book; "the Martians--DEAD!--slain by the putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared; slain as the red weed was being slain; slain, after all man's devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, has put upon this earth."

[–] Big G-2 9 years ago

From the book; "the Martians--DEAD!--slain by the putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared; slain as the red weed was being slain; slain, after all man's devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, has put upon this earth."

No one disputes those lines. It was even said in the Tom Cruise version. But the book did not have Pastor Matthew Collins, trying to establish a dialog through faith. Finding sanctuary in church (which I actually think is a realistic notion), and talking about the destruction and creation of the world in six days (I do recall somewhere where Ann Robinson, actually hated saying that). Over the years, those religious tidbits, never bothered me, but have bothered some on these message boards. I still think Cecil B. DeMille had something to do with these themes.

[–] virgiltx 9 years ago

The times were much more religious. There were gospel songs among the pop music hits. There were famous gospel singers and groups. Many of the early black singers of the 50s and 60's were former gospel singers.
Bishop Sheen had a weekly TV show. Billy Graham crusades were shown on network TV.
There were more religious epics than the DeMille ones, some of them about Catholic saints.

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