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Intellect

BYU film series offers 1953 "Invaders from Mars" Oct. 24

Just in time for Halloween, the 1950s sci-fi classic film "Invaders From Mars" will play at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library auditorium.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but early arrival is encouraged as seating is limited. No food or drink is permitted in the auditorium. Children 8 years of age and older are welcome. BYU dress standards apply.

James V. D’Arc, a curator in the Lee Library's L. Tom Perry Special Collections and director of the film series, will provide background information on the film prior to the screening.

The film expresses concerns many Americans felt near the height of the Cold War, D’Arc said.

"Invaders From Mars" (1953) was one of the earliest in the quickly growing science fiction genre that included "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

"Invaders From Mars" was directed and its production designed by William Cameron Menzies, a legendary figure in the motion picture business for his striking production design of numerous Academy Award-winning films that included "Gone With the Wind," "Our Town," and "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

The BYU Motion Picture Archive Film Series is co-sponsored by the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, the Friends of the Harold B. Lee Library and Dennis & Linda Gibson. All films in the series are shown from original film prints and come from the permanent collection of the BYU Motion Picture Archive in Special Collections.

Visit sc.lib.byu.edu for a complete film series schedule. For more information, contact James D’Arc at james_darc@byu.edu or (801) 422-6371.

Writer: Brady Toone

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