Village of the Damned (1960): 57 is no age at all.

21st August, 2017.

You know … 

I like a movie or two,

Now and again.

And, over the past week or so — with a few evenings free — managed to watch a couple of recentish rentals from iTunes.

If you’re in a movie mood?

I’d suggest Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire is going to be a better bet than the the Scarlett Johansson vehicle, Ghost in the Shell.

Saying that … ?

Saying that, I think I got carried away in the moment, last week.

I hit the rental trail, saw those two titles and rented them …

When what I’d actually wanted to do?

Was dig into my movie collection and drag tonight’s film into my iTunes library.

You’re right … 

I’ve not seen Village of the Damned for a while …

~≈fi≈~

Directed by Wolf Rilla and based on John Wyndham’s The Midwich Cuckoos, Village of the Damned opens in Kyle Manor, in the small village of Midwich: showing us Professor Gordon Zellaby — George Sanders — phoning Major Alan Bernard — Michael Gwyne — asking the latter to pick up a book on route.

Only for the good Major to be cut off, mid-call.

Not knowing that Zellaby has collapsed.

As has everyone else in the village*.

It’s only two months later, once the fuss is all over, that Anthea Zellaby — Professor Zellaby’s wife, played by Barbara Shelley — reveals she’s pregnant.

And village GP, Dr Willers — Laurence Naismith — reveals Anthea shares her condition … 

With every woman of child bearing age in Midwich.

All pregnant …

You don’t think the two events are connected?

Do you … ?

~≈fi≈~

Now … 

Was I impressed … ?

Did I enjoy Village of the Damned.

Yes, I did: and must confess, although this is the first time I’ve written about the film, it’s about my third or fourth viewing.

Which means I’ve still not watched it as many times as I’ve read the original novel: but certainly gone back to watch a good movie.

But … ?

I have to admit, the 1960s version of the story is both riveting, watchable … 

And, with its collection of alien children?

Unnerving … and possibly relevant to today: especially it we feel our children are growing rapidly and becoming capable of things we couldn’t imagine.

AND it compares favourably with the original novel: retaining the latter’s shocking ending.

After all, the idea of killing children†‡, in however good a cause?

Is still one of the taboos.

Is Village of the Damned worth keeping?

I couldn’t tell you.

Is it worth watching?

Repeatedly?

Yes.

Village of the Damned

★★★☆

*        Long term fan of The Prisoner that I am?   I’m finding it very had to NOT spell that … with a capital ‘V.’

†        The chap who drove the van that killed so many in the recent Barcelona attack has been shot by the Catalonian police.   I personally, wish they hadn’t.   I’d like to have see the chap in court.   His actions killed a British of seven, called Julian Cadman: not that much older than my nephew, Jude.   I would have liked to hear his excuse for that^.

‡        From what little I know?   Child killers and paedophiles are usually segregated into separate wings.   They’re not popular.

^        From what I recall?   The second Warrington bomb killed two children: and I get the impression the IRA came to regret the bombing: as it got them seriously bad publicity.