Supersonic Saucer (1956) User Reviews

My Favourite Venusian

[richardchatten · 6/10 · 13 May 2017]

Made by the Children's Film Foundation from a story provided by H.G.Wells' younger son Frank, the title suggests science fiction, but when it comes to rest the saucer actually transforms itself (like a snail emerging from its shell) into a cute little ET from Venus that resembles a penguin in a white niqab, can communicate with humans through telepathy, make time go backwards by rolling its eyes; and also proves adept at robbing banks.

Named 'Meba' because he resembles an amoeba, the animated special effects depicting him in flight (when he resembles Casper the Friendly Ghost) make Edward D. Wood Jr.'s hubcaps look like '2001'; but aided by Frank North's atmospheric location photography and Jack Beaver's jaunty score it makes remarkably vivid viewing, and like most films from its time now evokes a world as lost as the silent era.

Being a CFF production, a gang of crooks (led by Raymond Rollett) inevitably attempt to muscle in on the action but are seen off without too much difficulty by three youngsters (one of them Asian, interestingly enough) with a little help from their Venusian friend; whose remarkable similarity to a certain ET has already been remarked upon by my predecessors on this board.

Still has a very moderate appeal!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 14 March 2018]

Director: MARY FIELD (under the pseudonym, S.G. Ferguson). Screenplay: Dallas Bower. Story: Frank Wells. Photography: Frank North. Film editor: Derek Hyde-Chambers. Music: Jack Beaver. Scenario editor: Mary Cathcart Borer. Puppet maker: John Wright. Animation: Ken Hardy. Camera operator: Gerry Mason Collier. Production manager: Pat Morton. Assistant director: Claude Hudson. Sound recording: Maurice Askew, Peter Davies. Associate producer: Frank Cadman. Producer: Frank Wells. Executive producer: Mary Field.

A Gaumont British Production, made at Elstree Studios for the Children's Film Foundation. U.K. release through British Lion: May 1956. Never theatrically released or televised in the U.S.A. 4,482 feet. 50 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Unable to go home for the holidays, Greta and Sumac are forced to remain at their boarding school with Rodney, the headmaster's son. They meet Meba, a baby flying saucer from Venus.

NOTES: Only movie appearance of Marcia Monolescue, star of the 1955 TV series, "Barbie". Final of four movies for Fella Edmonds. Only movie appearance of Andrew Motte-Harrison (who is not the "Andrew Harrison" who played Dickon in the 1975 TV series, "The Secret Garden").

COMMENT: Mainly of interest as a precursor of E.T., which borrows at least three or four of its key ideas, this is actually a slightly below average entry in the children's features turned out by Mary Field's unit at Elstree for Rank's Children's Film Foundation even though the direction is occasionally inventive and it all comes to really fine climax.

The problem at the heart of the matter is that the Venusian's doings are not only a bit on the dull side, but the technical trickery now seems very unsophisticated to an E.T. trained audience.

Slightly twee, but still fun

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 11 June 2021]

SUPERSONIC SAUCER is a sci fi-themed Children's Film Foundation production from 1956, noticeably aimed at a younger audience than many of the others. The story sees a cute animated UFO flying from Venus to Earth, where it transforms into a little big-eyed alien which befriends a quartet of kids and has adventures. A little bit like FIVE CHILDREN AND IT in the granting of wishes, but with the crime element these CFF films were known for. Seen today it's a little twee but mostly of interest for the similarities to the Spielberg blockbuster E. T.; somebody definitely saw this first.

Shades of E.T.

[youroldpaljim · 24 February 2001]

This obscure English made childrens science fiction movie is so similar to E.T., that its amazing Steven Spielberg din't get sued! A group of school children at a boarding school spot a flying saucer and then soon meet a diminutive being from Venus. The alien whom the kids name "Meba", communicates with the children by telepathy. Bad guys who were planning to steal valuables from the school safe, try to kidnap "Meba" to make use of his remarkable abilities. But the children fight the bad guys and keep their friend "Meba" out the hands of the crooks and the bad guys are rounded up with "Meba"s help at the end.

"Meba" the alien is played by a puppet that resembles a featherless owl in a white nuns outfit. It sometimes makes strange purring noises. One odd element is that the visitor does not arrive in a flying saucer, the inhabitants of Venus travel by turning into flying saucers. There is one scene where one of the children takes "Meba" for a ride on her bike just as in E.T.

I hated these children....and I was rooting for the mobsters!

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 23 March 2019]

How could "Supersonic Saucer" have a score of 5.6?! After all, it's one of the dumbest alien films of the 1950s...and the alien is just laughably bad.

The film begins with a group of kids taking a field trip to an observatory. One of them sees a UFO through the telescope but no one believes him (probably because the kid is so $&%@ annoying). Soon, aliens land and the kids befriend them. But they don't look like E.T. ....no, these aliens are the cut-rate variety. They literally look like puppets wearing white burkas. Soon, mobsters show up and they want to kidnap the cute(?) aliens...and so it's the kids to the rescue.

This is a god-awful film. Fortunately, it is short...but be forewarned...despite the 5.3, it's painful to watch because the aliens are so stupid AND the children are god-awful and one-dimensional.

Not very memorable

[the-antichrist-is-near · 5/10 · 21 October 2021]

Interesting premise, but shabby and predictable ending.

Furthermore interesting to see a sign of the times, but can't help but think that the clownesque villain and his gang weren't that...

E.T. plagiarism... 26 years before E.T....

[rolland-douzet · 10/10 · 25 February 2010]

A cute little Venusian alien (who can transforms himself in saucer) get lost on Earth. Luckily, two little girls adopt him and name him Meba. The two little girls have to stay at school during holidays with the son of the director and his mom and dad. Meba wants to recover a bit before flying back to Venus, during that time the children will care on him. But some burglars want to commit hold-up in the school and finally they kidnap Meba… The children will save him and he will fly back to Venus… This small movie has been made for children in the 50's. It is without any pretension but is worth of watching… But it's interest is that you cannot imagine that Steven Spielberg didn't watch it when he was a kid! It looks too much like E.T. Examples: The size and the look of Meba, with his big tender rolling eyes… Meba although communicates with telepathy with the children… the scene with the dog, the scene when the children put a sweet-shirt to Meba when he's cold, the scene with the bicycle, when Meba uses the phone and try to call the police… and so on. It's completely incredible. There are too many coincidences… But nowhere Spielberg mentions this movie… Strange

1950's children's film was a precursor to others, and is still charming in it's own right.

[Brucey_D · 8/10 · 24 January 2018]

'Meba' is a small, affectionate, wide-eyed, telepathic Venusian who can transform into a small flying saucer at will. Whilst Meba is visiting Earth, a friendship is struck up with some children at a boarding school, and there is a fair amount of shenanigans involving a million pounds from the bank and a group of incompetent villains.

Meba takes the form of a glove puppet at most times and when transformed into a small flying saucer appears as an overlaid animation. I guess Meba's white smock crumples up roughly into the shape of a flying saucer so that the transition is fairly smooth.

This film is one of nearly 200 productions made by the 'Children's Film Foundation' between 1947 and 1985. F. R. Wells, son of the eponymous H.G., was an executive in the foundation. It still exists today as the Children's Media Foundation and the archive of films etc is curated by the BFI. This film has been nicely restored by the BFI and both looked and sounded very good when I saw it, when broadcast on the 'Talking Pictures' TV channel.

Others have mentioned the idea of a cute alien, befriended by children, is one that is more familiar to cinema goers as the plot of E.T.; well, it is, there is no denying it, the premise is very close indeed, and there are other similarities. It is unclear if F.R. Wells (who is I think responsible for the plot here) would have seen E.T. since it came out in the same year as he passed away. There are also similarities to the film 'Home Alone' in that the children foil some incompetent pratfalling villains, and 'Mary Poppins' in that there is a mixture of live action and animation on screen at times.

This film represents -both by context and premise- a small glimpse into a world that is now lost; whether children today would be entertained by it is open to question, but I found it both historically interesting and rather charming.

Not a scary alien.

[plan99 · 8/10 · 7 August 2021]

The alien in this film made ET look like the alien in "Alien" it was no more threatening than Sooty. Would children even back in 1956 take this film seriously, I doubt it as they probably laughed at the puppet alien. Probably a unique film due to the sillyness of it all but worth a watch for curiosity value. The chief baddy had a very posh accent which was a bit strange, but all of the children were also posh.