The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1961)

Starring Janet Munro, Leo McKern, Edward Judd, Michael Goodliffe, Bernard Braden
Directed by Val Guest

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After nations set off two atomic tests simultaneously, weather patterns change and London is beset by extreme temperatures, leading the reporters of the Daily Express to discover a new global threat.

We have here a landmark science fiction drama which has the feel of realism due to a large amount of documentary-like footage, and its emphasis on the newspaper reporters searching for the truth at the center of it all.  Judd plays a hard-drinking writer at the Express who has lax work habits and is more interested in pursuing Munro, a secretary at the Medical Center that employs scientists that give him the runaround.  Leo McKern is excellent as the veteran reporter working alongside Judd, with scientific expertise of his own that keeps their investigations on target.   Another strong asset to the film is its script, giving the reporters snappy dialogue and retorts which really make the picture move, written by director Guest and Wolf Mankowitz.  Although the documentary footage is the primary device used to show the danger London is in, a special effects sequence in which the city is covered by a giant misting fog, is well done at further illustrating the threat.

Invasion (1965)

Starring Edward Judd, Yoko Tani, Valerie Gearon, Lyndon Brook, Ric Young
Directed by Alan Bridges
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

During a late shift at a British hospital, a man struck by a car is brought in whom the doctors soon discover is not human, and learn that there are two other alien beings on the loose.

I really enjoyed this British science fiction picture, which has an intelligent script, builds suspense slowly and admirably, and is well-staged and directed by Bridges.  The filmmakers made the decision to cast Asians as the aliens, which is notable in that the same approach was used the next year in the American film, Women Of The Prehistoric Planet.  Asian actress Tsai Chin, who played Christopher Lee's daughter in Britain's Fu Manchu films, is a human nurse in the film, who points out the aliens aren't Chinese or Japanese.  Judd and Gearon and Brook are fine as the doctors, who aren't perfect and have their flaws, but soon are on a race to save the patients in their hospital from danger that the aliens bring to them.  The film scrimps on special effects for the most part, using clever ideas to keep the budget down and still convey the otherworldliness of the visitors, but closes with a very well designed chase sequence.

The Vengeance Of She (1968)

Starring John Richardson, Olinka Berova, Edward Judd, Colin Blakely, Jill Melford
Directed by Cliff Owen
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A beautiful young woman is tormented by messages in her dreams, calling her the fabled queen Ayesha, and compelling her to journey to the lost city of Kuma.

A pale sequel to Hammer Films' engaging adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's She, with none of the star power nor fun of the original film.  Billed as Olinka Berova, but per IMDB actually named Olga Schoberova, the leading actress is certainly attractive but not accomplished enough to carry the film, which probably would have been better if Ursula Address could have returned to take her role, but not by much.  With an overemphasis on Berova's befuddlement and satanic mysticism rituals, the picture lacks any exciting scenes or memorable performances.  It's a shame because the cast includes Hammer stalwarts who have been much better in other films, including Andre Morell, who isn't given enough to do, and Noel Willman, who speaks in quiet whispers that are difficult to understand.  This is clearly a lower budgeted production than the original, but Hammer's done more with less before much more successfully.

Island Of Terror (1966)

Starring Peter Cushing, Edward Judd, Carole Gray, Eddie Byrne, Sam Kydd
Directed by Terence Fisher
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

On an island off the coast of Ireland, a doctor discovers a body completely devoid of bones, and flies in a couple of specialists, who learn the creatures responsible were created in a laboratory accident.

This is just a really fun movie, craftily directed by horror veteran Terence Fisher, with many suspenseful scenes, worthy creature effects, and a number of witty lines for Cushing.  The creatures' design seems to be something of a homage to The War Of The Worlds, as they strongly resemble the Martian spaceships in that film.  Although they would probably be considered somewhat crude by today's special effects standards, they certainly work well within the film as designed, accompanied by a clever unnerving sound effect.

First Men In The Moon (1964)

Starring Edward Judd, Martha Hyer, Lionel Jeffries, Miles Malleson, Norman Bird
Directed by Nathan Juran
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In Victorian England, an eccentric scientist discovers a means of overcoming gravity, and uses it to launch himself and his neighbor on a journey to the moon.

Screenwriters Nigel Kneale (noted for his British television serials including the Quatermass adventures) and Jan Read have cleverly adapted H.G. Wells original novel within the framework of a modern-day journey to the moon, where the astronauts make the shocking discovery that two men journeyed there more than 50 years prior.  The skilled stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen is behind the special effects, and although this movie does not utilize as much stop-motion as his other films, Harryhausen's talent is well on display.  The ending of the framing story, borrowing the closing from another H.G. Wells novel, is a little disappointing, as the filmmakers could have used the opportunity to launch into a fascinating second film, rather than wrapping things up, but all in all, this is a well-crafted adventure.