Quatermass And The Pit

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (MOVIE)
StudioCanal

Original release: November 9th, 1967
Running time: 98 minutes

Director: Roy Ward Baker
Writer: Nigel Kneale

Cast: Andrew Keir, James Donald, Barbara Shelley, Julian Glover

It’s hard to believe I got by all these years without having seen this Hammer classic. Given its controversial angle, that the Earth has been visited by alien beings as far back as millions of years ago and have therefore influenced life on this planet, it’s a film that ought to have been as prominent as Forbidden Planet (1956), War of the Worlds (1953) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).

Based on the BBC television plays by Nigel Kneale, its story begins, of all places, on the London Underground. Deep in the walls of the fictional station, Hobb’s End, prehistoric skulls are discovered and while Palaeontologist Dr Matthew Roney (James Donald) and his assistant, Barbara Judd (Barbara Shelley), investigate, Colonel Breen (Julian Glover) and the military attempt to take over the scene as there could be unexploded bombs.

However, Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir) believes there’s a much bigger mystery to unravel here and that’s confirmed when they unearth an alien spaceship. Breen is violently opposed to any ideas that challenge what he knows and tries his best to block any attempts at further investigation. Despite the evidence, he firmly believes the ship is a piece of Nazi propaganda designed with the intention to create fear and panic.

Try as he might, we suspect he knows that deep down there’s truth in Quatermass’ theories that these visitors have not only been coming here for a long time, but have studied us and altered human evolution to its present state. When the government decide to unveil the “missile” to the press and the general public, Quatermass tries to warn them that it’s tantamount to disaster. He is of course 100% right.

Julian Glover is absolutely brilliant in this role as the army man who just refuses to see reason until it’s too late. His arrogance and air of authority always arrives before he does, yet he’s not the kind of character we hope will get their comeuppance, instead I found myself feeling very sorry for Breen. He just can’t help being stupid.

As the mythology of Quatermass and the Pit unravels itself, it’s a story that might make even David Icke and his fanbase smile as it supports the idea of an insect-like race having dominion.

Though the effects and the sets naturally look quite dated now in comparison to today’s standards, the story holds up remarkably well and so too do the performances, although there’s much to be said for the scene where drill operator Sladden (Duncan Lamont) is overcome by a force emitting from the spaceship. It’s the one moment in the film that verges on absurdity as Lamont whimsically dashes from one place to the next, wreaking havoc as he goes.

As the third part in a trilogy, The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and Quatermass 2 (1957), Quatermass and the Pit delivers a story that’s intriguing and a cast of characters to help move it along in a way that kept me guessing what’s going to happen next. It rightly deserves a place next to other science-fiction classics and it definitely gave me something else to think about while waiting around on the London Underground.

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

CINEMA REVIEWS

WRITE FOR STATIC MASS!

If you are passionate not only about watching movies but also about writing, we would love to hear from you!

Please get in touch and let us know whether you have a favorite genre, an interest for example in World Cinema, and how often you could write reviews and/or features for us.

You can as well send us your features and reviews right away. We look forward to receiving articles between 700 and 1,500 words, submitted as a Word document.

You can find more information here.

Please also read our Terms & Conditions.

— Founder & Editor in Chief —
Patrick Samuel

— Editor in Chief & Webmaster —
Jonahh Oestreich

— Contributing Editors —
Arpad Lukacs • Ben Nicholson
John Bleasdale • Paul Bullock
Paul Costello

— Authors & Correspondents —
Alison Devlin • Andrew Latimer
Barbara Diril • Ben Cook
Colin Williamson • Dipesh Parmar
Ian Roberts • Jack Murphy
James Arden • Jamie Suckley
Kyle Barrett • Max Lalanne
Nandini Godara • Pete Turner
Richa Rudola • Robert Bright
Rohan Mohmand • Thomas Grieve

— Guest Writers —
Danny Byrne • Joaquin Villalobos
Lauren Mannion • Lesley Coffin
Lito Velasco • Mark Patton
Norman Buckley • Toby C Prior
Tyson James Yates • V.Venkateshwaran

STAY IN TOUCH!

Static Mass Emporium is a UK-based independent film journal which looks at a broad range of work from the industry.

With research grounded in modern cinema, film theory, sociology, history and filmosophy, our approach is to explore the essence of film.

We are a nonprofit publication free of advertising — sustained entirely by its readers, fans and supporters. Read more about us here.