A Message from Mars (1903 film)

Not to be confused with A Message from Mars (1913 film).

A Message from Mars
Directed byW.F. Brown
Franklyn Barrett
Based onA Message from Mars by Richard Ganthony
Produced byFranklyn Barrett
StarringPeter Savieri
Gus Neville
CinematographyFranklyn Barrett[1]
Release date
  • 1903 (1903)
Running time
500 feet[2]
CountryNew Zealand
LanguagesSilent film
English intertitles

A Message from Mars is a 1903 New Zealand short film by Franklyn Barrett, based on the play of the same name by Richard Ganthony that had been highly popular in Australia and New Zealand.[3][4][5]

Another version of this film was made in 1913 in the UK as A Message from Mars (1913 film). In December 2014, the British Film Institute announced this latter film was posted online on their website.

According to The Bulletin, "Only six people were employed in its making, but it was notable as the first picture in which trick photography was resorted to for dramatic effect. It was quite devoid of such modern improvements as “fade-ins,” “fade-outs” and “close-ups,” but it made money. "[6]

  1. ^ Rutledge, 'Barrett, Walter Franklyn (1873–1964)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University accessed 11 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Turn Buck the Universe and Talk of Yesterday For "Everyones"", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 14 December 1932, nla.obj-585209817, retrieved 15 August 2024 – via Trove
  3. ^ "A Message From Mars." Southland Times , Issue 18051, 22 January 1903, Page 2 accessed 11 September 2013
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FH1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "A Message from Mars". Silent Era Company. 1903. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Poverty Point", The Bulletin, Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 25 December 1929, nla.obj-606445439, retrieved 16 August 2024 – via Trove