QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1958)

Andre Morrell as Professor Quatermass

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (LIVE BBC Television mini-series in six parts/1958). Director: Rudolph Cartier. 

Professor Quatermass (Andre Morrell of Behemoth, the Sea Monster) is consulted on a plan to put military bases, complete with missiles, on the moon. At the same time a possible unexploded bomb is discovered at a subway excavation in Hobbs Lane, a populated area of London. Quatermass feels that the bomb theory is improbable, and eventually a space vehicle of some kind is uncovered in the rubble. Inside the ship are found several deceased insectoid and crab-like aliens with antennae that are later determined to be five million years old and from Mars! But is it possible that the aliens and their ship can still be influencing modern-day Londoners all these centuries later? 

one of the Martians

Quatermass and the Pit is the third in a series of BBC TV serials concerning the exploits of Professor Quatermass, herein played genially by the ever-professional Andre Morell. (Like the first two serials, this was also turned into a theatrical film under the same title and is also known as Five Million Years to Earth.) Pit is full of interesting concepts, including a machine that is used to get visual impressions from the brain, and it is generally well-acted. Cec Linder is cast as Dr. Roney and Christine Finn is his chief assistant, Barbara Judd. Anthony Bushell is vivid as Colonel Breen, who turns out to be not too tightly wrapped. 

Morrell and Linder

Pit holds the attention for the most part, but it also has a bit too much padding, and the ending, which depicts a martian "wild hunt" to purge mutations that is re-enacted on Earth, reminds one of the later film Lifeforce, with its rioting in London. The budget is too low to make the most of these sequences and the finale is dragged out. However, it must be remembered that this was actually shown LIVE and considering the limitations of the format it is rather well-done for its time. However, I daresay the basic story is better told in Five Million Miles to Earth. This and the other Quatermass serials -- Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass II -- were scripted by Nigel Kneale. 

Verdict: Interesting if imperfect live sci fi. **1/2.