allotted time, and the order is given to begin the attack. It is a race against time as the members of the expedition try to get back to the ship before the nuclear warheads strike. Cathy is mortally wounded in the attempt to flee the Outsider. Benson refuses to leave, insisting that life without scientific knowledge is not worth living. He sees a way to communicate with the Outsider and program it to leave, but it is too late. The warheads reach their target, and the Outsider is successfully destroyed. As the exploratory ship returns to Earth, Commander Cole speaks Benson's epitaph: "Poor Benson—if they'd opened up his chest, they would only find a formula where his heart should have been". The screen fades out on Benson's little dog waiting for him by the window. Cast Claude Rains as Professor Benson Bill Carter as Cmdr. Robert Cole Umberto Orsini as Dr. Fred Steele Maya Brent as Eve Barnett Jacqueline Derval as Mrs. Collins Release Battle of the Worlds was released in Italy in 1961 as Il pianeta degli uomini spenti. Reception From retrospective reviews, Phil Hardy's book Science Fiction referred to the film as one of Margheriti's "most humorous, inventive, stylish, films, effortlessly transcending the crudities of the script, acting and special effects." References Citations Bibliography External links 1960s science fiction films 1961 films Films directed by Antonio Margheriti 1960s Italian-language films English-language Italian films Italian science fiction films Rogue planets in fiction Space adventure films 1960s Italian films