A Message from Mars, a silent from 1913, has been restored and given a new score by Matthew Herbert. It contains the first depiction of Martians in a British film

A 1913 science-fiction movie, cited as the first of its kind to be filmed in Britain, has been restored by the British Film Institute and BBC Arts.

Directed by J Wallett Waller and based on a hugely popular play, A Message from Mars is a futuristic riff on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The storyline for the 68-minute silent movie, which stars Charles Hawtrey, Crissie Bell and E Holman Clark, centres on an alien sent to Earth from the red planet to show a selfish miser the error of his ways.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest A Message From Mars Photograph: BFI

Concepts such as thought transference, space travel and mind control all feature in the ground-breaking film. It also features the first on-screen depiction of Martians by a British film-maker, with the extra-terrestrials shown as futuristically clad members of a Martian court.

“This is the first in a long line of great British sci-fi films,” said BFI creative director Heather Stewart. “The genesis of science fiction in British cinema has a distinguished but little-known history. Now for the first time in a century audiences across the UK can enjoy the beginnings of British cinema’s most popular genre in a stunning new restoration and with a fantastic new soundtrack.”

Composer Matthew Herbert, who has written a new score for the film, said: “It’s not been an easy job to create a new soundtrack in under 10 days but the idealistic naivety of the film itself has allowed for a more stripped back, impressionistic approach – a simple sound, for an innocent picture. Don’t be fooled though, the message that the rich should show compassion, grace and tolerance for the poor couldn’t feel more contemporary or relevant.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A Message From Mars Photograph: BFI

A Message from Mars will be available to view from tomorrow on the BFI Player and BBC Arts online. Experts believe it is the first time in a century that the film will be seen at its full length and with its restored tinting and toning.

The film’s restoration forms part of the BFI’s current UK-wide celebration of science fiction film and television, Days of Fear and Wonder, which has been running since October and aims to explore the genre from the earliest days of cinema to the latest Hollywood blockbusters.