Children of the Damned (1964)

Director:

Anton Leader

Writers:

John Briley (screenplay)
John Wyndham (novel)

Release Date:

29 January 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

So young, so innocent, so deadly - they came to conquer the world!

Plot:

Scientists discovers that there are six children who each have an enormous intelligence. The children are flown to London to be studied...

Plot Keywords:

Children | Scientist | Embassy | Church | Intelligence

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ian Hendry	...	Col Tom Llewellyn
Alan Badel	...	Dr. David Neville
Barbara Ferris	...	Susan Eliot
Alfred Burke	...	Colin Webster
Sheila Allen	...	Diana Looran
Ralph Michael	...	Defense Minister
Patrick Wymark	...	Commander
Martin Miller	...	Prof. Gruber
Harold Goldblatt	...	Harib
Patrick White	...	Mr. Davidson
André Mikhelson	...	Russian official (as Andre Mikhelson)
Bessie Love	...	Mrs. Robbins, Mark's Grandmother
Clive Powell	...	Paul
Yoke-Moon Lee	...	Mi Ling (as Lee Yoke-Moon)
Roberta Rex	...	Nina
Gerald Delsol	...	Aga Nagolo
Mahdu Mathen	...	Rashid
Frank Summerscale	...	Mark
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ian Cullen	...	Extra (uncredited)
Frank Maher	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Anton Leader		(as Anton M. Leader)

Writing credits
John Briley		(screenplay)
John Wyndham		(novel "The Midwich Cuckoos")

Produced by
Ben Arbeid	....	associate producer
Lawrence P. Bachmann	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ron Goodwin

Cinematography by
Davis Boulton

Film Editing by
Ernest Walter

Casting by
Irene Howard

Art Direction by
Elliot Scott

Production Management
Albert Becket	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ted Sturgis	....	assistant director

Sound Department
David Bowen	....	sound recordist (as Dave Bowen)
J.B. Smith	....	dubbing mixer
Allan Sones	....	sound editor
A.W. Watkins	....	recording supervisor
Desmond Briscoe	....	electronic sound effects (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Tom Howard	....	special effects

Stunts
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Eddie Frewin	....	transportation chief (uncredited)

Other crew
Betty Harley	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1963) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1964) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Turner Entertainment  package design (1992 release)

Also Known As:

Horror! (USA)
The Children (UK) (working title)
The Children Return (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Unrated (video release) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2006) | UK:X (original rating) | Norway:16 (1964) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Bermondsey, London, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Children of the Damned" (1996)

Ambitious but deadeningly dull

Children of the Damned is morally and politically more ambitious still than the original Village of the Damned, exploring the notion that humans are perhaps far worse than the cuckoos in their midst. Unfortunately it's also very dull, good performances from Alfred Burke and Ian Hendry notwithstanding. There's no real involvement or forward momentum, and it exists in a vacuum – the events in the first film are never even acknowledged. But the saving grace of the Region 1 DVD at least is screenwriter John Briley's audio commentary, dealing with the themes of the movie as well as taking detailed diversions into the effect of the blacklist on Hollywood, the exile of US talent to Britain and the artistic and political freedom that MGM UK's sheep farming activities gave them! (There's also a brief harbinger of things to come with a photo of Gandhi overlooking Indian politicians debating killing the children in the film: Briley would go on to write Attenborough's biopic.)