Five

source: Five

I saw the movie "Five" in 1954. After all these years,I have not forgotten about it and would dearly love to see it again. Anyone know how that could happen? I have told my kids, and now my grandkids about it and they laugh and say they don't believe there was ever a movie by that name. I'd really like them to see it as I consider it a "classic" and one of the first "si-fi movies. I remember the actor who played Eric and have seen him in other roles over the years, but don't recall the others in the cast. I'd really like to get a copy. Can anyone help with this? What I remember the most about "Five",is the eerie sound of the sirens,I seem to recall they could be heard through out the movie, just writing about it puts me back all those years. I was 17 at the time but it seems like I just got home from the show but now I'm 69! I'd love to read someone else's comments about this movie and look forward to finding out about it's current fate. I found this site quite by accident and was thrilled to read the info about "Five"

I just sat through 90min of this movie & have come to the conclusion that eating broken glass with mayonnaise would be more pleasant. The sluggish, lethargic plot is AWFUL...I wouldn't know where to begin. Lack of realism infests this movie on many levels. The explanations as to why each character survived the atomic holocaust are paltry as well as unscientific. Anytime a movie begins & ends with a biblical quote, beware! The only reason I gave this awful movie 3 out of 10 stars is because it was shot very well, and the sound is good but the story is excruciating. It's a rare movie that needs to stay rare...sorry.

Five (1951) is a little scene gem about five survivors of a nuclear war who gravitate towards a small cottage. What I enjoyed about this movie was how real the characters were. A hard movie to find. Catch it some night on T.V., if you're a fan of post-apocalyptic movies then you won't be disappointed. Recommended.

I saw this movie in 1998, broadcast on a public TV station. I personally think that the movie is the best that I've ever seen, right up there with "On The Beach" and other antiwar movies. It provides a very sobering look at what could happen to the world in the near future if we don't stop and take a long, hard look at where we are heading...

I find it sad, my husband got no credits for this movie, He was not the new born baby. He was the baby she carried around with her to the city looking threw the hospital and they showing him dead along the creek...Now if you really watch it when he is dead his foot moves..HAHAHA we always get a laugh, they placed him next to Charles.. He was 3 or 4 months old. while his family was at the beach for the day, Arch Obler pulled over in his car and asked if he would could play in his movie, family said yes. his mom drove him out to the set everyday...James Kenneth Cowgill Jr..He was paid 395.00 for his part and family bought a new car...We love seeing old calif ..

The plot to "Five" is very, very, very familiar. Due to the nuclear age and natural fears of annihilation, Hollywood made a ton of apocalyptic films where a very, very small group of survivors somehow survived. Just off the top of my head, I can think of many films like "The World, The Flesh and The Devil", "The Last Woman on Earth", "The Last Man on Earth", "Robot Monster" and "Omega Man"--and I know there are many more. So, seeing "Five" sure gives me a big sense of déjà vu---so it's certainly not original--though I'll admit that it did come relatively early among these films. So, if there are so many films like this one, and I assume you DON'T want to see them all, is "Five" one you should bother with or should you see some of the others instead? Well, my vote would be on the latter for one HUGE reason. "Five" is among the talkiest of all these movies. So often, nothing really happens and the people just talk and talk and talk. And so it never is exciting or weird like "Omega Man" or as profound as "The World The Flesh and The Devil" because, although there could be a good biracial sexual aspect to the film, it never occurs. The black man in "Five" is so nice that any sexual tension between him and the only woman (who is white) doesn't exist--though there is a one-dimensional racist among them. In fact, this guy is SO one-dimensional that he really seemed more like a plot device than anything else. "Five" is not a terrible film but it's just not all that good. My advice is watch it if you have nothing better to do or just hold out and find another similar film that is a bit better--such as "Omega Man" and "The World The Flesh and The Devil". But do NOT watch "Robot Monster" unless you are a serious glutton for punishment or are a confirmed masochist! Always the one to look for mistakes, I noticed that some of the skeletons of dead people used in the film were clearly lab specimens--complete with springs holding the bones in the hand together! This is not an uncommon mistake and I've seen much worse examples in other films.

Thanks to TCM, I have just seen this seldom-shown film. It is as good as legend has it. The acting is superb, the music is competent, the cinematography shines, the editing is very professional, the writing and directing are topnotch and remind one of what could have happened if Roberto Rossellini had dabbled in sci-fi. The message is also quite clear and is just as topical today as it was during the Cold War. The story is about four compassionate human beings (including one hard-working Black man) who have survived a global nuclear disaster and comfort each other in their loss by sharing all they have with each other until they take in an elitist, racist, social-Darwinist jerk who wants to live off the fat of the land and the efforts of others, i.e. a Republican. I think the film is still interesting today now that an intolerant, religiously-motivated minority of Americans have taken hold of government and are threatening the peace, well-being, existence and very survival of our planet with their insatiable greed, their militant ignorance, their backward ideas about science and religion and their hatred for another fundamentalist religion that is just as intolerant half-way across the globe. This film should be mandatory viewing in all American high schools... before it's too late.

I saw the film "Five" in 1951 when I was 10 . Being born in London during WW2, sirens and doodlebugs were everyday routine . Although only a baby then ,the sounds of the sirens have never left my memory. After the war ended my father returned from the Royal Navy and my mother wanted to get out of bomb- ridden London . We moved to a remote peaceful Thames Estuary location which was very rural with unmade roads and still with gas lighting. There was sea, fields, bungalows a few schools, shops and one cinema which changed programme once a week and was always a treat. This film had a traumatic effect on my ten years of age. Maybe because of the still close aftermath of memories of war. I cried and sobbed uncontrollably with such desperation that my mother had to take me out before it ended. It has stuck in my mind ever since, even though 56 years have passed. My impression is still very vivid of the loneliness and isolation of the five survivors and I identified myself as being part of the frightening predicament. I remember the scene of the greed of one character grabbing priceless jewels, but which had no longer any value and at only 10 years old I thought how worthless was he, as a human being. I have never see the movie since. I wonder if Arch Oboler ever suspected that "Five" would make such an imprinting on so many people like us who have written about it after half a century. I wish I could find a DVD region 2 of it for curiosity, to see if I would relive the vision in the same way again. It was interesting to read the comments on this. Thanks. J.

A friend sported me a copy of 'Five'. Frankly I must admit that I'd never heard of this little gem before. 'Five' tells the tale of five survivors of a nuclear holocaust trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and move forward. The film is wonderfully acted and nicely photographed in a way that reminded me of Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead'. Strict minimalism is on display as the actors convey 99% of all story and action told mostly at a cottage. 'Five' is pretty impressive stuff for it's time. The only real downside to the script is the fact that it hasn't aged well from a 'scientific' standpoint. Other than that anyone with a knack for classic SciFi would love to check out this lost gem. Acting: * * * * (Excellent) Writing / Direction: * * * (Very Good) Technical Design * * * (Very Good) Music: * * * (Very Good) Overall: * * * (Very Good)