The 27th Day

"The 27th Day" is a 1957 science fiction film from Columbia Pictures. It was directed by William Asher, produced by Helen Ainsworth, and the screenplay was written by John Mantley, who also wrote the original story. The cast includes Gene Barry and Valerie French.

This was a low budget film with few special effects and little action. Instead the story focuses on dialogue. It was filmed in black and white, and runs for 75 minutes.

Plot summary

An alien spacecraft arrives and its crew randomly selects five people from different parts of the world. They choose a person from England, the U.S., China, Soviet Union, and Germany. It seems that the aliens' own world is doomed and they need a new home. However their code of ethics will not allow them to simply conquer the Earth. Instead, the five individuals are given the means to destroy human beings "en masse", without harming animals or causing any other devastation. They must decide for themselves who will live or die. Each is given three silvery capsules, each of which can slay all human life within a 3,000 mile radius of the specified coordinate. However the capsules must be used within 27 days or they will become inert and so the aliens will die.

The remainder of the film concerns the stories of these five people and what happens to them both before and after the capabilities of the capsules are revealed to all of humankind. The Soviets gain possession of the capsules and threaten to use them unless the US withdraws all troops from Europe. The U.S. is forced to comply. Despite this, as the deadline approaches, the Soviet leader announces to his generals his intention to launch the capsules against the United States.

However the German professor learns how to modify the capsules so that they will slay only the "enemies of human freedom", and he uses them across the globe. The result is the death of the Soviet leader, and all of his ilk, leaving the supposedly good people alive. In the end, it is discovered that this was the original intent of the aliens, and thus, with their aid, peace and harmony rule.

Trivia

* The alien ship briefly appeared on film, was reused footage of the flying saucer ship fron "Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers".

* Voice actor Paul Frees makes a brief cameo as an anchorman.

External links

*imdb title | id=0050085 | title=The 27th Day