Fighting machine (The War of the Worlds): Difference between revisions
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everytime t ime a close ma eyes a wake up feeling so hooorny alex clark has dumbo ears |
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[[Image:War of the worlds illustration pearson.jpg|200px|thumb|Martian tripods drawn by Warwick Goble.]] |
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In [[H. G. Wells]]' classic [[science fiction]] novel ''[[The War of the Worlds (novel)|The War of the Worlds]]'' (as well as subsequent films, radio shows and television series based on the original), a '''Tripod''' or "Fighting Machine" is a type of fictional three-legged [[walker (machine)|walker]] used by inhabitants of [[Mars]] to colonize Earth. The tripods were described as 'a shield-like affair' mounted on three legs. These vehicles were apparently capable of traveling as fast as an express train, which at Wells' time would have suggested they could move at least eighty miles per hour (120 km/h) or faster. The tripods were armed with one or more [[Heat-Ray]]s and [[black smoke]]. They also had several tentacles dangling from the main body. It could use these as probes, or a device to grab objects, mostly humans. The tripod also sometimes carried a cage or basket which would be used to hold captives so the Martians could drain their [[blood]]. The Tripods were stated to be over 100 feet tall (>33 m) in the novel. The Tripods could wade through water, at least as deep as they are tall. This is outlined in the book when the [[HMS Thunder Child]] engages a trio of tripods pursuing a refugee flotilla off the coast of England. |
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In the original book the tripods are delivered to Earth in massive cylinders. In the 2005 Spielberg film, the tripods were already buried on Earth. The alien crews later arrived in their ships by "riding" lightning into the pods where the tripods were stored. |
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The lethality of the tripods can be summed up in a single phrase used in 2005 film (A paraphrase of a line from the 1953 film, where the invaders used hovering "War Machines"): "Once the Tripods start to move, no more news comes out of that area". However in the book, the Martians are unintrested in genocide, and only use their formidable machines to their fullest lethal extent against the military that they face, and against the industry and infrastructure, sending a wave of refugees fleeing before them. |
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[[Image:Lynch1.jpg|left|thumb|An artist's impression of a fighting machine being hit by artillery fire]] |
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It is interesting to note that the original conceptual drawings for the tripod machine, drawn by Warwick Goble, accompanied the initial appearance of ''The War of the Worlds'' in ''Pearson's Magazine'' in 1897. When Wells saw these pictures, he was so displeased that he added the following text to the final version of his book: |
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:''I recall particularly the illustration of one of the first pamphlets to give a consecutive account of the war. The artist had evidently made a hasty study of one of the fighting-machines, and it was there that his knowledge ended. He presented them as tilted, stiff tripods without either flexibility or subtlety, and with an altogether misleading monotony of effect. The pamphlet containing these renderings had a considerable vogue, and I mention them here to warn the reader against the impression they may have created. They were no more like the Martians I saw in action than a Dutch doll is like a human being. To my mind, the pamphlet would have been much better without them.'' |
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==In other adaptations== |
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[[Image:1953_machines.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The 1953 war machines in [[combat formation]].]] |
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The Martian machines in 1953 movie ''[[The War of the Worlds (1953 film)|The War of the Worlds]]'' were drastically different from the ones in Wells' novel. Instead of towering tripods, the Martian machines resembled sinister-looking [[manta ray]]s with invisible, electromagnetic legs. Designed by [[Albert Nozaki]], this machine was armed with a Heat-Ray - one more in keeping with the novel mounted atop in a gooseneck device, and two weapons which fired green blobs from the tips of the wings. These weapons "neutralised meson(s)... the atomic glue holding matter together", causing the target to vaporize, usually leaving behind a black stain on the ground (evidently the scorched remains). These war machines do not have tentacles; presumably, the Martians had no use for humans. The ships were also equipped with a retractable electronic eye, which was used as a probe. |
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The [[War of the Worlds (TV series)|serialized TV series]], while almost never using war machines in general, did reveal in one episode that these same aliens (from [[Mor-Tax]]; not Mars) did at one point use tripods in their past before evolving into the floating machines as seen in the film. This "older model" resembles the latter machines with only a few noticeable differences. Aside from the legs, there is no visible mounted Heat-Ray; however, where the latter models have a green window in its front, the tripods have an orange/red coloured window (framed in blue circle) that, coupled with its pulsating glow, suggests that it is a cruder version of their Heat-Ray and is built into the body of the machine. Whether it is a Heat-Ray, or what other weaponry this model possesses is unknown. While the new models are reminiscent of a [[swan]], the tripods seem more inspired by an [[insect]], both in its (briefly seen) movement as well as the sound it emits. |
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In ''[[H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005 film)|H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds]]'', a film adaptation from The Asylum productions, the fighting machine is a walker, but not a tripod, either. Instead it has six legs, resembling a [[crab]]. The Heat-Ray is built into the body of the machine, shooting through a slot on its "head," which can turn around on the bottom part that houses the legs. This machine can also eject an object that emits a green gas (a substance similar to the [[black smoke]]) through the same slot. It also has an opening atop the head through which Martians can leave the machine, as well at least one appendage that is depicted as grabbing fleeing humans. |
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[[Image:tripod26wj.jpg|thumb|300px|left|A tripod from Spielberg's 2005 film.]] |
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There are several differences between the tripods as described in Wells' book and those in [[War of the Worlds (2005 film)|Steven Spielberg's 2005 movie]], which come from an undisclosed planet; the movie tripods did not possess the black smoke and had some type of invisible energy shield which becomes visible when hit by a missile or other projectile. There are dual heat rays and they also have several [[searchlight]]s mounted on the front of them. Spielberg's tripods also emit loud, deep bellows which sound like giant [[foghorn]]s and are similar to how they are described at one point in the novel. The bellows emit one 113 [[Hz]] blast (between A2 and A#2 on the [[Scale (music)|musical scale]]) for 3 seconds, followed by a 136 Hz blast (near C#3) for 3 seconds. The tripods tend to use these horns as both a signaling method for other tripods, as well as a method of frightening potential human prey. The tripods were equipped with tentacles for capturing humans (and two cages for holding the humans when they are not being dragged to their sacrifice) as well as a probe to search abandoned buildings and locations where the tripods cannot get in. Additionally, the tripods had syringe-tentacle used for sucking human blood, which is later sprayed for fertilization. Similar to the book, the tripods emit some kind of green smoke before arming the heat-ray. |
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[[Image:Ft-mch.jpg|150px|right|thumb|("Jeff Wayne" version) martian tripod/ fighting-machine.]] |
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Arguably, the most recognizable depiction of the tripods are those illustrated on the album cover of ''[[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds]]'' as painted by [[Michael Trim]]. However, this design does have a couple of inconsistencies from Wells' description in his novel (such as the Heat-Ray being in the cupola rather than being held separately in a mechanical arm, the cage to hold captured humans being used by the [[Handling-Machine (War of the Worlds)|handling-machines]] instead of the fighting-machines, and the 'cowl' ('cockpit') of the fighting-machine static instead of separately rotating). |
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Master-modeller Martin Bower built miniatures for an aborted photo-novel of ''War of the Worlds''. [http://www.martinbowersmodelworld.com/html/war_of_the_world_s.html His concept] for the fighting-machine is regarded by some as being the closest version to Wells' description. |
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==Influence== |
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A trilogy of novels by [[Samuel Youd]] (under the pen name "John Christopher") called ''[[The Tripods]]'', is heavily influenced by [[H. G. Wells]]. The novels provide a type of alternate ending to the H. G. Wells story, whereby the tripods succeed in their invasion. Samuel Youd's ''Tripods'', however, are very different from those found in the works of H. G. Wells. In Samuel's trilogy the tripods do not come from Mars, but another distant world. ''The Tripods'', also do not consume humans or feature weapons, but are used instead to control the human civilization with a 'cap'. Large cities, science and technology are no longer part of the human civilisation, instead humans are forced to live in small rural communities. The main feature of these tripods, is a large arm that is extended from the base of the tripod and used to lift humans into the tripod, predominately for the purposes of capping. |
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''The Tripods'', was later made into a BBC TV Series, which was never completed. However there are recent rumours of a movie trilogy in the early stages of pre-production. |
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[[Category:Mars in fiction]] |
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[[Category:Mecha]] |
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[[Category:The War of the Worlds]] |
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Revision as of 12:50, 15 May 2006
everytime t ime a close ma eyes a wake up feeling so hooorny alex clark has dumbo ears