Heat Ray

[Refugee]

Haven't seen the film just the comedy version and I love the heat ray, a very interesting design and afterall Well's does describe a revolving parrabollic mirror durring its first appearance in the pit.

Appologies for spelling.

[timeship2]

refugee said:

Haven't seen the film just the comedy version and I love the heat ray, a very interesting design and afterall Well's does describe a revolving parrabollic mirror durring its first appearance in the pit.

Appologies for spelling.

The problem is that the one in this movie is a bit comical looking. I think he could have made a better job of the concept myself.

[mctoddridesagain]

And another problem is that the mirror is only seen in the Horsell Common pit. After that, the Fighting Machines carry camera-like boxes that shoot the ray.

[Refugee]

I agree with the pair of you but I found it an interesting concept, not what I expected at all.

[bittersound]

refugee said:

I agree with the pair of you but I found it an interesting concept, not what I expected at all.

it is indeed an interesting concept, it's a shame that the mirror-thing appeared to wobble like a wonky bicycle wheel...

[dalek]

The heat ray in Pendragon is wrong:
In the novel:

Excerpt from Chapter 5:

'a thin rod rose up, joint by joint, bearing at its apex a circular disk that spun with a wobbling motion'.
This is what Pendragon have thought was the heat ray, however it was some other device, probably some sort of detection device such as a periscope as later in the chapter the heat ray itself is first narrated as:

'Slowly a humped shape rose out of the pit, and the ghost of a beam of light seemed to flicker out from it.'

The 'humped shape' is then detailed in chapter 11:

'A kind of arm carried a complicated metallic case, about which green flashes scintillated, and out of the funnel of this there smoked the Heat-Ray.'

Then again in chapter 12:

'...the remotest that is, flourished a huge case high in the air, and the ghostly, terrible Heat-Ray I had already seen on Friday night smote towards Chertsey, and struck the town.'.

Therefore not a wobbling mirror at all, but a case with a funnel to project the ray and aimed using a flexible arm.

Pendragon couldn't even get the extermination weapon facts right!

dalek

[Refugee]

i thought the large lump fired the heat ray at the mirror to reflect it, so the beam could go up and out of the pit.

[Tripod]

The Heat Ray effect is a bit slow isn't it. The victims stand around and stagger a while and then they topple over. I thought Wells stated the Martians had the power to kill people swiftly.

Tripod

[Thunder Child]

i thought the large lump fired the heat ray at the mirror to reflect it, so the beam could go up and out of the pit.

Yeah, that is actually the function of the mirror. Wells tells us that himself:

It is still a matter of wonder how the Martians are able to slay men so swiftly and so silently. Many think that in some way they are able to generate an intense heat in a chamber of practically absolute non-conductivity. This intense heat they project in a parallel beam against any object they choose, by means of a polished parabolic mirror of unknown composition, much as the parabolic mirror of a lighthouse projects a beam of light[/glow]. But no one has absolutely proved these details. However it is done, it is certain that a beam of heat is the essence of the matter. Heat, and invisible, instead of visible, light. Whatever is combustible flashes into flame at its touch, lead runs like water, it softens iron, cracks and melts glass, and when it falls upon water, incontinently that explodes into steam.

Johan

[Thunder Child]

Here are two interesting pictures from a TinTin edition made by E.P. Jacobs:





Johan

[maniacs]

The early effects on the civilians was extremely pOO! Later on the soldiers being killed was better but as someone pointed out the area about them was not affected.

[Trivet]

The Pendragon device acts more like a microwave generator slowly cooking people, than a super-heated beam.

I quite liked the scene for all it's faults, even the absurd writhing skeletons mainly because it reminded me of a scene from a film (Atlantis the lost continent, I think) that gave me the creeps when I was six. The scene also featured a large dish shaped heatray, spining out of control during the climactic earthquake, randomly picking off fleeing people and turning them to skeletons.

[Refugee]

That sounds like a film I need to see.

[Trivet]

Me to, I missed it on BB2 a couple of years ago. Must have a look to see if it's available on Tape or DVD.

[Trivet]

Here's a link to the only picture I could find. the Heat rays the crystal thing at the top right. It's a George Pal film as well, I didn't know that.

www.colemanzone.com/images(2)/George%20Pal/lead-in.gif

[David Faltskog]

Yep it's from the George Pal Movie "Atlantis, The Lost Continent"

D.F.

[Thunder Child]

Cool! ;D