The Sixth Column (1970)

I feel as though an angel has smiled on me. After years of wanting to see this movie I finally saw it. This was one of the ABC movie of the week deals that I learned about in high school back in the 80's. Unfortunately I was born a scant 5 or 6 months before it aired on ABC, which meant my parents were probably enjoying it whilst I was napping in my crib in another room. I can't remember how I found out about it back in 1988 but I did, and had a nice enough of a working idea of the plot to attempt a remake of my own. That became my senior video project in my Mass Media class and while it got me an "A" in the class, it didn't garner me much recognition. I even built the props in addition to making the script! The producers needn't get their lawyers ready as I have long since lost the footage of me and my friends running around reenacting what was poorly but cogent rendition of their movie. However it would be nice if someone would remake the movie for a more modern retelling. A good made for TV movie with a nice twist-ending.

According to real conditions at that time, I have got two words after all these years: shocking and reliable. Let's remember that hatred across the world towards Americans had been triggered due to Uncle Sam's intrusion in Vietnam's "internal" affairs. The Love War serves to present America with what it would be like to be invaded, and have their own ground jeopardized. The title of course subtly suggests a certain care however; it is America that we are talking about this time for God's sake! The Cold War would alert America's national interest in an attempt to keep their eyes wide opened. Certainly, Uncle Sam's apprehension was not quite out of control those days. The Love War one of those great, old movies that keeps you attached to your seat was immerse into this "ambience." I saw this movie when I was just a child--nearly 10 I think--, and I have to admit that I really bought it: imagine... an outsider like me clearly shocked... what about insiders then? The Love War is one of those witty movies that makes you raise a WHAT IF SO ? I loved it though. I could not agree more with those comments expressing an intention to see it again... for memories' sake.

Perhaps the reason this TV movie is remembered now by older people who saw it in the 70's is because of it's shocking ending.Without revealing too much,it is not a happy one.it is also an unsatisfying one since we don't clearly understand the motivation behind it.The script writer seems to have tried to end the story with a twist ending but it's brought without excitement and turns out to be flat.This TV movie which lasts only about 70 minutes (without commercials) was clearly low budget and was probably shot in a very limited time.There is rear projection in many of the bus scenes and the ending seems to take place on an already constructed western set.The alien devices(apart from the glasses)are not very convincing and the search device sounds exactly like crickets noises!What holds the film together is the relationship between lloyd bridges and angie dickinson even though they don't create the chemistry that they should be creating.When those two aren't together on screen, most of the film turns to be dull and boring action scenes.Any episode of the one hour police woman series which later starred angie dickinson looks like a masterpiece beside this underdevelopped scripted film.The''you need glasses to see the aliens'' is a great idea(it was used later in THEY LIVE) and perhaps it's also one reason why the film is remembered today even though the disappearance of the dead alien bodies in flames was probably an idea borrowed from the TV series the invaders. (Domonic frontier who did the theme for the invaders also does the music for this movie) The film holds some good ideas and should probably get remade.it would be very easy to surpass this dated film.

I saw this movie on TV when I was a lot younger but it impressed me. Mainly because despite the unlikely pairing of Loyd Bridges and Angie Dickinson in a Sci-Fi movie it worked quite well. The plot was complex but while moving quickly enough did not become garbled or incoherent as some movies do when trying to achieve the "unexpected". The partnership between the main characters develops quite naturally although it may seem cliché to some in this day and age. Perhaps much of it's charm for me is that it came before many other similar movies and was in its way a ground breaker in this genre. I would love to see it again but as another commented I have yet to see it on either tape or DVD. Not many resources even list it. The title of lost sci-fi classic is quite appropriate and I feel many sci-fi fans would enjoy it if it were available to them.