The War Of The Worlds 

This film was from a novel By HG Wells  WAR OF THE WORLDS set in the 1800s and was about  an alien invasion from Planet Mars that  threatens to wipe out civilisation , the earth has no defense against the power and technology of these creatures from another world.
The film was an instant success partly because of the books notariaty  because in 1938 when the worls was already panicked by the thought of War in Europe  Orson Wells broadcast the story to the American nation and it caused mass panic and hysteria, listeners to his broadcast truly believed that the end of the world had come. 

 Orson WElls Broadcast War Of The Worlds 


The Film wasn't released until 1953 and starred Gene Barry as the intrepid American reporter covering the end of the world,
the film unlike the book was set in the 50s and had many differences most noticeable was the fact that the Martians had flying craft.
In the Book The Martians strode across the Planet in Mighty Three legged Tripods wiping out everything before them and using human blood to 
seed the new martian landscape . This was thought to be too much for the general public at the time and the story was altered to fit a less graphic scenario, after all another mass hysteria was not what they wanted. Again I am sorry to say only a clip is available there is a version on you tube but not available in the UK so you may be lucky enough to see the film if you use this  link below.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIitWxzBXOI