It Came From Outer Space (1953)
A film which deals with small town paranoia following ridicule and disbelief of those, in this case one man, who claims to have seen an alien space craft in the desert not to mention first contact with it's bug eyed alien occupants.
The desert plays a big part in the film, acting as an environment just as alien and eerie as what is claimed to have landed. The creatures themselves are barely seen but come across as single eyed stout beings (Quite possibly used as a blue print for the Vorlons in Babylon 5). We get plenty of their point of view shots as we see the Earth as they do through a fishy eyed lens.
The films real surprise comes as the aliens are found to be benevolent beings rather than seen as an excuse for a Communist style witch hunt, coming as it does in the period the Cold War was really starting to take hold and change lives forever. In effect it's an allegory for better understanding between races.
Highly recommended. One of the great sci-fi films of the fifties.
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