"I won't discuss the content of the mp3 file, as if you are reading this then you probably already know that this is one of the most entertaining and convincing products of the entertainment industry in history.
However, in addition to the obvious artifacts of 1930's era recording technology (cackling which do not distract from the content), there are many metallic whistling mp3 artifacts as well. If this were available in another format, such as an uncompressed wav or possibly a lossless flak, it would be much better."
Phenomenal
Edith Miller | Burbank, CA | 10/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I always wondered why this radio program caused so much panic back then. So after listening to this, I realized how people could've easily mistaken it for the real thing had they missed the beginning. This is a kind of a radio program that was way ahead of its time in 1938. We're used to it now, we are more jaded and habituated to this type of broadcast. But if you transpose the Mars aliens to terrorist in planes etc.. we could just as easily believe it and create panic now. Orson Wells in incredible!"
A landmark
adead_poet@hotmail.com | Beaumont, tx USA | 06/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a landmark of radio. Orson Welles successfully pulled off the greatest farce? tragedy? show? of all of radio history. And the way they did it, cutting in and out of the music of the day (much like if CNN did it today, but a video version) many people thought this was real. It's a testament to the power of Orson Welles, though he did, at the beginning, let people know that this was just a show. It's the latecomers (let that be a lesson to you) that panicked. History aside, it is a great radio show, the only that I own. Buy it. Love it. And think about it.
"
Holds up well
Presbyteros | Glassboro, NJ USA | 10/28/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was running errands on a Saturday with my 13 year old son. We had WOTW in the car CD player, and after some silence, he suddenly remarked, "I can't believe I'm being drawn into this". He and I realized that we would actually stop breathing, listening to the story unfold. A great father/son moment, like watching "Casablanca". With material like this, you can't miss. It still has the power to grab you, if you let yourself go for an hour. This truly was a "Golden Age"."
A masterpiece.
DanD | 12/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Seventy years after its broadcast, Orson Welles's rendition of "War of the Worlds" is as fresh and invigorating as ever. I grew up hearing about it--a sort of psychological experiment, a source of mass hysteria. It's amazing how, listening to it now, you can understand why people were genuinely afraid. The play is masterfully put together: the mysterious background noises, the conversational tone, the improvisational-sounding panic in the voices. Welles was a master at making people feel ill-at-ease, questioning the reality around them. This broadcast is as unsettling today as it was in 1938, and is a must for anyone interested in hearing a classic piece of psychological horror at its finest."