Quatermass and the Pit

Hey, hold it. Whoa. Whoa!

Here, look at this.

-Why, it's a skull. -You mean off some dead fella?

-It looks like stone to me. -Hey!

Look at those dead eyes.

-Get a load of those gnashers. -Eh!

Hey! Careful with it. It's a fossil.

It may be worth money, you know that.

I've known things dug out that have fetched a fortune.

Ah, nix. Right!

Come along now, please.

Unless you're passengers or press, keep the entrance clear.

Come along now, please.

The London Transport people very sensibly ordered all work on the site to cease.

And, at that point, the Nicklin Institute was called in and we started digging.

We made our first dig about there, you see,

and that's where Square Five is now.

-We think that's another scapula. Huh?

A shoulder blade. How is it, Miss Judd?

It seems to be better than the others.

There appear to be six bodies here at least.

Now, if you'd all just step up this way.

What's that?

Don't worry, gentlemen, the train won't come through here.

No rails.

Now, gentlemen, this little press conference hasn't entirely met with official approval.

Uh, may I say that?

The fact is I need your help.

In the last two days, my assistants here have done wonderful work

and we've unearthed a lot of valuable stuff.

-Valuable? -How valuable, Dr Roney?

To science? I can't tell yet,

but I do know this is one of the most remarkable finds ever made.

Now, what I want to say to you is this...

The London Transport people have halted their extension work

for the next few days.

But it isn't days we need here, it's weeks.

I know, and you all know,

they'll soon be under pressure to start again, to stop wasting public money.

That's where I need your help.

Tell the public why we should be allowed to stay.

Dr Roney, what actually makes this find so remarkable?

These fossils prove, I firmly believe,

that creatures essentially resembling mankind

walked this earth as long ago as five million years.

Isn't that much further back than has been supposed?

-Yes. A good deal. -That's tremendous.

Can you actually prove it?

No, not until I've got every scrap of evidence out of here and made full tests.

It's just my personal conviction based on what we've found so far.

And what actually have you found so far?

Parts of two skulls, fragments of upper and lower limbs.

Gosh! And can you actually tell what these, what, ape men looked like?

Hardly, at this stage.

Yes, I think I can. At least I'm prepared to take a chance.

Uh, Bert. Excuse me.

This is my attempt at a reconstruction.

The modelled parts show what we've found up to now,

filled out with imaginary flesh.

He wasn't very big. He had the face of an ape.

He had a big brain and he stood like a man.

-Miss Judd. -Miss Dobson, what is it?

I've struck what seems to be a buried pipe.

What we must have now is time.

We've got to get public support

or there'll be tube trains running over this site,

bones and all, before we can get everything out.

Whatever it is, it's big.

-A main water pipe perhaps. Not here.

A sewer then? That would be awkward, wouldn’t it?

Good thing I wasn't using a pickaxe.

There shouldn't be anything.

Dr Roney.

-Anything wrong? -You'd better have a look.

There is just one possibility.

-Good morning. This way please, Captain. -Good morning.

-This is Dr Roney. -Where's the bomb?

Here.

That's right, tear it all up!

What would you say it was, sir?

Uh, looks like a big one.

Maybe a Satan.

Yes, sir, except I've never seen a Satan with bumps.

Mmm.

Strange.

Won't hold.

No ticking.

Odd though.

The mike doesn't stick, so it can't be steel, and there's no corrosion of the surface.

Feel it.

We'll dig down a bit. Let the dog see the rabbit, mmm?

Corporal Gibson, two men with shovels.

Right, Sergeant. All right. Webster, Jenkins.

Right, Sergeant, five minutes.

Five minutes.

You know, I don't think this is any kind of metal.

Then what, sir?

Captain Potter, can you tell me yet how long this is going to take?

I realise it must be difficult.

Look, sir, I advised you to leave.

Yes, I know. But you'll appreciate I have a special interest.

-How long would you say? -I don't know, yet.

You're a young man. You can't possibly have had the wartime experience that would...

I should call in a second opinion. Is that it?

-Well, yes. -Well, don't worry. I intend to.

GM2.

Just a moment, sir.

It's for Colonel Breen.

Oh, I'll take It. Scrambler?

No, it's blue. It's clear.

Hello? I'm afraid Colonel Breen is not available.

What's it about?

A bomb?

But surely you realise he's no longer connected with...

How big?

Good God.

Give me the details.

I'll get the message to him as soon as he's free.

What is there to argue about?

The purpose is quite clear.

Colonel Breen, my Rocket Group

has been intended all along for peaceful scientific research.

Professor Quatermass, your Rocket Group?

Yes, mine. I brought the whole thing into being.

But it is, after all, a government project.

And now the government has had a change of policy.

Change of policy!

You're going to take it over and pervert it to this... This...

Listen. Within 10 years, there will be permanent bases on the moon,

perhaps even on Mars.

-Military bases. Of course.

The present world situation makes that quite clear.

Whoever plants them first will be able to police the Earth with ballistic missiles.

So, we must be in the race.

Well, of course.

The ultimate weapon. It always is.

Gentlemen, don't you see?

We're on the edge of a new dimension of discovery.

It's a great chance to leave our vices behind, war first of all.

Not to go out there dragging our hatreds and our frontiers along with us.

Frankly, I'm surprised and disturbed

to hear such naive views still being put forward...

-Naive? You've lost touch with humanity. -There is nothing to be gained...

You've been shut away too long in this ivory fortress of yours.

That's your trouble.

Well, he'll be out of it soon.

Colonel Breen is joining you at the Rocket Group.

-What? At the end of the week.

I think you'll agree that someone with experience of military rockets, missiles,

will be of considerable value.

I'll fight this right at top-level!

I shouldn't. It came from there.

It'll work out. For the good of the Group.

And now, gentlemen, if you'll both excuse me, I have another meeting.

Nose to the grindstone.

I won't resign, if that's what you want.

Of course not. I'm sure we'll get along quite well.

Why not have dinner with me? My club?

Come.

Oh, I can't possibly... Who's this from?

Oh, I see.

Do you ever find your early career catching up with you?

I never had a career. Only work.

What was yours?

Enemy missiles.

Do you mind stopping off on the way for a couple of minutes?

Lead on, please.

Captain Potter, sir.

-I hope you didn't mind my... -Any sign of the mechanism yet?

None, sir. We've found this cavity,

but there's only impacted clay inside.

-Stand down for a moment, Briggs. -Yes, sir.

Any guesses?

-Possibly a German V weapon. -Why?

A flying bomb? A V-2 Rocket?

-It's not either of them. -Obviously.

But they weren't the only surprises they cooked up in the war.

There were more than anyone knew.

-Sir! -What is it?

I don't know. It may just be a stone.

It's another one of them skulls.

-Corporal. Sir.

-Is Dr Roney still here? -Yes, sir, I'll fetch him.

It's a skull. -Let me see.

-Thanks. -Who is this man?

-Potter, is he attached to you? -No, sir, that is...

Let me go! Thank you.

Don't you know? Dr Roney's the man of the moment.

This place is news.

He has no business here now.

Hasn't he?

Thank you. It's absolutely marvellous.

Oh, it's magnificent!

Better than anything we've got so far. It's almost intact.

-Intact? -Yes, yes.

This proves everything. It's all I needed.

-No, no, leave it to me. -You might drop it. It's slippery.

-Drop it? Not on your nelly! -Here.

How do you think it got inside there?

Oh, it was here in the clay,