The "humans are property" motif had been around sf literature long before 1957. Off the top of my head, I can think of two Eric Frank Russell novels -- Sinister Barrier and Dreadful Sanctuary, pubbed in 1947 and 1948, respectively (IIRC) -- that dealt with control of the masses. The latter novel (again, IIRC) was the one with the Vitons, who lurked just outside our dimensional plane, but lived on our energy and stimulated all kinds of mayhem in order to feed.

Invaders from Mars (1953) dealt with control and destruction of humanity by aliens. Did Menzies purposefully insert a Holocaust sub-text in that film?

I tend to go along with Ted and Bill on this point -- maybe Kneale was making some kind of anti-Fascist statement -- but I'm more inclined to believe that sub-texts tend to be invented more by viewers than by originators. Not always the case, true, but Kneale was a fabulist/sf lover who wrote many stories. screeplays, etc. that dealt with monsters and horrors (The Pond springs to mind), and aliens preying on humanity. I seriously doubt that he was producing a continual, specific attack on Nazis and deathcamps. If that were the case, then why not extend this idea to all his later work, especially in the Quatermass saga?

Has anyone produced an analysis/critique of Nigel Kneale's life and work that suggests he might be using his films to promote an underlying agenda or philosophy? Is there other fantasy/sf literature or film that deals with Holocaust sub-text more directly?

... Reed