Post by Chicago Jake on Oct 1, 2011 22:44:38 GMT -6
Tonight, Svengoolie screened Jack Arnold's "The Incredible Shrinking Man," starring Grant Williams and Randy Stuart (who you've probably never heard of) as well as Mr. Drysdale from the Beverly Hillbillies and Patty Duke's Dad as his doctors.
From the title alone, you would probably guess that this is some cheesy forgettable drive-in flick from the fifties, but you'd be wrong. It is from the fifties, to be sure, but it is a well-made, thought-provoking, and ultimately very philosophical treatise on the nature of man within his environment. I found it very sophisticated in its approach.
Scott Carey, an ordinary man with a loving wife, suffers a typical fifties movie accident: exposure to pesticides and then radiation, and suddenly finds himself shrinking! First just a few inches, then a few feet, and ultimately down to where you can barely see him. At first, it is an annoyance. Then, he becomes a celebrity, and it is even more annoying! But then, he disappears, and his wife thinks the cat ate him! But in reality, he has become embroiled in a miniature jungle in the basement of his own house, fighting spiders and mousetraps and all manner of tribulations.
As I watched this movie, I wondered, how can it possibly end? Either the doctors find a cure, or he ultimately gets killed, or.... what? Fortunately for us the viewers, the movie was written by Richard Matheson of Twilight Zone fame, a writer who never takes the cheap way out. Nope, the resolution is philosophical, thought-provoking, and mind blowing all at once.
And I might add, the special effects were quite impressive for 1957 (a year before even *I* was born!). I recommend that you check it out if you are a fan of thoughtful science fiction, or if you loved The Zone........Jake
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From the title alone, you would probably guess that this is some cheesy forgettable drive-in flick from the fifties, but you'd be wrong. It is from the fifties, to be sure, but it is a well-made, thought-provoking, and ultimately very philosophical treatise on the nature of man within his environment. I found it very sophisticated in its approach.
Scott Carey, an ordinary man with a loving wife, suffers a typical fifties movie accident: exposure to pesticides and then radiation, and suddenly finds himself shrinking! First just a few inches, then a few feet, and ultimately down to where you can barely see him. At first, it is an annoyance. Then, he becomes a celebrity, and it is even more annoying! But then, he disappears, and his wife thinks the cat ate him! But in reality, he has become embroiled in a miniature jungle in the basement of his own house, fighting spiders and mousetraps and all manner of tribulations.
As I watched this movie, I wondered, how can it possibly end? Either the doctors find a cure, or he ultimately gets killed, or.... what? Fortunately for us the viewers, the movie was written by Richard Matheson of Twilight Zone fame, a writer who never takes the cheap way out. Nope, the resolution is philosophical, thought-provoking, and mind blowing all at once.
And I might add, the special effects were quite impressive for 1957 (a year before even *I* was born!). I recommend that you check it out if you are a fan of thoughtful science fiction, or if you loved The Zone........Jake
Did you enjoy this review? Follow TNMC movie reviews at twitter.com/#!/TNMC_MB
