Post by jeffan on Mar 23, 2009 16:38:56 GMT -5
The 1950s creature features that spawned Monsters vs. Aliens
DreamWorks’ computer-animated spoof Monsters vs. Aliens, opening Friday, harks back to the famed sci-fi creatures that invaded America’s drive-ins in the 1950s. Fifty years ago, filmmakers had the power to transmogrify unconvincing make-up and tiny models into imaginative horrors that embodied a host of American anxieties over the atomic bomb, the Cold War, the oppressions of conformity and technology run amok. The “Aliens” of the title, particularly a tentacled jerk named Gallaxhar, don’t seem to derive from any specific UFO film, but Dreamworks’ five endearing Monsters are all based on unforgettable films of the era, some of which are true classics. Others, not so much.
The Fly (1958)
Any good? Yes. The Fly is famed for a freaky image near the end, in which a fly with a human head and arm squeaks “Help me! Help me!” when caught in a spiderweb. The rest of the film, however, resembles a murder mystery as a man (Vincent Price) and a police inspector try to figure out why a scientist died under a massive metal press. Flashbacks reveal that the inventor (Al Hedison) suffered an accident with his teleportation device, switching head and arm with a fly in the booth. His loyal wife (Patricia Owens) tries to help her increasingly desperate, segmented-eyed husband until death does them part.
Sequels/remakes: Followed by Return of the Fly (1958), in which a bug-headed guy goes on a killing spree, and Curse of the Fly (1965), in which teleportation creates ugly mutants (but no actual fly-freaks). David Cronenberg’s thoughtful, disgusting remake of The Fly, with Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, is one of the most touching and well-written horror films ever made and even inspired a recent opera version by Howard Shore and David Henry Hwang. (I understand it features the lovely aria, “BZZZZZZZ.”)
Curt Holman
Music, News, movies & tv
March 23, 2009.
Full article
blogs.creativeloafing.com/culturesurfing/2009/03/23/the-creature-features-that-spawned-monsters-vs-aliens/
DreamWorks’ computer-animated spoof Monsters vs. Aliens, opening Friday, harks back to the famed sci-fi creatures that invaded America’s drive-ins in the 1950s. Fifty years ago, filmmakers had the power to transmogrify unconvincing make-up and tiny models into imaginative horrors that embodied a host of American anxieties over the atomic bomb, the Cold War, the oppressions of conformity and technology run amok. The “Aliens” of the title, particularly a tentacled jerk named Gallaxhar, don’t seem to derive from any specific UFO film, but Dreamworks’ five endearing Monsters are all based on unforgettable films of the era, some of which are true classics. Others, not so much.
The Fly (1958)
Any good? Yes. The Fly is famed for a freaky image near the end, in which a fly with a human head and arm squeaks “Help me! Help me!” when caught in a spiderweb. The rest of the film, however, resembles a murder mystery as a man (Vincent Price) and a police inspector try to figure out why a scientist died under a massive metal press. Flashbacks reveal that the inventor (Al Hedison) suffered an accident with his teleportation device, switching head and arm with a fly in the booth. His loyal wife (Patricia Owens) tries to help her increasingly desperate, segmented-eyed husband until death does them part.
Sequels/remakes: Followed by Return of the Fly (1958), in which a bug-headed guy goes on a killing spree, and Curse of the Fly (1965), in which teleportation creates ugly mutants (but no actual fly-freaks). David Cronenberg’s thoughtful, disgusting remake of The Fly, with Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, is one of the most touching and well-written horror films ever made and even inspired a recent opera version by Howard Shore and David Henry Hwang. (I understand it features the lovely aria, “BZZZZZZZ.”)
Curt Holman
Music, News, movies & tv
March 23, 2009.
Full article
blogs.creativeloafing.com/culturesurfing/2009/03/23/the-creature-features-that-spawned-monsters-vs-aliens/
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