Stranger from Venus (1954) aka Immediate Disaster

A pedestrian and plodding low-budget film with a purpose

Directed by Burt Balaban
Produced by Burt Balaban, Gene Martel, Roy Rich
Written by Desmond Leslie (story), Hans Jacoby (writer)
Music: Eric Spear
Cinematography: Kenneth Talbot
Editing: Peter R. Hunt
Running time: 75 minutes

Cast

Patricia Neal as Susan North
Helmut Dantine as The Stranger
Derek Bond as Arthur Walker
Cyril Luckham as Dr. Meinard
Willoughby Gray as Tom Harding
Marigold Russell as Gretchen Harding
Arthur Young as Scientist
Kenneth Edwards as Charles Dixon
David Garth as First Police Officer
Stanley Van Beers as General
Nigel Green as Second Police Officer
Graham Stuart as Police Chief Richards

Witness the day that first contact is made with an intelligent extra-terrestrial life form: 

A peaceful and advanced intelligence from another planet! 

A superior being from Venus who has the power of life and death! 

A being that has come to Earth with  

…… an ultimatum!

Trailer

The Story

(Spoilers follow below)

Stranger from Venus begins with a moving aerial shot of rural fields accompanied by other-worldly sound FX. As the farmer and the couple on the seat gaze heavenwards, we have the instant feeling that ordinary folks’ lives are about to be changed forever.

On the night that a strange craft is spotted flying over Britain, Susan North is driving on a country road when she hears reports on the radio of a “strange phenomena of light in the sky”. As the report succumbs to static, a bright light dazzles her, causing her to lose control of her car.

The camera then tracks the lower portion of a man’s body approaching the car and observing a seriously injured Susan framed by the stranger’s body, arm and open car door.

In the bar of a rural English inn, the owner’s daughter, Gretchen Harding is concerned about Susan’s whereabouts after receiving a call from Arthur Walker, Susan’s fiancé, who is looking for her.

As Gretchen serves the bar’s sole patron, Doctor Meinard, a stranger enters the bar. The term “stranger” is given greater significance by the fact that he;

• does not like the taste of beer. 
• has no money. 
• claims not to have a name. (“I have no name”) 
• has never paid taxes. (“I have never paid taxes”) 
• does not have a pulse. (“My friend, you have no pulse”)

Add to this the fact that initially we see only the back of the stranger’s head and almost see things from his perspective. When being questioned, the other characters are strategically placed around him and the audience is forced to follow their physical placement and line of sight directly to the object of their (and our) curiosity.

During the initial stages of Stranger from Venus, a kind of aura of unnerving silence seems to surround the stranger as the others halt in their tracks and regard him, such as when later one night he suddenly emerges from Tom Harding’s room.

At the crash site the police and Arthur discover that Susan is missing but conclude that she could not have survived, let alone wander away from the crash.

Later at the hotel, as the police are organizing search parties for the morning, the stranger reappears and tells Arthur that Miss North is safe. This raises the suspicions of the police who question him about Miss North’s whereabouts.

The police eventually decide to arrest the stranger, but as they attempt to do so their efforts are thwarted by a kind of force field surrounding him. Susan suddenly appears, dazed but in good health. The story she relates about what she went through, together with her well-healed scars makes it apparent that it was the stranger who had helped her.

The stranger reveals that he has” travelled a great distance”, and it was the landing lights from his space ship that caused Susan’s accident. He also reveals that he is not an inhabitant of this planet, but is from Venus. As the doctor observes, “this is no ordinary man.” Arthur soon contacts the Ministry Of War to inform them of what has transpired.

As if to confirm the doctor’s observation, later that night as everyone is asleep, the stranger enters Mr Harding’s room. It soon turns out that a limp Harding has had for many years is gone. In addition to the stranger’s ability to cure physical ailments, he later admits to Susan that he also has a limited capacity to read people’s minds.

In order for the stranger to compensate for the differences in atmospheric conditions between Earth and Venus, he has had to undertake 12 days’ training to condition his respiratory system in order for him to survive on Earth. It turns out that he only has another 100 hours on Earth before he will die.

While driving to a medical appointment, the doctor is stopped by a military roadblock. He is informed that the whole area has been quarantined and that he must return home until the situation has ended. It is apparent that the government has cordoned off the area so that no one can get in to find out the truth about what has taken place, or get out to tell the world what has happened. With the suppression of truth and the facts, the outside world is merely left with rumours that the “earth has been invaded by men from Venus” and that “according to the radio” the stranger doesn’t “exist at all.” As the doctor observes, “So that’s what you’re trying to do; build a prison around him.”

Meanwhile, Arthur has returned from London with a delegation consisting of Chief of Police, Richards and Charles Dixon from Associated Press, who have come to gain a better understanding of the Stranger’s purpose in coming to earth.

The unusual results of the fingerprint test, (“these are not the fingerprints of a human being”) together with a multi-lingual test, convinces Richards and the rest of the party that the Stranger is definitely not from Earth.

We further learn that the stranger’s species make use of thought transference rather than speech to communicate as this guarantees honesty amongst his people. The Venusian’s method of learning seems to involve a process whereby one “only need to concentrate on a topic to know it.”

The Stranger explains that Venus has been observing Earth for a very long time, and is concerned about Earth’s attempts at maintaining peace. He states that his people “have been amazed and amused at (our) behaviour.” He then informs them that his superiors will be arriving in two days and that the leaders from all the world’s governments must be present.

It turns out that the phones are being monitored by the military and that the public has not been informed about the stranger’s arrival due to a total government embargo on the story. In fact, we learn that “this story cannot be released until it is cleared by our government.” News of the stranger’s arrival has been kept under tight control.

It also turns out that a complicating romantic attachment between the Stranger and Susan has been developing.

The next day, more government representatives arrive, which angers the stranger as no other nations’ leaders are present as was earlier stipulated. He expresses his concerns at humanity’s use of nuclear power, and the kind of the damage that could be caused. He refers to the asteroid belt as an example of what can happen to a civilization that does not exercise caution. He then explains the danger posed to Venus and the rest of the solar system by the “delinquent member” of the solar system if too many bombs were detonated at the same time. Even if the Earth was to move an inch in its orbit as a result, this would over time increase until a point is reached in which the planet Venus is threatened. The intended meeting with the Venusians is to encourage the “cautious handling” of atomic energy and to teach Earth’s scientists.

Before leaving the meeting, the stranger tells those present that he knows what they are thinking: How to get the Venusians to reveal their interplanetary travel secrets and how far certain individuals can personally rise from the knowledge gained. The stranger makes it clear that the Venusian leadership would not agree to freely give their secrets away.

It later transpires that the disk the stranger had earlier hidden has been stolen and that he can’t communicate with the arriving Venusians without it. In addition, the army has been building up its forces around the hotel and that an attempt will be made to capture the Venusian craft when it lands by using magnetized cables. The authorities’ do not realise that the plan to capture the spaceship could have disastrous consequences for Earth. According to the Stranger such an attempt will result in the death of everyone in the hotel when the Venusian mother ship incinerates a wide area around the hotel.

Arthur’s efforts to avert disaster by contacting the Minister of War in London are to no avail as he is ordered to continue to prepare the ambush.

Overhead, the descending ship from Venus prepares to land, but at the last minute the Stranger uses his retrieved communicator to alert the ship of the danger. The alien craft changes course and heads into outer space.

Without any means of being evacuated, the Stranger returns to the lake, the one place of earthly happiness, to resignedly await to his inevitable fate.

Points Of Interest

Stranger from Venus appears to have been adapted from the Robert Wise classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still, an impression further reinforced by having Patricia Neal cast as the female star. In both films an alien visitor arrives to deliver a dire warning about humanity’s irresponsible use of nuclear weapons, only to be met by unreasoning political and military actions. In the British version, alien visitors tend to land in the middle of nowhere, preferably close to an inn or pub, whereas visiting aliens in the US seem to crave attention by landing smack bang in the middle of Washington DC.

Helmut Dantine’s sedative-like performance coupled with the slow-moving and very static pace of the film makes it rather less than entertaining and quite bland. There is also not much in the way of special effects and those that are used for the Venusian spacecraft scenes don’t look at all convincing.

Stranger from Venus does effectively highlight the stupidity of officialdom and those who we entrust to look after our interests. In the film, the government immediately acts to isolate the area, blocks information and communication and refuses to invite in other nations as requested. In a final act of irresponsible, bureaucratic, paranoid and short-sighted thinking, it is decided to attempt to bring down the Venusian craft so that it can steal the technology of its magnetic propulsion system, despite the possibility of utter destruction from such a course of action.

Even 60 years later not much seems to have changed with distrust, suspicion and personal and political scheming in order to gain advantage often influencing human affairs. Just look at the tragic events in Syria (at the time of writing) and the faltering attempts to achieve some kind of peace. In the short time that the different sides agree to disagree and fail to cooperate, thousands of innocent people die.

Stranger from Venus clearly stands out as a Cold War era film with a message that that would resonate with audiences at the time: that nuclear arms pose a huge threat and Mankind must step back from the brink of destruction before it's too late. Unfortunately, these days while we focus on our own era’s real and manufactured threats, we are under the false delusion that the threat of nuclear annihilation no longer exists.

Stranger from Venus depicts the government as controlling and suppressing the truth about an alien landing. The area around the stranger's landing site is sealed off by the British government. We don’t have far to look in our own era to see governments employing the military and taking charge of an “alien” landing situation; in this case (at the time of writing) people from foreign countries landing on Australian shores and seeking asylum. The government’s reaction has been to take such people (termed “illegals” even though they can legally claim asylum) and imprison (“detain”) them in concentration “camps” set up in third countries. Or they can be towed back to transit points like Indonesia. The only news we receive about the boat arrivals and asylum seekers is heavily controlled by the Australian government under the guise of “operational matters.” This lack of trust in and respect for those who are being governed by denying them the right to know only leaves room for rumours, speculation and half-truths and opens the door wide open to abuse of power. And this is what we do to members of our own species!

Venus Fact File

When seen from Earth, Venus, the second planet from the sun, is brighter than any other planet or even any star in the night sky because of its highly reflective clouds and its closeness to our planet.

Venus and Earth are often called twins because they are similar in size, mass, density, composition and gravity.

Venus is the hottest world in the solar system as its dense atmosphere traps heat in a runaway version of the greenhouse effect. Temperatures on Venus reach 870 degrees F (465 degrees C), more than hot enough to melt lead.

Venus’ atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulphuric acid. The atmosphere is heavier than that of any other planet with a surface pressure 90 times that of Earth.

The surface of Venus is extremely dry with no liquid water since the scorching heat would cause any to boil away.

Venus takes 243 Earth days to rotate on its axis and it rotates the opposite way to Earth’s rotation. On Venus, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. However, it takes Venus 225 Earth days to orbit the sun which would mean that the days on Venus would be longer than the years. In reality, though, the time from one sunrise to the next is only about 117 Earth days long.

So tell me, do you think it likely that the Earth would be visited by a Stranger from Venus?

The Asteroid Belt

Asteroids or planetoids are bits and pieces of rock left over from the creation of the solar system when dust and rock circling the sun were pulled together by gravity to form planets.

It was the largest planet’s gravity, Jupiter that kept a number of the pieces from coming together to form another planet. Instead of a planet, an array of unattached asteroids was left to orbit between Mars and Jupiter.

This region, known as the Main Asteroid Belt lies more than two-and-a-half times as far as Earth does from the sun. It contains billions of asteroid,s most of which range in size from boulders to a few thousand feet in diameter. Some, however, are significantly larger. 

Most of the asteroids in the Main Belt are made of rock and stone. A few contain iron and nickel metals. The rest are made up of a mix of these. 

©Chris Christopoulos 2014

More Sci-Fi Screen Gems & An “OMG” Award!

The following films have been added to the Sci-Fi Screen Gems Page for your enjoyment.

War Of The Monsters (1966)

Killers From Space (1954)

Curse of the Aztec Mummy (1957) 

Robot Vs Aztec Mummy (1958) 

Man with Two Lives (1942) 

Gammera the Invincible (1966) 

Yongary Monster from the Deep (1967) 

Life Returns (1935)

AND my O.M.G (Oddly Mesmerizing Gunk) award goes to.........

.......the following sci-fi screen offerings;

1. Robot Monster (1953)

A Robot Monster has been sent to Earth as the advance party of an impending invasion. Ordered by The Great One to capture several humans, the Robot Monster becomes confused as it learns more about humans.

2. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)

Aliens resurrect dead humans as zombies and vampires to stop humankind from creating the sun-driven bomb, Solaranite.

3. The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)

Joseph Javorsky, a defecting Russian scientist, flies to the nuclear testing grounds in Yucca Flats, Nevada, to deliver KGB documents to U.S. officials. Javorsky is unaware that he's being followed by two Russian agents who have orders to kill him and bring the briefcase containing the documents back to Russia.

A Tribute To Jack Arnold

Jack Arnold was one of the leading science fiction filmmakers of the 1950s whose films reflected his own genuine enthusiasm for the genre.

Jack Arnold was born on October 14, 1916 in New Haven, Connecticut. He was the son of Russian immigrants, who ran the concession counter for a local cinema. 

As a youngster, Jack read a lot of science fiction pulp magazines, which laid the foundations for his classic 1950s science fiction genre films. 

Arnold's parents relocated the family to New York City, where Arnold's father had some success as a stockbroker. Even though his parents intended Jack to pursue a professional career in law or medicine, he was more drawn to live theater. With the 1929 stock market crash and a downturn in family fortunes, Arnold had a successful audition with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts thereby granting him entre into the program.

Arnold acted in both on- and off-Broadway stage productions in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Plays he appeared in included, The Time of Your Life, Juke Box Jenny, Blind Alibi, China Passage and We're on the Jury.

During World War II, while serving in the Signal Corps. Arnold learned the techniques of film making from famous documentary filmmaker, Robert Flaherty.

Jack began making short films and documentaries after his war service with one short film, With These Hands (1950) being nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary Feature. His theatrical movie debut came with the B picture, Girls in the Night (1953). Arnold’s film output ranged from crime thrillers and westerns to melodramas and love stories.

Of particular relevance to the subject matter of this blog, Arnold directed a number of excellent 1950's science fiction films, including It Came from Outer Space, Tarantula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Monster on the Campus and The Space Children. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) has achieved cult popularity (featured in my previous post). The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) was possibly Arnold's greatest cinematic achievement.

Arnold also went to England to direct the Peter Sellers film, The Mouse That Roared. This early effort helped to establish Peter Sellers as an international star.

Jack Arnold’s television career began in 1955 with several episodes of Science Fiction Theatre. From this he went on to direct the long-running television series Perry Mason, Rawhide and Peter Gunn, as well as episodes of much loved television shows such as Alias Smith and Jones, The Fall Guy, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island (yes, Gilligan’s Island!), Mod Squad, Wonder Woman, The Love Boat and The Bionic Woman.

“Skipper! Save me from the big hairy spider!”

Jack Arnold died at age 75 of arteriosclerosis in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California on March 17, 1992.

Jack Arnold’s films generally feature eerie, atmospheric and moody black and white cinematography, competent acting, thoughtful scripts and lively pacing.

As his career progressed, Arnold was spending most of his time directing for television where as a director he could not assert himself in the same way as he may have been used to when directing the sorts of 1950s sci-fi films he wanted to direct, and which tended to reflect his own distinctive character and passion for the genre.

As for the central character in his film, The Incredible Shrinking Man, there is something of him in most of us that we can identify with: Individuals who strive to play a meaningful role in a universe which seeks to dwarf our significance and stature. For Jack Arnold, his significance, legacy and stature is established as being one of the most skilled directors of B-movie, sci-fi films during the 1950s.

©Chris Christopoulos 2014

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

A classic movie monster &

superbly crafted film

A few weeks ago I was watching an episode from the TV show American Pickers, and one from the show, Toy Hunter. In both episodes, the model of the” Creature” from the 1954 film, Creature from the Black Lagoon was spotted by the pickers and snapped up by them for a pretty good amount. Due to its popularity it could be counted on fetching a good price when re-sold. This probably stands as just one testament as to how far the “Creature” has permeated our historical popular culture and consciousness. It is enough for most people to merely see a model or poster of the “Creature” or hear the title, Creature from the Black Lagoon, even if they have not seen the original film, in order for them to grasp the relevant connotations and associations. Let’s see something of what has made this so…..

A previously unknown prehistoric creature from the Devonian age lurks in the waters of the Amazonian jungle. A group of scientists in search of fossilized remains set out to try and capture the creature and bring it back to civilization for study.

Directed by Jack Arnold
Produced by William Alland
Screenplay by Harry Essex, Arthur A. Ross
Story by Maurice Zimm
Music by Henry Mancini, Hans J. Salter, Herman Stein
Cinematography: William E. Snyder
Editing by Ted J. Kent
Distributed by Universal International
Running time: 79 minutes
Box office: $1,300,000

CAST

Richard Carlson (David Reed)
Julie Adams (Kay Lawrence)
Richard Denning (Mark Williams)
Antonio Moreno (Carl Maia)
Nestor Paiva (Lucas)
Whit Bissell (Dr Edwin Thompson)
Bernie Gozier (Zee)
Henry A. Escalante (Chico)

Trailer

Plot

(Spoilers Follow Below)

The film, Creature from the Black Lagoon, begins with a quote from the book of Genesis;

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void...”

Interestingly enough we then move onto a description of the evolution of the Earth and its “infinite variety of life.” We are then told that the “record of life is written in the land.”

A geology expedition in the Amazon led by Dr Carl Maia uncovers a fossilized skeletal hand with webbed fingers, “dating back to the Devonian age”, thereby providing evidence from the Devonian period of a link between land and sea animals. When asked by one of workers if the find is important, Dr Maia states that “Yes, I think it is-very important!” He explains to the native workers that he needs to go back to the institute on the coast in order to get help to dig out the rest of the fossil.

The find is indeed important but the potential danger cannot be ignored as we are reminded by the sight of a webbed. and clawed hand emerging from the water with the sense of danger, anticipation and tension enhanced by the music

Dr Maia pays a visit to his friend, former student and guest at his marine biology institute in Brazil, Dr. David Reed. Dr Reed is an ichthyologist who works at an aquarium in California. He is able to persuade his boss, Dr. Mark Williams to fund an expedition to the Amazon to search for the rest of the skeleton.

The expedition makes use of a tramp steamer, the Rita, which is captained by Lucas. The expedition members consist of David Williams (2nd from right), Carl Maia (2nd from left), Mark Reed (far right), Kay Lawrence (Reed's girlfriend and colleague-middle)) and scientist, Dr Edwin Thompson (far left).

Captain Lucas has a very realistic and pragmatic view of the place the expedition is venturing into based on his experience. For him it is a place where “everything in this jungle” contains nothing but “killers.” Far from being a place to fear, David sees it through more idealistic eyes as being a place full of potential for scientific research. He can’t stop talking about Devonian animals as they navigate their way along the river.

The expedition arrives at the camp only to discover that Maia's entire research team has been killed-but by what? We had a hint when we saw the creature’s hand emerge through the tent’s opening prior to its attacking Maia’s native team at the camp site. We are not presented with a full view of the creature yet, just tantalizing glimpses to maintain the tension and shock value.

The excavation of the area where Carl Maia discovered the fossilized hand turns up nothing. Mark is for giving up the search since from his materialistic and opportunistic perspective, “we failed” and “that’s all people will understand.” David, on the other hand, theorises that thousands of years ago the section of the embankment containing the rest of the skeleton may have fallen into the water, was washed downriver and broken up by the current. Lucas informs them that the tributary empties into a lagoon which he calls, the "Black Lagoon", a place to which many people have entered over the years, but none have come back. The scientists decide to risk it, and in keeping with Matthew’s narrow and unscrupulous motives, this course of action will enable him to “turn failure into success.”

In life what seems like great personal success and accomplishment can often be dashed if we are blinded to and unaware of what might be lurking just around the corner unseen and ready to lash out and dash our happiness and hopes for the future. We have a similar sense of this as we are made aware of the fact that the amphibious "Gill-man" has been observing these intruders into its realm as it follows the Rita all the way downriver to the Black Lagoon.

When the expedition arrives at the lagoon, David and Mark once again reveal the tension between their opposing points of view and motives for being on the expedition. David is enthralled by the prospect of studying so many species of fish while Mark is only intent on finding the rest of the fossil, thereby enhancing his own prestige. In his defence, Kay states that “he’s produced some important findings.” David responds that “he’s also taken credit for some important findings.” Another layer of tension is added with Kay and David’s relationship and Mark’s obvious jealousy.

After Mark and David return from diving to collect fossils from the lagoon floor, Kay decides to go swimming. We at last gain our first clear view of the creature as it swims just below Kay in what almost appears to be a choreographed graceful underwater ballet. The creature tentatively reaches for Kay’s foot but withdraws just as it is about to make physical contact. Here we are reminded of other “monster” tales such as King Kong, whereby a repulsive and dangerous creature is captivated by female beauty and displays a rather human side to its character.

The Kay-Gill Man underwater scene is given greater significance when contrasted with the enormous power of the creature which becomes briefly caught in one of the ship's draglines. As it tugs on the net, it almost capsizes the Rita and manages to tear a hole in the net in its bid to escape.

Williams wishes to go back down and hunt whatever is in the lagoon. Reed opposes the course of action, stating that they should attempt to study it and take photos, not just go after “trophies.” While on the dive the two men’s opposing motives stand out starkly as we see David brandishing a spear gun while Mark handles an underwater camera. After the creature is speared but escapes from them, David characteristically declares, “dead or alive, what’s the difference?”

Lucas tells the men when they get back on board that “even I Lucas have heard of the legend of a man-fish” - an old river legend about a gill man who lived underwater. Soon one of the men on deck is attacked and dragged into the water by the creature.

Lucas comes up with the idea of using a native knock-out potion which makes fish rise to the surface. They decide to use it by spreading it over the lagoon with the result that a huge number of fish float to the surface, but no ”Gill-man.” They then decide to get the knock-out potion deeper down into the lagoon by making some pellets and using them to flush the creature from the bottom. Later, the creature appearing to be unaffected by the potion, attempts to climb into the boat but is frightened by the light of a lantern.

Reed and Willliams follow the creature as it disappears into the water and they come across a cave concealed by the bank. As they track the creature’s footprints through the sand, the “Gill-man” kills one of the crewmen by the boat and attempts to capture Kay. As the effects of the Knock-out solution takes hold, the creature collapses onto the ground.

The creature is placed in a makeshift cage and held on board the Rita. However, it later manages to break free and attack Thompson. Thompson, fighting for his life, smashes a lantern over the creature setting it on fire. Unfortunately, Thompson is very badly injured from the attack.

In an interesting turn around, it is now Williams who wants to stay in order to try and recapture the creature. It is also Reed along with the others, who wishes to quit and leave with whatever evidence and data they have obtained. Reed believes that they are “not equipped to fight monsters” and that a “later expedition can do it.” Lucas uses another form of persuasion by pulling a knife on an aggressive Williams and telling him they are leaving immediately. End of argument!

Before long it becomes obvious that the pursued has now become the pursuer as the boat is blocked by a snag as it heads out of the lagoon. Since it was not there before, it is surmised by Mark that the creature placed the obstruction in order to ”keep us from getting out.”

An attempt to clear the snag with a winch fails as the obstruction is too heavy. The enraged creature breaks the links attaching the line to the obstruction putting an end to the attempt to move the barrier.

After it is decided by Reed to make another attempt using the aqualung, he and Williams come to blows resulting in Williams being knocked out.

While working underwater, Reed does not notice the creature. Suddenly Williams appears and after a couple of attempts to shoot the animal with the spear gun, he manages to hit it. The creature, however, manages to get hold of Williams and a dramatic life and death struggle begins between them. With David’s joining the underwater battle, the creature retreats, however Mark has been mauled to death in his attempt to capture the creature single-handedly.

Another attempt to use the knockout solution is made in order to slow the creature down while they try to clear the barrier. Reed armed with the solution in a makeshift spray gun begins work on clearing the obstruction. When the creature approaches within range Mark fires the solution several times at it.

The plan has worked and the lagoon is finally cleared. While attempting to remove the logs the members don't see the creature climb on board the Rita. The creature then abducts Kay and takes her to his cavern lair. David, Lucas, and Carl give chase and eventually David finds Kay but the creature attacks him. Two of the crew open fire from the beach entrance of the cave hitting the creature multiple times. Reed stops the men from firing any more rounds into the creature. The “Gill-man” then retreats to the lagoon and sinks into its watery depths.

"Creature Feature: 50 Years of the Gill-man" Trailer

Points Of Interest 

Genesis

While at a dinner party during the filming of Citizen Kane, Producer William Alland was informed by Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa of a myth of a race of half-fish, half-human creatures in the Amazon river. Once a year, it was claimed, this creature emerges and claims a maiden. He then leaves, and the village is then safe for another year. This idea was then developed into story notes entitled "The Sea Monster" together with inspiration from Beauty and the Beast and then a version of the tale was put together called, The Black Lagoon. With the success of the 3-D film House of Wax in 1953, Jack Arnold was hired to direct the film “Creature From the Black Lagoon" using the same format. (I haven’t seen the 3D version yet, so I can’t comment on its effectiveness in that format).

Director: Jack Arnold

Jack Arnold directed the film's sequel, "Revenge of the Creature," as well as "The Incredible Shrinking Man", and "Tarantula", all of which will be featured in this blog later.

What was clever about Arnold’s direction of “Creature From the Black Lagoon" is that he didn’t just rely on full shocking shots of creatures and lashings of blood, guts and violence in order to scare his audience. Instead, he relied on simplicity and suggestion in the form of a shot of the creature's hand and a piercing three-note musical piece played by brass instruments. He left it up to the audiences’ imagination fill in the blanks and join the dots. And not a computer-generated monster in sight; just a guy in a rubber suit (or two guys in two suits!) The film plays well on people’s basic fear of the unknown.

The beautiful and eerie black-and-white underwater sequences, the initial glimpses of the creature's webbed claw, the nerve-shattering theme music set us up for the creature impressive appearance: A half-human/half-fish-like creature with gills, covered in scales, and with cold, emotionless eyes.

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON Rare Behind the Scenes Images

Evolution Solution

From the film’s outset we are left with the idea that the processes of geological transformation and biological evolution are not six day affairs as the Christian bible would seem to have it, but are instead ongoing processes measured in time scales too large to be comfortably comprehended by the human brain. Even in 2014 there still exists a tension between “Creationists” and the proponents of Darwinian evolutionary theory as to what constitutes the “truth” about the origins of our world and the life that inhabits it. 

We first see Reed underwater using an aqualung and hovering around the 40 foot depth mark as indicated by a line indicating depth. Before he emerges from the water, he has to pause for pressure changes. This scene quickly establishes the limitations of human beings in an aquatic environment (the “Creature’s” world) and how far evolution has taken us from our original beginnings on this planet.

Odd Bed-Fellows

The tension between Reed and Williams is first set up and then maintained throughout the film. On the one hand, we have Reed who is concerned primarily with scientific research. For him, the fossilized hand and the expedition to find more of the skeleton will “add to our knowledge of life in the world.” On the other hand, Williams is motivated more by profit and publicity. For him, the find and the expedition will have “great financial value.” And so, as often happens in life, two mutually opposed but oddly interdependent concepts are about to sally forth arm-in-arm into the unknown only to leave an inordinate amount of mayhem, misery and destruction in their wake.

Setting

The photography and tropical locales are beautiful even being shot in black and white. Those scenes featuring heavy mists and primeval jungle noises serve to create at times menacing atmosphere. The Black Lagoon itself with its still mirror-like waters, surrounded by jungle foliage and palm trees, together with the sounds of monkeys, birds and other exotic fauna is a serene place. The sense of serenity is reinforced by the soothing background music. Then there are the tastefully artistic underwater scenes with shafts of sunlight penetrating the watery depths from above; a riot of shimmering air bubbles and the “Gillman’s” abrupt emergence from billowing clouds of sediment stirred up by his movements.

The Creature Featured:

The film's central feature would have to be the monster itself. The "Gillman" now stands along-side classic movie monsters icons such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman. He seems to combine the best qualities of such characters: a savage monster; an intelligent thinking being; appreciative of beauty; injured by thoughtless humans; seeking retribution and worthy of sympathy.

The “Creature” like other monsters from the era such as Godzilla, represents a force of nature awakened by human science that once brought into being cannot be controlled. For the 1950s it was the fear of the power of the atom. Our own 21st century monster is runaway global warming which many fear is the result of thoughtless human activity heedless as to the consequences of its actions.

The creature was played on land by stuntman Ben Chapman and his suit, designed and crafted by make-up artist Bud Westmore, was coloured with iridescent greens and blues and was mottled with many other marine hues. However, the marine hues chosen for this "dry suit" photographed too dark when filming underwater. A wet-suit version had to be produced for underwater scenes. The Gillman suit made it impossible for Chapman to sit for long hours each day that he had to wear it. It also overheated necessitating him to be frequently hosed down. Since Chapman could not see very well while wearing the suit’s headpiece, he had managed to scrape Julie Adams' head against the plaster wall when he was carrying her in the cavern scenes. In order to make the gills in the suit pulsate, Chapman had a little squeeze bulb that he held in his hand. A tube from the bulb ran up his arm. By squeezing the bulb the gills could move. The creature’s lips were moved by Chapman moving his chin. Chapman, however, had no control over the eyes.

The “wet-suit” for underwater scenes was worn by champion swimmer Ricou Browning who often had to hold his breath for four minutes during long takes because the suit did not allow room for scuba gear. His swimming prowess is certainly evident from such scenes as when the Gill Man swims effortlessly beneath Kay in the eerie underwater “ballet.”

Just A Scary Story Or Freudian Slip?

For many the scene referred to above often lends itself to a Freudian interpretation in the sense that the Creature is a figure that adolescent males can relate to and identify with: Interest in females, awkwardness in trying to form relationships, moodiness, being misunderstood. And so we have the Creature underwater and the young males (all ages!?) in the audience joined together in leering longingly at Julia Adams as she performs her seductively erotic underwater ballet. It certainly must have had an impact on Steven Spielberg, who would pay homage to this scene in his opening for his film Jaws 21 years later.

For The Record

The Devonian period (part of the Paleozoic era), also known as the “Age of Fishes, began about 416 million years ago. It was a time of great changes in the Earth’s appearance. The giant single supercontinent of Gondwana was moving northward, away from the South Pole. A second supercontinent began to form around the Equator known as Laurussia formed by the coming together of parts of North America, northern Europe, Russia, and Greenland.

The Devonian period derived its name from red-colored sediments that were created when North America collided with Europe. The rocks from this period were first studied in Devon, England.

The Tiktaalik, a link between fish and the first vertebrates to walk on land, was found in the Canadian Arctic in 2004. This fish from the period had characteristics of terrestrial animals, including ribs, a neck, and nostrils on its snout for breathing air.

The first amphibians breathed through rudimentary lungs and through their skin. They probably could have left the water for short periods in order to escape predators.

©Chris Christopoulos 2014