The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)

An entertaining sci-fi movie despite the low budget and ordinary special effects

The Amazing Colossal Man, an adaptation of the 1928 Homer Eon Flint short novel, The Nth Man, is a 1957 science fiction film, directed by Bert I. Gordon and starring Glenn Langan. The film involves a man who grows to over 60 feet tall due to an atomic explosion.

Directed by Bert I. Gordon
Written by Mark Hanna (screenplay); Bert I. Gordon (screenplay) & George Worthing Yates
Produced by Bert I. Gordon (producer); Samuel Z. Arkoff (executive producer); James H. Nicholson (executive producer)
Music by Albert Glasser
Cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc
Film Editing by Ronald Sinclair
Released by American International Pictures

Cast

Glenn Langan: Lt. Col. Glenn Manning
Cathy Downs: Carol Forrest
William Hudson: Dr. Paul Linstrom
Larry Thor: Maj. Eric Coulter, MD
James Seay: Col. Hallock
Frank Jenks: Truck Driver
Russ Bender: Richard Kingman
Hank Patterson: Henry
Jimmy Cross: Sergeant at reception desk
June Jocelyn: Nurse Wilson
Stanley Lachman: Lt. Cline
Harry Raybould: MP at Main Gate
Jean Moorhead: Woman in Bathtub
Scott Peters: Sgt. Lee Carter
Myron Cook: Capt. Thomas
Michael Harris: Police Lt. Keller
Bill Cassady: Lt. Peterson
Dick Nelson: Sgt. Hansen
Edmund Cobb: Dr. McDermott
Paul Hahn: Attendant
Diana Darrin : Hospital Receptionist
Lyn Osborn Sgt. Taylor
Jack Kosslyn: Lieutenant in briefing room
William Hughes: Bombsite Control Officer
Keith Hetherington: Newscaster
John Daheim: Soldier
Judd Holdren: Robert Allen
Harold Miller: Official

Trailer

“ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL! ……. PLUTONIUM EXPLOSION WILL TAKE PLACE AT TIME ZERO!” 

Time: 2.45 am
Place: Desert Rock Nevada
Event: Test of a new plutonium bomb
Purpose: Soldiers to experience an explosion “under simulated combat conditions.”

Spoilers follow below......

When the “chain reaction cycle did not complete as expected” Lt. Col. Glenn Manning is ordered to keep his men secure in the protective trench, as the bomb will still explode but its timing is unknown.

Suddenly a “light civilian plane” is spotted flying over the “restricted area” and it “appears to be in trouble.” With its spluttering engine in its final death throes, the little plane crash-lands near the bomb test site.

Despite the fact that the “bomb could go off at any second,” Glenn’s main concern is that “there’s a man in that plane.” Contrary to orders, Glenn leaps from the trench in a desperate bid to rescue the pilot. Once he enters the detonation area, the bomb goes off, and Glenn is caught in an atomic blast that bathes him in deadly radiation.

How ironic that an act of bravery is performed to save a life only to be seared and extinguished by an evil cataclysmic act of destruction! 

“Things like this just happen. There doesn’t have to be a reason.”

Barely clinging on to life with “third degree burns over almost 100% of his body,” Glenn Manning is treated by specialist, Dr. Paul Linstrom and military scientist, Dr. Eric Coulter at the base hospital. Glenn's fiancée, Carol Forrest waits anxiously while for the medical personnel behind the scenes, all indications seem to point to the likelihood that Glenn will not survive”:

“What kind of chance do you give a man who hasn’t a square inch of skin left on his body” and who “by all the rules…should be dead?”

God’s will? 

Will of the gods? 

Fate? 

Predestination? 

Chance? 

Coincidence? 

Karma? 

God knows!

The next morning, a nurse discovers something unusual concerning Glenn’s condition. When Linstrom and Coulter are called in to see, they are gob-smacked when confronted by the sight of Glenn's miraculously healed burns.

Questions arise:


How did Manning manage to survive the explosion?
How to explain the presence of new skin and the absence of scarring?

Speculation:

“Plutonium may have some unknown quality that was responsible.”

Application:

Perhaps the process Manning went through could hold the key to some kind of “regenerative healing capacity.”

Certainty:

“Something out there is beyond the limits of our knowledge.”

Conclusion: 

Consequences

By science the secret power of the gods is released 

And wielded by mere mortals with madness unleashed; 

While some look up in hope for future promise yet unknown, 

A deep despair descends with what they’re yet to be shown.

The oafish fist of officialdom crashes down upon Carol Forrest when minion security officer Lt. Cline informs her that she is prohibited from seeing Glenn again - for what else? “Security reasons!” And of course there is the good old Nuremburg-style defence: “I’m only carrying out orders.” Two statements that have done the most to rob great swathes of humanity of life and liberty throughout history!

Undeterred, Carol ventures to the hospital where instead of finding her husband, she discovers an empty room. Upon enquiring as to the whereabouts of her husband, Carol is told, “Sorry miss, I’ve never heard of a colonel Manning.”

At the reception desk Carol is met with yet another obstacle when she is informed that “There’s no Colonel Manning listed here.” Only by taking a peek at the register of names does she learn that her fiancé has been moved to another facility: the army “Nevada Rehabilitation and Research Centre” in Summit, Nevada.

“Washington gave strictest orders to keep the affair quiet.” 

The thickly layered cake of lies receives another tier of deception when Forrest drives out to the research centre and is met at the gate by a military guard who informs her that there haven’t been any patients there “since the war ended.” Carol is eventually admitted entry, and is soon informed by the desk sergeant that there is “no colonel Manning registered here.”

Wisely trusting no-one, least of all official denials, Carol ventures further into the facility and overhears Linstrom and Coulter discussing Glenn's condition. She learns that he has been breathing rapidly and has been “unconscious since the accident.” Carol then lets herself into Glenn's darkened room and faints in horror when confronted by the sight of a giant recumbent version of her fiancé.


HEIGHT: 18 FEET

Linstrom informs Carol that Manning’s condition may be the result of his being exposed to the plutonium blast which has caused his old cells to stop dying and his new cells to continue to multiply at an accelerated rate while replacing the damaged cells. With the process being out of balance and the “old cells refusing to die,” Manning will “continue to grow until he dies” at a rate of 8 feet per day!

Perchance to dream

In one of the most poignant scenes of the film, we enter into Glenn’s dreams as he sleeps. We see him with Carol having a picnic at a time when the Korean War has just begun. Carol says to Glenn “there’s no reason for you to volunteer.” Try telling that to a man who feels that he knows his duty and is not afraid to stick his neck out and plunge himself into the very maw of danger when the situation demands it of him.

The dream moves on to a battle during the war when a then Lieutenant Manning survived enemy fire whereas two of his comrades were killed. It was as if they were sacrificing their own lives so that he may live! Imagine the guilt and self-blame festering within Manning as his subconscious tries to resolve the unanswerable question of why he should survive while his fellow soldiers should die?

Had events and circumstances somehow conspired to lead Manning toward the very predicament he now finds himself in?

HEIGHT: 22 FEET

Glenn awakens after dreaming about the night he was injured in the plutonium blast. The realisation of what has happened to him gradually grows as he begins to discover the doll-house dimensions of the world he now inhabits. Shock and terror then find expression in a primal scream.

Even the comforting support of a good woman like Carol cannot break through the cumulous clouds of Manning’s despondency and cynicism. In response to Carol’s optimistic belief that “they’ll be able to help you,” all Manning can ask is;

“What sin could a man commit in a single life-time to bring this on himself?”

So philosophers, priests, therapists and counsellors, what say you all?

God’s will? 

Will of the gods? 

Fate? 

Predestination? 

Chance? 

Coincidence? 

Karma? 

God knows! 

HEIGHT: 30 FEET

What is even harder to find an answer to is the truth! The government and the military have kept the truth of Manning’s condition from the media and the public.

One way of doing so is to make the truth itself appear to be so unbelievable and outlandish that it is easily discounted and not given any credence. Take for instance the 25 sides of beef that was delivered to the Research Centre. When the driver asks what it is for, the guard tells him, “It’s for him. The giant. The 30 foot one we’ve got living here.”

NEWS BULLETIN (excerpt) 

H WELLS presenter 

What happened to Colonel Manning? “To all accounts he should have died. What’s all the mystery for Washington?” 

WEIGHT: 2987 POUNDS

As if to emphasize Manning’s predicament, Linstrom orders him moved to a tent as he has outgrown his room. It is as if he has now become some kind of circus freak sideshow performer or exhibit.

Linstrom later makes an almost callous-sounding but also rather idiotic comment that Manning “should be confined!” How can one confine something that is continually growing?

His rather insensitive nature reveals itself when he keeps insisting that Carol shouldn’t remain close to her fiancé. How could anyone expect a good woman like her to agree? She points out to Linstrom that Glenn is “all alone except for me.”

She understands that there is nothing in the world that is more difficult for a single individual than to bear the burden of a personal tragedy in total isolation without the support of friends and family.

Linstrom also reveals to Carol that Glenn's heart is growing at only half the rate of his body and soon will be unable to support his enormous size with the result that he will die in a matter of days: “All parts are enlarging at the same ratio, except the heart.” According to Linstrom, Glenn’s mind will go first and then “his heart will literally explode.”

All Carol can do is ask that age-old unanswerable question:

WHY? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO HAPPEN? 

Linstrom can only reply with, “I wish I knew.”

God’s will? 

Will of the gods? 

Fate? 

Predestination? 

Chance? 

Coincidence? 

Karma?

God knows! 

We wish we knew…

When a sergeant brings Manning his dinner in the tent which is now his home, Manning’s mental and physical deterioration is now quite evident. Looking at the miniature newspaper headline, he asks, “They call this living?” before succumbing to a fit of coughing that suggests that all is not well with him.

The petrified and hapless sergeant desperately wants to be anywhere else but in the presence of this giant but he finds himself nailed to the spot by his orders and the force of that overpowering physical presence. Manning’s comments are directed at both the sergeant and the rest of humanity:

“Why don’t you ask me how it feels to be so big? .... That’s right sergeant, I am a circus freak...I think you’re the freak! … I’m not growing– you’re shrinking!”

Manning then succumbs to a paroxysm of coughing and clutches his chest in pain.

Later while talking with Carol, Glenn reveals just how bitter and angry he has become. He sees himself as being a monster and declares that the beating of his heart “keeps getting louder and louder.” Glenn goes on to recall his yearbook entry in which it was stated with almost cruel irony that he was considered to be “a man most likely to reach the top.” Before storming off, Glenn loudly shouts out an appeal to all creation:

“I DON’T WANT TO GROW ANYMORE!”

In a world we have made for ourselves all of us have from time to time wished we could just yell out for things to stop – to stop moving so fast; to stop becoming so complicated; to stop changing so much; to stop growing bigger and bigger beyond our individual power to control.

Even Carol’s optimism and support is not strong enough to sustain Glenn. Back in his tent when Carol informs him that she is hopeful concerning the experiments that have been performed on animals, all Glenn can think of doing is wish for death to release him “from this curse.” According to him, he is just “a lost cause.” Even Carol’s appeal to him that she could never leave him “at a time like this” is met with an angry retort:

"GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE!" 

An individual suddenly has a problem foisted on him; a problem of such magnitude that it becomes too much for one person to deal with. Self-blame, frustration, anger, depression and despondency are all that seem to be left to deal with things. All thoughts are turned inward and become warped while pessimism and negativity are magnified and in fact almost define that individual’s entire universe as the individual becomes further alienated from everything and everyone else around them….

Can this only happen to a fictional film giant? 

The following morning Coulter reports to Linstrom that he may have found a solution to Manning’s growth: “…I’ve got the answer! … The answer is in the bone marrow!” In order to correct the body’s regenerative balance, they will need to “inject sulphur-hydro compounds into the bone marrow” together with high frequency stimulation of the pituitary gland to reduce Manning’s size. Hey, it’s scientific crap that sounds good, OK?

Height: 50 – 55 Feet 

“Sooner or later someone’s bound to see him” 

(ya’ think?!) 

In the meantime, a bigger problem has arisen with the disappearance of Glenn Manning. A 10-mile-wide search for Manning is soon organized involving helicopters, “Charlie Dog” & “William X-Ray” circling Boulder Dam and Las Vegas. The search fails to find any trace of the by now over 50-foot-tall giant Glenn.

Glenn has now been missing for 15 hours and there is mounting concern that his condition may be affecting his mind. A special syringe filled with a serum from Glenn's bone marrow has been created. It is hoped that it will stop his growth.

"Do you consider Manning dangerous?"

While considering the danger that Manning may pose, Carol states her belief that, “It’s not a wild beast you’re talking about. He’s a human being!” By contrast, Linstrom believes that Glenn should have been confined with chains and a fence. He tries once again to insist that Carol leaves: “Can’t you see the futility of the situation?” Carol tells Linstrom point blank, “I’m not leaving until I know.”


HEIGHT: 60 FEET
WEIGHT: 18.000 POUNDS

NEWS BULLETIN (excerpt) 

H. WELLS presenter 

“Flying saucers of earth have a competitor….Two motorists almost collided with a 60 foot giant! ...” What have you got to top that one?” 

Not finding the giant and working out “what to do with him after he’s found” are problems that have to be dealt with. It isn’t surprising that recourse to a military option is soon settled on. The next morning Colonel Hallock armed with a pointer and a map outlines the operation to locate Manning with the customary “here, here and here” references. The assumption is that “the giant is potentially dangerous” and once he is located the troops are to “stay away from him.”

Lindstrom Carol and Coulter are in one of the helicopters searching for Manning. They have on board an outlandishly large syringe with which to inject the serum into Manning.

Manning is eventually spotted just outside of Las Vegas. He casually proceeds to wander along the Strip stopping off the Dunes Hotel; the Riviera; the Imperial Palace; the Silver Slipper (where he rips off a giant rotating high heel shoe marquee)......

........the Tropicana (where the police against orders open fire on him with their rifles.) Here Glenn retaliates by pulling up a palm tree and hurling it at the crowd.

Next stop is at the Sands where he picks up a convertible car and throws it, just before he smashes the sign. Lastly, Glenn breaks up the Pioneer Club Vegas Vic cowboy sign and throws pieces of it at the police. 

Manning leaves Vegas and makes his way towards Boulder Dam. Lindstrom’s helicopter manages to land close to Manning and they prepare to give Manning his injection. By this stage it is apparent that his mind has gone.

Linstrom and Coulter grab hold of the syringe and drive the needle into Manning's ankle. Manning pulls out the syringe, and spears Major Coulter through the body with it.

Manning then reaches down and picks up Carol and walks to Boulder Dam. Lindstrom pleads over his megaphone with Manning to put Carol down. As soon as he does so, he is struck with a barrage of gunfire followed by a bazooka blast. Manning falls off the top of the dam into the Colorado River to what seems to be his death.

Points of Interest

The Amazing Colossal Man unfortunately contains quite poorly-crafted and unconvincing special effects even for the time at which it was made. The giant manning character was just projected onto other film and superimposed with the result that he often looks transparent. On the other hand, the effect of the giant hypodermic needle impaling the major looked quite realistic, brutal and hilarious at the same time!

Another disappointing feature of the film was its very abrupt ending which may have been a result of its low budget or a deficit of ideas?

The strength of the film is centred around Colonel Glenn Manning's dilemma, the irony of which is never lost on him or the audience. His situation is almost a metaphor for much of the human condition when faced with the kinds of suffering that life has to throw at us.

The most powerful scene of The Amazing Colossal Man is the one in which the colonel wakes up from his coma for the first time after the plutonium bomb explosion accident. Alone in a dark room in the early hours of the morning, he gradually comes to realize that something is terribly wrong. As the scene fades to black, Manning wails uncontrollably into the darkness of the hell into which he has descended. His reaction is sudden, convincing and emotionally affecting. We cannot help but feel sympathy for this outcast who has now become a menace to society.

©Chris Christopoulos 2016

The 27th Day (1957)

A thoughtful contemplative small budget film that deals with big ideas and concepts

Directed by William Asher
Produced by Helen Ainsworth
Written by Robert M. Fresco
Based on The 27th Day 1956 novel by John Mantley
Music by Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Cinematography Henry Freulich
Edited by Jerome Thoms
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Running time: 75 minutes

Cast

Gene Barry as Jonathan Clark
Valerie French as Evelyn "Eve" Wingate
George Voskovec as Professor Klaus Bechner
Azemat Janti as Ivan Godofsky
Arnold Moss as The Alien
Stefan Schnabel as The Soviet General
Paul Frees as Ward Mason, Newscaster
Marie Tsien as Su Tan

Five individuals from five nations suddenly find themselves aboard an alien spacecraft!

Each person is given a container holding capsules!

Only a mental command from the person to whom the container is given can open it!

Each individual has now been provided with the power of life and death!

The fate of the entire planet is in their hands!

What will they do with the power they have been given?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Spoilers follow below…..

Five disparate individuals separated by geography, artificial boundaries and a combination of somewhat dissimilar cultures, languages, political and ideological belief systems and values, are about to be forcibly united in a shared purpose by forces beyond their control.

On the coast of Cornwall, a shadow silently slithers over the body of British bathing-suited beauty, Evelyn Wingate. As if of divine origin, a voice insists, “Miss Wingate, come with me please.”

At 4.30pm at the Los Angeles Record Telegram, American reporter Jonathan Clark sits in his office. This purveyor of a certain brand of “truth” has the kind of face that belongs to a man who could just as easily find himself in the role of the scientist hero bravely trying to save the earth from alien invaders. Today, however, he is just Mr Clark sitting in a shadow cast by something “alien” who summons him with the words, “I must ask you to come with me.”

Amidst the renting internal turmoil of a crazed Cultural Revolution, Chinese peasant Su Tan is drawn away from its cruel consequences by the commanding voice from above: “Come with me, Su Tan.”

German physicist Klaus Bechner, is informed by the voice that it will be necessary to interrupt his departure for America where he is scheduled to be a key-note speaker and witness the launching of a satellite. Somewhat ironically, this event was supposed to herald in an era of “communication between the planets.”

Soviet soldier, Ivan Godofsky stands guard outside an edifice constructed of state tyranny, power, control, fear and paranoia. This time however, Ivan’s obedience is to be given only to the voice as it informs him that his gun “will not help.”

All five individuals now find themselves aboard an alien spacecraft in Earth orbit. But how and why? In answer to this question, Professor Bechner declares to his fellow passengers, “the how we will never understand. What interests me is the why!”

Suddenly a voice announces, “People of earth, permit me to explain. “The voice belongs to a humanoid known only as "The Alien." This alien host explains to his human ‘guests’ that he is the representative of a world orbiting a sun in a “nearby universe” and that the sun is about to go nova.

In an apparent vindication of Einstein’s special theory of  relativity, the five humans are informed by the alien that his craft has been travelling at close to the speed of light whereby, “time as you know it doesn’t exist.”

The alien goes on to explain that the five humans have been selected as being “representatives of the human race” and that his mission is to help them save their “beautiful planet” from destruction by the “ultimate weapon: The H-Bomb.”

BUT WHY?

The alien informs the five humans that his race of beings need a new world to inhabit within the next 35 days, but that they are prohibited by their moral code from killing intelligent life.

THE PLAN 

“To lend you a weapon” that “affects only human life.” 

That there is “no obligation to use the weapon.” 

And…. 

“The weapons are yours to do with as you wish.”

Each of the five people are provided with clear containers consisting of three capsules. Each capsule is capable of destroying all human life within a 3,000-mile diameter.

It is expected that humanity will wind up using all the capsules, thereby obliterating itself from the face of the Earth and leaving the way clear for alien colonization of the planet.

Each container is “tuned to the electrical impulse of its owner.” In other words, it can only be opened by the thought waves of the person originally in possession of it. However, once the container is opened, the capsules can then be used by anyone, but only for the next 27 days, after which they become inactive.

THE TASK 

To keep the peace for 27 days. 

Or in other words, 

To learn “what has escaped the world for thousands of years.” 

THE STAKES 

“Each of you hold in your hand the power of life and death” 

And ….. 

“More than enough power to wipe out human life.” 

Therefore, humanity must, 

“Practice peace or die” 

And if successful; 

“Your race will live, mine will die.”

The Game

The gods have spoken; 

The game is afoot; 

The rules are set; 

The outcome determined 

By the choices made 

As the game is played...

Back on Earth, Eve casts her capsules into the choppy waters of the English Channel. Her decision: To have nothing to do with such awesome power and responsibility.

Meanwhile in China, amid the smouldering ruins of her home, Su Tan chooses to commit suicide before a statue of the Buddha, thereby causing her capsules to be destroyed. Her decision: To escape further suffering in this life by choosing what for a Buddhist would be, a negative act that will ultimately block the path to enlightenment.

Professor Bechner succumbs to scientific curiosity and opens his container by using his own thought waves. His decision: Despite possible consequences, to gather data, test hypotheses and approach the problem rationally instead of reacting emotionally.

Back behind the Iron Curtain, Private Ivan Godofsky decides to conceal the truth from his political and military masters who he knows will make use of the capsules and any information about the alien to their own advantage. When questioned, he tells his comrades that he thought he saw something but was mistaken. The system under which he lives encourages either mindless obedience or concealment of the truth and subterfuge.

The next day, the Alien takes control of all electronic communications and informs the world that there is to be an “announcement of vital importance” that will contain “information of vital concern to the people of Earth.” The alien then reveals to the world the existence and nature of the capsules.

Meanwhile, just after hearing the broadcast while on a trip to the U. S., Professor Bechner is struck by a car while crossing the street and is taken to the hospital. At about the same time in the USSR, Ivan Godofsky is pursued and detained by the authorities.

Having earlier booked a flight to Los Angeles, Eve soon arrives at LA International Airport and is met by Clark who is now disguised. His missing moustache is a clue to his decision: To run, hide away incognito and seek safety in cynical seclusion. But why? Perhaps it has something to do with the media and public reaction to the Alien’s broadcast:

Excerpt from Ward Mason’s news broadcast 

“….As to the question: Was it real? The answer must be held to be, yes! 

…..The alien spoke from a point somewhere beyond and outside of the earth’s atmosphere….. 

And where are the five people…….?” 

(names read and repeated)

As a result of the growing panic and with the “whole town locked up,” Clark takes Eva to a closed race track where they can hide.

Godofsky, now honoured as being the “first Russian in space,” is meanwhile being interviewed by a Soviet general who appears to be suspicious and dissatisfied with his information;

“They just gave me that box.”
“I don’t know.” (The purpose of the box)

Suspecting that the box “contains a secret of great power” which he must obtain before the Americans do, the general orders Ivan to be subjected to interrogation in order for him to reveal the truth.

Back at the race track, Clark and Eva are ensconced in their “home for the next 25 days” where “not even the horses are here out of season.” Of course there is a lot of bantering innuendo between the two:

Eva: “I trust that you’re a sound sleeper.”
Clark: “I don’t walk in my sleep, if that’s what you mean.”

Quite a recipe for growing sexual tension to develop between Eva and Jonathan!

After hearing reports on the radio about sporadic acts of rioting, Clark declares that people are “so full of hate, they’d lynch us if they could get their hands on us.”

Eva, on the other hand, observes that “people hate because they fear and they fear what they don’t understand.” This is one of those eternal truths about people no matter what era they live in. It certainly goes some way towards explaining how people fleeing across national borders may be viewed or how people of certain racial, ethnic, religious or political groups, or even sexual orientation are often treated.

Back in the USSR, the sense of urgency over the secret of the capsules is mounting and there is fear of “other nations discovering the answers” before they do. As for Ivan, “even torture cannot break him.” His interrogators try to break him by referring to him as a “filthy traitorous liar” who “will go down as the greatest traitor this country has ever known.”

Meanwhile in the US panic continues to mount as a recuperating Bechner refuses to reveal the details of The Alien's plan. The withholding of information is leading to increased concern and apprehension. The professor does reveal that “the box and its contents cannot in themselves be harmful to anyone.” As with most technological developments, it is often the uses to which they are put and the intent behind their application that will determine the likelihood of their causing harm to people.

After two Communist agents almost succeed in assassinating Bechner, and an innocent man who resembles like Clark is killed by a mob, Clark becomes a lot more introspective and arrives at a crucial decision. He declares to Eva, “maybe for the first time in my life I’m thinking of the next guy to do the right thing by him.” He and Eve then decide to voluntarily surrender themselves and be placed in government custody.

Clark’s decision: “Both nations have the ultimate weapon. I tried to stay out of it by hiding.” He is now involved.

We now find Godofsky in a state of shock after the beatings he received during torture. It is then decided to use sodium pentothal to get Godofsky to reveal the Alien's plan and gain access to his capsules. They succeed in doing so by a combination of chemical and emotional manipulation, the latter in the form of appeals to his love for his parents and for his country: “The Imperialists have pooled their atomic weapons and we find ourselves defenceless unless you help us, Ivan!”

The world is sent into a spin with the Soviet announcement that they have cracked the secret of the capsules:

IRON CURTAIN BREAKS SECRET OF ALIEN BOX! 

WORLD CONTROL CLAIMED BY IRON CURTAIN 

ALIEN PLAN TO TAKE OVER WORLD IS REVEALED 

ALIEN “CAPSULES” ANNIHILATION WEAPON! 

IRON CURTAIN LIFTS LID OFF “SECRET BOX!”

The scene shifts to Washington DC where Johnathan Clark and Bechner discuss the situation the world finds itself in. The dilemma is as follows;

John: “They give us a weapon and expect us to use it and yet they give the impression they hope we won’t!”

“How come they happen to have five nice shiny human exterminators lying around?”

Bechner: “They could have simply used their capsules and taken the planet.”

(It is obvious that they know) “…. the human race has spent more time destroying itself than in any other human endeavour.”

“They have merely intensified our choice – a choice that has faced us since the atomic bomb.”

John: If we had been a mature civilisation “we would have promptly tossed them (the capsules) into the nearest sewer…. or the nearest ocean.”

It appears that the whole matter of humanity being faced with a crucial choice is really one that has been staring it in the face since the mid-20th century to the present day. Throughout that time, the human race has possessed the capacity to destroy itself but has lacked the will to choose (like Eva did) to completely and utterly do away with the means of doing so.

And so the next move in the game is made with the Soviet general declaring that he is “prepared to destroy all life on the North American continent” if the US does not withdraw from Europe and Asia and limit itself to the continental US.

A first strike policy is settled upon as a course of action as it is believed that “democracies are appeasers” and that the US needs to be bombed into war if it is not provoked.

Global anxiety increases, prompting Clark and Bechner to cooperate with U. S. authorities. A decision is then made to test one of Bechner's capsules to determine the veracity of the Soviet threat and ultimatum. A dying professor “born in Germany but resides in Missouri” has exposed himself on purpose to a lethal dose of radiation and volunteers himself to be left on a raft in the middle of the ocean as part of a test of the capsules’ capabilities. For the volunteer it is a question of “one life against millions” After a capsule is opened, his exact coordinates are read out loud and he is instantly vaporised. The truth is now known.

On board a U.S. destroyer Bechner begins to study the remaining capsules and considers that the whole matter is not just a question of ‘life or death’ but is instead a question of “life AND death.” He also discovers some kind of a message or imprinted code on the capsules.

Over in the USSR the Soviet general prepares to use the capsules when suddenly Godofsky makes a dash for him causing the capsules to fall to the ground below the balcony on which the general was standing. Just then on the ship Bechner, safe from outside intervention in a cabin, launches all the remaining capsules. He had managed to discover that the capsules can be programmed in the sense that they can indeed bring life and death. The resulting “invisible rays from outer space” and ultra-sonic wave kills all "confirmed enemies of freedom," including of course the Soviet general!

At a later date at a meeting of the United Nations, a united world broadcasts an invitation of “hospitality and sanctuary” to The Alien and his people. On behalf of 30.000 inhabited worlds, the invitation to coexist peacefully is accepted with “gratitude and love.”

In this scenario mankind has been judged and found not to be wanting. Should the gods set us a similar test in this, the second decade of the 21st Century, how would we fare?

Points of Interest

The 27th Day is based on the successful first novel by Canadian-born writer John Mantley. The novel was chosen as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.

We have seen the film’s leading man, Gene Barry in another science fiction film that was earlier featured in this vlog, George Pal's classic 1953 film The War of the Worlds.

Another face we are familiar with belongs to actor Paul Birch, who had roles in sci-fi cult favourites such as The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955), Day the World Ended (1955), and Not of This Earth (1957), all of which have been featured in this blog. 

You might recognise the face of Arnold Moss who played the alien leader in The 27th Day. He also later played the Shakespearean actor and once former murderous tyrant, Anton Karidian in the original Star Trek episode, “The Conscience of the King.” 

The 27th Day is certainly a film of its time that played on the rising interest in science fiction and unidentified flying objects, as well as on the fears of people during the Cold War period. But it also held up a mirror to those times and forced people to think about the danger and folly associated with the Cold War.

Its relevance 60 years later? 

North Korea…. South China Sea…. Iraq…. Religious fundamentalism…. Syria…. Refugee crisis…. South Sudan….US racial tensions…. Russia & NATO…. a nine member nuclear weapons club……. Brexit….War in Ukraine......Genocide in Gaza....Trump! It seems that humanity still has a long way to go until it can rise beyond its destructive, infantile and petty conflicts and not succumb so easily to fear.

©Chris Christopoulos 2016