Film Review
Whilst it is hard to watch
Creature
from the Black Lagoon today without cringing at its clunky
B-movie dialogue and cardboard cut out characters, it is a sci-fi-horror
classic and was one of the most successful monster movies of the 1950s.
One of countless movies made during the 1950s that sought to cash in on the phenomenal success of
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953),
this was a sure-fire hit for Universal Pictures which more than
made up for the decline in popularity of the studio's previous
run of monster films including Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman
and the Mummy. Unlike Universal's other monster creations, this film's
thrill-maker (the aptly named Gill Man) is entirely original, an
amphibian humanoid which is both well-designed and well-realised,
setting a high standard for subsequent creature features. The
film was directed by Jack Arnold, who worked on several sci-fi B-movies,
including the classic
The Incredible
Shrinking Man (1957).
Creature from the Black Lagoon
is particularly memorable for its beautifully shot underwater
sequences, notably the one in which the Gill Man and Julie Adams are
seen swimming together in a highly poetic and very suggestive
representation of the sexual act. The Gill-Man was played by two
actors: Ricou Browning performed the underwater sequences (shot in
Wakulla Springs, Florida) whilst Ben Chapman played the creature for
the land sequences, shot at Universal's California studios.
The film was originally shot and released in 3-D, following the success
of Universal's previous 3-D offering,
House of Wax (1953).
Its box office success led Universal to
make two sequels:
Revenge of the
Creature (1955) and
The
Creature Walks Among Us (1956). An attempt to remake the
film in the 1980s (with Nigel Kneale contributing the screenplay) fell
through for budgetary reasons. A remake (directed by Breck
Eisner) is currently underway, planned for release in 2011.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
A party of geologists is exploring a region of the Amazon when they
make a remarkable discovery: the fossilised hand of a creature that
appears to be half-fish, half-man. Excited by this finding,
the expedition leader, Dr Maia, persuades his friend, Dr Reed, an
expert in marine biology, to help him in his research. With Mark
Williams providing financial backing, a second expedition to the Amazon
is launched, with Maia joined by Reed, Reed's girlfriend Kay and a
specialist named Dr Thompson. On arriving at his camp, Maia is
shocked to learn that his team has been attacked and brutally
killed. He conjectures that the fossil he found belongs to a species
of creature that is still very much alive, and very hostile...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.