Loved it since I first saw it in '80 or '81!
Added 9/29/2009
This is an excellent sci-fi movie, that I've watched many times when it was broadcast regularly on channels like AMC and TCM in the early '80s! Instant classic!
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Large Format Laser Disc, Symbolism in this Film, DVD? Please
Added 7/6/2009
This was such a riveting Movie. It was broadcast on TV in the 70's
in Los Angeles.
Saw this on a laser disc player at the Sonoma State University library.
I've though alot about this film, for me the story can be looked at from a point of view that this man is dying, hence fading from the world, his journey to the hearafter...shrinking toward infinity, awsome ending showing the back yard, whirlpool galaxy with his exceptance of oblivion.
I hope that it gets transfered to DVD. Not on DVD, thats why 4 stars.
Would pay over $15.00 for a good DVD repro.
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"The cellar stretched before me like some vast primeval plain..."
Added 6/21/2009
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN is a sci fi/horror flick that conforms to some film noir criteria: the protagonist is a victim of events beyond his control, plus much of the story unfolds in the shadows of a gloomy cellar.
The 1950s saw a proliferation of movies where atomic energy or radiation were integral to the story. In some of these, the planet's survival was at stake. In many, animals or humans were deformed or grew enormously when exposed to atomic radiation. "The Incredible Shrinking Man" was the first to take an opposite approach.
SYNOPSIS--
During a leisurely ocean vacation with his wife, Scott Carey (Williams) is engulfed by a mysterious mist and covered with a glittery substance that quickly evaporates while Louise (Stuart) is in the boat's galley.
Six months later, Scott is accidentally sprayed with insecticide. Soon after, he begins losing height and weight. The family physician, Dr. Bramson (Schallert) is baffled by this case. Scott is referred to specialist Dr. Silver (Bailey), who determines that radiation and poison have combined to make his body tissue, bones and organs shrink. Dr. Silver develops a serum that stops the shrinking but doesn't reverse the process.
This fix proves to be temporary-- Scott continues to get smaller. His story is publicized worldwide. When barely 3" tall, Scott takes to living in a doll house. While Louise is out, he's attacked by the family cat and nearly killed. Scott tumbles into the basement, lands in a boxful of discarded clothes. Louise and her brother-in-law Charlie (Langton) assume the worst: that the cat has eaten Scott. News of his death goes out to the media.
Scott's uninjured, but he's now trapped in the dark cellar. Shelter, food and water become paramount. Another concern is an enormous predatory spider. Worst of all: Scott continues to shrink!
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.
(7.7) The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) - Grant Williams/Randy Stuart/April Kent/Paul Langton/Raymond Bailey/William Schallert/Billy Curtis
TRIVIANA--
Sci-fi specialist Jack Arnold directed. He did the same for IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954), THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955) and TARANTULA (1955).
UNIVERSAL scrapped a planned sequel in which Louise also shrinks.
Both doctors were portrayed by character actors best known for 1960s TV sitcoms (Schallert: THE PATTY DUKE SHOW and Bailey: THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES).
The cat who almost had Scott for dinner was Orangey. This feline starred in the baseball comedy RHUBARB (1951), and was "Cat" in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961).
Grant Williams (Scott), Randy Stuart (Louise) and Paul Langton (Charlie Carey) spent most of their careers guesting on dozens of TV series.
Billy Curtis (Midget) was Mayor of Munchkin City in THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939).
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One Of The More Memorable Of The '50s Sci-Fi Flicks
Added 2/24/2009
Watching this again, now on DVD, brought back fond memories of when I watched this back in the last 1950s. This was a fascinating film for both me and my two brothers. It still is!
No, it didn't have the scary tone it once did, but one can't expect that. Seeing films as an adult is quite different from seeing them as a young child. Also, one can't expect the special-effects to be anywhere approaching today's caliber, but it's not bad in this old film and certainly top-notch for its day. Almost everyone agrees, this was tons better than most of the schlocky '50s sci-fi films.
****spoiler alert"""" Not only is it done pretty well but it's a good story and with a good ending. That ending is different, too, in that the man (Grant Williams, by the way, playing "Scott Carey") is not cured, but he doesn't die, either. He just accepts his condition with an interesting speech at the end.
It's dated and doesn't have the impact, of course, it did when it came out, but it's anything but a stupid movie and definitely worth seeing.
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Excellent adaptation of a classic Richard Matheson story, sticks to the story unlike modern remakes of his books ie I am Legend
Added 1/28/2009
Obviously any film is never going to be as good as your imagination when reading a really well written book but this movie comes pretty close. For those who don't know this is based on the classic tale The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson. Incidentally if you add the word Incredible when looking for the book you will find an anthology collection with The Shrinking Man and other stories such as Duel in it.
A few things do date the movie a little such as the usual cheap sounding 50s thriller soundtrack and you can tell at times when there's a blue screen being used, but you rarely can. Whoever built the robot cat used in some scenes at the start of the film obviously didn't know the difference between cats and dogs as it wagged its tail canine style. You can understand why they had to make a cat when you see the really bad acting by the real cat in later scenes involving a dolls house (obviously shot first). This feline actor overuses Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!! a fair bit when a real life stalking prey cat is unlikely to do it even once. Haven't seen that cat in anything else so it obviously never got a call back for other films. The humans' acting though cannot be faulted.
For those who have read the book there are a few differences. The daughter from the book is not in the movie. The movie is set in chronological order as opposed to the book which has a lot of flashbacks and time wise starts in the basement with the encounter with the redback spider / black widow depending on where you're from, (it's a tarantula in the movie probably as they were scarier back then). In fact there's a lot less tension in the movie with the spider (and it's not missing a leg done by Scott when he was normal sized in the book) and his home in the basement didn't really look like it would keep out the spider but other than that, the massive props are really well done, you actually get the feeling he is that small. The movie still captures the what would you an average person do in this situation which is Matheson's specialty. It also captures Scott's mental breakdown but doesn't really touch on the what's the point of fighting to stay alive he often debated. In the book he also has worked out as he halves every certain number of days he will completely disappear in x amount, which again he uses to debate if he should just give up constantly in the book, however the movie makers didn't use this main book trait at all.
Basic plot of the film is after his boat floats through a strange mist, Scott Carey slowly begins to shrink. Doctors can't work out why and he soon becomes something to point at, a freak to ridicule, by the community. Life as he knows it is over, he feels more and more alienated the smaller he gets. As he gets smaller and smaller more things become dangerous to him. What would you do in this situation?
A few props aren't the right size (way too big) such as the salt and paper shakers, sugar shaker and coffee mug in the circus midget using them scenes. Other than that you can't really fault this film. A very well done film, I still rate it five stars even with the bad acting by the cat and other minor faults. Wish we could say this for the latest movie adaptation of Matheson's I am Legend. Another early film era movie done really well of a classic novel is The Invisible Man a good likeness to H G Wells' classic novel of the same name.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Loved it since I first saw it in '80 or '81!
Added 9/29/2009
This is an excellent sci-fi movie, that I've watched many times when it was broadcast regularly on channels like AMC and TCM in the early '80s! Instant classic!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Large Format Laser Disc, Symbolism in this Film, DVD? Please
Added 7/6/2009
This was such a riveting Movie. It was broadcast on TV in the 70's
in Los Angeles.
Saw this on a laser disc player at the Sonoma State University library.
I've though alot about this film, for me the story can be looked at from a point of view that this man is dying, hence fading from the world, his journey to the hearafter...shrinking toward infinity, awsome ending showing the back yard, whirlpool galaxy with his exceptance of oblivion.
I hope that it gets transfered to DVD. Not on DVD, thats why 4 stars.
Would pay over $15.00 for a good DVD repro.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
"The cellar stretched before me like some vast primeval plain..."
Added 6/21/2009
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN is a sci fi/horror flick that conforms to some film noir criteria: the protagonist is a victim of events beyond his control, plus much of the story unfolds in the shadows of a gloomy cellar.
The 1950s saw a proliferation of movies where atomic energy or radiation were integral to the story. In some of these, the planet's survival was at stake. In many, animals or humans were deformed or grew enormously when exposed to atomic radiation. "The Incredible Shrinking Man" was the first to take an opposite approach.
SYNOPSIS--
During a leisurely ocean vacation with his wife, Scott Carey (Williams) is engulfed by a mysterious mist and covered with a glittery substance that quickly evaporates while Louise (Stuart) is in the boat's galley.
Six months later, Scott is accidentally sprayed with insecticide. Soon after, he begins losing height and weight. The family physician, Dr. Bramson (Schallert) is baffled by this case. Scott is referred to specialist Dr. Silver (Bailey), who determines that radiation and poison have combined to make his body tissue, bones and organs shrink. Dr. Silver develops a serum that stops the shrinking but doesn't reverse the process.
This fix proves to be temporary-- Scott continues to get smaller. His story is publicized worldwide. When barely 3" tall, Scott takes to living in a doll house. While Louise is out, he's attacked by the family cat and nearly killed. Scott tumbles into the basement, lands in a boxful of discarded clothes. Louise and her brother-in-law Charlie (Langton) assume the worst: that the cat has eaten Scott. News of his death goes out to the media.
Scott's uninjured, but he's now trapped in the dark cellar. Shelter, food and water become paramount. Another concern is an enormous predatory spider. Worst of all: Scott continues to shrink!
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.
(7.7) The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) - Grant Williams/Randy Stuart/April Kent/Paul Langton/Raymond Bailey/William Schallert/Billy Curtis
TRIVIANA--
Sci-fi specialist Jack Arnold directed. He did the same for IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954), THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955) and TARANTULA (1955).
UNIVERSAL scrapped a planned sequel in which Louise also shrinks.
Both doctors were portrayed by character actors best known for 1960s TV sitcoms (Schallert: THE PATTY DUKE SHOW and Bailey: THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES).
The cat who almost had Scott for dinner was Orangey. This feline starred in the baseball comedy RHUBARB (1951), and was "Cat" in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961).
Grant Williams (Scott), Randy Stuart (Louise) and Paul Langton (Charlie Carey) spent most of their careers guesting on dozens of TV series.
Billy Curtis (Midget) was Mayor of Munchkin City in THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939).
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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