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Greetings, and welcome to VIEWING THE CLASSICS. Here you'll find capsule reviews of vintage movies from the early days of cinema through the 1970s, with a special emphasis on sci-fi, horror, and mystery movies. Be sure to check out the Pages links, where you can find a Film Index of all my reviews, links to the reviews organized by cast members, directors, and other contributors, and links to my reviews of the films of talented young director Joshua Kennedy.

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Sunday, October 16, 2016

The Thing From Another World (1951)

Starring Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Arness
Directed by Christian Nyby
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In the frozen Arctic, a team of scientists and Air Force men discover a spaceship and its monstrous pilot trapped under the ice.

One of the best science fiction films of the 1950s, the picture features a winning ensemble of a cast, and is highlighted by engaging dialogue and a memorable monster, as well as several eerie and suspenseful scenes.  This is likely the finest hour for both actor Kenneth Tobey as the stalwart Air Force captain, and Robert Cornthwaite as the determined scientist whose character became something of a sci-fi archetype.  Dimitri Tiomkin delivers an atmospheric and appropriately chilling musical score, and the film's direction is first rate, although per Wikipedia, there's been a great deal of contention over the years whether Nyby actually directed, or if producer Howard Hawks really helmed the movie.  Although John W. Campbell's original story "Who Goes There?" is named in the credits, the film is far from a literal adaptation of that story, but remains a gripping and impactful picture.

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