Starring Al Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price, Herbert Marshall, Kathleen Freeman
Directed by Kurt Neumann
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A scientist creates an incredible breakthrough in a working teleportation machine, but his decision to experiment on himself leads to tragedy for him and his family.
An accomplished film which successfully adapts a wonderful science fiction story by George Langelaan, it was memorably remade in 1986 by director David Cronenberg, but the original still packs a potent punch. This is probably the best and largest budgeted film of producer/director Kurt Neumann's career which was also sadly one of his last due to his untimely death. The movie features a great cast, including talented thespians Price and Marshall, as well as Owens, who should be lauded for a sensitive and believable performance in a challenging role. It also looks great, thanks to Karl Struss' excellent color photography, fine special effects, and a well-assembled laboratory set. The reveal of Hedison's inhuman form is a scene that's become an iconic part of cinema history, combining perfect lighting, a shocking creature makeup, and the point of view shot that everyone who's seen the picture remembers. Followed by two sequels, which are inferior but still fun, the movie for me bridges the classic monsters of the 1940s with the science fiction themes of the 1950s to create compelling entertainment.
Showing posts with label Herbert Marshall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Herbert Marshall. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Riders To The Stars (1954)
Starring William Lundigan, Herbert Marshall, Richard Carlson, Martha Hyer, Dawn Addams
Directed by Richard Carlson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A government agency invites 12 renowned scientists and leads them through rigorous tests to find candidates to pilot a rocket designed to catch a meteor.
Although it has a solid science fiction premise, personable actors, and many realistic scenes, the film suffers from some weak special effects and an overabundance of stock footage. Nevertheless it's still fun, and is notable for providing veteran actor Carlson with his directorial debut. Produced by Ivan Tors, it plays like a feature length episode of his television series, Science Fiction Theatre, with a good deal of attention paid to scientific details, including a well-edited centrifuge sequence. The picture's screenplay is by Curt Siodmak, better known for his 1940s horror films for Universal Pictures.
Directed by Richard Carlson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A government agency invites 12 renowned scientists and leads them through rigorous tests to find candidates to pilot a rocket designed to catch a meteor.
Although it has a solid science fiction premise, personable actors, and many realistic scenes, the film suffers from some weak special effects and an overabundance of stock footage. Nevertheless it's still fun, and is notable for providing veteran actor Carlson with his directorial debut. Produced by Ivan Tors, it plays like a feature length episode of his television series, Science Fiction Theatre, with a good deal of attention paid to scientific details, including a well-edited centrifuge sequence. The picture's screenplay is by Curt Siodmak, better known for his 1940s horror films for Universal Pictures.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Gog (1954)
Starring Richard Egan, Constance Dowling, Herbert Marshall, John Wengraf, Philip Van Zandt
Directed by Herbert L. Strock
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A government agent is called in to investigate murders and sabotage at a secret scientific laboratory, where an advanced supercomputer controls all the experiments as well as a pair of powerful robots.
Although the special effects are economical and not ground-breaking in any form, this is an efficient thriller well-directed by Strock, and the screenplay contains some fascinating insights for the time into approaching space travel, the focus of the laboratory's scientists in the film. Despite a great deal of technical jargon and confinement to a small number of sets, Strock keeps things moving along at a nice pace, and the saboteur's attacks come off as exciting and suspenseful. Although the robots, named Gog and Magog after figures referenced in the Bible (according to Wikipedia), are not especially memorable, they become effective instruments of death in the film's final act.
Directed by Herbert L. Strock
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A government agent is called in to investigate murders and sabotage at a secret scientific laboratory, where an advanced supercomputer controls all the experiments as well as a pair of powerful robots.
Although the special effects are economical and not ground-breaking in any form, this is an efficient thriller well-directed by Strock, and the screenplay contains some fascinating insights for the time into approaching space travel, the focus of the laboratory's scientists in the film. Despite a great deal of technical jargon and confinement to a small number of sets, Strock keeps things moving along at a nice pace, and the saboteur's attacks come off as exciting and suspenseful. Although the robots, named Gog and Magog after figures referenced in the Bible (according to Wikipedia), are not especially memorable, they become effective instruments of death in the film's final act.
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