1957 sci-fi flickRating: 16/20
Plot: After being spritzed with insecticide and made sparkly by a cloud of radioactive material, poor Scott Carey notices that he's started shrinking. It's incredible! He fights to remain relevant until an accident forces him to also fight for his survival.
First, I should point out that I gave this a bonus point for a Billy Curtis appearance, my "Little Person of the Year" back in 2008 when I still used the M-word. Midget. He had only a small role (pun absolutely intended!), but he's always good to see. On the surface, this is pretty typical 50s sci-fi nonsense with a little action-packed survival story tossed in. But I'm convinced that The Incredible Shrinking Man is so much more than that, a kind of psychological allegory or a philosophical wet nightmare. All that stuff about dualism at the end, the infinitesimal and the infinite, the closing of circles, an existential nightmare transitioning into a heroic standing-up to infinity, a backhand to Nietzche's withered cheek, a dab of theology, a little bit of Zeno's paradox thrown in. What a closing monologue and last line! Sure, it's reaching, but it succeeds in getting the butter from the popcorn to the brain. There's a thick layer of sticky context here--symbolic spiders and their webs, man's eternal struggle to eat a piece of moldy cake, the nightmarish possibility that you could be devoured by a pussycat, fire and water symbolism. Aside from all that, it's a good movie anyway. There's some bad acting and an oppressive score, although the opening music featuring a trumpet and theremin is really good. The special effects are outstanding. The killer cats and spiders look real and menacing beside poor shrinking Scott. The sets and effects used to create a new world for the titular character are great. The guy did have translucent legs at one point, but the fact that this never really looked all that dopey is impressive. This is from a Richard Matheson story, and its themes of loneliness and figuring out your place in the world connect it with his The Last Man on Earth and its various remakes. This was a pleasant surprise, and anybody given a free copy of The Incredible Shrinking Man should probably watch it.
9 comments:
In a sense this was free since it came with "The Monolith Monsters". I did enjoy the deeper meanings as well as the giant spider. It really did not end the way I expected, and I give the film a lot of credit for emphasizing the idea that in spite of the inevitable end for all of us, it is the struggle to survive that counts. A 15.
I give this one a 16. The annoying wife and her various subplots were not enjoyable, and her acting is way over the top, but when Scott gets lost and continues shrinking.....thats where this movie really takes off.
Very good, thoughtful movie, and yes all the deeper meanings really are meant to be there. A man in a world too big for him, being lost forever.
You're quite right that the film's existential ending sets it above many other '50s SF films, as do its generally excellent special effects. Director Jack Arnold tried to take credit for the ending, but those who care to compare the film with Matheson's novel, THE SHRINKING MAN, will find that Carey's closing narration follows it almost verbatim. Interested parties can learn more in my forthcoming book RICHARD MATHESON ON SCREEN.
I've never read Richard Matheson. Should I? I'll have to watch more movies based on Matheson's works.
How did you think it would end, Cory? I was also really surprised by the ending. I at least figured that his wife and brother would come back into the picture at some point.
Still no 'Monolith' for me...the illegal copy of 'Shrinking Man' that I watched did not include 'Monolith' unfortunately.
I thought he would get out, then he would get caught in a spider web, then his brother would see him and throw a rock just before he got eaten...oh, wait.
I guess I expected him to at least be found, if not cured. I liked the darker view, though... so much so that I am changing my grade to a 16, so there.
I'll allow it.
Not surprisingly, the studio wanted a traditional happy ending in which Carey regained his normal size, but Matheson stuck to his guns, and I think his unconventional ending is one reason the film remains such a classic. Interestingly enough, they had him write a sequel that was never filmed, THE FANTASTIC LITTLE GIRL, in which Louise shrinks down to his size (due to the delayed effects of the same mist he went through), and after some adventures together they both suddenly return to normal. And yes, you should definitely read Matheson. Many of his best novels---I AM LEGEND, A STIR OF ECHOES, HELL HOUSE, SOMEWHERE IN TIME, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME---were also made into movies, some from his own scripts. As for THE MONOLITH MONSTERS, I always had a soft spot for that one, because the monsters were so unusual, plus it's nice to see Grant Williams in another lead role.
Thanks for the info, Matthew Bradley. I haven't seen 'Echoes' or 'Hell House' but the latter looks interesting. I had no idea that 'Somewhere in Time' (one of my movie-snob father's surprising favorites) and 'What Dreams May Come' were Matheson novels. 'What Dreams May Come' really annoyed me. I can almost guarantee I'd like the novel ten times more than I liked the film.
I suppose I would have been interested in seeing 'The Fantastic Little Girl' but I bet it would have annoyed me at least as much as 'What Dreams May Come'...
Best of luck with your book, by the way.
Much obliged. FYI, it’s now tentatively set to be published in early October. Of course, you can always pre-order it. :-)
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4216-4
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