IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955)
Article #573 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-9-2002
Posting date: 3-4-2003

Scientists and the military do battle with a giant octopus from the ocean’s depths.

The recurring problem I have with Ray Harryhausen’s black-and-white fifties monster extravaganzas are the relative dullness of the scenes which do not feature the effects of Mr. Harryhausen; though I don’t expect scenes of people talking about a monster to be as interesting as scenes with a monster, they were always a few shades duller than was strictly necessary. Nonetheless, the special effects were special enough to pull them out of the mire. Unfortunately, it’s not the case with this one. It’s not that Harryhausen’s effects aren’t up to scratch; they’re just fine. It’s just that the other scenes are so singularly dull, I almost get the feeling that everyone was putting forth only the barest minimum of effort in the belief that the special effects would make up for it. And though the effects ARE quite good and exciting (particularly the bridge sequence), there aren’t enough of them to make the movie; except for a short sequence in which the octopus destroys a boat, the first three-quarters of this movie is one of the dullest stretches of celluloid I’ve ever viewed. It’s so much so, in fact, that by time the last quarter rolls around, I’ve almost completely lost my interest. In short, IMHO, this is one time the effects didn’t pull the movie out of the mire.

THE INCREDIBLE PETRIFIED WORLD (1959)
Article #570 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-6-2002
Posting date: 3-1-2003

Two men and two women survive an accident in a diving bell, and then find themselves in a network of undersea caves.

Let’s consider the word “petrified” for a minute. According to my dictionary, the word “petrify” means to turn something organic into stony, inorganic matter. Considering the deadly dull pace of this movie, the word is rather apt, but at heart, I believe the word should be avoided for movies that purport to be exciting adventure flicks, as the ads did seem to promise for this one. Monsters? You see stock footage of a fight between a squid and a shark, and at one point our adventures encounter stock footage of a big lizard, which they cleverly avoid by staying to the far left of the frame as they pass it. Instead, their primary threat is a seedy guy stranded in the caverns with a very bad fake beard, and he doesn’t appear until the last twenty minutes of the “action”.

It’s really not the actors’ fault; they’re competent enough and trying to do their best. It’s Jerry Warren’s direction that is sleep-inducing; if he knows how to achieve any cinematic intimacy with his actors, he keeps that talent well hidden. His favorite way of directing a scene is to have is actors stand in a row against a flat background and deliver their lines; it’s easy to direct, but flabbergastingly dull. The fact that these scenes mostly consist of nothing but talk, and the talk as written largely consists of dull, conversational dialogue that ideally you should cut out of your script so you can get to the interesting parts certainly doesn’t help either. John Carradine, Phyllis Coates, and Robert Clarke are the familiar faces here.

I’VE LIVED BEFORE (1956)
Article #491 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 7-19-2002
Posting date: 12-12-2002

An airline pilot believes he is the reincarnation of a World War I pilot who died in a plane crash in 1918.

This is another of the reincarnation-themed movies that appeared in the wake of the Bridey Murphy case. It’s possible to get a little tired of these, because they tend to get a little predictable in some regards; you know there’s going to be someone wondering whether they are going crazy or not, and there’s going to be a lot of talk about whether the subject is really the person’s reincarnation or whether they read about the person somewhere and forgot they had the knowledge. That’s all here, or course, and it’s all very earnest; the movie takes itself very seriously indeed, perhaps too much so. Still, it does have some nice dramatic resonance, some good acting, particularly from Jock Mahoney, Ann Harding and instantly familiar character actor John McIntire. And the first twenty minutes of the movie really starts off with a bang, with the great dogfight in the pre-credits sequence, and the near crash that kicks off the whole story arc. Not perfect, but I think it’s one of the better takes on the reincarnation theme. The cast also features Leigh Snowden and another instantly recognizable character actor, Raymond Bailey.

L’INHUMAINE (1924)
(a.k.a. THE INHUMAN WOMAN)
Article #482 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 7-10-2002
Posting date: 12-3-2002

An opera singer mocks a scientist who is obsessed with her, and he commits suicide, which is considered a scandal. However, everything is not quite what it seems…

This silent movie has a running length of a little more than two hours, and this is a fairly long time to watch a movie in which all the title cards are in a different language. Fortunately, the movie is a fascinating visual feast that keeps you watching even when you don’t quite know what’s going on, though I would love to see an English version some time to sort out the details. Fans of fantastic cinema may need to be patient; the movie clearly veers into science fiction before the end is reached, but not until the second half of the movie, and to say more would give away some truly unexpected plot twists. This is definitely one of the more intrguing movies I’ve seen of the ones for which I need a translation; I suspect this one may be a real classic. Further research is necessary.

THE INVISIBLE RAY (1936)
Article #448 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-6-2002
Posting date: 10-30-2002

A scientist who discovers a new powerful form of radium becomes enraged when the discovery is passed on to others against his will, and uses the illness he had contracted as a result of contact with the element to kill those responsible.

I’m going to come flat out and say that I’m not a devotee of this particular Karloff/Lugosi collaboration. I get the impression in watching the movie that a real attempt was made to avoid the eccentricities, obliquenesses, excesses and histrionics of either THE BLACK CAT or THE RAVEN; the result is that this movie is so low key and straightforward that it could be described as quite civilized in comparison with the other two. Yet, I’m not sure that horror should be civilized. I don’t mind it being somewhat low-key, but it tells its story in such a unambiguously direct fashion that there’s no sense of mystery left whatsoever, and I think that sense of mystery is necessary to add the intrigue that horror needs. As it is, by the time we get to the murders, we know who is doing it, why he’s doing it, how it’s being done, and how the statues are being destroyed. I think the movie would have been a lot better if the murders started before we knew all this information, and discovered it as we went along. As a science fiction film it works a little better, especially the first fifteen minutes or so; once it settles down into the main story, though, the science fiction elements take a back seat to the horror.

INVISIBLE AGENT (1942)
Article #441 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 5-30-2002
Posting date: 10-23-2002

A man who has inherited the formula for invisibility agrees to use his power to aid the allies during World War II.

This science fiction/spy thriller/wartime propaganda movie certainly isn’t much of a science fiction movie; outside of the fact that we have a man who is invisible, it doesn’t really use the idea in anything more than its gimmick capacity. It certainly isn’t much of a spy thriller either; I prefer my spies to have a lot more common sense than this guy shows. In fact, the scene during the dinner, rather than being knee-slappingly funny as intended, merely makes me wonder why nobody bothered to administer an intelligence test to this guy before sending him out on a mission. This leaves the wartime propaganda angle as being where the movie is most effective, and it actually works well enough on that level, particularly during a scene where the Nazis try to get one of their prisoners to sign a paper claiming he was well treated; this ironic moment makes for propaganda as effective as it can be.

I’LL NEVER FORGET YOU (1951)
(a.k.a. THE HOUSE IN THE SQUARE)
Article #433 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing day: 5-22-2002
Posting day: 10-15-2002

A man finds himself transported back in time to eighteenth century England.

I’ll come flat out and say I’m not a fan of photographed stage plays; much of the magic of a live drama is that the actors are right there in front of you, and this is what gives live drama its power and immediacy; photographed stage plays lose this vital element, and in order to compensate for their loss, they should have employed more cinematic techniques. This is why I have trouble enjoying BERKELEY SQUARE; it remains for all practical reasons a photographed stage play. This remake uses a more cinematic approach to the story, and I find it more enjoyable. The added subplot of the main character encountering some of the horrible conditions in England of that period and wanting to use his scientific knowledge to help improve things is a little on the trite side, but it does allow the movie to take the occasional break from what could easily be an endless succession of talky scenes. Tyrone Power is not quite the actor that Leslie Howard is, but Dennis Price easily steals the movie as Tom Pettigrew. There are problems; the opening scene in a nuclear research facility does establish the characters scientific background, but it goes on too long, though we still reach the time travel plot point much earlier in the proceedings. Also, the scene where our hero encounters Dr. Johnson and tries to impress him by quoting epigrams from Ben Franklin and Oscar Wilde verges on the embarassing, but this is fortunately a short moment. Michael Rennie is also on hand in a small role. Actually, it does make me want to go back and take another look at the original movie.

THE INNOCENTS (1961)
Article #432 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing day: 5-21-2002
Posting day: 10-14-2002

A governess takes over the care of two children, but begins to believe that they are possessed by the evil ghosts of their previous governess and the valet.

Years ago I tried to read The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, but back then I didn’t have the patience to really follow the subtleties of the story; since then, I’ve learned a bit more about how to read him. I may give the story another shot, if for no other reason than to find out if it’s as relentlessly ambiguous as this cinematic adaptation of the story. In fact, this movie is so intent on not tipping its hand one way or another it becomes a little tiresome; however the literate script and the exquisite performances by every person in the cast more than compensate for this. I’d seen this movie years ago, but the only thing I remembered back then was the haunting final moment; it’s still here, and more than that I can also appreciate the fine direction and the wonderful use of sound; I’ve always believed that nothing can enhance the mood of a horror movie like creative use of sound effects, and this movie uses a lot of them.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
Article #368 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 3-18-2002
Posting date: 8-4-2002

A doctor returning to the town of Santa Mira after a vacation notices a strangeness in the people. He eventually discovers that the town is being taken over by pods from outer space.

That this is an important and significant science fiction movie from the fifties I cannot deny; it is, in fact, archetypal in its portrayal of the themes of paranoia and loss of identity. But watching it again, I’m reminded of a comment I once read by Clifton Fadiman where he points out that some classic novels can be read again and again to gain new insights (Moby Dick was his example), while others can be read once and never need be picked up again (Tom Jones), though these novels may be no less great. I think this comment applies to movies, too, and I have to admit that the only time I really enjoyed this movie was the first time I saw it. For me, a lot of the tension had to do with not knowing what was going on; on rewatching it, I know all too well what’s going on, and I get bored. Granted, there are still some scenes that hit home, especially the scene on the highway that almost closes the picture (and from the point of view of many, should have closed the picture), but chances are if I watch it again in the future, it will be more out of duty than eagerness.

AN IMPOSSIBLE VOYAGE (1904)
Article #366 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 3-16-2002
Posting date: 8-2-2002

Several travellers take a bizarre journey that eventually brings them to the sun itself.

This is another of Melies’ more extended shorts, and it hones pretty closely to the story format he came up with for A TRIP TO THE MOON. This time, after a few misadventures (including a bad car crash), they end up driving a train into the mouth of the sun, and they don’t even notice how hot it is until the sun rises. Entertaining, but once again, if you can get a narrated version, it helps. The one I saw was both narrated and hand-colored. It also may well be one of Melies’ funniest works.