The Giant Claw (1957)

Gen. Van Buskirk: Three men reported they saw something. Two of them are now dead.
Mitch MacAfee: That makes me Chief Cook and Bottle Washer in a one-man Bird Watcher's Society!

Director:  Fred F. Sears
Producer:  Sam Katzman
Main Cast:  Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday
Runtime:  74 minutes

Sometimes you just can’t beat an old cheesy B movie classic and what better way to go than a monster movie from the 50’s!  I had never seen this movie before but had heard of it and whilst on the lower end of the monster movie scale (umm…a bit lower than that) it still remained an enjoyable movie, but to be honest you would really want to have a liking for these B (or is that C??) movies to appreciate it.

Mitch MacAfee (Jeff Morrow) goes for a flight to test a new radar system that is being installed and whist out on a routine run he spots a UFO and reports it accordingly however puzzlingly nothing shows up on radar.  Everyone thinks Mitch was just being a joker until several other sightings are made around the area and people start dying.  Upon further investigation it becomes clear that it was not a hoax and the gigantic bird is seen in real life but conventional weapons are no match for it.

Cheap B movie effects can be so bad sometimes that they are so cool!  Check out this rubber vulture with a freaky haircut and googly eyes!! Gotta love these movies.  In this case they hired low budget special effects team from New Mexico to create the bird and it really ended up being low budget as they needed strings to control the bird and sadly was bit of a laugh when the movie got released.  Interestingly, none of the actors saw the creature until the movie was complete but by then it was too late and the lead actor ended up quietly walking out of the cinema in embarrassment before anyone could see him.  Hilarious indeed 😊

Surprisingly, effects aside, the movie has quite a lot of technical science in it that makes you appreciate these 50’s sci-fi movies and the effort and thinking that goes into them.

The DVD reviewed here was imported from USA and contains four creature movies on one disc.  20 Million Miles to Earth, It Came from Beneath the Sea, Mothra and our movie in review The Giant Claw.  
The video is in a 1.85:1 ratio and is actually quite good though some of the stock footage has some damage and scratches etc but overall it is quite a decent image for a low budget film.  The audio is simple Dolby Digital mono which is quite standard for these films and is quite clear and well presented.  There are no extras.

Overall I enjoyed the movie as what it is, a low budget B movie with humorous effects full of the B movie feel.  It’s not for everyone though and you can find better B movies that have better effects than this such as Tarantula, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, It Came from Outer Space and so on.  But if it’s that low budget B movie magic you want, even with dodgy effects, then this if your movie!  I would give it a 3 out 5 when taking into account the B movie fun but when judged in accordance with other movies, it’s a 2.  Recommended for B movie fans only.

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Forbidden Planet (1956)

Commander John J. Adams: Nice climate you have here. High oxygen content.
Robby the Robot: I seldom use it myself, sir. It promotes rust.

Director:  Fred McLeod Wilcox
Producer:  Nicholas Nayfack
Main Cast:  Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly
Runtime:  98 minutes

The 50’s really pumped out quite a few sci-fi films and is often classed as the “golden age of sci-fi” with such hits like The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing from another World, This Island Earth, Destination Moon, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Incredible Shrinking Man and the list could go on, but generally speaking they were not given big budgets to play with so the vast majority of the films were “B” movies and were not designed or given opportunity to be premium feature films or the main attraction, but the second movie in a double feature.  If you’re a Star Trek or Star Wars fan you would be happy to know that this film heavily influenced the two and essentially helped make them what they are today, especially Star Trek.  It was also the first movie to have a completely electronic soundtrack and was well ahead of its time both in idea and effects.  You also have the $125,000 prop, Robby the Robot which may look quite familiar if you remember the Lost in Space TV series.  Interestingly, it also portrays humans as having the UFO tech and therefore fly to other worlds which is different from the usual we see where aliens have the tech and invade our earth.  

The movie essentially starts out with a verbal introduction that man landed on the moon in the late 21^st century, then in the 2200’s man started the conquest and colonisation of deep space and a bit later could travel at light speed and greater.  In these times a spacecraft was sent to the Altair IV to colonise the planet but some 20 years later there was silence from the planet so another craft was sent to check up on them (sounds quite familiar to Ridley Scott’s Aliens).  The starship C-57D under the leadership of Commander Adams (Leslie Neilson – yes, the same one from the goofy comedies Flying High and The Naked Gun but now in a serious role) heads out to the planet to see if everything is ok and if so, why they never reported back to earth.  Upon landing, they are then led to the sole survivors Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter Altaria Morbius (Anne Francis) and slowly begin to learn from him what was discovered on the planet and the problems they encountered. 

That night someone or something entered the spacecraft and damaged some equipment.  Who or what was it?  Is this similar to what happened to the original crew who came to the planet in the first spacecraft?  Will they suffer the same fate?

The special effects for its era was stunning and the attention and imagination to this new world also just as impressive with its green sky and rocky outcrops. Then as we delve deeper into Altair IV we see underground structures built by the Krell (the planet’s previous inhabitants) that are amazing in detail and impressive in scale.  In fact, it seems quite likely that this was also inspiration for Star Wars when designing some interior parts of the death star.

Then we have some of the Krell tech which also seems awfully similar to the Star Wars Princes Leia hologram, as shown below.

In regard to Star Trek there is confirmation from a biography of Gene Roddenberry, who created the original Star Trek TV series, about looking through the movie and taking stills of certain aspects of the spaceship for when they design their own. 

Then we have the DC Stasis of Forbidden Planet and Transporter Beam of Star Trek.  The roles are different but they look very similar.  The DC Stasis is a beam that protects the individual from the harsh effect of decelerating from Hyperspace to normal space but the Transporter Beam transports the individual from one place to another.

The soundtrack in probably unlike anything you have heard in a movie and was also classed as an amazing accomplishment upon its release.  It was the first movie to have no traditional music but an all-electronic soundtrack which is later revealed as being like the music of the Krell’s, so the movie’s depth extends to include that.

Whatever you make of the film one thing is clear, Forbidden Planet influenced the genre in a big way.  But what is the movie like?  Is it any good?  Personally, from a movie point of view I would go as far as saying it’s among the best of the 50’s era sci-fi films and certainly ranking pretty high in the decades after it.  The story is really good and the acting is good and the movie takes itself very seriously.  Like the 1927 film Metropolis the film excels on the technical aspect and the execution of it, not to mention the influence it had on future sci-fi.  It was the first movie to show humans owning and using UFO’s (interesting when you consider the possible WW2 and UFO link/history – I use UFO not in an alien sense but simply as in a spacecraft not common or usual for us).  I really enjoyed the movie though it naturally doesn’t have the scare or tension now as it did back in the 50’s but there are still areas of mystery and tension surrounding the film as to how the original crew members died and why some of the crew from the latest arrival are being killed, which is original and well thought out.  I would have to say that my rating of the movie would include the technical aspect of the film, just as it did with Metropolis and would certainly recommend viewing the movie primarily if you like sci-fi and/or 50’s films or to hire for a casual interested viewer.  It’s not the best movie out there but far from the worst and had enough depth to have multiple viewings.  

The Bluray reviewed is from the UK and therefore Region B so its playable in Aussie players.  For a movie this old the image quality is great and comes in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio and DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 for the sound.  The disc is also cram packed full of goodies such as:  

• Deleted Scenes and Lost Footage
• Additional full movie called The Invisible Boy starring Robby the Robot
• The Thin Man TV Series episode called Robot Client 
• TCM Original Documentary called Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us 
• Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet featurette 
• Robbie the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi icon featurette 
• Excerpts from the MGM Parade TV Series 
• Theatrical trailers of Forbidden Planet and The Invisible Boy

Overall the movie is recommended for a viewing, but a must own for Sci-fi fans particularly from the 50’s.  For me it’s a great movie and well worth watching.  The documentaries and featurettes are also excellent and very informative.  Highly Recommended!

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Dr. Dan 'Danny' Kauffman: Love, desire, ambition, faith - without them, life's so simple, believe me.
Dr. Miles J. Bennell: I don't want any part of it.
Dr. Dan 'Danny' Kauffman: You're forgetting something, Miles.
Dr. Miles J. Bennell: What's that?
Dr. Dan 'Danny' Kauffman: You have no choice.

Director:  Don Siegel
Producer:  Walter Wanger
Main Cast:  Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, King Donovan
Runtime:  81 minutes

There are movies that pass away over time and become irrelevant and there are those that remain strong and fitting even 60 years later.  Shot in just 20 days for a then budget of USD350,000 (remember Forbidden Planet cost USD1,900,000-), Invasion of the Body Snatchers is currently, as at May 2016, sitting at number nine in the AFI (American Film Institute) Top 10 Sci-fi movies of all time, so it’s clear that this is one of those films that has remained strong, relevant and engaging. 

The opening of the film reminds me very much of the opening scene in the 1950 Film Noir classic D.O.A where the camera follows the main character as he crosses the street into the Police headquarters to report a murder and when the police detective asks who was murdered, the main character says “mine” and from there he tells the story as to what happened to him and why he is certain to die at any moment ( a great movie by the way).  In Invasion of the Body Snatchers (IOTBS) Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) tries to report what is happening in his home town to authorities however they think he is a nut case.  So in sheer frustration he reflects back and tells the story of what happened and how he got to where he is now.  It’s a brilliant start that gets you in from the moment the opening credits finish, just like D.O.A and several other Film Noir classics such as Kiss Me Deadly and Experiment in Terror.  

There are several ways to look at this movie with two of them being that it relates to the fear being faced in the post-atomic Cold War era and another that thought that comes to mind and that is from a Christian point of view that, as mentioned in the above quote, there is the idea that America (let’s just say the world, cause it’s not specifically about America) is getting more engulfed in sin and ultimately desires to lead and force the Christian into a life that not unlike that stated in the above quote.  The un-natural (alien infestation) has now become so prominent that the natural (born with emotions and a soul) way has become unpopular and even a threat to the new society so it needs to stopped, likewise those against God have become so common that the life of the Christian is so unpopular that it also is seen as a threat and its belief’s and thinking need to be changed to conform with the rest of society.  It’s certainly an interesting thought as society is leaning this way even today.  But, I digress.

Miles (Kevin McCarthy), a local doctor, returns to his home in Santa Mira after a time away.  Since he has been away some odd things have been happening where, for instance, certain family members no longer feel that that they recognise another member of their family.  Yes, they look the same but something is missing.  This becomes more prevalent and really starts to worry both Miles and his close friend and would-be lover Becky (Dana Wynter) so they start looking into a few things more carefully.  That’s really all I am going to say as it’s a great movie that should be allowed to tell you the story, not some knucklehead behind a computer screen!  Needless to say, this is a great quality movie that is anything but a “B” movie thriller from the 50’s.  It stands well to modern day storytelling and keeps up the suspense in a way not unlike some of Hitchcock’s films.   

It’s not too often when a remake is as good or better than the original but Invasion of the Body Snatchers also had a remake in 1978 starring Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy which is also a very good movie and also worth watching (despise the scene or two containing nudity and the odd swearing).  But the original here is still the best but only marginally above the 1978 remake.

The version I watched was the HD version available on Google Play (no doubt the same as the one available on many legal streaming digital services).  The quality of the image was proof that the film had seen a restoration.  I have no doubt that the Bluray available from the USA (under the brand Olive Films) would be a bit better but at the moment that is also fetching a AUD30+ price tag for a bare bones release (ie. No extras at all).  I am normally not too keen to buy digital versions if the physical disc is available cause its giving the idea to studios that digital is the best way to release a film, but in reality nothing compares to the hard copy of the film both in terms of image quality and extras, but the price of the digital version was less than half that of the physical media so until a more reasonable Bluray comes out with good extras (are you hearing this Arrow, Eureka or Umbrella or Madman??) I will make do with digital.

So when you want to watch a quality thriller, give the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers a go.  Whilst some of the scare is not as strong as it would have been in the 50’s, it is still a great film that is probably pushed aside these days because of its age.  But this is one that will hang around and likely out last many good new releases.  Highly recommended!  Watch it and find out why! 

**Update** since writing this review I have purchased a DVD copy of the film which has the same cover picture
as the above and the image quality is great.  Maybe not as good as the Bluray but still really good so if you
want a physical copy import the DVD/Bluray from the USA that has the same cover as the above.

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Hot Rods to Hell (1967) – A mini review of one CAMPY movie

Just like today there are movies that are great and movies that are….well…not so great.  In this case we have a not so great movie that falls under the category of “It’s so bad that it’s kinda cool!”.  The DVD branding is “Cult Camp Classics” and that’s exactly what we get.  Campy over and under acting that is kinda dodgy yet so bad that its kinda funny and cool.  The cars are kinda neat and that hip boppy 60’s music is, to be honest, great!  

The movie is basically about a family who move to the Californian desert to run a motel but they get on the bad side of some young Hot Rod drivers who are determined to run them out of town.  We have some good car action that shows off some neat Hot Rods but some of the driving is sped up and there is a reasonable amount of rear projection use in some of the driving scenes.  The clothing and setting is SO 60’s so if you go into watching the movie with expectations of bad campy acting you’ll enjoy it.

The DVD reviewed is a Warner Bros. release imported from the USA for about AUD $10 and is under the designation of “Cult Camp Classics” so the movie was so well known for its campy feel that they decided to label it that way!  So go into it expecting nothing but that and you just might enjoy it!

A few of the car chases are here below:

Overall the DVD video quality (1.78:1 aspect ratio and is anamorphic) is really good as is the sound quality, certainly something you wouldn’t really expect for a movie that is not top notch and in a way, reminds me of the Bluray for Plan 9 From Outer Space (a 1959 Sci-Fi that has often been dubbed as the worst movie ever made – its really not that bad lol but don’t expect anything half decent either!) in that it’s a bad movie but effort has been made to give a really good visual presentation.   The only extra are trailers.

Anyway, if you want to know what “Campy” acting is check this puppy out and as mentioned above, go into it with no expectation and you might half like it, especially for the cars and music!

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