The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay)
Richard Matheson (novel)

Release Date:

abril 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Frase comercial:

Almost beyond the imagination . . . A strange adventure into the unknown ! [UK Theatrical]

Plot:

Whe Scott Carey begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him.

Plot Keywords:

Fluoroscope | X Ray | Radioactivity | Anti Toxin | Internal Monolgue

Awards:

1 win

Comentarios de los usuarios:

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) ***

Cast

Grant Williams	...	Scott Carey
Randy Stuart	...	Louise Carey
April Kent	...	Clarice
Paul Langton	...	Charlie Carey
Raymond Bailey	...	Doctor Thomas Silver
William Schallert	...	Doctor Arthur Bramson
Frank J. Scannell	...	Barker (as Frank Scannell)
Helene Marshall	...	Nurse
Diana Darrin	...	Nurse
Billy Curtis	...	Midget
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
Lock Martin	...	Giant (scenes deleted)
Luce Potter	...	Violet

También conocida como:

Hombre increíble, El (Venezuela) [es]
Increíble hombre menguante, El (Spain) [es]

Duración:

81 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Clasificación:

Australia:G | Spain:T | Finland:K-16 | USA:Passed | West Germany:12 | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivialidades:

Scott Carey's cat was played by feline actor Orangey, according to the book "Hollywood Cats". Orangey also played the title role in the film Rhubarb (1951).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The water that Scott drinks from in the basement is dripping from a leaky water heater. The pilot flame is seen to be burning in a couple different shots so it must be assumed that the water heater is filled with very hot water. Too hot to catch falling drops and drink from.

Quotes:

Scott Carey: I felt puny and absurd, a ludicrous midget. Easy enough to talk of soul and spirit and existential worth, but not when you're three feet tall. I loathed myself, our home, the caricature my life with Lou had become. I had to get out. I had to get away.

Movie Connections:

References Written on the Wind (1956)

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) ***

I finally caught up with Jack Arnold's most highly-regarded piece of science fiction, and I have to say that I agree it's his most accomplished work.

True, the plot isn't terribly original (how about THE DEVIL-DOLL [1936], which I watched again right after, and DR. CYCLOPS [1940], for starters, not to mention the 'little people' of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN [1935]?) but none of the others quite touched upon the psychology of its admittedly fantastic situation, let alone treat it with such intelligence, sensitivity and, ultimately, persuasion. Legendary author Richard Matheson is to be congratulated for his truly excellent script, as should be Arnold for putting his ideas on the screen with such vividness and imagination. Special mention must go too to Grant Williams for his fine performance; Jack Arnold seemed to think it was worthy of an Oscar and I can't say I disagree!

It was interesting to see that the title character's peculiar affliction effected him gradually and not all at once; the fact that this was caused by exposure to radiation must have struck a note of panic amid contemporary anxiety-ridden audiences (this was the Cold War era, after all) and, in any case, it was inevitable that such 'monstrous' radiation effects (as seen mutating various forms of animal life on the screens of 1950s America) would not spare man himself in the long run. An episode featuring sideshow midgets, with whom The Shrinking Man seems to identify for a little while, is quite moving - as is his jealous possessiveness of his wife who he suspects wants to abandon him.

Despite the low budget, the film's special effects are terrific and the second half of the story basically resolves itself into a struggle for survival for our unfortunate hero as he has to battle various elements (the family cat, a spider, water, the re-dimension of objects around him, his own weakness due to hunger) which a normal person would more or less take for granted.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN - though I must say that Matheson's bleak yet strangely affecting ending blew me away, giving the film an intellectual resonance lacking in most films of its type and period.