Monday, October 12, 2009

31 Days of Halloween: Boil it, bake it, stew it, fry it? It's hard to destroy The Thing!

One of my favorite science fiction movies is the 1951 version of The Thing from Another World. Even though it was made long ago, it remains an excellent, scary movie. Although Christian Nyby gets the sole directing credit on the screen, most critics agree that producer Howard Hawks helmed much of the film. The screenplay is loosely based on the short story “Who Goes There?” written by John W. Campbell in 1938. John Carpenter’s 1982 remake of this story is a more faithful adaptation, because the alien in Campbell’s story is a shape shifter. In Hawk’s 1951 film, the alien is a more traditional monster.

The movie stars Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Douglas Spencer and Robert O. Cornthwaite, and James Arness as The Thing. I love this movie and watch it several times a year. The main reason I like this version is because the plot is simple and moves quickly, the characters are likable people, and the dialogue is witty and flows naturally. The characters are like old friends and are comfortable with each other; they don’t skip a beat when talking to one another.

Set in Alaska, the film opens with Air Force Captain Hendry and his men being sent to a remote Arctic research station to check on a group of scientists who claim a mysterious aircraft has crashed landed near their research facility. Captain Hendry (Tobey) allows a newspaper reporter to accompany them in the airplane along with sled dogs and other equipment.

Once there, Hendry quickly assesses the situation and discovers that the unknown aircraft has melted into the ice and refrozen. My favorite scene is when the scientists and Hendry’s men determine the shape of the craft. They each walk out to the rim of the craft and hold out their hands. Immediately, they realize they have found a round flying saucer. They all agree the best way to melt the ice to get to the craft is by using thermite heat explosives. However, they accidently blow up the spacecraft. Crew chief Bob, played by Dewey Martin, discovers the body of the alien frozen in the ice. (Interestingly, this icy-set scene was filmed at the RKO ranch in the San Fernando Valley in 100-degree heat.)

Dr. Carrington (Cornthwaite) is the film’s “mad scientist.” He tries to grow some “baby Things” using an arm torn by a sled dog who attacked the creature. He even uses human blood plasma to feed the seedlings, ignoring the possibility that he’s creating a race of Things that will consume the Earth’s population for food. But Carrington cannot help himself—his quest for knowledge about the unknown drives him to do these things. He does not want The Thing destroyed, so he pleads with Hendry: “We have only one excuse for existing, to think, to find out, to learn what is unknown.” A second later, one of Henry’s men quips: “We haven’t a chance to learn anything from that Martian, except a quicker way to die.” This theme of science vs. military became a staple of 1950s science fiction films (even in The Day the Earth Stand Still, Klaatu is shot by an Army soldier and later seeks out men of science because no one else will listen to his message).

Crew chief Bob is the most creative of the characters. He comes up with all the effective ideas not only to kill the Thing, but how to keep it at bay. His ideas save everyone! When they learn the monstrous alien is more vegetable than human, Scotty asks: “Here’s the sixty-four million dollar question, what you do with a vegetable?” Nikki quickly replies, “Boil it, bake it, stew it, fry it?” Bob says they have plenty of kerosene, so why not try to burn it? This is what I mean by natural dialogue that flows quickly between the characters.

You won’t find out the fate of the Thing in this review. Just watch the film and enjoy the screenplay and likable, interesting characters. The most famous quote comes at the end when Scotty warns people everywhere to “watch the skies.”

There is a colorized version of The Thing From Another World on video. My father recorded the film from television for me many years ago and I still have it. My husband got me the DVD for Christmas last year. That fact alone tells you how much I love this movie.

11 comments:

  1. Aki, I have always liked this movie very much. You described its merits very well, and I particularly like the feeling of claustrophobia and helplessness as far as getting help from the outside. They are on their own in a hostile environment, and it is a great story.

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  2. Aki, thank you for this loving, informative tribute to one of the landmark science fiction films of the 1950s! You know, "The Thing" is the first sci fi film I can remember watching and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s got two big things (puns intended) going for it: it takes place in the snow (I love snowbound movies!) and it’s about a group of people in an isolated setting facing a major conflict (in this case, a clawed, seven-foot, people-eating alien). As you point out, the dialogue is snappy and the plot zips along. The science vs. military theme did indeed become commonplace in the sci fi genre. If memory serves, George Romero has a lot of fun spoofing that theme in his otherwise undistinguished "Day of the Dead."

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  3. Aki, i don't think i have seen this movie. i will look for it..

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  4. Excellent review of a great film, Aki! Like Rick, I am a fan of movies set in snow, especially ones in which characters are isolated. It's a terrific setting, a perfect place to battle a bloodthirsty alien! They just showed this on TCM, and hopefully it'll pop up again very soon. I also really enjoy John Carpenter's '82 remake. Great work!

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  6. This is a great straight forward review of a superb science fiction film. The reviewer certainly knows this movie well and succinctly highlights its contribution to the science fiction genre of the l950's. I have not seen this film in years, but after reading this post I am excited about seeing it again.

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  7. Aki, it is always a pleasure to read a review of a film about which someone feels passionate! I feel chilly just thinking about the snow. It has been a while since I have seen this version. I am most familiar with Carpenter's work because it is the one my husband enjoys watching. But you have intrigued me and we shall have to revisit this "Thing." This is a wonderful blog and I love your enthusiasm for this picture!

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  8. Excellent review!!! the snow contributes greatly to the feeling of being alone. This was one of the first "we are not alone" films and was a pioneer for many other great, and not so great films. George Lucas was told when shooting the Star Wars trilogy not to photograph snow. Robert wise was given this same advice. When asked by Nicolas Myer why he ignored sage advice Wise replied "I had to".

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  9. Thanks everyone for the nice comments. This is one of my favorite movies. I have watched it every October for many years. It was a perfect choice for the 31 Days of Halloween. Although I have watched this movie in the summer when it is so hot the snow in the film makes me feel cooler.

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  10. Total agreement here! I have loved this film since I 1st saw it on the late show back in the early 60's. The characters are all so true-to- life, and with realistic, matter-of-fact dialog, it almost plays like a very enjoyable documentary. Another favorite line: After the group of humans are discussing how intelligent the alien is, one character says, "What if that thing can read minds?" the response from another is "He will sure be mad at me!"

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  11. Riffraf, I just love the dialog in this movie. It has so many cool quotes. I thought about putting the one you mentioned in my post, but didn't. I remember it well. I also like this one: After a quick look at The Thing through a door, Hendry says to Scotty "Did you get your picture?" Scotty replies, "No you were in the way and the door wasn't opened long enough." Hendry quickly says, "You want us to open it again?" Scotty shouts, "NO!" Can't say I blame Scotty for not wanting to see The Thing again!!

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