The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)

Lt. Col. Glenn Manning is inadvertently exposed to a plutonium bomb blast at Camp Desert Rock. Though burned over 90% of his body, he survives, and begins to grow in size. As he grows, his ... See full summary »

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

Mark Hanna (screenplay), Bert I. Gordon (screenplay),

Stars:

Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, William Hudson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenn Langan	...	Lt. Col. Glenn Manning (as Glen Langan)
Cathy Downs	...	Carol Forrest
William Hudson	...	Dr. Paul Linstrom
Larry Thor	...	Maj. Eric Coulter, MD
James Seay	...	Col. Hallock
Frank Jenks	...	Truck Driver
Russ Bender	...	Richard Kingman (as Russell Bender)
Hank Patterson	...	Henry
Jimmy Cross	...	Sergeant at Reception Desk
June Jocelyn	...	Nurse Wilson
Stanley Lachman	...	Lt. Cline
Harry Raybould	...	MP at Main Gate
Jean Moorhead	...	Woman in Bathtub
Scott Peters	...	Sgt. Lee Carter
Myron Cook	...	Capt. Thomas

Storyline

Lt. Col. Glenn Manning is inadvertently exposed to a plutonium bomb blast at Camp Desert Rock. Though burned over 90% of his body, he survives, and begins to grow in size. As he grows, his heart and circulatory system fail to keep pace with his growth, and he is gradually losing his mind as a result of reduced blood supply to his brain. He reaches 50 feet tall before his growth is stopped. By this time he has become insane. He escapes and wreaks havoc upon Las Vegas before he is finally stopped.

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Plot Keywords:

camp desert rock | hoover dam | las vegas nevada | airplane accident | nuclear testing | 

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Taglines:

A Seventy Foot Giant Is Terrorizing Las Vegas...

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 1958 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Amazing Nth Man

Filming Locations:

Boulder City, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malibu Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Colossal Man is never referred to as such in this movie. He's referred to only as Colonel Manning or the Giant.

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Goofs

The heart has more than one cell.

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Quotes

Manning: I don't want to grow anymore.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Eegah! (1993)

User Reviews

All I Want Is Some Truth!

Colonel Glenn Manning's dilemma is something I cannot laugh at. His condition is, inescapably, a metaphor for all variety of bad change life zings you with -- cancer, loss of a bodily function, loss of love. I don't expect most younger viewers to be in tune with this aspect of the film.

There is one completely True and frightening moment that redeems the film for serious viewers. It lifts the movie from a 2 or 3 to at least a 6. (Alone, the scene is a solid 10.) It is the scene in which the colonel awakes from his coma for the first time after the injuries that have changed his life. Alone in a noir-lighted room, 2 o'clock in the morning, he realizes in groggy stages that something is terribly wrong. The scene fades rapidly to black --like a fall down a tunnel to the pit of hell-- on Manning wailing uncontrollably at the top of his lungs.

His reaction is so sudden and convincing it is hard not to be shaken by it. So singular and emotionally affecting is this moment -- in the context not only of this film, but of 1950s mainstream cinema -- that I now think of it as the raison d'etre of the film. Unfortunately, nothing that comes after this moment of Truth amounts to much dramatically. Worth a watch for a few disconnected moments of that rarest of all commodities in life and art, Truth.