The Fly (1958)

A scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device.

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

George Langelaan (story), James Clavell

Stars:

David Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
David Hedison	...	Andre Delambre (as Al Hedison)
Patricia Owens	...	Helene Delambre
Vincent Price	...	François Delambre
Herbert Marshall	...	Insp. Charas
Kathleen Freeman	...	Emma
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Nurse Andersone
Charles Herbert	...	Philippe Delambre

Storyline

After her husband Andre Delambre is crushed to death in a mechanical press, his wife recounts to his brother Francois Delambre and police Inspector Charas the events of the previous few months. They were very much in love and with their little boy, a very happy family. Andre was experimenting with teleportation - transporting objects from one point to another by breaking the object down to the atomic level and then reassembling it in a receiver a distance away. The system had some glitches - it seemed to work with inanimate object but his cat disappeared when he tried teleporting it. He thinks he's solved all of the problems with his invention and decides to try and teleport himself. When a fly enters the teleportation device with him, disaster strikes.

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Plot Keywords:

fly | scientist | teleportation | atom | inspector | 

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Taglines:

For your own good we urge you not to see it alone!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

1958 (Norway)

Also Known As:

La mosca

Filming Locations:

Stage 9, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

That is actually David Hedison, not a stuntman, inside the Fly makeup.

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Goofs

After Helene faints in the laboratory a sofa-bed suddenly, and conveniently, appears next to Andre's desk for her to be carried to.

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Quotes

Andre Delambre: [about the cat killed by the transporter] She disintegrated perfectly, but never reappeared.
Helene Delambre: Where's she gone?
Andre Delambre: Into space... a stream of cat atoms...
[sighs]
Andre Delambre: It'd be funny if life weren't so sacred.

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Connections

Featured in Everybody Hates Chris: Everybody Hates Playboy (2006)

User Reviews

A nightmare

The "help me, help meeeee" scene revolted and scared me so much as a young child that it was years before I could see this movie again. Even now I cringe when I witness that nightmarish scene. As good as Cronenberg's movie is (and it is very good), there is nothing that surpasses the delirious horror of the man-fly in the spider's grasp.

Elsewhere, the movie is rather subdued. In some spots, almost too much so. Although the first revelation of The Fly's appearance is another classic spot...the multiple reflections was a great touch. Like all great monsters, the Fly has a very sympathetic edge to it. We are revolted by the horror of this monster but we feel overwhelming pity for him as well.

Vincent Price does a workman-like job in a rather blasé part. Usually he adds a special touch to a film, but really, any number of actors could have played his part here.

The scientific basis of this movie is pure rubbish, as there is no way that insect and human parts could biologically interact with each other. The result of such a mixture would be instantly dead in real life.

But that doesn't matter here. A nightmare has its own logic. And "The Fly" is a nightmare.