The Fly (1958)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

George Langelaan (story)
James Clavell (writer)

Release Date:

1958 (Norway)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

If she looked upon the horror her husband had become... she would scream for the rest of her life!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Fly | Scientist | Inspector | Teleportation | Told In Flashback

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Hedison	...	Andre Delambre (as Al Hedison)
Patricia Owens	...	Helene Delambre
Vincent Price	...	François Delambre
Herbert Marshall	...	Insp. Charas
Kathleen Freeman	...	Emma (Delambre maid)
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Nurse Andersone
Charles Herbert	...	Philippe Delambre
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eugene Borden	...	Dr. Ejoute (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Arthur Dulac	...	French waiter (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Lady at the ballet (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	Gaston (uncredited)
Franz Roehn	...	Police doctor (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
Kurt Neumann

Writing credits
George Langelaan		(story)
James Clavell		(writer)

Produced by
Kurt Neumann	....	producer
Robert L. Lippert	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Paul Sawtell

Cinematography by
Karl Struss

Film Editing by
Merrill G. White

Art Direction by
Theobold Holsopple
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Eli Benneche
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Adele Balkan

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Gertsman	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
James B. Gordon	....	special effects (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	executive wardrobe designer (as Charles LeMaire)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant
Orven Schanzer	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Starfix Video Productions (1982) (Belgium) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (199?) (Germany) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Cat-Film Distributions (1958) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Fox Film (1958) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Percepto Records  score album released by (limited edition)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (nf) (original rating) | USA:TV-PG (tv rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:PG (video re-rating) (2001) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Patricia Owens has a real fear of insects. Director Kurt Neumann used this by not allowing her to see the makeup until the "unmasking' scene.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the fly is first revealed in the spider's web, when Vincent Price's character is unaware, you see the fly struggling in the web. The string used to make the fly shake is visible.

Quotes:

Andre Delambre: Help me! Help meeee!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Grim & Evil: Zip Your Fly/Puddle Jumping (#4.10)" (2005)

A very entertaining 50's sci-fi classic.

Canadian scientist Andre Delambre (Al/David Hedison) is intently working on teleportation. However, when he experiments on himself, he gets his genetic material swapped with that of a fly - the result is a humanoid, man-sized thing with an enormous fly head, and an elusive fly with a teeny-tiny human head and arm.

Although I've seen the David Cronenberg remake first (itself an excellent film, and one of its directors' finest moments), this classic science fiction drama deals with loss and tragedy just as well if not better. It's intelligent, and deeply affecting. Patricia Owens does a good job of drawing me in with her performance, successfully conveying the helplessness of a wife who desperately wants to help her husband but cannot.

Hedison is good in an engaging performance, and continues to elicit sympathy after encased in the unwieldy fly head. Vincent Price is solid in support, playing the loyal and concerned brother who is determined to get to the bottom of his brothers' demise. Also doing good work are Herbert Marshall as the inspector and Kathleen Freeman as the maid.

The film-makers hold off the big reveal as long as possible, so it's all the more effective when it finally does happen. Also helping this film to stick in the memory is its creepy climax ("Help me! Help me!"), and its brief "fly vision" scene. It's deliberately paced, but is worth sticking with. It's got some good sets, a fine music score, and very nice CinemaScope photography. It's a truly remarkable picture that belies its B level nature every step of the way.

A big financial success back in its day, it led to the sequels "Return of the Fly" and "Curse of the Fly", followed many years later by Cronenbergs' remake, itself followed by a sequel.

9/10