Back to the Black Lagoon: A Creature Chronicle (2000) (V)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

David J. Skal

Writer:

David J. Skal (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Cast

Julie Adams	...	Herself
Ricou Browning	...	Himself
Bob Burns	...	Himself
Ben Chapman	...	Himself
Vincent Di Fate	...	Himself
Bob Furmanek	...	Himself
Paul M. Jensen	...	Himself
Lori Nelson	...	Herself
David Schecter	...	Himself
David J. Schow	...	Himself
David J. Skal	...	Himself - Host

Runtime:

40 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Universal Studios

Movie Connections:

References The Wolf Man (1941)

The creature is here to stay

"Back to the Black Lagoon: A Creature Chronicle" is a very informative and entertaining documentary on the making of and lasting influence of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon", which along with "The Mummy" is perhaps the most underrated film out of Universal's famous catalog of monsters. The documentary starts with explaining its origins (the 1925 version of "The Lost Word" and well as a dinnertime story about a half man/ half fish creature) into its production. We learn many interesting aspects about the suit, such as that it was one piece and took three hours to put on the actor. The film's sequels and films that it influenced are also discussed ("The Creature from the Black Lagoon" was a big influence on "Jaws" in particular. All the interviewees come across as being very well informed and passionate about the film, no one dismisses the film as "trash", "silly" or as "just another monster film". No, they know, just like the fans that this film is very special. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this is when the 3-D process is explained as what happens if the two frames become unsynchronized. Overall this is a really enjoyable documentary. It could have been a little longer, but the length problem is not as glairing as it was in the rest of these documentaries.