5.9/10
932
40 user 35 critic

The Colossus of New York (1958)

| Horror, Sci-Fi | June 1958 (USA)
The Colossus of New York Poster
Trailer
1:45 | Trailer
A brilliant surgeon encases his dead son's brain in a large robot body, with unintended results...

Director:

Eugène Lourié (as Eugene Lourie)

Writers:

Thelma Schnee (screenplay), Willis Goldbeck (story)

Stars:

John Baragrey, Mala Powers, Otto Kruger | See full cast & crew »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Baragrey ... Dr. Henry Spensser
Mala Powers ... Anne Spensser
Otto Kruger ... Dr. William Spensser
Robert Hutton ... Dr. John Robert Carrington
Ross Martin ... Dr. Jeremy 'Jerry' Spensser
Charles Herbert ... Billy Spensser
See full cast »
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Storyline

Jeremy Spensser, genius humanitarian, is killed in an accident just after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. His father William, a brilliant brain surgeon, works on the body in secret before burial; later revealing to his other son Henry that he has the brain on life support and hopes to encase it in a robot body! The resulting being is large, strong, and develops many strange powers. Initially it has Jeremy's gentle personality but this, too, begins to change, and a year later it decides to end its long seclusion... Unusual piano music score. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

brainwave | kaiju | gin martini | psychotronic film | brain | See All (23) »

Taglines:

Towering above the skyline ~ an indestructible creature whose eyes rain death and destruction!

Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film barely rates a mention in director Eugène Lourié's autobiography, "My Work in Films". See more »

Goofs

When Jeremy (the Colossus) crashes through the glass wall at the end of the movie, the very next scene there is a woman lying on the floor and the man to the left of her looks down at her. In the scene following, the Colossus starts shooting eye beams. The eye beam then hits the woman, now standing, and she falls to the floor, in the same position. See more »

Crazy Credits

The opening credits text rises out of New York harbor, as its reflection on the water sinks to the bottom of the screen. See more »

Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Man-Made Monsters (1996) See more »

User Reviews

 
Stop bashing this film...if you weren't 'there'....
15 June 2012 | by arisdisc – See all my reviews

Along with a few others, I too, must chime in with my 'thumbs up' opinion of this lost classic. I was fortunate to see nearly ALL of the horror/sci-fi 'Classics' in theaters during the 50's binge..when there was a new double feature nearly every other week.

This one, stands quite a bit above all the others. The creep factor is high and it has some truly haunting moments. The piano score just adds to the muted terror. Cheap? Yep. But I think that adds to the atmosphere.

Sure, I was a 'kid' when I saw all of these back then, but only a handful of these films were 'great'. 'Colossus' is hands-down one of the best of that era. If you watch it in the proper context, I'm sure you will agree.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1958 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Der Koloss von New York See more »

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
See full technical specs »
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