WEEK THIRTEEN
1953
TERMS
sandwiching: Harryhausen's term for layering images to allow animated figures to appear between things in the foreground and those in the background.
Mesozoic:a geological period containing the Triassic, Jurrasic and Cretaceous periods - the age of the dinosaurs.
paleolithic the old stone age - the period of time from the first use of stone tools until roughly the beginning of the use of metal.
stop motion animation: a process by which figures are photographed frame by frame with the figure moved slightly between each frame. The result is the appearance of movement on the part of the figure.
BEFORE THE FILM
Clearly the destruction of a major city, in whole or in part is likely to form the requisite core of a disaster film? But in what cases is the disaster film seem more as a disaster than in others? The destruction of New York by natural forces or war is likely to be a more "central" or "core" disaster film, than one where it is destroyed by something unreal - e.g. rampaging monsters or extra terrestrials. In these latter cases, the films tend to border on science fiction, fantasy, horror or adventure. How does one classify a films like King Kong (1933) (New York is, in part, destroyed) or Gojira (Godzilla) (1954) (Tokyo bites the dust) Gorgo (1961) (Much of London's falling down, falling down) or The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) (who destroys parts of Manhattan but can't survive Brooklyn!) and even the ludicrous film Reptilicus which attempts to destroy Copenhagen?
There have been almost since the beginning of films, a attempt to depict things which are not actually there. The special effects departments are generally now-a-days (and for a number of years) been in charge of these events. Early films produced trips in outer space and prehistoric creatures.
Whether it constitutes a genre in itself or is a part of some larger genre (if we use a taxonimic approach), monster films have a long history. Monsters may be large animals (real or imaginary, living or extinct), or develop in the course of the film from something small to something large and dangerous (Alien (1979), 20,000,000 Miles to Earth) (1957) early silent films, like The Lost World (1925) brought together a number of people who became famous for their monster films like King Kong (1933). It might be something human size like the creature in The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) or possibly even the monster in Frankenstein (1931).
Other problems raise their heads if one begins to consider the nature of the "monster". Like films that deal with the supernatural, the nature of the supernatural entity affects the classification of the film. Friendly ghosts are found in "fantasy" where as scary or dangerous ones are in "horror". Similarly it is not clear whether any unnaturally large animal constitutes a "monster film". Large friendly animals seem not todeserve that title. Is Mighty Joe Young (1949) a monster film?
It is clear that people have had a long standing interest in dinosaurs. One of the finest collections of these problematic animals which lived in the Triassic, Jurrasic and Cretacous periods can be seen at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where the skeletons and mummified remains of dinosaurs can be seen.
The film's story comes from Ray Bradbury, a major science fiction writer and long time friend of Ray Haryyhausen whose special effects dominate the film. The story, originally published in the Saturday Evening Post, a well respected magazine had some success.
The stadard questions about disaster films need to be asked here, but the question of cause is layered here.
The film ends in Brooklyn - ostensibly at Coney Island - the monster comes ashore at Manhattan Beach, and heads for the amusement area.
Watch for an early appearance by Lee van Cleef as Cpl. Stone, the soldier who shoots the radioactive isotope. You might also recognize Kenneth Tobey from his role of Capt. Patrick Hendry in the original The Thing from Another World (1951)
The film was Independently produced at a cost of about $200,000.
AFTER THE FILM
Like many of the films of this period, the arrival of the atomic age brought with it a number of fears. Fears of radiation, explosion, contamination and destruction were very real, and manifested themselves even in rather simplistic films like this one. Although it is clear that the author, the producer and director had a genuine interest (albeit it somewhat romanticized) in dinosaurs, there is no avoiding the atomic fears that pervade the film. One year later, the Japanese will release Godzilla (1954) (in which an actor wears a suit, rather than using stop motion animation. This was not uncommon in some earlier films with dinosaurs since the movement was somewhat less jerky. See for example Unknown Island (1948). While this film is a kind of King Kong (1933) ripoff, the dinosaurs on the unknown island do not make it to New York (or anywhere) and the destroy no cities. The later monster films generally have the monsters arriving in some major city to cause destruction.
Photography and Special Effects
This 1953 film's special effects are the product of Ray Harryhausen in basically his debut film. It uses stop motion animation and screen layering is a classic example of a monster horror film in which a monster of large size invades and partially (or totally) destroys a city - in this case, New York.
Although the Rhedosaur is a fictional dinosaur, (there is however, in Australia, a lower Jurrasic sauropod* called a Rhoetosaur). A sauropod is a saurischean dinosaur like the Apatosaurus (or Brontosaurus as it is often called)
*Dinosaurs are divided into sauriscian and ornithiscian depending on the structure of the pelvis. Sauriscian dinosaurs include many subdivisions including the carnosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus and sauropods like the Apatosaurus/Brontosaurus). The Ornithiscians include (among others) the Hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs), the Stegosaurs, the Ceratopsia (horned dinosaurs like the Triceratops).
The film comes at the time that many other films that dealt with aliens and other creatures for which there is no real image. Typically, film analysts have seen these as a "communist menace", although the fear of atomic weapons was also evident. Some films regarded the aliens as an evil menace that should be destroyed as the military wants, ratherer than saved as scientists want (e.g. the original The Thing from Another World . Other films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still imply a beneficent alien which the scientists want to listen to (correctly) but the military wants to kill. Finally some, like It Came from Outer Soace imply that the aliens are OK but we are not really ready for them yet.
Today's film presents something not from another world, but another time. Something which is dangerous, and brings death and destruction and is tightly related to atomic weaponry. The Beast is freed by, not created by the bomb as is the case for example, with them, which are ants which have mutated because of atomic radiation.
Harryhausen uses a "layering" technique which we have discussed before. This involves back projections (often more than one) so that the animation is often "sandwiched" between two pieces of non animated footage.
The original story by Ray Bradbury deals with the episode with the lighthouse and has quite a different slant to it. The scene here is a beautiful semi silhoutte.
Beast appearances from between buildings - motion a bit stop motion, but posturing of beast is lifelike. Clear "love" of dinosaurs by Harryhausen (works without assistants until Clash of the Titans (1981)).
Watch for "realistic" movements - e.g. animal holding one leg up, etc. There is much thought given to giving the animal a "personality". Harryhausen has said that he likes to work alone so he can get into the character of the figure while he is animating it.
The settings in which the beast appears are often "alien" and isolated until New York- the North Pole, undersea, on isolated ship, a solitary lighthouse. The danger seems initially remote, but becomes more and more familiar.
To some degree this helps with the hiding of certain special effects problems.
It parallels the idea of who sees the beast (especially how many) and the development of the idea of reality exists whetehr anyone sees it or not.
Science needs to be convinced but is more easily convinced than the military. In the end though, the scientists who wants to take the beast alive, dies, whereas the military (that released it) kill it.
Note Parallels with Other Films (Kong, Thing)
Go to make film, but bring it back alive
Isolaed area where beast is found: Island (Kong) North Pole (The Thing) North Pole (Beast)
Monster gets loose in New York (Kong, Beast)
Dies dramatic death at end of film (Kong Beast)
Military and scientist conflicts (Thing - major conflict; Beast - minor conflict)
Huge animal comes to civilization (well, sort of - New York) and destroys parts of City), but Kong predates both atomic tests and bombs as well as communism scare)
One major difference between Kong and Beast is timing: Kong does not appear for nearly half the film. The first appearance of the Beast is less than 10 minutes into the film. Once contacted Kong is on screen much of the time, the Beast is only rarely on for any length of time and about every 10 minutes. Both do their most serious damage at the end of the film in New York where they both are killed.
Both use actual New York landmarks for reality.
Characters:
Forces of order:
Police and military: As groups, they are immobilized by the beast. The police officer who fire is the first on screen death. The military (along with civilians) become sick from the radioactive blood. Individual military members are initially non believing. They are also responsible for freeing the beast.
Politicians: Basically absent
Religious personages: none - but some early references to the bible (Genesis and Revelations)
Media: very little involvement
Scientists: Lead is strongest, but the paleontologist is sort of dopey but pleasant and ultimately become a believer (maybe in flying saucers too!).
Guilt/blame:
Science and atomic bomb are to blame, but science is seen as "unwise and naive" but learning.
Countdown
Film opens with a countdown, but it is almost too early to build real tension.
Not a clock countdown, but the "chronology" leading from Baffin Bay to New York is something akin to a count-down.
Escalation in terms of force, and destruction of force. First police (eaten), then National Guard (become sick) then Federal military that wins.
Errors
There are a number of errors (scientific and otherwise) in Beast e.g. (paleolithic refers to a human culture type); People walk near atom explosion with no radiation suits within minutes of bomb blast, but need suits to fire isotope.
Danger in burning Beast, but OK after shooting isotope because it kills all diseased tissue (some awarenes of possibility of chemotherapy) etc. This is mostly the result of an lack of familiarity with what radioactive atomic materials were like and how they worked. There is a sense that they are both dangerous and useful. The scientists themselves are unclear.