BY TIM MCGLYNN
The
Warner Archive has just released the 1951 RKO science-fiction classic The Thing
From Another World on Blu-ray and it is a definite improvement over the current
DVD edition.
Howard
Hawks produced this tight 87-minute thriller from a script by Charles Lederer
and the original story Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell. Lederer removed the shape shifter aspects of
the alien visitor and dialed back the paranoia that John Carpenter explored in
his graphic 1982 remake. Here, the
scientists who discovered the crashed remains of a flying saucer under the ice
near the North Pole are shocked to find the remains of an
extra-terrestrial. After returning to
the base camp with their frozen visitor, an accident allows the creature to
thaw and wreak havoc upon the researchers and the Air Force team sent to
assist.
The
creature, played by James Arness, needs blood to survive and reproduce, and two
members of the crew are found hung upside down with their throats slit. Kenneth Tobey leads the team of soldiers and
scientists, now isolated due to a storm, in a desperate battle to subdue the
alien before they are all killed.
The
strong supporting cast includes Robert Cornthwaite, Margaret Sheridan, Dewey
Martin, Douglas Spencer and in a rare on-screen appearance, voiceover master
Paul Frees. The pace is fast and furious
with not a scene or line of dialogue wasted in this chilling story of do-or-die
survival against a seemingly undefeatable foe. The monster, compared by the scientists to a form of plant-life, is
unaffected by bullets and demonstrates it has the ability to reproduce itself
after a sled dog attack severs its arm. A spectacular sequence features an attempt to incinerate the creature by
dousing it with kerosene and setting it ablaze. What follows is a thrilling action set that critic Roger Ebert admitted
scared him to death as a youth. Director
James Cameron, in the sci-fi documentary Watch the Skies, noted it as the first
full body burn in a Hollywood movie and marveled that “the entire scene was lit
by the guy on fire.â€
Controversy
followed the completion of The Thing as to who actually helmed the film. Direction is credited to Christian Nyby, but
many critics claim that the film is very close to producer Hawks in style and
execution. Subsequent interviews with
several cast members reveal that even the actors weren’t sure who was in
charge.
Hawks
and Nyby were clever in never showing an extended close up of Arness as the
Thing, thus keeping him more mysterious and anonymous. Later interviews revealed that Hawks was
never satisfied with the look of the creature and actor Arness was somewhat
embarrassed by the costume and make-up effects. The story comes to an electrifying conclusion that asks the world, in the
midst of numerous real-life UFO sightings across the country, to “watch the
skies.â€
The
technicians at Warner Archive have done a masterful job at rescuing this
favorite classic from the ravages of time. The new disc was created from a 1080p high-definition master in 1.37
preserving Russell Harlan’s claustrophobic framing and his beautiful black and
white photography. All scratches, dirt, pops
and instances of flicker have been removed. The contrast is sharp and the blacks are rich with fantastic detail now
revealed in every scene. What might have
been stock footage of the Air Force plane landing at the North Pole is crisp
and appears to be second-unit work specifically for this film. Several sequences that were inserted back
into the original print, such as the “close the door†scene with General
Fogarty, are nearly as clear as the rest of the film. Watch for the scene where we first meet Dr.
Carrington and notice that the elements on the periodic table above his head
may be clearly read.
The
mono sound is very crisp and makes it easier to follow the rapid-fire dialogue,
which was a hallmark of Hawks’ productions. The humorous romantic exchanges between Tobey and Sheridan are
especially helped by this sonic enhancement. The re-mastered soundtrack also allows us to fully appreciate the
growling brass and eerie theremin tonalities from Dimitri Tiomkin’s score. The opening credits might remind you of
Tiomkin’s themes during the graveyard scene in It’s a Wonderful Life, which was
made at RKO six year prior to this film.
The
Warner Archive Blu-ray release of The Thing from Another World is an occasion
where it is definitely worth the cost of upgrading from the DVD, although the only bonus extras are a couple of trailers. This is a film that John Carpenter, Steven
Spielberg, George Lucas and James Cameron all cite as a major inspiration for
their own works. This new print shimmers
and would make a worthy addition to your home library.
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