The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay)
Richard Matheson (novel)

Release Date:

April 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Almost beyond the imagination . . . A strange adventure into the unknown ! [UK Theatrical]

Plot:

Whe Scott Carey begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him.

Plot Keywords:

Cat | Insecticide | Spider | Cellar | Giant Spider

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Grant Williams	...	Scott Carey
Randy Stuart	...	Louise Carey
April Kent	...	Clarice
Paul Langton	...	Charlie Carey
Raymond Bailey	...	Doctor Thomas Silver
William Schallert	...	Doctor Arthur Bramson
Frank J. Scannell	...	Barker (as Frank Scannell)
Helene Marshall	...	Nurse
Diana Darrin	...	Nurse
Billy Curtis	...	Midget
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lock Martin	...	Giant (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Spain:T | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | USA:Passed | West Germany:12 | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Orson Welles did the narration for the trailer for this film. He was at Universal working on Touch of Evil (1958)

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Scott is crossing the hole in the crate by holding onto a rope and walking on the ledge of the paint can, the extra rope that should be hanging in the hole stays horizontal, revealing that the hole is, in fact, not a hole. It is especially visible when he gets to the other side and pulls back the rope towards him.

Quotes:

Scott Carey: I felt puny and absurd, a ludicrous midget. Easy enough to talk of soul and spirit and existential worth, but not when you're three feet tall. I loathed myself, our home, the caricature my life with Lou had become. I had to get out. I had to get away.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dad's Dead (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Incredible Shrinking Man Theme

A Sci-Fi film with a good script. Who could believe it?

This is more than a Sci-Fi film, this is really a good movie. On the Sci-Fi side, the effects are mostly good. But the script is great, one of the greatest for a Sci-Fi film. And I love the last line, "To God, there is no zero." Sure it's a movie about a guy who shrinks, but it can be related to any person. As for the time it was made in, it blows just about every other sci-fi/horror made in the 50's to pieces with the exception of a few films. A must see for a fan of 50's sci-fi and a must see for any fan of good writing. I give it an 8 out of 10