The Fly (1958)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

George Langelaan (story)
James Clavell (writer)

Release Date:

1958 (Norway)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

If she looked upon the horror her husband had become... she would scream for the rest of her life!

Plot:

A scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device.

Plot Keywords:

Fly | Scientist | Inspector | Teleportation | Told In Flashback

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Hedison	...	Andre Delambre (as Al Hedison)
Patricia Owens	...	Helene Delambre
Vincent Price	...	François Delambre
Herbert Marshall	...	Insp. Charas
Kathleen Freeman	...	Emma (Delambre maid)
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Nurse Andersone
Charles Herbert	...	Philippe Delambre

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (nf) (original rating) | USA:TV-PG (tv rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:PG (video re-rating) (2001) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

That is actually David Hedison, not a stuntman, inside the Fly makeup.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the fly is first revealed in the spider's web, when Vincent Price's character is unaware, you see the fly struggling in the web. The string used to make the fly shake is visible.

Quotes:

Insp. Charas: Did your brother ever experiment with animals?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Lost Empire (2001) (TV)

It's a bad day to be a fly

The Fly is a movie I have just been dying to see, I have heard a lot about this movie, mainly the infamous "Help me! Help me!" scene. But of course the number one reason being that this is the original to the remake with Jeff Goldblum which is an incredible movie in itself, but I was curious what the original would be about. Honestly I was thinking that it was going to be very cheesy, it's a 1950's horror movie that would probably be over the top, but honestly, from the very beginning you get gore, which was odd, but sickly enough I love it! I am also a huge Vincent Price fan, this is the man of the classic B horror movies and his voice and presence make these movies worth the watch. So I finally got to see this on netflix, I absolutely loved The Fly. Is this better than the remake? Honestly, the remake is more realistic on what would happen if this really did occur, but don't overlook the original, as cheesy as a fly in a giant trench coat can be, it's all good and this story is tons of fun and really scary.

A woman named Helene Delembre phones her brother-in-law, Francois Delambre to tell him that she has just murdered her husband. Francois calls in the police and she admits killing him but refuses to say why. Later, Francois tricks her into telling the story to him and Police Inspector Charas. A scientist, Andre Delambre, has invented a teleportation device. After a few failed attempts, he succeeds with living organisms, deciding to go for the ultimate risk and transport himself. The first time works, but, unknown to him, a fly enters the cabin with him and the two are hopelessly scrambled together. The scientist emerges as a half-man, half-fly, a human with a fly's head, leg and arm/claw. His wife finds out something is wrong as she now sees him with a cloth over his head and a hidden arm. He eventually tells his wife what has happened and she first sees his claw and screams, then later sees his fly head and screams more. His wife, son and maid try to find the "fly with a white head" and fail. The son had caught it just after the accident but had been made to let it go, before any of them knew what it was. Andre attempts to reverse the process to return himself to normal, but fails and when he realizes that his mind is being overtaken by that of the fly he asks his wife to end his suffering by killing him with a heavy machine press.

The Fly is a fantastic and thrilling movie. I know that the ending sequence of "Help me! Help me!" was cheesy and over the top to some, but to me it was just plain creepy, it really scared me. The whole atmosphere of the film just felt uncomfortable and disturbing. Granted, I know these were not top of the line make up effects with the fly, I do have to laugh juts a little bit with seeing a fly in a trench coat. But still it was effective and made for a great sci-fi story. I love these old movies for a specific reason, this was the time when film meant something to the cast and crew making it and The Fly was made to give people the chills. It's just rare now-a-days, if this was made in today's world, it would be all gore and just stupid. So I do recommend that you see this film if you are looking for a good scare. Both this and the remake are terrific films and are a ton of fun to watch.

8/10