Phase IV (1974)

Director:

Saul Bass

Writer:

Mayo Simon (writer)

Release Date:

September 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Ravenous Invaders Controlled by a Terror Out in Space Commanded to Annihilate the World!

Plot:

Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the desert inhabitants...

Plot Keywords:

Ant | Desert | Scientist | Evolution | Investigation

Cast

Michael Murphy	...	James R. Lesko
Nigel Davenport	...	Dr. Ernest D. Hubbs
Lynne Frederick	...	Kendra Eldridge
Alan Gifford	...	Mr. Eldridge
Robert Henderson	...	Clete
Helen Horton	...	Mildred Eldridge

Also Known As:

Phase Four (UK)

Runtime:

93 min | USA:84 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1989) | Iceland:12 | Australia:PG | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Alced Productions

Trivia:

Saul Bass has said in interviews that the studio tampered with film in post against his wishes.

Goofs:

Continuity: During one of the scenes inside the dome, Lynne Frederick speaks with a English accent instead of the American accent she uses during the rest of the film.

Quotes:

[last lines]
James R. Lesko: [voiceover] We knew then, that we were being changed... and made part of their world. We didn't know for what purpose... but we knew, we would be told.

Movie Connections:

Edited into 42nd Street Forever, Volume 3: Exploitation Explosion (2008) (V)

Replace your brain

This is one of the greatest movies ever made. Saul Bass has created, out of the blue, one of the most terrifying fictions ever conceived. Bass' genius is usually confined to the miniature. What better way to explore this than extensive ant photography. I could not believe the character injected into what, in the hands of some hack director, might be just nature shots.

The film begins media res and there is a sense that the world is off kilter somehow. The voice over that caps the movie is some of the most literate, enigmatic film monologue i have experienced. See this as a parent of PI and you'll be on the right track.

the sun bleached photography and the atmosphere of menace conspire to such a degree that the movie has the feeling of a Beach Boys nightmare.

I will not spoil the ending. It is enough to say that there may very well never be anything like it again. Bass directed a short called Quest, produced by Robert Redford (probably shot in Utah!), which has the same vibe. It is like the invasion of some other reality, into our own.

10/10. This movie made me want to explode.