Creature From the Black Lagoon (Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection)
by Jack Arnold
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Antonio Moreno, Julie Adams, Nestor Paiva, Richard Carlson, Richard DenningDirector: Jack Arnold
Brand: Universal Studios
Cinematographer: William E. Snyder
Editor: Ted J. Kent
Producer: William Alland
Writer: William Alland
Writer: Arthur A. Ross
Writer: Harry Essex
Writer: Maurice Zimm
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 79 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-24
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Universal Studios
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Black & White; Closed-captioned; Dolby; DVD; Full Screen; Subtitled; NTSC
Movie Reviews of Creature From the Black Lagoon (Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection)
Movie Review: MY FIRST MONSTER FILM.
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my first "monster" film. I can remember the stir that it caused when it was first released and remember that my mother would not allow me to attend. Now telling an ten year old boy that there is "forbidden fruit" at the local cinema, and telling him that there was no way he was going to attend, is a pretty sure fire way of getting that kid in the theater, one way or another. Yup, I went. (I fear this is indicative of a character trait, or flaw, if you will, that is with me still, after all these years). You have to remember that this was in 1954 and things were quite different. We lived in a very small town, Southern and quite conservative, and ticket prices at the time were .10 cents for kids under twelve, and there was no rating system. Anyway, this movie absolutely terrified me, and it terrified my friends...it was GREAT! We loved it!
I recently watched this movie again and was delighted that so much had stuck with me over the years. It seemed like only yesterday that I first saw it. The movie is of course is in black and white, which to my mind, made so many of those old monster/space/horror movies so effective. The acting in this one is actually quite good. Now you must remember that at ten years old, I was just beginning to figure out that there was a profound difference between girls and boys, and it was a difference I very much felt I liked...did not really know why, just knew I liked it. In current terms, I could only describe Julie Adams and her white bathing suit as "hot." Apparently the creature did too, because he spent most of the film trying to drag her off. Can't say as I really blame him much either. Anyway, I think I probably had my first "actress" crush at that time.
The story line is rather good in this picture and is probably known my most folks in the known universe, who have the slightest interest in films of this genre. The plot is well covered by other reviewers here. It has been raised to the status of "classic," and this rating, in my opinion, is well deserved. You must remember that this film was done without the advantage of special effects, color and high tech sound. The creature wore a rubber suit, but looked oh so real! The underwater sequences are still as good today as they were at the time the movie was made. For this grade and class of movie, the casting and acting were quite well done, rather amazingly so, when you consider some of the other clunkers that were fed to us in those days (and still are being fed to us, when you think about it).
Now several reviewers, and critics alike, have pointed out that the monster in this particular picture was, of all the monsters in those times, the least loveable and least able to gain sympathy from the audience. I personally did not find this to be true. I remember at the time I first saw it, I was more on the creatures side that on the boat load of scientists. I have to admit, after recently watching it again; my sympathies were still with the monster. As unlovable as he was, I still sort of felt sorry for him and could see his side if the issues.
If you love movies, something I dearly love, no matter the genre, this is really one you should see, if you have not already done so. It is part of our movie heritage and it would be a shame to miss it. And by the way, 54 years later....I still think Julie Adams and her white bathing suit was pretty hot!
Creature from the Black Lagoon
D. Blankenship
More Creature From the Black Lagoon (Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection) reviews:
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Summary of Creature From the Black Lagoon (Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection)
Scientists drug and capture the creature, who becomes enamored with the head scientist's female assistant (Julie Adams). The lonely creature, "a living amphibious missing link," escapes and kidnaps the object of his affection. Chief scientist (Richard Carlson) then launches a crusade to rescue his assistant ans cast the ominous creature back to the depths from where he came. Well-acted and directed, and with Bud Westmore's brilliantly designed monster, Creature From The Black Lagoon remains an enduring tribute to the imaginative genius of its Hollywood creators.Jack Arnold's horror classic The Creature from the Black Lagoon spawned not one but two iconic images: the web-footed humanoid gill-man with a hankering for women and the leggy, luscious Julia Adams, the object of his desire, swimming the lagoon in a luminous white bathing suit. Not since King Kong has the "beauty and the beast" theme been portrayed in such sexually charged (though chaste) terms. Arnold turns an effectively B-movie plot--a small expedition up a remote Amazon river captures a prehistoric amphibian man, who escapes to wreak havoc on the team and kidnap his bathing beauty--into a moody, stylish, low-budget feature. The jungle exteriors turn from exotic to treacherous when the creature blocks their passage and strands them in the wilds. Much of the film is shot underwater, where the murky dark is animated by shimmering shards of sunlight, creating images both lovely and alien (the studio-built sets of the creature's underground lair are far less naturalistic, but serve their purpose). As with most of Arnold's '50s genre films, he's saddled with a less than magnetic leading man (in this case the colorless but stalwart Richard Carlson) and a conventional script, but he overcomes such limitations by creating a vivid and sympathetic monster (helped immeasurably by a marvelous suit of scales and fins) and establishing a mood thick with atmosphere. The film was originally shot in 3-D. --Sean Axmaker
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