Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Harry Essex (screenplay)
Arthur A. Ross (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 maaliskuu 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Not since the beginning of time has the world beheld terror like this!

Plot:

A scientific expedition traveling up the Amazon River encounter a dangerous humanoid amphibious fish creature.

Plot Keywords:

Expedition | River | Creature | Gill Man | Amazon

Cast

Richard Carlson	...	Dr. David Reed
Julie Adams	...	Kay Lawrence (as Julia Adams)
Richard Denning	...	Dr. Mark Williams
Antonio Moreno	...	Carl Maia
Nestor Paiva	...	Captain Lucas
Whit Bissell	...	Dr. Edwin Thompson
Bernie Gozier	...	Zako
Henry A. Escalante	...	Chico (as Henry Escalante)

Also Known As:

Black Lagoon (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (1954) | Finland:K-15 (2004) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #16854) | Spain:T | Australia:PG | Norway:16 (original rating) | UK:PG | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

The physical appearance of the Creature was modeled after a likeness of the Oscar, the figurine awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the cave, during one of the final scenes, a bat could be seeing flying inside, with the black wires holding it.

Quotes:

Lucas: There are many strange legends in the Amazon. Even I, Lucas, have heard the legend of a man-fish.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Monstrous Desires: Sexuality and Horror/A Moment with... David Cronenberg (#8.2)" (2005)

Entertaining and worthwhile.

Classic, influential creature feature about the dangerous Gill-Man, discovered on an expedition in the Amazon, who proceeds to terrorize / kill the team members.

The pompous Mark Williams (Richard Denning), acting more like a big game hunter than a scientist, wants to bring back the creature as "proof", but level-headed David Reed (Richard Carlson) is more concerned with everybody's survival. The gorgeous Julia (Julie) Adams is Kay Lawrence, the obligatory damsel-in-distress, not a "modern" woman by any stretch of the imagination, since her purpose is basically to scream whenever the monster appears, and to always be in peril.

"Creature From the Black Lagoon" is a sometimes suspenseful and sometimes jolting (aided no end by a music score full of loud "stings") horror thriller. It's done in director Jack Arnold's efficient style, with a good pace and an excellent cast. The creature may be a typical "man in a suit" type thing, but it looks fierce and is capably played by both swimmer / diver Ricou Browning (in water) and stuntman Ben Chapman (on land).

Although this was originally made as a 3-D feature, I found that it doesn't need to be in 3-D to work.

For me, it wasn't altogether *scary*, but pretty thrilling nonetheless (the movie has its share of atmosphere; I believe that it was filmed on location in Florida). CFTBL would be followed by two sequels in the next two years, and a remake (Yes! Yet another remake! Does anybody even TRY to come up with new ideas anymore?) is planned for next year.

8/10