Thing From Another World, The - Remastered Black & White Version Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Without a doubt the best of the 1950,s creature features 'The Thing from Another World' is arguably the only one that still holds up today as a technical and artistic piece of filmmaking. Produced by Howard Hawks and directed by Christian Nyby ( There was a lot of conjecture of just how much input Hawks put into the production) the film was based on a short story 'Who Goes There?' by Don A Stuart. It's a brilliantly realised depiction of paranoia , terror and a giant blood sucking vegetable only surpassed by Ridley Scott's 'Alien' in the sci-fi monster genre-if such a genre officially exists.

The film see's a team of Artic research scientists aided by the Air Force discover an object buried deep in the ice that transpires to a be a flying saucer .In trying to discover it's identity the crew inadvertently release it's occupant -a very large vegetable based life from with an unfortunate appetite for human blood. It sounds silly but it's masterfully handled with an acerbic witty script that see's the crew question the absurdity of the situation head on . One character observes as the team attempt to understand their predicament 'Please Doctor, I've got to ask this . It sounds like , well, you're describing some form of super carrot'. The dialogue is delivered at considerable speed an, often overlapping a Hawks trademark that gives credence to the rumours that the film is more his vision than Nyby,s. The creature is shown only in fleeting glimpses - a deliberate act , partly encumbered on the film makers as they felt the creatures make up and design wouldn't hold up to close scrutiny , and this undoubtedly makes it more mysterious and potentially terrifying. ( Interestingly the actor playing the creature, James Arness ,considered the role so embarrassing he refused to attend the premiere)The acting is also top notch and allows for a female presence( Margaret Sheridan as Nikki),something John Carpenters equally excellent 1982 remake doesn't which is a neat reversal of the sexual politics perceived of those two times- though it must be said Nikki while feisty does mostly conform to the screaming female stereotype.

There is some absorbing socio-political elements to the script that has the scientists wanting to understand and study the creature exemplified by Dr Arthur Carrington ( Robert Crosthwaite )who pontificates 'There are no enemies in science , only phenomena to be studied'. A more realistic view is given by Ned 'Scotty' Scott( Douglas Spenser) who says ,not unreasonably in the circumstances 'What can we learn from that thing except a quicker way to die'. Here again are parallels with 'Alien' where 'The Company ' see the alien as a viable resource while Ripley of course comes to a more pragmatic conclusion.

With an illuminating commentary from John Carpenter who points out that his version of 'Who Goes There' is nearer to the originals authors as it deals with a creature that can assimilate our form and thus infiltrate amongst us , this is a an absolutely superb DVD.I tend to think a lot of the dewy eyed nostalgia for old B/W films is misplaced . Not in this case -this is a an absolute classic and along with 'The Incredible Shrinking Man ' and 'Quatermass And The Pit' is one of the land mark films of it's kind.

A Good Film though a Middling adaptation

Probably the best thing about this is the way the dialogue is handled, with everybody talking over everybody else, just like in real life. But this is not a lot like the book on which it was based - 'Who Goes There?' to see this right, watch 'The Thing', which keeps to the book's ideas, and adds great special effects.