1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: Hey you welcome to Weird House Cinema. This is Rob 3 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: Lamp and this is Joe McCormick. And today's movie on 4 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: Weird House Cinema is the nineteen fifty seven introspective science 5 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: fiction adventure The Incredible Shrinking Man, directed by Jack Arnold 6 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,560 Speaker 1: and based on a screenplay by Richard Matheson. And man, 7 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: I've got to say this one totally surprised me. This 8 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: is not what I was expecting at all for a 9 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: late fifties shrink movie from the director of Tarantula. I 10 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: was expecting something much sillier and much campier, and instead 11 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: what we got here is in many ways a rather 12 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: thoughtful and fascinating science fiction tale about the search for 13 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: meaning and dignity in the face of absurdity and doom. 14 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: And I suspect that a lot of the intelligence and 15 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: the soul of this movie is sort of there on 16 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: the page, like it comes from the story by Matheson. 17 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: But also the special effects are excellent for the time, 18 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: and most of the performances in this movie are very 19 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: kind of a nuanced and warmly human This was a 20 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 1: shockingly great film and not at all what I thought 21 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:33,400 Speaker 1: we were going to get based on the title and 22 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 1: the premise. Yeah, yeah, I had the same experience with it. 23 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 1: The only thing I'd ever seen from this film is 24 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: I'd seen a kind of famous sequence from it in 25 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: which a tiny man has been reduced to the size 26 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: of a doll is hunted by his own housecat in 27 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: his living room, and I believe I saw it in 28 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: and it came from Hollywood, that older picture that had 29 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: a lot of trailers and clips and a lot of 30 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: joking and riffing of the material there. M the riffing 31 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: wasn't particularly funny, but in isolation that that sequence was 32 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: amusing and kind of hilarious, and I just figured, yeah, 33 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: the rest of the film would kind of fallow suit. 34 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: And we ended up picking this one up because we 35 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: were actually, I think we're going to watch the amazing 36 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: Colossal Man, right. I went to Video Drum to rent 37 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,799 Speaker 1: it and it's not available on disc anywhere, and which 38 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: is yeah, yeah, yeah, but they said, well, we do 39 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: have the Incredible Shrinking Man, and not only do we 40 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: have it, we have it in this excellent Criterion collection edition. 41 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: So I was like, well, I didn't think this was 42 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,639 Speaker 1: the type of film that really merited that sort of treatment. 43 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: But it looks looks interesting. I love that one sequence. 44 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: Let's check it out, and here we are. Well. This 45 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: is another way I was surprised because I having so, 46 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: I had also seen the cat attack part of the 47 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: movie in isolation, in which it seemed quite funny to me, 48 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,359 Speaker 1: but in context I saw it in a whole new light, 49 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: even though I'd seen the exact same footage before, in 50 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: the context of the plot, I found it a rather 51 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: frightening and effective action set piece. Absolutely, yeah. I mean, 52 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,239 Speaker 1: the effects and this are are great for the day. 53 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: They were ambitious for the day. And you know, you 54 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: can't you can't look back in a film like this 55 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: without seeing a few scenes in the special effects generally speaking, 56 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,799 Speaker 1: and that's the case here. But by and large everything 57 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: looks looks wonderful. And if you take the film in 58 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: its entirety and you let it to do its work 59 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: on you, yeah, everything holds up really well. Another way 60 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: in which I think we have to take it as 61 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: from its time is I did say the film is 62 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: very like thoughtful and introspective, which it is, but a 63 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: lot of that thoughtfulness and introspection comes in the form 64 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: of kind of ponderously delivered uh stentorian narration. You know, 65 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: it's like the voiceover narration that like tells you all 66 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: of the main character's inner thoughts about his own search 67 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: for meaning is maybe a bit blustery, and its delivery, 68 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: but nevertheless, like the sentiments expressed in the writing in 69 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: those sections I think are really good. Yeah. A lot 70 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: of it does have to deal with like fifties American masculinity, 71 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: and there are plenty of nineteen fifties pictures that we've 72 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:21,239 Speaker 1: watched that have that that masculinity of the time period 73 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: prominently featured. But usually it's not self reflective. Usually it's 74 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: not at all analyzing what this is that? What is this? Uh? 75 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: What are these ideas? These fears and expectations that everyone's 76 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: trapped with them? Right? Instead, it's usually just like, here 77 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: is your your jaw line, who's ready to punch the 78 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: alien that stands in for a communist? Yeah? It. As 79 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: I was watching it, I kept thinking a little bit 80 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: about the television series mad Men, and in fact, my 81 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:53,160 Speaker 1: elevator pitch would be what if the male characters and 82 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: Madmen physically shrunk and were attacked by their own cats 83 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 1: and household pests. I mean that nails it. The main 84 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: character in this movie is literally an advertising I don't 85 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: know if he's an executive, but he's he works in advertising. 86 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: He's an adolist. Right, three interesting stats just for weird 87 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: house cinema here. This is our second Jack Arnold picture. 88 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,679 Speaker 1: This is our second Richard Mathison screenplay, and it's actually 89 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: our second miniaturization film. We'd previously discussed nineteen forties Doctor Cyclops, 90 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: which Doctor Cyclops also had really excellent special effects for 91 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: the time. That was a great looking movie, though, I 92 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:32,839 Speaker 1: think this one is a lot more interesting in terms 93 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: of the characters. Yeah, definitely. The other Jack Arnold movie 94 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: was Tarantula, which was not nearly as good as this, 95 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: but was a lot of fun in that camp here direction. 96 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: I was expecting this time. What was the other Mathison movie? 97 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: The other Mathison picture was The Devil Rides Out. It 98 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:57,599 Speaker 1: was he was adapting someone else's novel, a Wheatly novel. Okay, 99 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 1: in this picture he adapts his own awful simon I'd 100 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: rather see you dead than dabbling with shrink missed. All right, Well, 101 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: let's go ahead and listen to the trailer. Some trailer 102 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: audio here. This one's a lot of fun, and I 103 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 1: love how this one begins with the incredible shrinking man shrinking. 104 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: You are getting smaller. There's no medical precedent for what's 105 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: happening to you. I simply know that you're getting smaller. 106 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 1: I want you to stop thinking about us, our marriage. 107 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: Some awful things might happen. So long as you got 108 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:08,840 Speaker 1: this wedding ring on, you got me. This is awesome. 109 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: Well speaking, I have forty five seconds to tell you 110 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 1: about something I think you will remember the longest day 111 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: you live. It's about a man named Scott Kerrey. A 112 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: few months ago, he was six feet two inches tall 113 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: and weigh one hundred and ninety pounds. Today he's two 114 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: inches tall and you can hold him in the palm 115 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: of your hand. Now he lives in a world where 116 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: he must stride for his life, a world or a 117 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 1: friendly housecat is a predatory monster. Incredible because it's almost 118 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: beyond a Magini. Incredible because every hour he gets smaller 119 00:07:44,320 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: and smallow. Incredible because every month the paramounts. A note 120 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: before we keep going, if you want to watch this 121 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: as well. We watched it on the Excellent Criterion Collection disc, 122 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 1: which features a great four K digital restoration of the 123 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: film itself and a load of great extras. I didn't 124 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 1: get to go through all the extras, but I went 125 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: through some of them and there they're pretty great. Highly 126 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: recommend this edition. It's available on DVD and Blu Ray 127 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:22,040 Speaker 1: rented the Blue from Videodrome. It's also available for digital 128 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: rental on most platforms. All right, well, let's start talking 129 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: a little bit about the people involved here. Some of 130 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: these are people we've covered before, in which case I'm 131 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: gonna try and cover them in just a little a 132 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: little differently than before. But yeah, at the top of 133 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: the picture we have Jack Arnold, the director. He lived 134 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 1: nineteen twelve through nineteen ninety two. Again, this is our 135 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: second Jack Arnold film, following nineteen fifty fives Tarantula. He 136 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: learned cinematography and filmmaking under Robert J. Flaherty while serving 137 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 1: in the US military in World War Two, and following 138 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: the war, started the Promotional Films Company with Lee Goldman. 139 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,480 Speaker 1: He directed the nineteen forty eight short Chicken Off Tomorrow. 140 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: This one is riffed on Mystery Sense three thousands. So 141 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: I'd seen this one many times, but I did not 142 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: know until this week. But it was a Jack Arnold production. 143 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: I have never seen this in full, and I haven't 144 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: seen it rift, but I was skipping around in the 145 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: link you sent me, and there are parts where like 146 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: it shows maps and the map se the animated map 147 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: segments reminded me of the World War Two propaganda films 148 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: that Walt Disney made, like Victory through Air Power. Yeah, 149 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: I mean it did. It makes sense given where he 150 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: came out off where he learned his craft, and in 151 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty he directed the International Ladies Garment Workers Union 152 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: documentary With These Hands, which was nominated for an Oscar. 153 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 1: This immediately caught my eye because, okay, so this is 154 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: an independent promotional film for the i LGWU, But the 155 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,839 Speaker 1: International Ladies Garment Workers Union is also the subject of 156 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: my long time favorite commercial that appears on many tapes 157 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: of the Star Wars Holiday Special where they sing the 158 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: union song you know, you know the one I'm talking about, 159 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: the one? Yeah, yeah, uh, it's it's great. It's tied 160 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 1: from my favorite with Tobar. Of course, you know, our 161 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:16,120 Speaker 1: co worker Annie Reese really wants to come on the 162 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,719 Speaker 1: show and discuss about the Star Wars holiday special this year. 163 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: He has made it known. Oh Annie and I have 164 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 1: discussed the the International Ladies Garment Workers Union commercial and 165 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: Tobar the telesonic robot a number of times, so we 166 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: can maybe when she does come, we can do a 167 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 1: full ranking of all the holiday special commercials. Sounds good. 168 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,320 Speaker 1: So anyway, with these hands was was a hit, didn't 169 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:42,680 Speaker 1: win the Oscar, but was nominated, and this enough, it 170 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:45,679 Speaker 1: was enough to catch the attention of Universal Studios, so 171 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: they signed Jack Arnold on as one of their directors. 172 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: So I mentioned there's a great there's some great extras 173 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: on that Criterion collection disc and there's a great about 174 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: an hour long bio about Arnold's career. And one of 175 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: the things that they stress in it is that when 176 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: you got hired by a major film studio as a 177 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: director during this period, you were expected to deliver on 178 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 1: whatever they needed. So a studio like Universal, they had 179 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: to bust out the full menu of films. You know, 180 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,360 Speaker 1: it wasn't just the pricey specials. They also had had appetizers. 181 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,079 Speaker 1: You know, they had to have the crowd pleasers, so 182 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: you know, they had their prestige titles all the way 183 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,720 Speaker 1: down to the genre dregs, and certainly in this time 184 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 1: that's where you would find your science fiction. So if 185 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 1: you are a studio employeed director like Jack Arnold at 186 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:31,440 Speaker 1: this time, you're probably not doing a lot of what 187 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: many people probably imagine director is doing today, which is 188 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: like striking out on their own with like a script 189 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: that they're really excited about and then finding funding for 190 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: that and putting together a production. It's a lot more 191 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,200 Speaker 1: kind of like work for hire, like studio says, here's 192 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: the movie you're making. Yeah. Yeah, they might assigned you 193 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: a western, and a horror, a sci fi film, you 194 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: name it, and it was up to you to make 195 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,439 Speaker 1: it work and deliver. I guess this was reference to 196 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: a good bit in the Collen Brothers film the titles 197 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:03,720 Speaker 1: alluding me at the moment wrestling pictures. Oh, Barton Fink. 198 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,679 Speaker 1: Barton Fink. Yes, he was a writer, but he was 199 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: very much in the in the studio system and was 200 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,959 Speaker 1: expected to deliver what they needed. He was going to 201 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: write for Wallace Beery or something. Yeah. So Arnold comes 202 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 1: aboard their universal and the first thing they give him 203 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:22,160 Speaker 1: his nineteen fifty threes Girls in the Night. This is 204 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: a troubled youth picture with with fittingly aged youths, you 205 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: know that are clearly like in their their thirties or something. 206 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:32,599 Speaker 1: But he apparently did well with it and he was 207 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 1: handed it came from Outer Space, which ultimately came out 208 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: the same year. Now I haven't seen it came from 209 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:39,880 Speaker 1: outer Space, but the way they were discussing it in 210 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: this extra made it sound like something we might want 211 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:45,040 Speaker 1: to check out sometime, because it was based on a 212 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:49,200 Speaker 1: story treatment from Ray Bradberry, and it was pretty ambitious 213 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:51,439 Speaker 1: and ahead of its time in many ways. So it's 214 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: one of these films where the aliens are not villainous 215 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:58,839 Speaker 1: but merely just difficult to understand. And also this is 216 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: pretty crazy too. You were actually never meant to see 217 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: the aliens. And this is the way they initially shot 218 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,959 Speaker 1: the picture and approached the picture. It wasn't until the 219 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: studio basically had some time to think about this and 220 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 1: they're like, look, we can't put nothing on a poster. 221 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: We need to put a monster on the poster. This 222 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 1: is a monster movie, Gosh darnett. So they ended up 223 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,680 Speaker 1: having to compromise and actually came up with like a 224 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 1: pretty interesting looking creature to fit in there. And still 225 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: that even though they had to compromise, the results were 226 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: supposed to be pretty good. Oh, I would be absolutely 227 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,559 Speaker 1: game to talk about this one. So that film was 228 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 1: a hit, and for a long stretch it kind of 229 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:35,320 Speaker 1: cemented Arnold's place as their sci fi guy, you know, 230 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 1: and this was a solid position even though you're further 231 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:42,560 Speaker 1: down the ranks in fifties Hollywood. His follow up, certainly, 232 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 1: when we look back on Jack Arnold's pictures like this 233 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 1: is maybe the one that made the biggest impact on 234 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 1: popular culture nineteen fifty four's Creature from the Black Lagoon, 235 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:54,520 Speaker 1: the Creature from which, of course becomes one of the 236 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 1: pantheon of universal monsters, the big ones you know about, 237 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, and it really just strikes through to the 238 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:08,560 Speaker 1: public horror consciousness, becomes this enduring pop culture figure and 239 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: was a huge hit at the time, so huge that 240 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: it actually inspired a sequel, which wasn't like the normal 241 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:15,680 Speaker 1: like nowadays we just think, you know, that's what you 242 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,400 Speaker 1: assume is going to happen. If there's not a sequel, 243 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: then I guess the first one wasn't successful, but it 244 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 1: wasn't a given back in the day, so he ended 245 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: up doing the sequel, which is not as good or 246 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's hard to really judge the Creature 247 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 1: films because the first one is it's both mostly about 248 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: just how good that creature suit looks. Yeah, the first 249 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 1: one I think of as wonderfully atmospheric and having that 250 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 1: great monster in it. But I've seen it several times 251 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 1: and I really couldn't tell you anything about the human characters. 252 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: I don't recall at all. Yeah, yeah, I just remember 253 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: the humans come off as jerks, like they come to 254 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: where the creature lives and they start shooting at him 255 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 1: and stuff. They're like, he's not attacking cities or anything. 256 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: He's just hanging out in a bog or in a 257 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: lake somewhere in the jungle and they come to him. Yeah. Yeah, 258 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: So it's kind of hard to digest that. And then 259 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: the second one they kind of rehash it, except they 260 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 1: make the suit look goofy, like the eyes look goofy 261 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 1: in the second one. Yeah, And then the third one 262 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:22,120 Speaker 1: is more disturbing, and perhaps there's a lot to talk 263 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 1: about with the third one, but also it's just it's 264 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:26,880 Speaker 1: not as fun. It's the first one by any stretch. 265 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: So anyway, it was a huge hit. Arnold comes back 266 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: with Tarantula, which we've talked about on the show, and 267 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: then in nineteen fifty seven he pulls off easily as 268 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: greatest achievement in sci fi cinema, the Incredible Shrinking Man. 269 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: It's like we've been saying, it's really the total package, 270 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: a big budget effects movie for the time and for 271 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: the genre, with a great, intelligent script built on solid performances. 272 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: This wouldn't be his last sci fi film, but outside 273 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: of the sheer popularity of the creature itself from Creature 274 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: from the Black Lagoon, this one is kind of his 275 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 1: career defining film. Okay, Now, we also talked about how 276 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 1: this film benefits from some excellent writing by Richard Matheson. 277 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 1: That's right. Richard Mathison lived nineteen twenty six through twenty thirteen, 278 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: American writer who's in large part I think best remembered 279 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 1: for his nineteen fifty four novel I Am Legend, But 280 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: for a few different reasons, like some people who just 281 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 1: are really fond of the book, and I've loved the book, 282 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: haven't read it in many years, but I read it 283 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: a couple of times and loved it. But of course 284 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: it became the basis for I think three different film 285 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 1: adaptation sixty four is The Last Man on Earth starring 286 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 1: Vincent Price, nineteen seventy ones, The Omega Man starring Chuck Heston, 287 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 1: and then two thousand and sevens I Am Legend starring 288 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: Will Smith, each one a very distinct, very said in 289 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: its time adaptation of the source material. I got an idea, 290 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: someday we should do three weeks in a row where 291 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: we do all three of these movies. It could be fun, 292 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: it could be we could learn a lot about ourselves. 293 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: I think, yeah. But it was wasn't a one trick pony. 294 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 1: He also wrote the excellent Haunted House novel hell House, 295 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 1: the thriller Duel, The Shrinking Man. All of these were 296 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: adapted into films A Duel by young Steven Spielberg. Some 297 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: other books he had to adapted included What Dreams May 298 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: Come and A Stir of Echoes. So in this case, 299 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: he wrote a screenplay for this movie based on the 300 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: novel he had published just the previous year. I think, right, yeah, 301 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 1: it was still hot. It's still hot. Yeah. He also 302 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 1: wrote a lot of TV, including sixteen episodes the original 303 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: Twilight Zone, including such episodes as Nightmare at twenty thousand Feet. 304 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: He also wrote for such shows as Night Gallery, The 305 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 1: Original Star Trek, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and Thriller. So 306 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,119 Speaker 1: as as we've been discussing an Incredible Shrinking Man based 307 00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:58,399 Speaker 1: on The Shrinking Man the novel, and yeah, it's you know, 308 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: it's not just about the fantas pastic scenario of gradual miniaturization, 309 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: but it is this kind of analysis and rumination on 310 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:09,679 Speaker 1: masculine ideals in middle class America of the time. The 311 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 1: book and this movie would also serve as inspiration for 312 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: The Incredible Shrinking Woman in nineteen eighty one that was 313 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: scripted by Jane Wagner, and I believe that was directed 314 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:23,199 Speaker 1: by Joel Schumacher. Oh okay, I personally haven't seen it, 315 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 1: but I hear it's good and it's a great idea, 316 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: you know, to take this older movie that is all 317 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 1: about like masculine miniaturization and what does that mean if 318 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:39,199 Speaker 1: you approach it from a feminine perspective. Oh, I just 319 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:44,200 Speaker 1: looked up. Is Lily Tomlin this character? She's our shrinker, Yeah, 320 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: our shrunken man in this film, however, playing the character 321 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:52,679 Speaker 1: Scott Carey is the actor Grant Williams, who of nineteen 322 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: thirty one through nineteen eighty five. Williams was a versatile 323 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: American actor of stage, TV, and screen. It noted in 324 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 1: the Criterion Collection edition that his casting in this film 325 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 1: was very much that of an ascendant talent who could 326 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 1: play a relatable character as opposed to what you sometimes 327 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: got in genre films of the day, some sort of 328 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: pure Hollywood actor type who's kind of, you know, square 329 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,439 Speaker 1: jawed guy who's sort of fallen down the ladder of 330 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: success and winds up in your B picture or your 331 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: genre picture. But yeah, Grant, Grant Williams does a really, 332 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:27,960 Speaker 1: I think a great job and it's very tremendous, a 333 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: very sort of isolated, self reflective kind of performance. This 334 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:36,320 Speaker 1: guy had a little bit less of the stink of 335 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: Westerns than a lot of fifties sci fi movie protagonists do. Yeah, 336 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:43,880 Speaker 1: I know exactly what you mean. Like you, you look 337 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 1: at him and you don't instantly think wins. This guy 338 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: gonna punch somebody. Yeah. So Williams had had smaller roles 339 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: in TV and film before this, but what really made 340 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,679 Speaker 1: him stand out was a bit performance in the nineteen 341 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: fifty six film a Rock Hudson picture titled written on 342 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:02,399 Speaker 1: the wind. It's I think he's like a gas station 343 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:04,400 Speaker 1: attendant in it or something. Not a very big part, 344 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: but it made an impact. And Yeah, the incredible Shrinking 345 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 1: Man is a great showcase for his acting talents and 346 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: allows him to really stand out. He followed this up 347 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,120 Speaker 1: with the lead role in the Monolith Monsters, an interesting 348 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: looking picture from one of the writers of Tarantula, and 349 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,440 Speaker 1: we talked about that a bit in our Tarantula episode, 350 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: though I have not seen it. Yeah, I've eyed Monolith 351 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: Monsters for Weird House before. Yeah, because that one, Like 352 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:33,720 Speaker 1: the basic idea is, let's do you know a fifties 353 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 1: monster movie, but the monsters are geology. It sounds like 354 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: a terrible idea. So it's like I have to I 355 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 1: have to look and see, you know, or it sounds 356 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:49,520 Speaker 1: like an idea the studio might have stumbled over. Yeah. Anyway, 357 00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: Williams found some success here. Then he moved from Universal 358 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 1: to Warner Brothers in fifty nine. He did various TV 359 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,479 Speaker 1: and film roles after that. Some of the standouts include 360 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties The Leech One. This is one that was 361 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: also featured on A Mystery Science Theater. This is the 362 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,119 Speaker 1: one that has a great line from The Leech Woman 363 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: where she says, you will never escape me. You are 364 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:14,199 Speaker 1: the one in my dreams of blood. Great line. It 365 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,840 Speaker 1: was not supposed to be romantic exactly, but anyway. He 366 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 1: was also in sixty three s p. Two one oh nine, 367 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:23,160 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy one's Brain of Blood in nineteen seventy six 368 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: is Doomsday Machine. He did fifty episodes of TV's Hawaiian I, 369 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: and he pops up in one episode of the original 370 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: The Outer Limits. He also did one episode of The Munsters. 371 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,880 Speaker 1: Oh is he a boyfriend that Marilyn Munster brings home? 372 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,479 Speaker 1: And then he gets scared and runs away, and they said, oh, 373 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 1: you did it again one of sims. Yes, all right, 374 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,440 Speaker 1: so he's the I mean, he's the centerpiece in this picture. 375 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 1: Most of your screen time is spent with him. But 376 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:53,120 Speaker 1: we also have a major character in Louise Carry his 377 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: wife played by Randy Stewart who of nineteen twenty four 378 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 1: through nineteen ninety six, she was an actor in numerous 379 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 1: popular movies of the forties and fifties like Late Forties 380 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 1: and the Fifties, and later a frequent TV player. She 381 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:07,560 Speaker 1: was a supporting player in Howard Hawks. I was a 382 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,160 Speaker 1: male war bride from nineteen forty nine, All about Eve 383 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: from nineteen fifty and she did a lot of TV 384 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: and westerns leading into The Incredible Shrinking Man, and afterwards 385 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,159 Speaker 1: it was mostly TV westerns and police shows until the 386 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: mid nineteen seventies. Now, there's another female character in this 387 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: that we'll discuss when we get more into the plot. 388 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 1: This is a character named Clarisse, played by April Kent, 389 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 1: who lived nineteen thirty five through nineteen ninety eight. She 390 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 1: has only six film credits to her name. She was 391 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: the daughter of noted actor June Havoc who lived nineteen 392 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,440 Speaker 1: twelve through twenty ten, and was niece of the legendary 393 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:43,560 Speaker 1: burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose League, who lived nineteen eleven through 394 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:46,199 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy. She's only in a couple of scenes, but 395 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:47,959 Speaker 1: she's very good. She's kind of the soul of the 396 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 1: movie in a way. Yeah, Yeah, you're right, Okay. The 397 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: Shrinking Man also has a brother named Charlie. Charlie is 398 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,679 Speaker 1: played by Paul Lankton, who lived nineteen thirteen through nineteen 399 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:01,480 Speaker 1: eighty TV and film actor who appeared on a couple 400 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:04,720 Speaker 1: episodes of the Twilight Zones, a nineteen fifty four Yetti 401 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:08,199 Speaker 1: movie called The Snow Creature, and nineteen fifty eight it 402 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,440 Speaker 1: The Terror from Beyond Space, which I've I've heard great 403 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 1: things about that one might be wanted to look at 404 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: in the future. This guy is your square job. Yeah, yeah, 405 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,399 Speaker 1: he plays just kind of like he's like a business executive. 406 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:24,480 Speaker 1: I don't remember him being super notable. No, but you 407 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 1: know who is notable. Oh my god, a feline actor. 408 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 1: We don't get to talk about feline actors. I'm weird 409 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:34,880 Speaker 1: health cinema. But the cat plays Butch the cat rng 410 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:39,159 Speaker 1: not super creative name, Butch also kind of a strange 411 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:41,160 Speaker 1: name for a cat, it seems to me, I don't 412 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:43,680 Speaker 1: know why. I don't know. I think Butch could work 413 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: for a rough and tumble tom cat, you know, maybe 414 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:50,399 Speaker 1: an indoor outdoor cat that shows up bleeding from a 415 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 1: lot of fights, that sort of thing. But RNG Orang 416 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:58,639 Speaker 1: is very much the sort of name that, hey, that 417 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:04,280 Speaker 1: a toddler gives a stuffed cat. Yeah. But Orange, Wow, 418 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:07,080 Speaker 1: what a presence in this film, and not just in 419 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: the attack scene. There are there's some interesting moments from 420 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: before that that that sort of ride the line between 421 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 1: cute and ominous, especially because you sort of sense what 422 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: may be coming. They're basically two ways of looking at 423 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: Orange as a as a career actor in Hollywood. Either 424 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: this is one cat, and I tend to maybe I 425 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,080 Speaker 1: want to side with that because that sounds it's it's 426 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: a better story that way. But it's also possible that 427 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,720 Speaker 1: this was more than one cat that was marketed as 428 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 1: Orange to Hollywood. So I'm probably gonna lean more into 429 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: the idea of this being an individual cat that lived 430 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty through nineteen sixty seven because Orange had star power. 431 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,119 Speaker 1: Orange was a rare male Marmalade tabby cat owned and 432 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:52,280 Speaker 1: trained by the famous Hollywood animal handler Franked in Ends. 433 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 1: Other animals included the dogs of the Binge franchise WHOA Yeah. 434 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: And Orange is a true Hollywood legend and the only 435 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 1: two time winner of the Patsy Award that's Picture Animal 436 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,159 Speaker 1: Top Star of the Year, which the American Humane Association 437 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,199 Speaker 1: put off. What do you think Orange's a reward was 438 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:13,880 Speaker 1: when he won this prize? You get like three whole 439 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 1: cans of tuna to himself, just faced down in the can, 440 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: I would hope. So, so, what pictures was Orange in Well, 441 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 1: between nineteen fifty one and nineteen sixty five, Orange was 442 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: in Rhubard, which I think is about a capinos, a 443 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:33,400 Speaker 1: baseball team or something. This Island Earth, Oh, The Incredible 444 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:37,119 Speaker 1: Shrinking Man, Obviously, The Matchmaker, The Diary of Anne Frank, 445 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: plays a cat that almost gives up Anne Frank's family 446 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 1: to the Nazis. Oh, No, Visit to a Small Planet, 447 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: Breakfast at Tiffany's Okay, Gidget, The Comedy of Terrors, and 448 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:56,680 Speaker 1: the Village of the Giants. Oh that's a mister big movie. Yeah. 449 00:25:56,720 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: On the small screen, he acted in such shows as 450 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: Alfred Presents, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, 451 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: My Favorite Martian, Mission Impossible, and the old Batman TV series. 452 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:11,679 Speaker 1: Was he a villain on Batman called Orange? I don't know, because, 453 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 1: you know, sometimes you just need a cat for a 454 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:17,640 Speaker 1: small part of the set. Sometimes you need a cat 455 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,359 Speaker 1: to try and eat your hero. So it varies what 456 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: you're going to bring Orange in for. But Orange, you 457 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 1: got to work with a number of actors, and these 458 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,640 Speaker 1: are actors that he actually shared scenes with. Audrey Hepburn, 459 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:35,240 Speaker 1: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Peter Lourie amazing. Yeah, 460 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 1: you know, all of these actors petted this cat. There's 461 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: there's scenes of like Vincent Price holding Orange, There's a 462 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 1: there's a you can see screenshots of like Boris Karloff 463 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:49,760 Speaker 1: pretending to be dead while Orange is on his chest. 464 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: So sometimes he's right up in there. Of all those actors, 465 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:57,639 Speaker 1: who do you think gives the best pets? M Vincent 466 00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:03,680 Speaker 1: Price right, oh yeah, the Vincent Price belly rubs are superb. Now, 467 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: Orange was apparently not the nicest cat. As is sometimes 468 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,399 Speaker 1: the case with human actors. He often lashed out at 469 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,959 Speaker 1: his co stars. He might bite them or scratch them. 470 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 1: He might leave the set for no apparent reason, shutting 471 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 1: down the production, which again some human actors may do 472 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: this from time to time. But he was all Orange. Yeah, 473 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 1: you know, I can imagine Orangey only communicating with the 474 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:31,320 Speaker 1: director via post it notes, that sort of thing. But 475 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,160 Speaker 1: he was also considered like the best and I guess 476 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:36,600 Speaker 1: you're also it's basically, I mean, you're hiring Frank end 477 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: for his animals. And one of the things about Orangey 478 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: is that Orange was not as prone to watering off 479 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,640 Speaker 1: the set cats as many filmmakers have testified too over 480 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:49,120 Speaker 1: the years are harder to work with than dogs. It's 481 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,640 Speaker 1: harder to convince them to do what you need them 482 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,600 Speaker 1: to do for a given shot or sequence. Orange was 483 00:27:55,040 --> 00:28:01,200 Speaker 1: Marlon Brando filming The Island of Doctor Moreau just basically yeah. 484 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:04,440 Speaker 1: I remember seeing some extras where the Coen Brothers were 485 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,359 Speaker 1: talking about filming with a cat on what was it, 486 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: the Lowen davi the Lewen Davis movie, the Folksinger movie. Yeah. Yeah, 487 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:14,679 Speaker 1: there's a cat that plays a prominent role in the plot, 488 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: and they were like, it was so hard to shoot 489 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:18,439 Speaker 1: with this cat. Will never make a film with a 490 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:21,680 Speaker 1: cat again. Oh that makes sense, But but that kind 491 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:23,760 Speaker 1: of comes through in the movie because the point of 492 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:26,439 Speaker 1: the cat is that, like he's trying to keep it 493 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: from getting away. I think, yeah, yeah, all right. Some 494 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 1: other bit players in this um So Raymond Bailey, who 495 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,960 Speaker 1: live nineteen oh fourth through nineteen eighty plays one of 496 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,320 Speaker 1: two doctors that our hero goes to, our main character 497 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: goes to. Um We've talked about him before because he 498 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,000 Speaker 1: was in Tarantula. He played a character with a him 499 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:49,280 Speaker 1: of Townsend, and he's probably best remembered for playing mister 500 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: Drysdale on the Beverly Hill Bill. He's from nineteen sixty 501 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:56,320 Speaker 1: through nineteen seventy one. Oh is this the first doctor 502 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: that the dude goes to? This is the This is 503 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 1: not the any doctor, This is the other doctor. So 504 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: this might be the later doctor. Oh yeah, okay, yeah, 505 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 1: mister Drysdale, Okay, yeah, later doctor. I seemed Tarantula. I 506 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: don't remember who Townsend was. It's it's hard to remember 507 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:15,120 Speaker 1: anyone other than our two main characters, the Tarantula and 508 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:18,080 Speaker 1: Clint Eastwood in that movie. Yeah. Well then of course 509 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:24,239 Speaker 1: um our scientist Leo G. Carroll with a mutated face. Yes, right, 510 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 1: they're multiple memorable characters, but Raymond Bailey's not one of them. Okay, 511 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: I think. I think Raymond Bailey played the small town 512 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:36,040 Speaker 1: doctor in Tarantula who's arguing with John Agar about who 513 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 1: died of what reason? Yes, I believe so. Yeah. Now 514 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: the other doctor in this is played by William Shallert, 515 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: who lived nineteen twenty two through two thousand and sixteen, 516 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,400 Speaker 1: American actor with a very long career stretching from nineteen 517 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: forty seven through twenty fourteen. That's eight decades and three 518 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,440 Speaker 1: hundred and eighty eight TV and film credits on IMDb. 519 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,440 Speaker 1: One time president of the Screen Actors Guild, he also 520 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 1: played a doct in Joe Dante's Innerspace from nineteen eighty seven, 521 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 1: which is fun because it's another miniaturization film. Yeah, and 522 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 1: I think Dante used him a few different times, like 523 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 1: he shows up in Gremlins, for example. But other film 524 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: credits include Singing in the Rain and The Heat of 525 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: the Night, Written on the Wind, which we talked about already, them, 526 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:22,880 Speaker 1: the Forbin Project, Mighty Joe Young, the Man from Planet X, 527 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: The Monolith Monsters, Gog and tobor The Great Oh which 528 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 1: we covered just just a few months ago. Yeah. Yeah, 529 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 1: So I'm just looking at this relationship and thinking, Joe Dante, 530 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: I think, is very fond of making movies that call 531 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: back to movies he saw when he was a kid. 532 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 1: So I would be surprised if he made a Shrink 533 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: movie that has this guy in it who is in 534 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:48,000 Speaker 1: another famous Shrink movie from a couple of decades earlier. 535 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 1: That that can't be an accident. Oh no, there are 536 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:55,000 Speaker 1: no accidents with casting like that from from Dante. All right. Finally, 537 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:56,560 Speaker 1: when it comes to the music, this is one of 538 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 1: those films where there's in the credits, there's no like 539 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:04,120 Speaker 1: I did you know? Score composed by the credit the 540 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 1: main trumpet player, but they are like four uncredited names 541 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: on the studio soundtrack when you look it up in 542 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: the databases. Suffice to say that it's a very traditional 543 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:16,760 Speaker 1: and mel dramatic score for the most part, not the 544 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: kind of thing that I would ever listen to an isolation, 545 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,160 Speaker 1: but it works really well in this film, providing I think, 546 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:26,520 Speaker 1: a mostly serious musical framework for the visuals. Yeah. I 547 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,200 Speaker 1: thought there were parts here were the musical score was 548 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 1: more distinctive than most movies of this time. Oh yeah, yeah, 549 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,960 Speaker 1: and so certainly towards the end. Yeah, because like I 550 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,080 Speaker 1: recall thinking with the opening credits that I was like, 551 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:44,800 Speaker 1: what does this music remind me of? And obviously it 552 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: wasn't this, but I realized it reminded me of Gershwin, 553 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 1: Like it kind of sounds like the It had this 554 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 1: blooming trumpet motif that reminded me of Rhapsody in Blue. Oh. Interesting. 555 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:59,280 Speaker 1: The trumpet soloist who is credited in the credits was 556 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:02,640 Speaker 1: Ray Anthony born nineteen twenty two, and as of this recording, 557 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:14,719 Speaker 1: the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. All right, 558 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 1: well you're ready to discuss the plot. Oh, let's get 559 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:21,200 Speaker 1: into it. So in the opening credits, while this music plays, 560 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,040 Speaker 1: we see a blank white silhouette of a man on 561 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:28,080 Speaker 1: a black background. Again, there's this horn heavy music playing, 562 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: And I really like the sort of abstract imagery of 563 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,920 Speaker 1: the credits because we start by just zooming toward a jagged, 564 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: irregular white shape in the distance. It's like a black 565 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 1: background in a white shape, and you're thinking, what is it? 566 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,480 Speaker 1: Is this some kind of like cloud maybe, or is 567 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 1: it a large crystal? And eventually you realize that it 568 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:54,600 Speaker 1: is sunlight. You are zooming through a cave to the 569 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,160 Speaker 1: mouth of the cave, out of the dark cave into 570 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,640 Speaker 1: the daylight, and so that growing white object in the 571 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,200 Speaker 1: distance was the mouth of the cave and the light outside. 572 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:06,080 Speaker 1: And so when we come out we see the ocean. 573 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: There are waves breaking, birds, a boat rocking in the tide, 574 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 1: and there begins narration. And I'm gonna be a little 575 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,600 Speaker 1: harsh here because overall I think this is a fantastic movie. 576 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,800 Speaker 1: I think it has a really just flat on its 577 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: face opener, not good, not good opening lines. It starts 578 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:28,480 Speaker 1: with the narration saying, the strange, almost unbelievable story of 579 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 1: Robert Scott Carey began on a very ordinary summer day. 580 00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:36,080 Speaker 1: I know this story better than anyone because I am 581 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:40,640 Speaker 1: Robert Scott Carey. Why would you phrase it that way? 582 00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:43,560 Speaker 1: So it's like some kind of reveal, But you're only 583 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 1: two sentences in. You're not gonna be blowing anybody's mind 584 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:50,720 Speaker 1: with a twist at this point, Like would people be saying, oh, 585 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:54,480 Speaker 1: whoa the narrator who just now started talking is also 586 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,520 Speaker 1: the guy he's talking about. Yeah, I mean I Hermann 587 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:01,480 Speaker 1: Melvil does it right off the bat, right, Yeah, but 588 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:03,720 Speaker 1: I know what you mean. Yeah, this kind of struck 589 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,200 Speaker 1: me as being maybe something I haven't read the original novel, 590 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:08,719 Speaker 1: but maybe this is kind of tightly bound to the 591 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:12,200 Speaker 1: original novel. Yeah, maybe it's better on the page, that 592 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:15,080 Speaker 1: sort of thing. So yeah, it's it's it's a great script, 593 00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:17,319 Speaker 1: but this is not a good opener that you could 594 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:20,880 Speaker 1: have come up with something better anyway. So in the beginning, 595 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 1: we see a man, presumably Robert Scott Carey from the narration, 596 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:27,920 Speaker 1: and a woman we find out this is his wife, Louise, 597 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:30,759 Speaker 1: and they're lounging side by side in the sun on 598 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:35,280 Speaker 1: the bow of boat. And the situation is they revealed 599 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:38,360 Speaker 1: they've been married for six years. They are on vacation. 600 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:42,800 Speaker 1: The boat belongs to Robert Scott Carey's brother. Robert Scott 601 00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:45,880 Speaker 1: carry needs to get beer in him and he yearns 602 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 1: for Louise to retrieve the beer on his behalf, and 603 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 1: Louise desireth not to bring him the beer and tells 604 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 1: him he should fetch his own beer. This was a 605 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:58,160 Speaker 1: very simple scene, but I thought it was very good, 606 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:01,319 Speaker 1: very well acted. Yeah, it comes off playful, but it 607 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:05,520 Speaker 1: also in some ways lays the groundwork for the developments 608 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:08,200 Speaker 1: in their relationship to come, the problems that will emerge, 609 00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:10,920 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah, And one other thing, 610 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:12,359 Speaker 1: And this took me a little bit to break down 611 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:15,960 Speaker 1: about this scene. But Okay, these two characters are wearing 612 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:21,400 Speaker 1: bathing suits, you know, nineteen fifties bathing suits that are distinct. 613 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:23,360 Speaker 1: They would look a little fashioned today, but they're not 614 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:26,360 Speaker 1: that different from what a couple might wear on a 615 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:29,400 Speaker 1: boat today. And I, for some reason I thought this 616 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 1: may this made them feel a little more relatable in 617 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:35,520 Speaker 1: this scene to modern audiences. Because unlike many other scenes 618 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 1: in the in the movie, they're not wearing those nineteen 619 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:41,120 Speaker 1: fifties domestic uniforms. You know, the sort of standard dress 620 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:44,480 Speaker 1: of a you know, a merried, middle class couple in 621 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:47,600 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties America that you see in every other film. Right, 622 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:49,960 Speaker 1: leave it to Beaver wearing a coat and tie while 623 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:53,240 Speaker 1: sitting on the couch at home. Yeah, and they're again, 624 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,120 Speaker 1: they're also being very human and relatable in the scene. 625 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: And they're not because there are plenty of films from 626 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:00,000 Speaker 1: this time period in which you have people in bathing suits. 627 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,200 Speaker 1: So it's not just the bathing suit, but so many 628 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:04,760 Speaker 1: of those sequences are people being kept in bathing suits. 629 00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:08,000 Speaker 1: And these characters are being real. Yeah, they're being playful, 630 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,080 Speaker 1: and the relationship is sweet, so like that. They playfully 631 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:13,560 Speaker 1: argue about this, But eventually Louise is like, Okay, I'll 632 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:16,360 Speaker 1: get him a beer. I think he promises her something 633 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 1: and he's gonna make dinner. He's gonna make dinner. Yeah, 634 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,359 Speaker 1: So she goes down into the cabin to get him 635 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,760 Speaker 1: a beer, and as soon as she disappears down below, 636 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:30,080 Speaker 1: Robert Scott Kerry here witnesses a bizarre site there is 637 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:34,520 Speaker 1: an ominous white cloud of vapor billowing rapidly in his 638 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 1: direction over the surface of the water. And this is 639 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:42,400 Speaker 1: totally unexplained. It's not like one of those scenes in 640 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:45,440 Speaker 1: a movie where you know, you've heard already a radio 641 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,840 Speaker 1: announcement in the background that says like a cloud of 642 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:50,839 Speaker 1: vapor escaped from a chemical transport is blah blah blah. 643 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:53,360 Speaker 1: You have just have no idea what this is. Yeah, 644 00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,440 Speaker 1: and I love how how unexplained it is, because it 645 00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:59,719 Speaker 1: could it almost takes on the feeling of vision or 646 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:02,320 Speaker 1: se though of course, the context of the film, we 647 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 1: are to assume this is something that actually does happen 648 00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:10,719 Speaker 1: to him. Yeah, but I like how it the way 649 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:12,520 Speaker 1: that it is like on the horizon, the way the 650 00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:16,000 Speaker 1: film that the scene is shot too, with we're viewing 651 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:19,520 Speaker 1: him back turned to the camera, the cloud in the 652 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: distance moving ever closer. It ends up taking on a 653 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:25,600 Speaker 1: kind of temporal quality to it, you know, like the 654 00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:28,720 Speaker 1: thing that is approaching is not only like an actual 655 00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:31,040 Speaker 1: physical sci fi threat in the scene, but it also 656 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:34,880 Speaker 1: represents like the uncertainty of the future, the known and 657 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:38,480 Speaker 1: unknown challenges of the future. It's coming on faster than 658 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:40,600 Speaker 1: he can react. And he can't see through it to 659 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:44,480 Speaker 1: what's on the other side. Yeah, so before he really 660 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,160 Speaker 1: has time to understand what's happening, the cloud of vapor 661 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:50,400 Speaker 1: overtakes the boat and it envelops him and then it 662 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:53,240 Speaker 1: just blows on by, and so it's it's gone before 663 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:57,240 Speaker 1: Louise even emerges from down below, but it leaves Scott 664 00:37:57,280 --> 00:38:00,760 Speaker 1: here covered in what looks like glitter. This is probably 665 00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 1: a good time to mention for anyone who's purely listening 666 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 1: to this and hasn't seen this is a black and 667 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:09,080 Speaker 1: white film, so the glitter, the glitter. You can still 668 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:12,200 Speaker 1: laugh at it by all means, but it is at 669 00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:14,400 Speaker 1: least in black and white and not like sparkling purple 670 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:17,360 Speaker 1: or anything. So we cut from here to six months later, 671 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 1: and it's a pleasant domestic scene. Louise is at their 672 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: home calling out to a cat to give him some milk. 673 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:26,840 Speaker 1: This is the first time we meet Orangey or Butch 674 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,399 Speaker 1: in the movie. And as soon as I saw this, 675 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:33,319 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, yeah, everybody here is going to 676 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,359 Speaker 1: recognize a Chekhov's cat in a shrink movie when they 677 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:39,480 Speaker 1: see it. Yeah, And I think the cat prominently featured 678 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:41,480 Speaker 1: in promotional material, so I think a lot of the 679 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: original audience saw this coming as well, and actually I 680 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 1: think the movie in a smart way plays into that 681 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:52,520 Speaker 1: because instead of trying to keep it secret, like, oh, 682 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:54,440 Speaker 1: you know, there's going to be a big twist that, 683 00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:57,680 Speaker 1: like the cat attacks him, it plays up the fact 684 00:38:57,760 --> 00:38:59,440 Speaker 1: that the cat is going to be a threat, I 685 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:02,000 Speaker 1: think by in a very subtle way a few times 686 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:06,120 Speaker 1: after Scott's starts shrinking, having these little moments where like, 687 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:08,960 Speaker 1: the cat does something cute, but it's photographed in a 688 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:14,320 Speaker 1: way that could be interpreted as a little bit unnerving. Yeah. Anyway, 689 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:15,960 Speaker 1: so we go into the house and it's, you know, 690 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:18,440 Speaker 1: the kitchen looks like the I Love Lucy kitchen, the 691 00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:21,400 Speaker 1: old school refrigerator with round edges. It's that kind of 692 00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:24,960 Speaker 1: mid century home. Scott's getting dressed and he's running into 693 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:27,880 Speaker 1: a problem. It seems like none of his clothes fit anymore. 694 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,640 Speaker 1: They're all too big, and he even thinks Louise might 695 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:33,000 Speaker 1: have picked up the wrong bag at the dry cleaners. 696 00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:35,880 Speaker 1: And he's eating less than he used to. He has 697 00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:38,839 Speaker 1: one egg for breakfast instead of two. So he goes 698 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:40,719 Speaker 1: to the doctor to get this checked out, and the 699 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:44,640 Speaker 1: doctor confirms that he is not only ten pounds lighter 700 00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:47,719 Speaker 1: than he used to be. He measures Scott's height and 701 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:51,320 Speaker 1: Scott's like, that doesn't make sense. That's several inches shorter 702 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:53,280 Speaker 1: than I used to be. How's that supposed to happen? 703 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:57,759 Speaker 1: But this scene was good because the doctor has very 704 00:39:57,880 --> 00:40:00,439 Speaker 1: reasonable things to say, so he attribute it's the weight 705 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:04,000 Speaker 1: loss distress, and then he doubts that Scott is actually 706 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:07,440 Speaker 1: getting shorter. He says, you know, like he brings real knowledge. 707 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:09,799 Speaker 1: That makes a lot of sense. He argues that, well, 708 00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:12,960 Speaker 1: maybe your previous height measurements, you know, you only have 709 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,200 Speaker 1: a couple of sources for that. That was a couple 710 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:17,920 Speaker 1: of physicals over the last many years. Those might have 711 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:20,600 Speaker 1: been early in the morning when we're actually a bit 712 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:22,719 Speaker 1: taller than we are later in the day, which is 713 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:26,320 Speaker 1: true due to compression of the spine from being upright 714 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:29,960 Speaker 1: throughout the day, generally you lose, you know, some small 715 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:34,040 Speaker 1: but real amount of height and h and maybe there 716 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:37,560 Speaker 1: was just errors on top of that, so that seems possible. 717 00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:42,640 Speaker 1: And back home, Scott seems preoccupied after this doctor visit. 718 00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:46,319 Speaker 1: Louise asks him, Hey, what did Charlie, that's referring to 719 00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:48,319 Speaker 1: his brother, What did Charlie, think about your idea for 720 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:51,759 Speaker 1: a newspaper ad. So Scott, we learn is an ad man. 721 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:55,000 Speaker 1: What is that? It's not a wheel, it's a carousel 722 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:59,000 Speaker 1: of shrinking down to the size of an atom. I 723 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,719 Speaker 1: don't know. We'll keep that in mind as we go on. 724 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:04,839 Speaker 1: But they start putting several lines of evidence together. So 725 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:09,840 Speaker 1: it's undeniable that he's getting smaller every day because Louise 726 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:11,560 Speaker 1: is used to have to like stand up on her 727 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:14,480 Speaker 1: toes to kiss him, and now she doesn't. And this 728 00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:19,480 Speaker 1: kind of foreshadows the way the premise of the movie 729 00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:23,120 Speaker 1: comes as an injury to his sense of manhood. Yeah, 730 00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:27,000 Speaker 1: and also that it's he's he's thinking he's shorter, just 731 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:30,160 Speaker 1: in a large part because things are changing, his relationship 732 00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:32,360 Speaker 1: to things are changing. So one of the great things 733 00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:36,520 Speaker 1: about this the way the picture treats this shrinking, which 734 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:40,759 Speaker 1: again is very much as sci fi miniaturization gimmick. But 735 00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:44,239 Speaker 1: they're always playing at least a little bit with the 736 00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:48,200 Speaker 1: metaphorical nature of this, like what does it mean that 737 00:41:48,239 --> 00:41:50,880 Speaker 1: you are changing in relation to the rest of the world, 738 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:53,640 Speaker 1: And how many things in the modern life could that 739 00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:57,080 Speaker 1: be compared to? Yeah, the story is rich with metaphors 740 00:41:57,080 --> 00:42:00,160 Speaker 1: in that way. So he eventually he goes back to 741 00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:02,840 Speaker 1: the doctor and it turns out there's no mistaking it. 742 00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:06,120 Speaker 1: They do X rays to confirm that Scott is definitely 743 00:42:06,160 --> 00:42:09,080 Speaker 1: actually shrinking, and the doctor sends him off to a 744 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:13,320 Speaker 1: special medical research institute in California to discover the cause 745 00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:15,799 Speaker 1: of his condition and hopefully to cure it. They do 746 00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:18,799 Speaker 1: a brazilion, different kinds of tests. Sharn in what I 747 00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:21,840 Speaker 1: thought was a very effective montage. It almost reminded me 748 00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:27,719 Speaker 1: of the freaky, alienating montage of medical tests and the Exorcist. Yeah. Yeah, 749 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:29,759 Speaker 1: they're doing a number of things. He's describing some of 750 00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:33,359 Speaker 1: them in the narration, but yeah, they were seeing they're 751 00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:35,359 Speaker 1: looking all inside him, They're they're looking at all these 752 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:39,360 Speaker 1: test results, just trying, mostly in vain, to understand like 753 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:41,719 Speaker 1: what's happening and what can we do to treat it. 754 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:45,040 Speaker 1: Eventually they come up with a diagnosis. They figure out 755 00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:47,719 Speaker 1: what's going on. They say, quote, it's a rearrangement of 756 00:42:47,760 --> 00:42:51,719 Speaker 1: the molecular structure of the cells in your body. And 757 00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:53,880 Speaker 1: you know that's a funny phrase when you pull it 758 00:42:53,920 --> 00:42:55,680 Speaker 1: out of context here, But I'm going to give this 759 00:42:55,719 --> 00:42:57,719 Speaker 1: movie a lot of credit. It does a very good 760 00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:01,520 Speaker 1: job of selling its site. Heck babble, yeah, yeah. In 761 00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:04,520 Speaker 1: the scene, you you believe it. In more to the point, 762 00:43:04,080 --> 00:43:07,440 Speaker 1: you can tell that our main character believes and like 763 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:09,480 Speaker 1: and he's finding comfort in the fact that Okay, they 764 00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:11,160 Speaker 1: figured it out. Now we can move on to the 765 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:13,640 Speaker 1: next thing. The modern world can fix this. Yeah, And 766 00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:17,360 Speaker 1: they even put together, like what was probably the cause? 767 00:43:17,440 --> 00:43:20,600 Speaker 1: They they think that it was sort of a two 768 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:25,520 Speaker 1: stage chain of causes. One was that he was recently 769 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:30,840 Speaker 1: exposed to an insecticide, which he remembers a case of 770 00:43:30,880 --> 00:43:35,080 Speaker 1: like being around past control people spraying. But then before 771 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:37,040 Speaker 1: that they were like, have you ever been exposed to 772 00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:41,680 Speaker 1: any radioactivity? Because that, in combination with the insecticide did something. 773 00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:45,080 Speaker 1: And then he remembers finally the boat, the mist, the mist, 774 00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:49,480 Speaker 1: and they determine he might just keep shrinking. They don't 775 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:52,120 Speaker 1: know what to do about it yet, and so there's 776 00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:55,880 Speaker 1: a discussion between Scott and Louise where he becomes quickly 777 00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:58,919 Speaker 1: quite fatalistic about it. You know, this may kill him 778 00:43:59,360 --> 00:44:01,799 Speaker 1: or make him longer than man she married, in which 779 00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:05,520 Speaker 1: case he says, well, there will be limitations on her 780 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:10,120 Speaker 1: obligations to him. And she poo poos this. She tells 781 00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:11,959 Speaker 1: him she still loves him, but right in the middle 782 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:14,000 Speaker 1: of the scene, his wedding ring falls off of his 783 00:44:14,120 --> 00:44:17,400 Speaker 1: finger onto the floor of the car. Yeah, that may 784 00:44:17,480 --> 00:44:19,759 Speaker 1: be all over the time, but I think that's one 785 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:21,719 Speaker 1: of the really fun things about these pictures that there's 786 00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:25,280 Speaker 1: still moments like that that are a little overtly dramatic 787 00:44:25,320 --> 00:44:28,279 Speaker 1: and you can you can laugh at but your laughter 788 00:44:28,440 --> 00:44:31,520 Speaker 1: doesn't doesn't really take you out, you know. Well, there's 789 00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:35,000 Speaker 1: another one that comes up, so we more time passes, 790 00:44:35,880 --> 00:44:38,480 Speaker 1: and there's a scene where we meet Scott's brother, Charlie, 791 00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:43,000 Speaker 1: and you see Charlie and Louise in like a living 792 00:44:43,080 --> 00:44:45,200 Speaker 1: room together and Charlie's just kind of like talking into 793 00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:48,120 Speaker 1: a chair that appears to be empty, and he's saying, 794 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:51,319 Speaker 1: you know, his business has turned. Things have gone bad 795 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:55,080 Speaker 1: at the plant. His income has gone so he's running 796 00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:59,200 Speaker 1: out of ways to help support uh, Louise and Scott. 797 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:01,720 Speaker 1: But he does know of another way to bring in money, 798 00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:04,760 Speaker 1: which is that reporters are offering to pay for the story. 799 00:45:04,920 --> 00:45:07,600 Speaker 1: They've heard the rumors about the rumors of the incredible 800 00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:10,560 Speaker 1: Shrinking Man. So Charlie's like, Hey, what if we just 801 00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:12,640 Speaker 1: take the money and we you know, let you become 802 00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:16,760 Speaker 1: an object of media fixation. And then there's a reveal. 803 00:45:16,880 --> 00:45:20,080 Speaker 1: There's a reverse shot and we see that Charlie has 804 00:45:20,080 --> 00:45:22,000 Speaker 1: been speaking into this chair the whole time, and we 805 00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:24,440 Speaker 1: finally see Scott in the chair. But now he is 806 00:45:24,640 --> 00:45:27,200 Speaker 1: shrunken to the size where like he doesn't you know, 807 00:45:27,280 --> 00:45:29,600 Speaker 1: his head doesn't reach above the cushion and his feet 808 00:45:29,680 --> 00:45:33,399 Speaker 1: don't dangle below the cushions. It seems like he's about 809 00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:37,040 Speaker 1: three feet tall here. Yeah, it's this is a This 810 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:39,799 Speaker 1: is I guess, our first look at some of these 811 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:43,759 Speaker 1: fantastic sets they put together to utilize with others, other 812 00:45:43,760 --> 00:45:47,320 Speaker 1: effects methods in order to make it look like he's smaller, 813 00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:49,560 Speaker 1: you know, in this case, it's like a giant chair. 814 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:53,359 Speaker 1: But but this reveal is also quite funny. It's something 815 00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:56,080 Speaker 1: about the really dramatic music that hits when we see 816 00:45:56,120 --> 00:45:59,239 Speaker 1: him there. Yeah, I mean, I don't know to what 817 00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:02,080 Speaker 1: extent it was to be funny, but like I'm saying, 818 00:46:02,120 --> 00:46:03,880 Speaker 1: you can you can laugh at moments like that in 819 00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:06,680 Speaker 1: the film and it doesn't really detach you from the 820 00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:09,719 Speaker 1: serious nature of the film as well. I agree, I 821 00:46:10,040 --> 00:46:11,919 Speaker 1: don't think it was meant to be funny at all, 822 00:46:11,960 --> 00:46:13,960 Speaker 1: but and it is kind of funny. But I think 823 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:18,319 Speaker 1: that's just a I don't know, time and film convention thing, 824 00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:21,640 Speaker 1: and the movie still works. Yeah. Now there was another 825 00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:23,359 Speaker 1: thing I was wondering about though, and this is sort 826 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:25,839 Speaker 1: of getting into the unspoken themes of this movie. A 827 00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:29,160 Speaker 1: lot of what's interesting about it is unspoken but implied. 828 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:32,520 Speaker 1: The thing is that, you know, Scott doesn't have a 829 00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:36,560 Speaker 1: job anymore, so he's he's having to get support from 830 00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:39,560 Speaker 1: his brother and ultimately support from these you know, these 831 00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:42,480 Speaker 1: media vultures who who want to make a buck off 832 00:46:42,520 --> 00:46:45,120 Speaker 1: his story. But I was thinking, why doesn't Scott have 833 00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:48,560 Speaker 1: a job anymore? They say he works in advertising, and obviously, 834 00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:52,279 Speaker 1: like his shrinking would not interfere with his ability to 835 00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:55,560 Speaker 1: come up with ideas for advertisements, Like he could still 836 00:46:56,080 --> 00:46:59,239 Speaker 1: pitch ideas for you know, magazine spreads about how cigarettes 837 00:46:59,239 --> 00:47:03,080 Speaker 1: are good for you. But I guess maybe it's implying 838 00:47:03,120 --> 00:47:07,920 Speaker 1: that he lost his job because it's something about like 839 00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:11,600 Speaker 1: like embarrassment or fear of how he'd be perceived or 840 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:14,600 Speaker 1: the way people would treat him. Just the idea that 841 00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:16,799 Speaker 1: like he can't go out to the workplace and be 842 00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:19,279 Speaker 1: seen like this. Yeah, I think, I think to a 843 00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:21,200 Speaker 1: large extent, that's that's part of it, right, Like this 844 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:23,759 Speaker 1: fear of being ostracized for now being different, for not 845 00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:28,719 Speaker 1: fitting in, for you know, for not fitting the sort 846 00:47:28,760 --> 00:47:31,600 Speaker 1: of template for uh, for what it meant to be 847 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:35,560 Speaker 1: a man anymore. In that time, because he's he's physically reduced, 848 00:47:35,560 --> 00:47:38,920 Speaker 1: he's literally reduced. On the other hand, I don't know, 849 00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:40,839 Speaker 1: it's like you, I don't know exactly what his job 850 00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:44,080 Speaker 1: consisted of, but I instantly come back to Madmen, you know, 851 00:47:44,080 --> 00:47:48,360 Speaker 1: and all the various schmoozing and socializing that our various characters, 852 00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:52,080 Speaker 1: professional characters in that show have to do, and he 853 00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:54,400 Speaker 1: just like he can't do it anymore. How's he going 854 00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:58,319 Speaker 1: to go and drink and eat oysters with with with 855 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:02,200 Speaker 1: other businessmen at lunch if he's now three k tall? Yeah, So, 856 00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:05,799 Speaker 1: faced with no other options, Scott decides, Okay, I will 857 00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:09,000 Speaker 1: become a media sensation, and that's what they do. They 858 00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:11,520 Speaker 1: apparently get some money out of this, but it leads 859 00:48:11,520 --> 00:48:15,200 Speaker 1: to people like reporters and just gawkers gathering outside the 860 00:48:15,200 --> 00:48:18,319 Speaker 1: house hoping to get a glimpse of him and the 861 00:48:18,440 --> 00:48:21,640 Speaker 1: special effects really start to be revealed here, Like Scott 862 00:48:21,760 --> 00:48:25,319 Speaker 1: is shown in an extremely convincing set of the home 863 00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:28,319 Speaker 1: living room where the couch cushions are taller than him 864 00:48:28,320 --> 00:48:30,479 Speaker 1: and the cat comes up to his waist and so forth, 865 00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:34,759 Speaker 1: and it looks great. Yeah, he's not so small that 866 00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:37,920 Speaker 1: the cat will attack him yet, which I don't know 867 00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:41,520 Speaker 1: depending on your experience with your cat at home, listeners, 868 00:48:41,560 --> 00:48:43,279 Speaker 1: he may have a different take on all this. I 869 00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:46,200 Speaker 1: know that I'm a full sized human being and my 870 00:48:46,239 --> 00:48:50,920 Speaker 1: cat attacks my feet on an almost daily daily level. 871 00:48:51,960 --> 00:48:55,680 Speaker 1: It's like daily assaults, daily, unhunted for sport by this 872 00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:59,799 Speaker 1: creature that I feed and care for. So I don't 873 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:03,719 Speaker 1: think I would have to get much smaller to experience 874 00:49:03,800 --> 00:49:06,680 Speaker 1: worse treatment by my own cat. Well, we'll have to 875 00:49:07,360 --> 00:49:13,400 Speaker 1: compare the movie's depiction of cat feline viciousness to the 876 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:17,000 Speaker 1: reality that you may have experienced in a little bit here, okay, 877 00:49:18,080 --> 00:49:20,520 Speaker 1: But also in the scene we get the first glimpse 878 00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:24,480 Speaker 1: of Scott's real anguish about what's going on. He's, you know, 879 00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:27,920 Speaker 1: obviously somebody who was going through a medical situation like 880 00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:31,840 Speaker 1: this would be afraid. But Scott is also an important 881 00:49:31,920 --> 00:49:36,319 Speaker 1: aspect of how this works. Is that he's humiliated. He 882 00:49:36,480 --> 00:49:40,279 Speaker 1: feels humiliated by how people see him. Of course, he's 883 00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:45,440 Speaker 1: afraid of what he'll become, and he turns this into anger, 884 00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:48,080 Speaker 1: like he lashes out in anger at Louise for no 885 00:49:48,160 --> 00:49:52,720 Speaker 1: good reason that he does feel remorse about this. Yeah, yeah, 886 00:49:52,760 --> 00:49:55,719 Speaker 1: and again this is some of the stuff that kind 887 00:49:55,760 --> 00:49:59,160 Speaker 1: of works nicely with what we see of their healthier 888 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:02,719 Speaker 1: relationship earlier on. You know, there's this kind of you know, 889 00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:05,719 Speaker 1: subtle playful teasing there. But but but at this point, like 890 00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:08,080 Speaker 1: they're they're you know, their relationship is a little more 891 00:50:08,080 --> 00:50:10,120 Speaker 1: out of more than a little bit out of whack 892 00:50:10,880 --> 00:50:13,600 Speaker 1: due to his condition, the way he's handling his condition, 893 00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:16,160 Speaker 1: and the way he's taking it out on her. We 894 00:50:16,239 --> 00:50:19,040 Speaker 1: also learn here that he's writing a book about his experience, 895 00:50:19,040 --> 00:50:21,600 Speaker 1: and this seems to be sort of where the narration, 896 00:50:21,680 --> 00:50:24,960 Speaker 1: the voiceover narration is coming in, Like the uh, it's 897 00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:27,720 Speaker 1: sort of based on the thoughts he's writing in his memoir, 898 00:50:27,800 --> 00:50:29,960 Speaker 1: I think, Yeah, and this is where we got it. 899 00:50:30,080 --> 00:50:35,200 Speaker 1: We get you know, all of this um reflective, analytical 900 00:50:36,360 --> 00:50:39,279 Speaker 1: content where he's you know, thinking about his anger, he's 901 00:50:39,320 --> 00:50:42,360 Speaker 1: thinking about the way he's processing everything and beginning to 902 00:50:42,800 --> 00:50:45,439 Speaker 1: tease it apart to the best of visibility. Yeah, and 903 00:50:45,560 --> 00:50:48,160 Speaker 1: through this narration we learned that Scott just wants he 904 00:50:48,200 --> 00:50:50,640 Speaker 1: wants to hide, He wants to get away to somewhere 905 00:50:50,960 --> 00:51:03,000 Speaker 1: where nobody can find him, nobody can know about him. Now, 906 00:51:03,040 --> 00:51:05,719 Speaker 1: the doctors eventually do come up with something. They come 907 00:51:05,800 --> 00:51:08,040 Speaker 1: up with a treatment that they think will have about 908 00:51:08,040 --> 00:51:10,360 Speaker 1: a fifty percent chance of curing him, and they do 909 00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:13,680 Speaker 1: the injection and they run some tests and it seems 910 00:51:13,680 --> 00:51:16,160 Speaker 1: like it works. It does stop the shrinking at least 911 00:51:16,200 --> 00:51:19,080 Speaker 1: for now, though they don't have any guarantee that he 912 00:51:19,120 --> 00:51:22,040 Speaker 1: will recover to his original size, but it seems for 913 00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:24,000 Speaker 1: a while like he's not going to get any smaller 914 00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:26,880 Speaker 1: than he was, which they say is stalled at thirty 915 00:51:26,880 --> 00:51:29,839 Speaker 1: six inches fifty two pounds. And again here there are 916 00:51:29,880 --> 00:51:32,440 Speaker 1: scenes that are what I was talking about earlier with 917 00:51:32,480 --> 00:51:35,640 Speaker 1: the cat scenes where the camera it seems to me, 918 00:51:35,719 --> 00:51:39,480 Speaker 1: kind of meaningfully captures the cat. There's no direct indication 919 00:51:39,560 --> 00:51:41,720 Speaker 1: yet that the cat will be any kind of threat, 920 00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:45,520 Speaker 1: but there are these little cuddles and meows that I 921 00:51:45,880 --> 00:51:51,120 Speaker 1: are perfectly balanced between cute and kind of ominous. Now, ultimately, 922 00:51:51,239 --> 00:51:56,760 Speaker 1: in his search for relief from his hopelessness and his emasculation. 923 00:51:57,400 --> 00:52:00,480 Speaker 1: Scott leaves the house one night. He just like leaves. 924 00:52:00,520 --> 00:52:04,080 Speaker 1: He goes out walking, and of course people stare at 925 00:52:04,160 --> 00:52:06,080 Speaker 1: him as he walks by in the sidewalk, but he 926 00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:09,640 Speaker 1: makes his way to a carnival in town where there 927 00:52:09,719 --> 00:52:12,799 Speaker 1: is a there's a barker advertising the Freak Show, which 928 00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:15,440 Speaker 1: has all the usual performers, and there is like so 929 00:52:15,640 --> 00:52:20,120 Speaker 1: the barker is announcing a dwarf actress named Tiny Tina. 930 00:52:20,239 --> 00:52:23,000 Speaker 1: And watching all of this, it's it's very interesting, like 931 00:52:23,080 --> 00:52:25,560 Speaker 1: Scott has. It's much of it is unspoken, but you 932 00:52:25,600 --> 00:52:28,960 Speaker 1: can tell Scott is having this mix of I think 933 00:52:29,000 --> 00:52:31,680 Speaker 1: self pity and remorse. So he has the self pity 934 00:52:31,719 --> 00:52:35,120 Speaker 1: of realizing that people now would look at him with 935 00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:38,520 Speaker 1: the same dehumanizing lens through which they see the people 936 00:52:38,520 --> 00:52:41,680 Speaker 1: in the Freak Show. But I think it's also implied 937 00:52:41,800 --> 00:52:45,839 Speaker 1: that he realizes, you know, before the radioactive cloud, he 938 00:52:45,880 --> 00:52:48,200 Speaker 1: would have been just like those people in the audience 939 00:52:48,320 --> 00:52:51,680 Speaker 1: looking on the performers, people like Tiny Tina as in 940 00:52:51,840 --> 00:52:57,120 Speaker 1: human curiosities. Yeah, yeah, this whole sequence here and what 941 00:52:57,280 --> 00:53:00,920 Speaker 1: is about to come. I remember thinking this is exactly 942 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:04,880 Speaker 1: the sort of sequence that might feel like just filler 943 00:53:05,239 --> 00:53:08,160 Speaker 1: in another film about somebody going through some sort of 944 00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:11,879 Speaker 1: a change. In fact, I think I think it has 945 00:53:11,960 --> 00:53:15,919 Speaker 1: essentially been such filler in films, but perhaps inspired by 946 00:53:15,440 --> 00:53:19,440 Speaker 1: this sequence, but it really works here. It feels like 947 00:53:19,480 --> 00:53:21,719 Speaker 1: it is you know, basically, we're getting to kind of 948 00:53:21,719 --> 00:53:24,200 Speaker 1: like the soul of the picture. And speaking of this 949 00:53:24,239 --> 00:53:26,399 Speaker 1: is where we're about to meet the character Clarice. So 950 00:53:26,440 --> 00:53:29,239 Speaker 1: he goes into a nearby cafe across the street from 951 00:53:29,239 --> 00:53:32,120 Speaker 1: the carnival, and he orders a coffee and sits by himself, 952 00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:34,959 Speaker 1: and he is joined at his table by a woman 953 00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:39,600 Speaker 1: named Clarice, who is also a dwarf performer, and they 954 00:53:39,640 --> 00:53:45,400 Speaker 1: have an interesting conversation. She's very very kind and very wise, 955 00:53:46,239 --> 00:53:48,799 Speaker 1: and they talk about what's going on. She realizes who 956 00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:50,479 Speaker 1: he is because his name has been in the news, 957 00:53:50,520 --> 00:53:54,600 Speaker 1: so she understands his situation, and he starts sharing his 958 00:53:54,719 --> 00:53:58,359 Speaker 1: fears and his angst about living the way he is, 959 00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:03,680 Speaker 1: and Clarice advises him to, you know, maybe just start 960 00:54:03,719 --> 00:54:06,359 Speaker 1: by to try to find a way forward just by 961 00:54:06,400 --> 00:54:09,680 Speaker 1: thinking about the future. And there's a part where Scott says, 962 00:54:09,719 --> 00:54:13,080 Speaker 1: what future in a world of giants, and Clarice says 963 00:54:13,120 --> 00:54:16,600 Speaker 1: I've lived with them all my life, and I thought 964 00:54:16,600 --> 00:54:19,240 Speaker 1: this was also a very interesting scene, like seeing people 965 00:54:19,400 --> 00:54:23,480 Speaker 1: of a typical size as as giants, and like the 966 00:54:23,520 --> 00:54:26,359 Speaker 1: turning of the tables this way was interesting because like 967 00:54:27,640 --> 00:54:30,640 Speaker 1: the perspective is the perspective that the only thing potentially 968 00:54:30,680 --> 00:54:34,640 Speaker 1: bothersome about her size would come from the behavior of 969 00:54:34,680 --> 00:54:37,600 Speaker 1: the giants, and she just doesn't really concern herself with 970 00:54:37,640 --> 00:54:41,080 Speaker 1: them and how they behave or what they think. Yeah, 971 00:54:41,120 --> 00:54:45,560 Speaker 1: like they're they're outsized as opposed to just me being downsized. 972 00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:48,160 Speaker 1: And she tells him, you know, the world can still 973 00:54:48,160 --> 00:54:50,799 Speaker 1: be a wonderful place. The sky is as blue as 974 00:54:50,840 --> 00:54:54,759 Speaker 1: it is for the giants, the friends are as warm. Yeah. 975 00:54:54,840 --> 00:54:57,200 Speaker 1: And so this meeting with Clarice and her wisdom and 976 00:54:57,239 --> 00:55:00,480 Speaker 1: her kindness that kind of revives Scott, and he he 977 00:55:00,920 --> 00:55:03,480 Speaker 1: comes out of his out of his depression. He throws 978 00:55:03,560 --> 00:55:07,879 Speaker 1: himself back into writing. He becomes deeply absorbed in his memoir. Uh. 979 00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:10,080 Speaker 1: And that lasts for a while until we get to 980 00:55:10,120 --> 00:55:14,480 Speaker 1: a terrible realization, which is he realizes, upon a meeting 981 00:55:14,480 --> 00:55:18,239 Speaker 1: with Clarice that he is actually shrinking once again, that 982 00:55:18,239 --> 00:55:21,800 Speaker 1: the treatment he's been given by the doctors is no longer, 983 00:55:21,920 --> 00:55:25,920 Speaker 1: stalling the progression of his condition. Yeah, this is interesting because, yeah, 984 00:55:25,960 --> 00:55:28,200 Speaker 1: because in that first sequence, it is noticeable that he's 985 00:55:28,200 --> 00:55:31,719 Speaker 1: a little bit taller than herd and and so on 986 00:55:31,719 --> 00:55:34,160 Speaker 1: one level, you're you kind of look at that and 987 00:55:34,200 --> 00:55:35,520 Speaker 1: you think, well, how much of this is kind of 988 00:55:35,560 --> 00:55:38,880 Speaker 1: like his his um the remnants of that that masco 989 00:55:38,960 --> 00:55:40,759 Speaker 1: and ego that like he's able to like build some 990 00:55:40,800 --> 00:55:42,839 Speaker 1: of it up because it's kind of like on some level, Oh, 991 00:55:42,960 --> 00:55:45,799 Speaker 1: finally a woman that I'm I'm taller than so I 992 00:55:45,840 --> 00:55:48,840 Speaker 1: can I can fall into some of that that older 993 00:55:48,920 --> 00:55:53,239 Speaker 1: thinking about mascow and roles in society, and now that's gone. 994 00:55:53,560 --> 00:55:56,239 Speaker 1: Now he's clearly shorter. But then also you can you 995 00:55:56,280 --> 00:55:58,000 Speaker 1: can take it at face value, you can you can 996 00:55:58,239 --> 00:56:01,200 Speaker 1: take it in any additional direction of character, depth or 997 00:56:01,560 --> 00:56:05,319 Speaker 1: metaphor as well. Yeah. Now, once again, a bunch of 998 00:56:05,360 --> 00:56:08,360 Speaker 1: time passes, and so the next time we meet Scott, 999 00:56:08,400 --> 00:56:11,040 Speaker 1: he's living in a dollhouse on the floor in the 1000 00:56:11,160 --> 00:56:14,160 Speaker 1: in the home. Oh yeah, this is a great sequence 1001 00:56:14,200 --> 00:56:17,160 Speaker 1: because they're in separate parts of the house. And at 1002 00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:20,640 Speaker 1: first you don't know that he's gotten that small, yes, yeah, yeah, 1003 00:56:20,640 --> 00:56:23,160 Speaker 1: so you don't quite realize, but then they come to 1004 00:56:23,160 --> 00:56:25,799 Speaker 1: speak to one another, and Louise just speaking in a 1005 00:56:25,880 --> 00:56:29,680 Speaker 1: normal voice, like her voice hurts his ears. It's too loud, 1006 00:56:31,120 --> 00:56:34,200 Speaker 1: and he's yelling, And at first I didn't realize. I says, 1007 00:56:34,200 --> 00:56:36,359 Speaker 1: he's yelling because he's so small he has to yell 1008 00:56:36,520 --> 00:56:39,480 Speaker 1: everything in order for her to hear him. But it 1009 00:56:39,520 --> 00:56:42,400 Speaker 1: also reads the other way too, Yes, and he's so 1010 00:56:42,480 --> 00:56:46,080 Speaker 1: he reflects upon himself, Like he said, he essentially explains 1011 00:56:46,120 --> 00:56:50,800 Speaker 1: that the smaller he got, the more domineering and controlling 1012 00:56:50,960 --> 00:56:54,880 Speaker 1: and angry he became at Louise. You know, he felt 1013 00:56:55,040 --> 00:56:58,040 Speaker 1: he was no longer really himself. And I thought this 1014 00:56:58,120 --> 00:57:01,680 Speaker 1: was really interesting about is showing this kind of you know, 1015 00:57:01,719 --> 00:57:06,200 Speaker 1: to to generalize this weird sci fi scenario into reality 1016 00:57:06,880 --> 00:57:11,640 Speaker 1: that like fear and a sense of vulnerability creates anger 1017 00:57:11,760 --> 00:57:16,560 Speaker 1: and resentment and a desire to control other people. Yeah. Absolutely, 1018 00:57:16,920 --> 00:57:20,320 Speaker 1: So it's because like he's so dependent on Louise now, 1019 00:57:20,360 --> 00:57:23,840 Speaker 1: he's like he's really controlling of her movements and stuff, 1020 00:57:23,840 --> 00:57:25,520 Speaker 1: Like she's you know, wanting to go out to the 1021 00:57:25,560 --> 00:57:28,160 Speaker 1: store real quickly and he's like, tell me where you're going, 1022 00:57:28,240 --> 00:57:30,120 Speaker 1: you know, when will you be back and that sort 1023 00:57:30,160 --> 00:57:33,400 Speaker 1: of thing. Yeah, Yeah, and so she goes to the store, 1024 00:57:33,640 --> 00:57:38,080 Speaker 1: but something happens. Yeah, the cat comes in. I guess 1025 00:57:38,080 --> 00:57:41,080 Speaker 1: the cat has been he's they realize he's too small, 1026 00:57:41,400 --> 00:57:44,520 Speaker 1: and the cat lives outside now or is stuck away 1027 00:57:44,520 --> 00:57:46,400 Speaker 1: in a room. I don't know how they haven't worked out, 1028 00:57:46,440 --> 00:57:49,200 Speaker 1: but he's kept at a safe distance from the cat. 1029 00:57:49,520 --> 00:57:52,360 Speaker 1: But the cat has snuck back into the house and 1030 00:57:52,520 --> 00:57:55,640 Speaker 1: has been left alone in the house while she is 1031 00:57:55,680 --> 00:57:58,960 Speaker 1: at the store. Yeah, and so here's the famous scene 1032 00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:02,000 Speaker 1: that we alluded to earlier, the cat attacks scene. I 1033 00:58:02,040 --> 00:58:04,080 Speaker 1: think within the context to the rest of the story, 1034 00:58:04,160 --> 00:58:06,520 Speaker 1: the scene is really frightening. The effects are very good, 1035 00:58:06,560 --> 00:58:10,720 Speaker 1: and the horror plays directly on the themes because the 1036 00:58:10,800 --> 00:58:14,440 Speaker 1: attack is not coming from something that was ever originally 1037 00:58:14,520 --> 00:58:18,840 Speaker 1: threatening to Scott. The attack is from something that was 1038 00:58:18,960 --> 00:58:24,240 Speaker 1: previously harmless but has become threatening because the relationship between 1039 00:58:24,320 --> 00:58:28,040 Speaker 1: them has changed. And it kind of reminds me of 1040 00:58:28,080 --> 00:58:30,240 Speaker 1: the other scene where they talk about now seeing other 1041 00:58:30,280 --> 00:58:33,760 Speaker 1: people as giants. But of course, at least like the 1042 00:58:33,800 --> 00:58:36,800 Speaker 1: giants can be spoken to and reasoned with, like the 1043 00:58:36,880 --> 00:58:39,920 Speaker 1: cat cannot be spoken to a reasoned with. It just 1044 00:58:40,080 --> 00:58:43,680 Speaker 1: no longer even recognizes Scott as human. He's just a small, 1045 00:58:43,760 --> 00:58:47,040 Speaker 1: prey animal like any other. Yeah, like the relationship has 1046 00:58:47,040 --> 00:58:49,840 Speaker 1: shifted that far that. Yeah, it's just you're not who 1047 00:58:49,920 --> 00:58:52,200 Speaker 1: or what you were before. Now you are merely prey. 1048 00:58:52,480 --> 00:58:54,479 Speaker 1: And this, of course, this is exactly how it would 1049 00:58:54,480 --> 00:58:57,080 Speaker 1: go down with a cat. I think we all realize this, 1050 00:58:57,840 --> 00:59:00,800 Speaker 1: even those of us who own cats and love cats. 1051 00:59:01,760 --> 00:59:05,400 Speaker 1: If you were this small, your cat would destroy you. 1052 00:59:05,560 --> 00:59:08,040 Speaker 1: There's just no way around it. It's like, that's what 1053 00:59:08,800 --> 00:59:11,040 Speaker 1: your cat is programmed to do. That's what your cat 1054 00:59:11,080 --> 00:59:13,920 Speaker 1: has evolved to do. And you have if you are 1055 00:59:14,040 --> 00:59:17,240 Speaker 1: unfortunate enough to magically shrink this small well, you have 1056 00:59:17,880 --> 00:59:21,160 Speaker 1: fallen in line with its central hunting programming. In this 1057 00:59:21,200 --> 00:59:24,080 Speaker 1: scene we get really the first hint of something that 1058 00:59:24,320 --> 00:59:26,280 Speaker 1: will take up most of the rest of the movie, 1059 00:59:26,280 --> 00:59:32,440 Speaker 1: which is interesting problem solving relationships between Scott and his environment. 1060 00:59:32,480 --> 00:59:34,480 Speaker 1: So when the cat is attacking him, he really has 1061 00:59:34,520 --> 00:59:37,120 Speaker 1: no method of self defense, but he comes up with 1062 00:59:37,160 --> 00:59:40,320 Speaker 1: something clever. He pulls down on the cord of a 1063 00:59:40,480 --> 00:59:44,040 Speaker 1: lamp that's on a table above and manages to get 1064 00:59:44,040 --> 00:59:46,640 Speaker 1: it to tip over off the side table and fall down, 1065 00:59:46,680 --> 00:59:49,680 Speaker 1: which frightens the cat away. Yeah, and he basically just 1066 00:59:49,880 --> 00:59:53,040 Speaker 1: runs for it. Now, the sequence is frightening. I love 1067 00:59:53,080 --> 00:59:54,600 Speaker 1: the image where the cat is creeping up on the 1068 00:59:54,600 --> 00:59:57,440 Speaker 1: dollhouse originally and then reaches its path through and does 1069 00:59:57,440 --> 01:00:01,360 Speaker 1: the bat bat thing with the claw. Um. Now, I 1070 01:00:01,600 --> 01:00:04,520 Speaker 1: don't want to criticize Orange's performance and the way that 1071 01:00:04,560 --> 01:00:08,320 Speaker 1: Orangey chose to perform this role, and you know, the 1072 01:00:08,360 --> 01:00:11,440 Speaker 1: way that Jack Arnold directed it and the way Matheson 1073 01:00:11,520 --> 01:00:14,560 Speaker 1: wrote it. But I did find that the cat is 1074 01:00:14,560 --> 01:00:17,160 Speaker 1: is hissing and snarling too much. I think any of 1075 01:00:17,240 --> 01:00:19,919 Speaker 1: us that have been around cats hunting or pretending to hunt, 1076 01:00:20,320 --> 01:00:22,920 Speaker 1: it's a very It's mostly a silent fair. I mean 1077 01:00:22,960 --> 01:00:25,360 Speaker 1: sometimes you encounter that that weird chirping they do it 1078 01:00:25,560 --> 01:00:28,120 Speaker 1: birds outside the window, that sort of thing. But when 1079 01:00:28,120 --> 01:00:30,600 Speaker 1: the hunt is on, there's a silence to the cat. 1080 01:00:31,520 --> 01:00:33,000 Speaker 1: You're going to have more of that. There's gonna be 1081 01:00:33,040 --> 01:00:35,120 Speaker 1: that kind of butt wiggling thing they do where they're 1082 01:00:35,120 --> 01:00:37,400 Speaker 1: getting ready to spring, and we don't see any of 1083 01:00:37,440 --> 01:00:43,520 Speaker 1: that from this performance by Orangey. Uh. It's still doesn't 1084 01:00:43,520 --> 01:00:45,760 Speaker 1: take away from the sequences at all. But I was 1085 01:00:45,800 --> 01:00:48,160 Speaker 1: thinking about Azow's watching it, like, okay, it really would 1086 01:00:48,200 --> 01:00:52,040 Speaker 1: go like this, And also he takes a couple of 1087 01:00:52,040 --> 01:00:55,080 Speaker 1: swipes from from Butch the cat in the sequence like 1088 01:00:55,120 --> 01:00:59,080 Speaker 1: Butch like bloodies him up a good bit. In reality, 1089 01:00:59,200 --> 01:01:00,600 Speaker 1: I think if you're that's well, I don't think you 1090 01:01:00,640 --> 01:01:03,439 Speaker 1: would have survived this encounter at all. Yeah, No matter 1091 01:01:03,480 --> 01:01:06,320 Speaker 1: how clever you were, there's just no denying just how 1092 01:01:06,800 --> 01:01:10,480 Speaker 1: brutal a cat that size relative of your own body 1093 01:01:10,480 --> 01:01:13,760 Speaker 1: would be. You would just be torn apart. You might 1094 01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:16,200 Speaker 1: be played with a little bit, but you would be doomed. 1095 01:01:16,920 --> 01:01:20,120 Speaker 1: I totally agree. Yeah, the predator prey relationship I think 1096 01:01:20,240 --> 01:01:24,080 Speaker 1: doesn't play out. Something's weird here, though. You could say 1097 01:01:24,160 --> 01:01:28,000 Speaker 1: maybe the cat's normal hunting instincts are a little bit 1098 01:01:28,040 --> 01:01:32,200 Speaker 1: disrupted because he is somewhat different than I don't know. 1099 01:01:32,320 --> 01:01:35,400 Speaker 1: Maybe I don't know something's going on. Well, I can 1100 01:01:35,800 --> 01:01:39,000 Speaker 1: think of one memory I have of a cat just 1101 01:01:39,280 --> 01:01:42,120 Speaker 1: hissing at something much smaller than it, and it was 1102 01:01:42,200 --> 01:01:45,160 Speaker 1: a cat. It was a cat hissing at a huge 1103 01:01:45,160 --> 01:01:49,400 Speaker 1: black spider. M okay, all right, well, maybe maybe it 1104 01:01:49,400 --> 01:01:52,800 Speaker 1: does work. I mean cats cats are weird. So I 1105 01:01:52,800 --> 01:01:55,160 Speaker 1: mean the cat did not did not hunt the spider. 1106 01:01:55,240 --> 01:01:58,640 Speaker 1: It was clearly threatened by it. I guess that's also 1107 01:01:58,760 --> 01:02:00,800 Speaker 1: going to connect to something in the movie in a 1108 01:02:00,840 --> 01:02:05,000 Speaker 1: minute here. So anyway, Scott escapes to the basement. He 1109 01:02:05,040 --> 01:02:09,160 Speaker 1: goes down through the basement door and ends up falling 1110 01:02:09,320 --> 01:02:13,080 Speaker 1: a long way into a laundry hamper. And then Louise 1111 01:02:13,160 --> 01:02:15,880 Speaker 1: gets home. She finds Butch the cat with like a 1112 01:02:15,920 --> 01:02:20,640 Speaker 1: torn piece of Scott's clothing that has blood on it 1113 01:02:20,680 --> 01:02:24,240 Speaker 1: and licking blood from his paws, and so she assumes 1114 01:02:24,360 --> 01:02:27,520 Speaker 1: that Butch the cat has eaten her husband. Yeah, there's 1115 01:02:27,560 --> 01:02:40,000 Speaker 1: only one way to interpret the evidence. So now Scott 1116 01:02:40,160 --> 01:02:43,040 Speaker 1: is trapped in the basement and Louise doesn't know he's there. 1117 01:02:43,160 --> 01:02:46,640 Speaker 1: She thinks he's dead, and he has to try to 1118 01:02:46,720 --> 01:02:49,520 Speaker 1: find his way out of the laundry hamper. He has 1119 01:02:49,560 --> 01:02:53,640 Speaker 1: to navigate the landscape of giant objects. He has to 1120 01:02:53,680 --> 01:02:56,040 Speaker 1: try to find a way to contact Louise and make 1121 01:02:56,080 --> 01:02:58,840 Speaker 1: her realize he's still alive, but he can't make it 1122 01:02:58,960 --> 01:03:02,440 Speaker 1: up the stairs and she can't hear him call out um. 1123 01:03:02,480 --> 01:03:04,960 Speaker 1: So he's just sort of like stuck here trying to 1124 01:03:05,000 --> 01:03:08,360 Speaker 1: deal with this the landscape of the basement of the 1125 01:03:08,400 --> 01:03:11,880 Speaker 1: house and once again to hear The effects and the 1126 01:03:11,960 --> 01:03:16,080 Speaker 1: sets are marvelous. They're excellent at making you feel the 1127 01:03:16,200 --> 01:03:19,400 Speaker 1: change in scale as genuine horror and a horror that 1128 01:03:19,960 --> 01:03:23,560 Speaker 1: has great, various similitude. I have this sense like this 1129 01:03:23,640 --> 01:03:25,800 Speaker 1: is what it would be like to be several inches 1130 01:03:25,840 --> 01:03:31,040 Speaker 1: to all trapped in the basement of mid century American house. Yeah. Yeah, again, 1131 01:03:31,080 --> 01:03:34,120 Speaker 1: the prop work, the sets are just amazing in this, 1132 01:03:34,360 --> 01:03:37,080 Speaker 1: in this whole sequence, and also to black and white. 1133 01:03:37,080 --> 01:03:41,280 Speaker 1: The black and white. The film's you know, nicely shot throughout, 1134 01:03:41,560 --> 01:03:45,240 Speaker 1: but these basement sequences especially, they end up taking on 1135 01:03:45,320 --> 01:03:50,240 Speaker 1: this just like rich uh. You know, the blacks are 1136 01:03:50,280 --> 01:03:53,720 Speaker 1: just so much darker and deeper in these sequences. I thought, 1137 01:03:53,720 --> 01:03:57,560 Speaker 1: it's just excellent. It's almost it's almost like German expressionism 1138 01:03:57,640 --> 01:04:01,480 Speaker 1: or something. Yeah. In the narration, he says, the sellers 1139 01:04:01,480 --> 01:04:06,160 Speaker 1: stretched before me like some vast primeval plane, empty of life, 1140 01:04:06,560 --> 01:04:10,480 Speaker 1: littered with the relics of a vanished race, no desert island, 1141 01:04:10,520 --> 01:04:14,920 Speaker 1: castaway ever faced so bleak a prospect. But he's in 1142 01:04:14,960 --> 01:04:18,360 Speaker 1: his house. Yeah yeah, but it's like he's and this 1143 01:04:18,440 --> 01:04:20,320 Speaker 1: works in so many levels. You know, he's fallen into 1144 01:04:20,360 --> 01:04:22,640 Speaker 1: the underworld. He's fallen into the place you put things 1145 01:04:22,640 --> 01:04:26,200 Speaker 1: that have forgotten about, where where things that you forget 1146 01:04:26,240 --> 01:04:29,040 Speaker 1: about when they're working are found like the hot water 1147 01:04:29,120 --> 01:04:32,480 Speaker 1: heater and so forth. I also found it inner as 1148 01:04:32,560 --> 01:04:36,560 Speaker 1: I read that Matheson wrote the novel in large part 1149 01:04:36,800 --> 01:04:39,440 Speaker 1: in a seller in a basement and would comment that, 1150 01:04:39,520 --> 01:04:41,120 Speaker 1: you know, like he as he was writing it, he 1151 01:04:41,120 --> 01:04:43,600 Speaker 1: would just look up and look around him to sort 1152 01:04:43,600 --> 01:04:47,240 Speaker 1: of take in the scene as he was writing it, 1153 01:04:47,320 --> 01:04:50,160 Speaker 1: and that he thought that the movie matched it perfectly. 1154 01:04:50,360 --> 01:04:53,320 Speaker 1: And there's brilliant simplicity to a lot of what follows. 1155 01:04:53,360 --> 01:04:55,120 Speaker 1: I mean, for most of the rest of the movie 1156 01:04:55,240 --> 01:04:59,120 Speaker 1: is watching our hero problem solving with ordinary objects at 1157 01:04:59,120 --> 01:05:03,240 Speaker 1: an alien scale. So he's hungry and he has to 1158 01:05:03,240 --> 01:05:06,840 Speaker 1: search for food, and there he looks across and he 1159 01:05:06,960 --> 01:05:10,920 Speaker 1: sees something. He realizes it is a mousetrap, and it 1160 01:05:10,960 --> 01:05:13,880 Speaker 1: does have cheese on it, but it's a mouse trap. 1161 01:05:14,440 --> 01:05:16,400 Speaker 1: Oh my god, And you know exactly what's gonna happen. 1162 01:05:16,400 --> 01:05:18,400 Speaker 1: He's gonna try and rob that mouse trap, and he's 1163 01:05:18,480 --> 01:05:21,080 Speaker 1: problem solving at the mousetrap, but he's also really hungry 1164 01:05:21,120 --> 01:05:24,760 Speaker 1: and desperate, and it's the same sort of gimmick like 1165 01:05:24,760 --> 01:05:26,480 Speaker 1: this is probably played out more or less than so 1166 01:05:26,520 --> 01:05:28,720 Speaker 1: many cartoons over the days. Like I felt like this 1167 01:05:28,800 --> 01:05:30,640 Speaker 1: is a basic Tom and Jerry kind of a bit, 1168 01:05:31,160 --> 01:05:35,120 Speaker 1: but it really is scary to watch, Like I actually 1169 01:05:35,160 --> 01:05:37,440 Speaker 1: cried out a few times as he's like fumbling with 1170 01:05:37,480 --> 01:05:42,200 Speaker 1: the cheese and nearly making the trap go off. It's 1171 01:05:42,480 --> 01:05:46,880 Speaker 1: it's great. So eventually Scott realizes that there is some 1172 01:05:47,000 --> 01:05:50,080 Speaker 1: cake that Louise left on a plate on a shelf 1173 01:05:51,160 --> 01:05:52,960 Speaker 1: and if he could just get to that, he could 1174 01:05:53,000 --> 01:05:56,120 Speaker 1: eat that. But it's way way high up, so it's 1175 01:05:56,160 --> 01:05:59,720 Speaker 1: like a mountain climb basically to get to it, and 1176 01:06:00,240 --> 01:06:01,880 Speaker 1: we see all kinds of things happen. I don't want 1177 01:06:01,880 --> 01:06:05,000 Speaker 1: to spoil every little detail, but there are you know, 1178 01:06:05,040 --> 01:06:07,800 Speaker 1: there's discovery of a sewing kit and a pincushion and 1179 01:06:07,880 --> 01:06:10,920 Speaker 1: some pins that can be manipulated to form weapons, and 1180 01:06:10,960 --> 01:06:17,280 Speaker 1: a kind of grappling hook. There is there is a 1181 01:06:17,320 --> 01:06:19,400 Speaker 1: sequence where you has to cross a gap in a 1182 01:06:19,440 --> 01:06:23,480 Speaker 1: wooden crate, jumping from from one thing to another. Oh yeah, 1183 01:06:23,760 --> 01:06:27,240 Speaker 1: and I did want to do one okay, brief monster 1184 01:06:27,320 --> 01:06:30,120 Speaker 1: science digression that will be familiar to people who have 1185 01:06:30,200 --> 01:06:33,000 Speaker 1: been listening to Weirdhouse Cinema for a while because I 1186 01:06:33,080 --> 01:06:36,320 Speaker 1: talked about the same source in our episode on robot jocks. 1187 01:06:36,360 --> 01:06:40,760 Speaker 1: But pedantic science note, which, by the way, should not 1188 01:06:40,800 --> 01:06:43,200 Speaker 1: take away from your enjoyment of this part of the movie, 1189 01:06:43,240 --> 01:06:46,720 Speaker 1: because if you know, like you shouldn't get hung up 1190 01:06:46,760 --> 01:06:49,800 Speaker 1: on physical implausibility if it works in the story. But 1191 01:06:51,000 --> 01:06:53,240 Speaker 1: I think the reality is if you were only a 1192 01:06:53,280 --> 01:06:56,640 Speaker 1: couple of inches tall, falling a great distance would be 1193 01:06:57,040 --> 01:06:59,720 Speaker 1: far less of a concern to you, way less of 1194 01:06:59,760 --> 01:07:03,720 Speaker 1: a threatening prospect than it is to people with bodies 1195 01:07:03,840 --> 01:07:07,680 Speaker 1: of our absolute size. And this is something that is 1196 01:07:07,720 --> 01:07:12,720 Speaker 1: discussed in the magnificent JBS Haldane essay from nineteen twenty 1197 01:07:12,720 --> 01:07:16,640 Speaker 1: six called on Being the Right Size, And this is 1198 01:07:16,640 --> 01:07:22,480 Speaker 1: the essay that explains how essentially there are different regimes 1199 01:07:22,480 --> 01:07:26,720 Speaker 1: of physical forces that present threats and problems to an 1200 01:07:26,800 --> 01:07:31,800 Speaker 1: organism depending on what its absolute size is. So for 1201 01:07:31,920 --> 01:07:34,520 Speaker 1: tiny animals, there actually is not that much of a 1202 01:07:34,560 --> 01:07:37,919 Speaker 1: threat due to gravity. Like you know, falling a great 1203 01:07:37,960 --> 01:07:41,120 Speaker 1: distance is not going to harm a very small animal 1204 01:07:41,240 --> 01:07:44,480 Speaker 1: very much. But there is a much greater threat to 1205 01:07:44,560 --> 01:07:48,960 Speaker 1: small animals from the surface tension of water, which is 1206 01:07:48,960 --> 01:07:51,120 Speaker 1: a theme that I would like to see explored to 1207 01:07:51,560 --> 01:07:54,880 Speaker 1: more horrific ends and shrink movies. I seem to call 1208 01:07:55,360 --> 01:07:56,880 Speaker 1: it's been a long time since I watched Tony I 1209 01:07:56,880 --> 01:07:58,440 Speaker 1: shrunk the kids. But I think there's a scene in 1210 01:07:58,480 --> 01:08:02,200 Speaker 1: that where there are water droplet's following falling from the 1211 01:08:02,640 --> 01:08:04,640 Speaker 1: from the sky, maybe like a sprinkler system, and they're 1212 01:08:04,640 --> 01:08:08,360 Speaker 1: following like like bombs. Yeah, So to a certain extent 1213 01:08:08,880 --> 01:08:12,840 Speaker 1: that it gets into this topic well to explain, okay, 1214 01:08:12,840 --> 01:08:17,320 Speaker 1: So Haldane gives this you know, whole thing. The famous 1215 01:08:17,320 --> 01:08:20,040 Speaker 1: line is he's talking about animals falling down a thousand 1216 01:08:20,120 --> 01:08:22,960 Speaker 1: yard mine shaft. He says, you know, a tiny mouse 1217 01:08:23,040 --> 01:08:25,599 Speaker 1: drops down a thousand yard mine shaft, and it might 1218 01:08:25,640 --> 01:08:27,479 Speaker 1: get a shock when it's the bottom, but if the 1219 01:08:27,560 --> 01:08:31,160 Speaker 1: if the bottom is relatively soft, it will probably be okay. 1220 01:08:31,280 --> 01:08:34,000 Speaker 1: But then he says, a rat is killed, a man 1221 01:08:34,360 --> 01:08:39,160 Speaker 1: is broken, a horse splashes. For the resistance presented to 1222 01:08:39,200 --> 01:08:42,120 Speaker 1: movement by the air is proportional to the surface of 1223 01:08:42,160 --> 01:08:46,000 Speaker 1: the moving object. Divide in animal's length, breadth, and height 1224 01:08:46,120 --> 01:08:49,480 Speaker 1: each by ten. Its weight is reduced to a thousandth 1225 01:08:49,720 --> 01:08:53,000 Speaker 1: but its surface only a hundredth. So the resistance to 1226 01:08:53,120 --> 01:08:56,200 Speaker 1: falling in the case of a small animal is relatively 1227 01:08:56,240 --> 01:08:59,720 Speaker 1: ten times greater than the driving force. So that's why 1228 01:09:00,200 --> 01:09:03,519 Speaker 1: small falling is less of a big deal. But he 1229 01:09:03,560 --> 01:09:07,280 Speaker 1: goes on. An insect therefore is not afraid of gravity. 1230 01:09:07,320 --> 01:09:10,120 Speaker 1: It can fall without danger, and can cling to the 1231 01:09:10,160 --> 01:09:13,160 Speaker 1: ceiling with remarkably little trouble. It can go in for 1232 01:09:13,280 --> 01:09:16,160 Speaker 1: elegant and fantastic forms of support, like that of the 1233 01:09:16,240 --> 01:09:19,519 Speaker 1: daddy long legs. But there is a force which is 1234 01:09:19,600 --> 01:09:22,679 Speaker 1: as formidable to an insect as gravitation to a mammal. 1235 01:09:23,040 --> 01:09:26,360 Speaker 1: This is surface tension. A man coming out of a 1236 01:09:26,400 --> 01:09:29,080 Speaker 1: bath carries with him a film of water about one 1237 01:09:29,320 --> 01:09:33,520 Speaker 1: fiftieth of an inch in thickness. This weighs roughly a pound. 1238 01:09:33,840 --> 01:09:37,080 Speaker 1: A wet mouse has to carry about its own weight 1239 01:09:37,240 --> 01:09:41,160 Speaker 1: of water. A wet fly has to lift many times 1240 01:09:41,240 --> 01:09:44,719 Speaker 1: its own weight, And as everyone knows, a fly, once 1241 01:09:44,760 --> 01:09:47,640 Speaker 1: wetted by water or any other liquid, is in a 1242 01:09:47,760 --> 01:09:51,719 Speaker 1: very serious position. Indeed, an insect going for a drink 1243 01:09:51,840 --> 01:09:54,559 Speaker 1: is in a great danger as a man leaning out 1244 01:09:54,640 --> 01:09:57,800 Speaker 1: over a precipice in search of food. If it once 1245 01:09:57,840 --> 01:10:00,599 Speaker 1: falls into the grip of the surface tension of the water, 1246 01:10:00,800 --> 01:10:03,640 Speaker 1: that is to say, gets wet, it is likely to 1247 01:10:03,680 --> 01:10:07,400 Speaker 1: remain so until it drowns. A few insects, such as 1248 01:10:07,479 --> 01:10:11,679 Speaker 1: water beetles, contrived to be unwettable, the majority keep well 1249 01:10:11,720 --> 01:10:16,720 Speaker 1: away from their drink by means of a long probosis, 1250 01:10:17,160 --> 01:10:19,879 Speaker 1: and so this made me think more about it possibly 1251 01:10:19,920 --> 01:10:22,800 Speaker 1: more horrifying take on the water heater scene that will 1252 01:10:22,840 --> 01:10:26,880 Speaker 1: follow in the movie. Now. I believe this came up 1253 01:10:26,920 --> 01:10:29,160 Speaker 1: in our episode on robot Jocks because we were talking 1254 01:10:29,160 --> 01:10:31,800 Speaker 1: about how you know, if you had real hundred foot 1255 01:10:31,800 --> 01:10:35,200 Speaker 1: tall robots actually slugging it out, they would really really 1256 01:10:35,240 --> 01:10:37,840 Speaker 1: need to worry about gravity. I think basically any fall 1257 01:10:37,920 --> 01:10:40,960 Speaker 1: would destroy them. Yeah, and the idea of having a 1258 01:10:41,000 --> 01:10:43,599 Speaker 1: bipedal one is just even crazier because it just makes 1259 01:10:43,600 --> 01:10:47,000 Speaker 1: it more susceptible falls. So if you're out there thinking 1260 01:10:47,000 --> 01:10:49,320 Speaker 1: about making your own shrink movie, I want to see 1261 01:10:49,360 --> 01:10:52,439 Speaker 1: the truly horrific take on the surface tension of water. 1262 01:10:52,640 --> 01:10:56,280 Speaker 1: That is that is implied by Haldane's essay here that 1263 01:10:56,439 --> 01:10:59,240 Speaker 1: any drop of water is almost kind of like the blob. 1264 01:10:59,600 --> 01:11:03,320 Speaker 1: It's yeah. I I only saw the first of these 1265 01:11:03,360 --> 01:11:05,080 Speaker 1: ant Man movies that came out, so I don't know 1266 01:11:05,080 --> 01:11:06,880 Speaker 1: if they ever get into any of that, And it 1267 01:11:06,920 --> 01:11:09,599 Speaker 1: seems like they're at least more recentably gotten more down 1268 01:11:09,640 --> 01:11:13,120 Speaker 1: to like quantum stuff where you're not even and they 1269 01:11:13,120 --> 01:11:17,320 Speaker 1: just turn it into like alien worlds and so forth. Okay, yeah, 1270 01:11:17,360 --> 01:11:20,360 Speaker 1: I've never seen any of those. The first one was fine. 1271 01:11:20,400 --> 01:11:23,120 Speaker 1: I remember the first one was fun anyway. Sorry, But 1272 01:11:23,200 --> 01:11:25,519 Speaker 1: to come back to the plot of the Incredible Shrinking Man. 1273 01:11:25,640 --> 01:11:29,280 Speaker 1: So Scott finally makes his way up to the cake. 1274 01:11:29,360 --> 01:11:31,680 Speaker 1: He achieves some cake, but it is stale once he 1275 01:11:31,680 --> 01:11:34,879 Speaker 1: gets to it, and it's sitting right in the shadow 1276 01:11:35,000 --> 01:11:38,559 Speaker 1: of a giant spider web. And there's a part where 1277 01:11:38,600 --> 01:11:40,920 Speaker 1: he goes up to sort of event great and looks 1278 01:11:40,960 --> 01:11:43,760 Speaker 1: out through it to see a bird out in the yard, which, 1279 01:11:43,760 --> 01:11:45,240 Speaker 1: of course, to him at this point would be like 1280 01:11:45,280 --> 01:11:49,000 Speaker 1: a dinosaur, like a giant t rex. And he looks 1281 01:11:49,000 --> 01:11:51,360 Speaker 1: out at the world outside and he becomes sort of 1282 01:11:51,439 --> 01:11:55,759 Speaker 1: like he starts laughing, but he's also angry, and he says, 1283 01:11:55,760 --> 01:11:58,479 Speaker 1: in narration my prison almost as far as I could see, 1284 01:11:58,560 --> 01:12:02,320 Speaker 1: a gray, friendless area of space and time, and I 1285 01:12:02,400 --> 01:12:05,439 Speaker 1: resolved that as men had dominated the world of the Sun, 1286 01:12:05,960 --> 01:12:09,519 Speaker 1: so I would dominate my world. So he sets about. 1287 01:12:09,600 --> 01:12:12,360 Speaker 1: He sets up a shelter for himself in a matchbox. Oh, 1288 01:12:12,400 --> 01:12:14,040 Speaker 1: and he has to retreat to it in a in 1289 01:12:14,080 --> 01:12:18,400 Speaker 1: a terrifying spider attack Yeah, the spider that lives in 1290 01:12:18,400 --> 01:12:20,360 Speaker 1: the web at the top MIxS of the cake is 1291 01:12:20,400 --> 01:12:23,360 Speaker 1: clearly played by a tarantula, which of course would not 1292 01:12:23,439 --> 01:12:25,760 Speaker 1: be living in that that web, or I'm not even 1293 01:12:25,760 --> 01:12:27,880 Speaker 1: sure it would be in this basement. Who knows how 1294 01:12:27,880 --> 01:12:31,320 Speaker 1: it's supposedly got there. At any rate, it still looks great, 1295 01:12:31,600 --> 01:12:35,000 Speaker 1: great use of a tarantula, a live tarantula and this 1296 01:12:35,320 --> 01:12:37,799 Speaker 1: uh and of course it fits because it's the director 1297 01:12:37,800 --> 01:12:41,000 Speaker 1: of Tarantula. Do you think he used the same tarantula 1298 01:12:41,080 --> 01:12:46,200 Speaker 1: guy from whoever provided tarantulas for Tarantula? I don't know, maybe, 1299 01:12:46,680 --> 01:12:48,600 Speaker 1: but I think he did play on some of his 1300 01:12:48,680 --> 01:12:51,960 Speaker 1: experience shooting tarantulas because they had certain there are certain 1301 01:12:52,000 --> 01:12:54,320 Speaker 1: things they learned about, like you know, what's what variety 1302 01:12:54,320 --> 01:12:56,360 Speaker 1: of tarantula you need? You like, you need an animal 1303 01:12:56,360 --> 01:13:00,280 Speaker 1: that's big enough and moves appropriately that you can and 1304 01:13:00,439 --> 01:13:03,160 Speaker 1: create the special effects around it. There are a lot 1305 01:13:03,200 --> 01:13:06,240 Speaker 1: of uh, kind of hokey scenes out there and send 1306 01:13:06,320 --> 01:13:10,960 Speaker 1: them out where someone uh fights a quote unquote giant 1307 01:13:11,000 --> 01:13:13,960 Speaker 1: animal and force perspective and so forth and split screen. 1308 01:13:14,800 --> 01:13:17,679 Speaker 1: But this one's really good. Like this one, they put 1309 01:13:17,720 --> 01:13:21,160 Speaker 1: a lot of effort into making it look look look great. Yeah, 1310 01:13:21,160 --> 01:13:24,040 Speaker 1: and so there are some major struggles. In the final 1311 01:13:24,120 --> 01:13:26,240 Speaker 1: stretch of the film, he has to do battle with 1312 01:13:26,280 --> 01:13:29,960 Speaker 1: the Spider in order to survive. Before that, there's a 1313 01:13:30,680 --> 01:13:33,559 Speaker 1: scene of a great flood that comes when the water 1314 01:13:33,640 --> 01:13:38,400 Speaker 1: heater bursts um and and in the scene, Louise and 1315 01:13:38,479 --> 01:13:41,240 Speaker 1: Charlie they finally do come down to the cellar, which 1316 01:13:41,280 --> 01:13:43,000 Speaker 1: is what he'd been waiting on. He was like, Okay, 1317 01:13:43,080 --> 01:13:44,720 Speaker 1: when they're here, I can call out to them and 1318 01:13:44,720 --> 01:13:47,559 Speaker 1: they'll and they'll get me. But he's too He's too 1319 01:13:47,560 --> 01:13:51,160 Speaker 1: small for them to hear or to see. Yeah, it's 1320 01:13:51,200 --> 01:13:54,439 Speaker 1: like he's really passed out of their lives and he 1321 01:13:55,400 --> 01:13:58,080 Speaker 1: has to realize it at this point, and there's a 1322 01:13:58,200 --> 01:14:00,519 Speaker 1: there is a scary scene with the flood. It doesn't 1323 01:14:00,560 --> 01:14:03,960 Speaker 1: quite do the weird scale surface tension thing, but he 1324 01:14:04,000 --> 01:14:06,160 Speaker 1: does almost get washed on a drain, which is a 1325 01:14:06,200 --> 01:14:10,080 Speaker 1: horrifying prospect. But after surviving the flood, there's a change 1326 01:14:10,080 --> 01:14:12,600 Speaker 1: where Scott seems to gain a new kind of clarity 1327 01:14:12,600 --> 01:14:17,000 Speaker 1: and strength. He says, quote, a strange calm possessed me. 1328 01:14:17,400 --> 01:14:19,840 Speaker 1: I thought more clearly than I ever had before, as 1329 01:14:19,880 --> 01:14:23,080 Speaker 1: if my mind were bathed in a brilliant light, I 1330 01:14:23,160 --> 01:14:26,080 Speaker 1: recognized that part of my illness was rooted in hunger, 1331 01:14:26,520 --> 01:14:29,120 Speaker 1: and I remembered the food on the shelf, the cake 1332 01:14:29,280 --> 01:14:32,760 Speaker 1: threaded with spider web. I no longer felt hatred for 1333 01:14:32,800 --> 01:14:36,759 Speaker 1: the spider. Like myself, it struggled blindly for the means 1334 01:14:36,800 --> 01:14:41,360 Speaker 1: to survive. And so there is ultimately a confrontation with 1335 01:14:41,400 --> 01:14:46,200 Speaker 1: the spider that involves some clever use of tools, again 1336 01:14:46,240 --> 01:14:50,439 Speaker 1: at the alien scale, and then there is in the 1337 01:14:50,600 --> 01:14:55,840 Speaker 1: end a kind of soliloquy. He comes to realize that 1338 01:14:55,880 --> 01:15:00,760 Speaker 1: he somehow in like in passing beyond the realm where 1339 01:15:00,840 --> 01:15:04,680 Speaker 1: humans can even recognize him and help him anymore, like 1340 01:15:04,880 --> 01:15:07,320 Speaker 1: the fact that Louise couldn't even hear him calling out. 1341 01:15:08,120 --> 01:15:10,840 Speaker 1: It seems that somehow gives him a new sense of 1342 01:15:10,920 --> 01:15:16,559 Speaker 1: meaning in that like by being definitely wholly denied any 1343 01:15:16,600 --> 01:15:21,160 Speaker 1: prospect of salvation from the world he knew. It's like 1344 01:15:21,200 --> 01:15:24,599 Speaker 1: he can now fully commit to existence on whatever new 1345 01:15:24,680 --> 01:15:28,400 Speaker 1: terms come to him, if that makes any sense. Now, yeah, absolutely, 1346 01:15:28,400 --> 01:15:31,639 Speaker 1: like he has completely passed out of their world now, 1347 01:15:31,760 --> 01:15:35,439 Speaker 1: like he is. They thought him dead, they believed him 1348 01:15:35,439 --> 01:15:37,479 Speaker 1: to be dead, and now he kind of realizes that 1349 01:15:38,040 --> 01:15:40,760 Speaker 1: that that part of his life is over yeah, and 1350 01:15:40,880 --> 01:15:43,439 Speaker 1: whatever he is now it is it's not a different scale, 1351 01:15:43,479 --> 01:15:46,800 Speaker 1: it's a different world, but with different possibilities. I'm not 1352 01:15:46,840 --> 01:15:48,880 Speaker 1: going to read the entire thing in full, but yeah. 1353 01:15:48,960 --> 01:15:51,160 Speaker 1: He ends with giving this kind of speech where he says, 1354 01:15:51,160 --> 01:15:55,160 Speaker 1: I was continuing to shrink to become what the infinitesimal? 1355 01:15:55,720 --> 01:15:58,559 Speaker 1: What was I still a human being? Or was I 1356 01:15:58,640 --> 01:16:02,120 Speaker 1: the man of the future? He says, the unbelievably small 1357 01:16:02,160 --> 01:16:05,960 Speaker 1: and unbelievably vast eventually meet like the closing of a 1358 01:16:06,000 --> 01:16:09,720 Speaker 1: gigantic circle. And so he comes to feel that by 1359 01:16:09,800 --> 01:16:13,160 Speaker 1: shrinking down forever and ever and becoming ever smaller, he's 1360 01:16:13,240 --> 01:16:17,720 Speaker 1: also somehow becoming infinite. Yeah. I was not expecting such 1361 01:16:17,760 --> 01:16:21,160 Speaker 1: a transcendent and kind of psychedelic ending to this picture, 1362 01:16:21,640 --> 01:16:24,840 Speaker 1: but it really almost brought to mind Phase four, which 1363 01:16:24,840 --> 01:16:31,000 Speaker 1: has the more overtly psychedelic ending and futuristic far seeing ending. 1364 01:16:31,240 --> 01:16:34,160 Speaker 1: And this is a little different, but but also feels 1365 01:16:34,200 --> 01:16:37,840 Speaker 1: that Grand feels that expansive, which again ties me this 1366 01:16:37,880 --> 01:16:39,760 Speaker 1: idea that he has become so small that he has 1367 01:16:39,800 --> 01:16:43,519 Speaker 1: become infinite or is becoming infinite. It has this in 1368 01:16:43,520 --> 01:16:45,800 Speaker 1: common with Phase four, that both are like an ending 1369 01:16:45,880 --> 01:16:51,400 Speaker 1: where the protagonists will survive in a sense, but they 1370 01:16:51,439 --> 01:16:54,880 Speaker 1: are becoming so changed that they can no longer describe 1371 01:16:54,920 --> 01:17:00,640 Speaker 1: their experience in language. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Oh. One of 1372 01:17:00,680 --> 01:17:03,519 Speaker 1: the extras on the Criterion collection disc they pointed out 1373 01:17:03,520 --> 01:17:06,960 Speaker 1: that in the novel, he basically it's a little more 1374 01:17:06,960 --> 01:17:09,280 Speaker 1: of a downer and maybe it's something that works better 1375 01:17:09,400 --> 01:17:12,360 Speaker 1: on the page where he's basically like he becomes nothing, 1376 01:17:12,920 --> 01:17:15,639 Speaker 1: I have become nothing at the end, and they wanted 1377 01:17:15,680 --> 01:17:20,479 Speaker 1: to do something more upbeat for the movie. The studio 1378 01:17:20,680 --> 01:17:23,200 Speaker 1: of course submitted an idea. They said, what if it 1379 01:17:23,200 --> 01:17:26,880 Speaker 1: gets bigger again and is reunited with his wife and 1380 01:17:28,360 --> 01:17:34,240 Speaker 1: of course Jacks conquers all. Yeah. Of course Jack Arnold 1381 01:17:34,320 --> 01:17:38,559 Speaker 1: was like, no, we're not doing that. So apparently this 1382 01:17:38,760 --> 01:17:43,759 Speaker 1: ending is like the whole you know, the small meats 1383 01:17:43,760 --> 01:17:46,080 Speaker 1: big and the closing of the circle and the infinite, 1384 01:17:46,360 --> 01:17:48,439 Speaker 1: Like this was what Jack Arnold brought to it for 1385 01:17:48,479 --> 01:17:51,960 Speaker 1: the most part, Like this was mostly his idea. Yeah, 1386 01:17:51,960 --> 01:17:55,479 Speaker 1: and it has interesting references to God and stuff like 1387 01:17:55,520 --> 01:17:59,040 Speaker 1: that that I mean that that kind of came out 1388 01:17:59,040 --> 01:18:01,920 Speaker 1: of nowhere because there were previously no religious themes at 1389 01:18:01,920 --> 01:18:05,120 Speaker 1: all in the movie. But it also I feel like 1390 01:18:05,200 --> 01:18:07,800 Speaker 1: kind of works the only real downside, I would say 1391 01:18:07,840 --> 01:18:10,679 Speaker 1: to the ending, which overall is great, is again the 1392 01:18:10,760 --> 01:18:15,320 Speaker 1: delivery is a little I don't know, a little speeching 1393 01:18:16,640 --> 01:18:18,519 Speaker 1: like I feel like it could have been the narration 1394 01:18:18,560 --> 01:18:20,879 Speaker 1: could have been a little more subtle. But the writing 1395 01:18:20,960 --> 01:18:23,880 Speaker 1: is excellent. Yeah, and we do see some visualszeg and 1396 01:18:24,280 --> 01:18:27,439 Speaker 1: like the arms of the spiral galaxy and so forth, 1397 01:18:27,479 --> 01:18:29,920 Speaker 1: as we're talking about the infinite. Yeah, so there are 1398 01:18:29,960 --> 01:18:32,920 Speaker 1: some stunning visuals in black and white to back it up. 1399 01:18:33,040 --> 01:18:35,559 Speaker 1: But but yeah, I see what you see what you mean. Oh, 1400 01:18:35,680 --> 01:18:38,920 Speaker 1: also when in his final when because he has to 1401 01:18:39,000 --> 01:18:42,559 Speaker 1: keep changing clothes because he's continually growing smaller in his 1402 01:18:42,640 --> 01:18:46,400 Speaker 1: final form, when he's giving this final speech, the clothing 1403 01:18:46,439 --> 01:18:48,640 Speaker 1: he's dressed in makes him look like a prophet, you know, 1404 01:18:48,720 --> 01:18:51,080 Speaker 1: he looks like a like John the Baptist from one 1405 01:18:51,080 --> 01:18:54,280 Speaker 1: of the Bible movies or something. Yeah, and he's just 1406 01:18:54,280 --> 01:18:57,280 Speaker 1: just going out there into the unknown, into the into 1407 01:18:57,320 --> 01:19:01,559 Speaker 1: a wild and ultimately a world beyond humans because he 1408 01:19:01,680 --> 01:19:05,080 Speaker 1: is he has shrunk beyond their scale. And it's yeah, 1409 01:19:05,080 --> 01:19:07,519 Speaker 1: it's it's pretty tremendous that it ends up on a 1410 01:19:07,560 --> 01:19:09,559 Speaker 1: on a great note and you end up just looking 1411 01:19:09,560 --> 01:19:11,800 Speaker 1: back on it and being like, wow that that film 1412 01:19:11,880 --> 01:19:15,760 Speaker 1: was really a great ride. Yeah, yeah, exactly agree. So 1413 01:19:15,960 --> 01:19:19,720 Speaker 1: the Incredible Shrinking Man U two thumbs up both from me, 1414 01:19:19,840 --> 01:19:25,760 Speaker 1: both hands thumbs up, the Incredible Shrinking Man. Yes, it's 1415 01:19:25,800 --> 01:19:28,400 Speaker 1: a it's a great one. And you know, I think 1416 01:19:28,600 --> 01:19:31,400 Speaker 1: the current plan is that we are going to do 1417 01:19:31,479 --> 01:19:36,240 Speaker 1: another incredible shrinking movie for next week. Yeah, one that 1418 01:19:36,280 --> 01:19:41,320 Speaker 1: will hopefully be still as is intellectually stimulating. Is this picture. 1419 01:19:42,200 --> 01:19:45,160 Speaker 1: Next week, we're planning on doing another shrink movie that is, 1420 01:19:45,320 --> 01:19:49,639 Speaker 1: from what I understand, a direct rip off of this one. Yeah, 1421 01:19:49,680 --> 01:19:51,959 Speaker 1: but it looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Okay, 1422 01:19:52,400 --> 01:19:54,720 Speaker 1: all right, we're gonna go ahead and close this one out. 1423 01:19:54,760 --> 01:19:57,479 Speaker 1: But first of all, reminds you that, yeah, we're primarily 1424 01:19:57,479 --> 01:19:59,800 Speaker 1: a science podcast, with our core episodes of Stuff to 1425 01:20:00,080 --> 01:20:01,599 Speaker 1: Your Mind Publishing and the Stuff to Blow your Mind 1426 01:20:01,600 --> 01:20:05,639 Speaker 1: podcast feed. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we do an artifact 1427 01:20:05,720 --> 01:20:08,040 Speaker 1: or monster fact short form episode. On Wednesdays, we do 1428 01:20:08,120 --> 01:20:10,800 Speaker 1: listenermail on Mondays, and on Fridays, we set aside most 1429 01:20:10,840 --> 01:20:12,680 Speaker 1: serious concerns to just talk about a weird film here 1430 01:20:12,680 --> 01:20:14,680 Speaker 1: on Weird House Cinema. If you want to see what 1431 01:20:14,720 --> 01:20:17,840 Speaker 1: other films we've covered on Weird House Cinema. There are 1432 01:20:17,840 --> 01:20:19,080 Speaker 1: a few different ways to do it. You can just 1433 01:20:19,080 --> 01:20:21,639 Speaker 1: look back through the podcast feed and do it that way, 1434 01:20:21,920 --> 01:20:24,759 Speaker 1: but also if you go to a letterbox dot com 1435 01:20:24,760 --> 01:20:26,600 Speaker 1: that's l E T T R B O x D. 1436 01:20:27,479 --> 01:20:30,840 Speaker 1: We have a user profile on there, it's called weird 1437 01:20:30,840 --> 01:20:32,760 Speaker 1: House and we have a list there of all the 1438 01:20:32,760 --> 01:20:35,080 Speaker 1: movies we've covered in order, and I also have some 1439 01:20:35,160 --> 01:20:37,360 Speaker 1: links to where you can listen to them on each 1440 01:20:37,360 --> 01:20:39,560 Speaker 1: individual listing. It's also a great way to sort of 1441 01:20:39,640 --> 01:20:42,040 Speaker 1: visualize what we've done to break it up by decades 1442 01:20:42,160 --> 01:20:44,320 Speaker 1: or genre however you want to want to do it. 1443 01:20:45,040 --> 01:20:47,400 Speaker 1: And the website, of course, is also a lot of fun. 1444 01:20:47,800 --> 01:20:50,479 Speaker 1: I also blog about these episodes at sammutomusic dot com. 1445 01:20:50,479 --> 01:20:52,559 Speaker 1: That's just my personal block for this sort of thing. 1446 01:20:53,160 --> 01:20:56,680 Speaker 1: Huge thanks to our audio producer J J. Pauseway. If 1447 01:20:56,680 --> 01:20:58,200 Speaker 1: you would like to get in touch with us with 1448 01:20:58,439 --> 01:21:01,360 Speaker 1: feedback on this episode or other, to suggest a topic 1449 01:21:01,400 --> 01:21:03,680 Speaker 1: for the future, or just to say hello, you can 1450 01:21:03,760 --> 01:21:06,679 Speaker 1: email us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind 1451 01:21:06,880 --> 01:21:17,000 Speaker 1: dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. 1452 01:21:17,360 --> 01:21:20,280 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 1453 01:21:20,439 --> 01:21:23,200 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.