1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 2: Hey, welcome to Weird How Cinema. 3 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 3: This is Rob Lamb. 4 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 4: And I'm Joe McCormack, and today we're going to be 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 4: talking about the nineteen forty size related thriller Doctor Cyclops. 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 4: You know that line, that classic Hollywood line about how 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 4: I stayed big it's the pictures that got small. Well, 8 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 4: you can't say that about this movie, because this movie 9 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 4: is really truly about actors getting small. 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 3: That's right. 11 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 2: This is our first nineteen forties film. I mean barely 12 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 2: since it's a nineteen forty release. But yeah, this is 13 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 2: one I was not familiar with. I've never heard of it, 14 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 2: despite the fact that it has a pretty famous director 15 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 2: who we'll get into more about in a second. But 16 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,959 Speaker 2: it's Ernest B. Showedsack, who if that name doesn't ring 17 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 2: a bell, I think his most famous film will for you. 18 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: It was, of course King Kong. 19 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 4: Yeah, this this movie I thought was a real firecracker. Like, 20 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:12,839 Speaker 4: it looks great, it has amazing special effects. The story 21 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 4: isn't as complex as you might hope. But then again, 22 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 4: I mean, this was a I don't know, a horror 23 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 4: thriller of the of the nineteen thirties and forties, of 24 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 4: the of the Hayes Code era, so you can only 25 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 4: expect so much moral and intellectual complexity. But just as 26 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 4: a big special effects thriller, the kind of Transformers or 27 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 4: Independence Day of nineteen forty, it's it's fantastic. 28 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think that's also only the way you 29 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 2: have to approach it is a it is a nineteen 30 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 2: forty special effects fiasco, and the special effects very much 31 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 2: come first. And you know, by today's standards they might 32 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 2: not look as you know, as amazing. But if you 33 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 2: but that's again only if you're looking at it as 34 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 2: a modern viewer and not thinking about the history of filmmaking. 35 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 2: Because I think if you, if you sit there and 36 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 2: watch the film in its entirety and keep reminding yourself 37 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 2: like this is nineteen forty, you know, this is what 38 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 2: had been done before with similar effects, and it will 39 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 2: impress you. 40 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 3: Oh. 41 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:13,519 Speaker 4: I think the special effects in this movie do look fantastic. 42 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 4: I mean, I think they look so much better than 43 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 4: the quote realistic CGI that floods the films of today. 44 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 2: Well that's true, yeah, I mean, you know, it's very polished, 45 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 2: you know, using the tools of the day. 46 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 3: It creates I think some high quality visuals. 47 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 4: So this is We've talked about a number of mad 48 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 4: scientist movies, and I'm sure we will talk about many 49 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 4: more mad scientist movies in the future. Mad Scientists are 50 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 4: kind of the hub of the wheel of weird house cinema, 51 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 4: and this particular mad scientist is a mad scientist who 52 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:49,679 Speaker 4: likes to shrink people with radiation. 53 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 2: Yes, the villainous doctor Thorkol. And yeah, he's pretty great 54 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 2: because he's you know, I guess his real defining characteristic 55 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 2: is he's a complete lamaniac. You know, he already feels 56 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 2: himself to be a giant among tiny people, and his 57 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 2: super science just enables him to make that, you know, 58 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 2: an objective reality. 59 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 4: Now, I think doctor Thorkel would probably shrink you to 60 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 4: death for the way he pronounced his name. Because of 61 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 4: the one of the funny things in this movie, So 62 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 4: his name is spelled t h o r k e L. 63 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 4: So I read that in like any other normal American 64 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 4: English speaker, I would think Thorkele. 65 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, if I had to go to an appointment with 66 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,399 Speaker 2: doctor Thorkele, I would call and be like, yeah, I'm 67 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 2: a patient of doctor Thorkele's. 68 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 4: But the characters in this movie make a really special 69 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 4: effort to always emphasize the second letter. So it's like 70 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 4: Sar Dough, no mister, accent on the doe. Here we 71 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 4: get thor Kel, No mister, it's doctor accent on the kel. 72 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 2: Doctor thor Kel. Yeah, and in this picture you can 73 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 2: you can basically, well, here's the elevator Pitch, a mad 74 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 2: scientist working in the south of Maria and jungle miniaturizes 75 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 2: his colleagues when he feels his megalomania is threatened. So 76 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 2: it's basically it's apocalypse now, but with doctor thorp Kel 77 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 2: instead of Colonel Kurtz. Science instead of war, and miniaturization 78 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 2: instead of the horror. 79 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 4: Let's say that's about accurate. Yeah, and well, and instead 80 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,919 Speaker 4: of Martin Sheen, it's a ragtag team of the world's 81 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 4: greatest scientists and a mule guy. 82 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 3: Yeah. 83 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 2: And instead of spending like a large portion of the 84 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 2: film about the journey, that journey is really quick in 85 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:31,840 Speaker 2: this they just skiffy right through it. 86 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 4: Should we hit that trailer audio, Yeah, let's hear it. 87 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 2: Then a crocodile becomes as huge as a prehistoric monster. 88 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 4: A rifle as unwieldy as a siege gun, a. 89 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 3: Terrifying black cat whose jaws lee den a dog looms 90 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 3: larger than an elephant. 91 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 4: Then in the hands of a ruthless monster. 92 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 2: All right, So let's talk about the people involved here. Really, 93 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 2: the one we're going to spend the most time on is, 94 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 2: of course, the director Ernest B. Schodsak. 95 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 4: I know almost nothing about the life of Shodzak except 96 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 4: that he is involved with one of the great early 97 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 4: special effects and I don't know what you might call 98 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,840 Speaker 4: it science fiction horror films of the big studio era, 99 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 4: which is King Kong. 100 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean really, King Kong, despite being very much 101 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 2: a genre film, it transcends genre like it is that 102 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 2: film is an icon of cinematic history itself. You know, 103 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 2: it's kind of it's kind of difficult to overstate its 104 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 2: importance in the history of film. But he and certainly 105 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 2: I think you, mister you science Theater three thousand fans 106 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 2: would agree it is a great eight movie. But shod 107 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 2: Sack also directed another great eight movie, and that would 108 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,160 Speaker 2: be Mighty Joe Young. So if you're not familiar with 109 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 2: King Kong for reasons unimaginable, then perhaps you've heard of 110 00:05:59,160 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 2: Mighty Joe Young. 111 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:04,279 Speaker 4: Did that get some kind of remake in the nineteen nineties. 112 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 2: Yes, it did. Goodness, I forget who was in it, 113 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 2: but they had. Mighty Joe Young is a is an 114 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 2: enlarged ape as well, but not nearly as enlarged as 115 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 2: King Kong. 116 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 4: It's a medium enlarged ape. 117 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think I've seen some comparisons. Just in 118 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 2: the same way that Godzilla keeps getting bigger and bigger 119 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 2: in films, King Kong also inevitably just gets bigger and bigger, 120 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 2: but Mighty Joe Young was always a smaller giant ape. 121 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 4: So some of this guy's big movies seem all focused 122 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 4: on changes in size perspective, either really big creatures or 123 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 4: really little creatures smaller than they're supposed to be. And 124 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 4: this is funny because I think there were This is 125 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,640 Speaker 4: sort of the A list version of that kind of director, 126 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 4: but there were also B list versions of that kind 127 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:56,239 Speaker 4: of director, because you get people like Bert Eye Gordon, 128 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,160 Speaker 4: who made B movies, almost all of which are about 129 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 4: creatures of unusual size, either like a person or a 130 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,039 Speaker 4: creature that gets shrunken down or creatures that get blown up. 131 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 2: Real big Yeah, and you know, I think ultimately Bird 132 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 2: Eye Gordon was able to make some really interesting films, 133 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 2: but they're generally not put on the same pedestal as 134 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 2: King Kong. 135 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 4: None of them look as beautiful as Doctor Cyclops does. 136 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 4: Another thing that Doctor Cyclops really has going for it 137 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,280 Speaker 4: with the modern release, especially or at least the blu 138 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 4: ray of it that we watched, it has three color Technicolor, 139 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 4: and the technicolor is gorgeous. The colors are just dripping 140 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 4: off the screen. 141 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, in a similar way to Doctor X, though that 142 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 2: was not technicolor. That was what two tone technicolor. 143 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 4: Two color technicolor. Yeah, this is three colors. So this 144 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 4: is like the color you know, color films that would 145 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 4: come later. 146 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, So there's a certain unreality to it, but it's 147 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 2: beautiful and it's certainly I mean, I find it more 148 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 2: engaging than a lot of black and light films of 149 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 2: the period. Just you know, Yeah, I guess it depends, 150 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 2: like you wouldn't want to see Mad Love and color. 151 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 2: Mad Love belongs in black and white, like that is 152 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 2: the world of that film, but this one really benefits 153 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 2: from the. 154 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 4: Color well and taking place in the jungle. I feel 155 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 4: like there are a lot of shots in it that 156 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 4: I wonder if they were only included to take advantage 157 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 4: of that beautiful three color technicolor. Like there are parts 158 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 4: where it will just cut away to some kind of 159 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 4: tropical bird that is squawking in a tree, and you know, 160 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 4: we see all of its beautiful feathers. 161 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, sort of. You know before three D there 162 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 2: was there was technicolor. 163 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 4: Yeah. 164 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 2: Again, it's quite quite a beautiful looking film. So let's 165 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 2: let's talk about the director behind it again. 166 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 3: Ernest B. 167 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 2: Showed Zach who lived eighteen ninety three through nineteen seventy nine. 168 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 2: We're not going to really be able to touch on 169 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,559 Speaker 2: his entire biography here, but if if you want a 170 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 2: good one, you know, you can go to the usual places. 171 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 2: I found Britannica had a nice one online. But here's 172 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 2: some of the interesting points, sort of the bullet points 173 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 2: of his life that I think are with driving home here. So, 174 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 2: first of all, he ran away from home as a 175 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 2: teenager and worked as a surveyor in San Francisco. He 176 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,319 Speaker 2: got a job as a cameraman from with help from 177 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 2: his brother in nineteen fourteen, and then during the First 178 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 2: World War he served as a cameraman in the Signal 179 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 2: Corps in France. He stayed in Europe. After that he 180 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:21,720 Speaker 2: got involved in adventure filmmaking. So this is interesting because 181 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 2: it makes sense given the nature of films like King Kong. 182 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 2: But it also, you know, it seems to run against 183 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 2: the grain if you think about his success in fiction, 184 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 2: because earlier on it's less purely fictional. There's a certain 185 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:39,439 Speaker 2: documentary aspect to it, like fictionalized documentary work. So he 186 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 2: served with the Red Cross in nineteen nineteen, helped refugees 187 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,440 Speaker 2: from the Russo Polish War, and he also filmed this 188 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,800 Speaker 2: conflict as well as the Greco Turkish War of nineteen 189 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 2: twenty one through twenty two, And in this he essentially 190 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 2: wound up working as a conflict journalist and was then 191 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,440 Speaker 2: sponsored by the New York Times as a cameraman on 192 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 2: an around the world expedition. 193 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 4: Wow. 194 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 2: So he worked on this. He worked with a pilot 195 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 2: by the name of Marion C. Cooper, and they began 196 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,840 Speaker 2: producing what they called natural dramas, which were a kind 197 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 2: of combination of travelog and drama. This is super fascinating 198 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 2: given what we've covered stuff to blow your mind before. 199 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 2: In nineteen twenty five, he joined William Beebe's expedition to 200 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:24,679 Speaker 2: the Galapagos Islands as a cameraman. 201 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 3: Ah. 202 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 4: Now William Beebe was, if you'll recalled the was he 203 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 4: a marine biologist. He was a researcher who got down 204 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 4: into a basically a gigantic metal ball that just was 205 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 4: dangled down deep into the ocean to see what kind 206 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,960 Speaker 4: of life could be observed through a tiny window in 207 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 4: this ball at depths that had never before been documented firsthand. Yeah, 208 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 4: the bathosphere horrifying because this ball had no means of 209 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 4: self propulsion. It was not a submersible, It was not 210 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 4: a submarine. It was just a hollow metal sphere and 211 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 4: dangling by a chain. So if the chain breaks, you 212 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 4: just sink to the bottom of the ocean. 213 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 2: Yes, but he was as we discussed in past episodes 214 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 2: of Stuff to Blow your Mind. He was also notable 215 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 2: because he tended to surround himself not only with technicians 216 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:18,080 Speaker 2: on these expeditions, but also artists like people who could 217 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 2: write about it, people who could illustrate what was going on. 218 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:26,199 Speaker 2: And it turns out showed Saq was one of the 219 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:29,199 Speaker 2: creatives that he brought a board to document the work. 220 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 2: At least on one of the expeditions. 221 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 4: Now, I think the bathisphere of observations were not in 222 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 4: the Galapago, so that was somewhere in the Atlantic of itself, 223 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:38,160 Speaker 4: what Bermuda or somewhere in the Bahamas. 224 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, I believe. So this would have been a Yeah, 225 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 2: this would have been a different journey. But still it's 226 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,559 Speaker 2: wonderful how these two came together. I wasn't expecting him 227 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:47,959 Speaker 2: to come up in this. So anyway, from here showed 228 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 2: Sack and Cooper. They go on to produce a natural 229 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 2: drama titled Chang, a drama of the wilderness from twenty 230 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:56,680 Speaker 2: set in nineteen twenty seven. This earned a nomination for 231 00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:01,040 Speaker 2: Best Picture at the very first Academy Awards. He then 232 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 2: directed The Four Feathers in nineteen twenty nine, based on 233 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 2: the nineteen oh two novel, shot in California and the Sudan. 234 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 2: And then he shot Rango in Sumatra, which is a 235 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 2: film about and this just sounds like super ambitious for 236 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 2: any filmmaker because it's about a boy and a rangutang 237 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 2: and a tiger, filmed in thirty one. Again, then he 238 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 2: shot The Most Dangerous Game in thirty two. 239 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 4: Oh, okay, wait, didn't we just talk about no We 240 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 4: talked about Ernest Dickerson's Survivor is it Surviving the Game? 241 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 3: Surviving the Game? 242 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 4: Yep, the Iced Tea movie, which is sort of based 243 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 4: on the similar concept the novella or novel The Most 244 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 4: Dangerous Game, which is about a human who hunts men. 245 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 2: Yes, and so it's been popular for a while. It's 246 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 2: one of those stories that's going to keep getting adapted 247 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 2: in one form or the other. Now, from here, Showtek 248 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 2: and Cooper moved on to what would be the most 249 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 2: famous motion picture that they worked on, and that was 250 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 2: King Kong of nineteen thirty three, and then they followed 251 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:02,199 Speaker 2: this up with The Sun of Kong, which also came 252 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,679 Speaker 2: out in nineteen thirty three, And then they did they 253 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 2: also did a movie titled Blind Adventure, which also came 254 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 2: out in nineteen thirty three. 255 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 3: So it was quite for these. 256 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 4: Two regular Roger Corman over here. This is like Roger 257 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 4: Corman's in nineteen fifty seven or whatever your year it 258 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 4: was that he made like fourteen movies. 259 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, so yeah, an impressive year. They were really 260 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 2: just firing on all cylinders. Now, in nineteen thirty five, 261 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 2: they made a film titled The Last Days of POMPEII, 262 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 2: and this was ultimately, at least a commercially a failed 263 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:37,200 Speaker 2: attempt at an historical epic. So after this, you know, 264 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 2: they were kind of I guess in some version of 265 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 2: director's jail. He ended up doing smaller pictures. But then 266 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 2: he got another shot at a big genre film, a 267 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 2: special effects feature, and that is nineteen forty's Doctor Cyclops. 268 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:53,959 Speaker 2: And Cooper was an uncredited producer on this film. Now, 269 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 2: of course we'll get back to Selector Cyclops in depth here. 270 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 2: But World War II broke out and Shoudzak was, like 271 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 2: a lot of people sucked into the war machine anew 272 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 2: and while testing photographic equipment at high altitude for the 273 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 2: US Army Air Corps, he suffered a severe eye injury. 274 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:14,840 Speaker 2: I was trying to get like a firm account of it. 275 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 2: If there's a good biography about Shodzak, I wasn't able 276 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 2: to find one, like a you know, like a book 277 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 2: length biography. I believe what happened is he accidentally dropped 278 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 2: his face mask. And I'm a little foggy on the 279 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 2: exact nature of what the injury was. If we're talking about, like, 280 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 2: you know, some sort of a light blast based injury 281 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 2: or of its pressure based, but the end result was 282 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 2: severely damaged his eyesight, and he only directed a couple 283 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 2: of additional films. Really only one notable film after that, 284 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 2: and this was Mighty Joe Young in nineteen forty nine, 285 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 2: which featured OSCAR winning special effects by O'Brien and Ray 286 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 2: Harry Housen. Oh god, yeah, yeah, so another big name. 287 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 2: And then he finally directed a portion of This Is 288 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 2: Cinerama in nineteen fifty two, uncredited to promote the Cinerama 289 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 2: widescreen projection process. But that was pretty much yet like 290 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:10,400 Speaker 2: after this eye injury, you know, he just wasn't able 291 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 2: and or you know, or didn't want to direct. I 292 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:14,720 Speaker 2: think it was, you know, more about ability. And then 293 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 2: he died in nineteen seventy nine. Cooper died in nineteen 294 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 2: seventy three. He did a bit more work after Mighty 295 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 2: Joe Young came out, including serving as executive producer on 296 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty six as The Searchers, directed by John Ford 297 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 2: and starring, of course John Wayne. 298 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 4: This is a fantastic coincidence how this story about his 299 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 4: damaged eyesight connects to the plot of Doctor Cyclops. It 300 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 4: almost makes me wonder do you know what exactly the 301 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 4: time of his injury was. Could it have been before 302 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 4: Doctor Cyclops or was it after? 303 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:50,560 Speaker 2: I believe that's the weird thing about this. I've not 304 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 2: been able to find like a firm date for this injury, 305 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,920 Speaker 2: you know, like a statement, you know, in this year 306 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 2: or in this month, this is when showed Sack suffered 307 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 2: the eye injury. It's it's my understanding that that the 308 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 2: the eye injury occurred after Doctor Cyclops. 309 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 4: Wow. Because so we'll get into this a little bit 310 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 4: more when we discussed the plot, But one of the 311 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 4: main uh situation points of Doctor Cyclops is that the 312 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 4: the titular doctor uh doctor Thorkel is a is a 313 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 4: brilliant scientist, but he's limited by damage to his eyes. 314 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 4: He has got poor eyesight already and relies on these 315 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 4: really thick glasses. 316 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 3: Yeah. 317 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 2: So this is this is just mysterious to me, Like 318 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 2: it's either an amazing coincidence or I have it wrong 319 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 2: and there is more connective tissue here, like you know, 320 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,400 Speaker 2: maybe he had you know, previously damaged his eyes in 321 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 2: some fashion, or his eyesight was already fading. I'm not 322 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 2: sure you know what the answer is here, but as 323 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 2: it turns out, like his actual biography and the and 324 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 2: some of the plot elements in Doctor Cyclops do line up. 325 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 4: Now, he did not write Doctor Cyclops though. 326 00:16:58,080 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 3: Correct right. 327 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 2: Doctor Cyclops was and by a writer by the name 328 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 2: of Tom Kilpatrick who lived eighteen ninety eight through nineteen 329 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 2: sixty two, and you can look him up on IMDb. 330 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 2: But basically he wrote various crime in Western screenplays and 331 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 2: tell a plays, but nothing that really jumped out to 332 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 2: me personally. 333 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 4: I mean, the script here is not really anything to 334 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 4: write home about, except in the skillful way that it 335 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 4: string that it efficiently strings together excellent special effects set pieces. 336 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 4: But you're not going to like run into interesting character 337 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:32,200 Speaker 4: development or like super witty dialogue in this movie. This 338 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 4: is a very much a sets and special effects driven film. 339 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 4: But I will give the script credit for connecting each 340 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:41,920 Speaker 4: one of those things to the next in a very 341 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,159 Speaker 4: fast paced and enjoyable way. 342 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, well, let's talk about Doctor Thorkel. In 343 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,399 Speaker 2: this film, he is played by an actor by the 344 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 2: name of Albert Decker who lived nineteen oh five through 345 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 2: nineteen sixty eight. He was a Broadway star turn film actor, 346 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:00,560 Speaker 2: and later in his life he served on the California 347 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 2: State Legislature and largely transitioned back to stage in his 348 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:09,240 Speaker 2: later career. He often played aggressive characters, and this is 349 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:11,919 Speaker 2: probably due to his great size. So he was he 350 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 2: was six two, which granted isn't like super tall, but 351 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:18,120 Speaker 2: it's that's I mean, it's reasonably tall. I'm six two 352 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 2: or so, and I bought my head way too often. 353 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 4: It's big in this movie. 354 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:24,159 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think part of that too is that 355 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 2: not only is he six two, but he's he's got 356 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 2: kind of a thick physique, like not you know, not 357 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 2: obese or anything, but like he's he looks at he 358 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:35,119 Speaker 2: has this kind of he looks kind of beefy, especially 359 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 2: for a mad scientist in a movie. 360 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:38,159 Speaker 3: Usually they're a bit. 361 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 2: Scrawnier, and like doctor Thorkel looks like he could really 362 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 2: throw down. 363 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 4: You would not want to tangle with Thorkel, right. 364 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,959 Speaker 2: So, yeah, this guy, Albert Decker played him. Notable roles 365 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,160 Speaker 2: for him include roles in Kiss Me Deadly, and East 366 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:58,400 Speaker 2: of Eden, which was fifty five I believe, as well 367 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:00,719 Speaker 2: as his his last film role, which was in nineteen 368 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:02,880 Speaker 2: sixty nine's The Wild Bunch. Ah. 369 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:06,239 Speaker 4: Yeah, the hyper violent Sam peckinpah movie in which I 370 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,359 Speaker 4: think he plays. He plays some kind of like railroad 371 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 4: policeman or like a railway detective. He's hunting the outlaws 372 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 4: in the movie. If I recall. 373 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,480 Speaker 2: Ah, it's one that I have. Somehow I managed to 374 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 2: get through my twenties and thirties without seeing The Wild Bunch. 375 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 4: It is a dusty, dirty, nasty, violent movie. It makes 376 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,520 Speaker 4: you need a bath. In fact, I would say the 377 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,200 Speaker 4: full vibe of that movie is summed up in one exchange. 378 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:37,880 Speaker 4: The outlaws arrive at the compound of this powerful guy 379 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 4: and the guy says to them, like, you're filthy, you 380 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:43,360 Speaker 4: need baths. And one of the outlaws says, we don't 381 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 4: want baths, we want women. 382 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 3: It sounds delightful. 383 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 4: One sentence that communicates a lot. 384 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,400 Speaker 2: All right, well in this film. Yeah, Like we've said, 385 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 2: he's delightful. He's got this wonderful, imposing physical presence. He's 386 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,440 Speaker 2: got these you know, these scheming eyes that are accentuated 387 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 2: by his his his glasses, bald head in evil mustache. 388 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 2: And I have to say he was reminding me of 389 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:15,439 Speaker 2: somebody as I was watching this, and I figured out 390 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,399 Speaker 2: who it is. It's British actor Julian Barrett, who mighty 391 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:21,920 Speaker 2: Boosche fans out there. You might recognize him as the 392 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 2: actor who played Howard Moon, but he also showed up 393 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 2: on Dark Place with Darth Morangi. 394 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,920 Speaker 4: As a priest, okay, and he also. 395 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,360 Speaker 2: Was in something recently he was. He was the titular 396 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 2: character in Mindhorn, which I've heard good things about. 397 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:39,639 Speaker 4: I never caught him in Dark Place, but I should 398 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:42,719 Speaker 4: go back and watch that whole series again in one sitting. 399 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:47,040 Speaker 2: It's ironically it is the ape heavy episode I believe. 400 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:48,360 Speaker 4: Oh interesting. 401 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:54,160 Speaker 2: So anyway, Howard Moon or Julian Barrett same height as 402 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 2: as Albert Decker, and I feel like Doctor Thorkel could 403 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 2: have easily been a Julian Barrett character. I included a 404 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 2: photos here if you can compare the two like they 405 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:08,680 Speaker 2: they have very similar physicality, facial features. Both are prone 406 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:12,119 Speaker 2: to wearing a mustache, so I include that for what 407 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 2: it's worth. 408 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:16,480 Speaker 4: Yes, I can see and like Doctor Thorkel, he's gonna 409 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:17,400 Speaker 4: hurt you real bad. 410 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 3: All right. 411 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 2: So there are other humans in this film, and we'll 412 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 2: touch on them with in less detail because there's not 413 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 2: much else for non Doctor Thorkel characters to do in 414 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 2: this film. 415 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 4: I mean, I would say they execute their functions correctly, 416 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:38,119 Speaker 4: which is to move the plot from one fantastic set 417 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,760 Speaker 4: and prop sort of extravaganza to another. 418 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,200 Speaker 2: Yes, and do so, you know, with a serious look 419 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 2: on their face. So the first one to mention here 420 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,800 Speaker 2: is Thomas Coley, who plays Bill Stockton. He lived nineteen 421 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 2: thirteen through nineteen eighty nine. This was his very first 422 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,880 Speaker 2: film role, followed by mostly a lot of TV work. 423 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:04,400 Speaker 2: His part partner was actor and writer William Roorick. And 424 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 2: Roorick was a theater actor on Broadway who is also 425 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:09,879 Speaker 2: in Not of This Earth. 426 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 4: Oh wow, So that was the nineteen fifty seven Roger 427 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 4: Korman movie that we have covered on a previous episode 428 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 4: of Weird House Cinema. It was, I believe, the b 429 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,159 Speaker 4: side to Attack of the Crab Monsters. So if in 430 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,439 Speaker 4: fifty seven you went out to a drive in theater 431 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 4: to watch a sci fi double feature, you may well 432 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 4: have seen Attack of the Crab Monsters and then Not 433 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 4: of This Earth with this guy what was his name again, 434 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 4: William Roick? 435 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:36,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, William Roorick. 436 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 4: He was the doctor in the movie. I think, not 437 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 4: to be mean, I think we did not draw a 438 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 4: lot of attention to his performance in the movie, because 439 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 4: there's not much to say about it except his character. 440 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 4: If you recall, he played doctor Rochelle, who was the 441 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:54,399 Speaker 4: blood clinic doctor who gets hypnotized by the alien so 442 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,400 Speaker 4: that he's unable to talk about the alien's blood condition. 443 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,159 Speaker 4: So other characters, you know, they'd be sitting at a 444 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:04,159 Speaker 4: table in a restaurant and the other characters would be like, 445 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 4: don't you think it's strange that that man had alien blood? 446 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 4: And Doctor Rochelle would be like, you guys, want to 447 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 4: get some appetizers. 448 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 3: Yeah. 449 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:16,959 Speaker 2: Yes, I wasn't the most memorable of roles. But Rorick 450 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,960 Speaker 2: was in a number of interesting films, though several of 451 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 2: which I've seen. He was in God Told Me To 452 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 2: This was the with the Larry Cohen film about alien Messiah's. 453 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 2: He was in Day of the Dolphin. He was in 454 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 2: The Wasp Woman. And he was a friend. This is 455 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 2: interesting biographically. He was a friend of author I m 456 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 2: Forrester and Coley and Rorick, apparently they call it. They 457 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 2: would like, you know, entertain him when he was in town, 458 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 2: that sort of thing. They'd go out and see shows 459 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:48,560 Speaker 2: and stuff. But yeah, that's the connect they're all connected 460 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 2: here to Cooley. Coley is the one in this film, 461 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 2: not Rorick, but the two of them apparently collaborated on 462 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,640 Speaker 2: various projects over the course of their careers and lives together. 463 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:00,640 Speaker 4: Coley plays the the like sort of lead of interest 464 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 4: in the movie. He's the only character who's hunky enough 465 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,960 Speaker 4: to potentially end up falling in love with the one 466 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:10,000 Speaker 4: female character, so you kind of know what's going to happen. 467 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:13,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a very g golly role. And again, this 468 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,439 Speaker 2: was his first screen role to boot, so the results 469 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,440 Speaker 2: are very wooden. There's just not much to this part here, 470 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 2: but that still seems like you had an interesting life 471 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 2: and career. All right, let's talk about what the sole 472 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:29,680 Speaker 2: female character in this film. The character is doctor Mary Robinson. 473 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 2: The actor is Janie Logan. She was born in nineteen 474 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 2: fifteen died in nineteen sixty five. She only appeared in 475 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 2: six films, and this was her third. But here here's 476 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 2: again a nice connection to the previous episode of Weird 477 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 2: House Cinema. Her last two film roles were both Mexican 478 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 2: films directed by Renee Cardona. 479 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 4: The director of Santo in the Treasure of Dracula. 480 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 2: Exactly yes, a major name in Mexican cinema, so both 481 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 2: were of these films were from nineteen forty four. One 482 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 2: the translated name is The Black Ace and the other 483 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:07,359 Speaker 2: is Summer Hotel, and I was looking this up. The 484 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:11,760 Speaker 2: Black Ace also featured a Dutch occultist and magician named 485 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:16,199 Speaker 2: David Tobias Bamberg who built himself as Fu Manchu and 486 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 2: Bamberg also co wrote it. But yeah, which I don't know. 487 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 2: It sounds like he was sort of an occult star 488 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,159 Speaker 2: or would be star of the day, and so he 489 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 2: just I guess he wound up in Mexico City and 490 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:29,840 Speaker 2: was like, hey, let's do a movie. 491 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:31,439 Speaker 3: Anyway. 492 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:35,160 Speaker 2: Logan is also rather wooden in this role, but it's 493 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 2: not like the film gives her much to do other 494 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 2: than scurry around and try not to be grabbed by 495 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:42,399 Speaker 2: giant hands or eaten by giant cats. Then we have 496 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,400 Speaker 2: the character of doctor Bullfinch played by Charles Halton who 497 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 2: lived eighteen seventy six through nineteen fifty nine, actor of 498 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 2: stage in film. I would say he has a little 499 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,680 Speaker 2: more to do in this. He's actually pretty funny because 500 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 2: he's this stuck up professor through and through even after 501 00:25:57,119 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 2: he's been reduced to a tiny human wearing a handkerchief toe. 502 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 4: Yeah. He refuses a lot of things in the movie, 503 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 4: Like he's constantly being told to do things and saying like. 504 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 2: I refuse yes on scientific grounds, Doctor Thalkel. I absolutely, yeah, 505 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:12,360 Speaker 2: that kind of thing. 506 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, let's see. 507 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 2: Then we have the character of Steve Baker, played by 508 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,200 Speaker 2: Victor Achillian who lived eighteen ninety one through nineteen seventy nine. 509 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 2: He was in films like Only Angels Have Wings and 510 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:28,160 Speaker 2: the ox Bow Incident. He wound up blacklisted from Hollywood, 511 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,359 Speaker 2: presumably for political beliefs, but he ended up doing a 512 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:33,959 Speaker 2: lot of TV and stage work instead after that. And 513 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:36,600 Speaker 2: I mean he's all right in this He's also it's 514 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 2: a very typical type of performance and role for this 515 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 2: time period. 516 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 4: He's the mule guy. He's all about the mules. 517 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:47,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right. Next, we have an actor by the 518 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,919 Speaker 2: name of Frank Jacanelli who plays the character Pedro. 519 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:53,399 Speaker 3: So. 520 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 2: This guy lived eighteen ninety eight through nineteen sixty five. 521 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 3: He was an. 522 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 2: Italian born World War One vat who became a natralized 523 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:03,479 Speaker 2: US citizen, and he was a vaudeville performer later a 524 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,719 Speaker 2: USO tour manager. He played a lot of Italian characters, 525 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:10,480 Speaker 2: as one might admit, but he also expect rather but 526 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 2: he also seemed to have a lot of roles in 527 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 2: films playing stereotypical Mexican characters, And in this film he 528 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 2: plays Pedro, which is very much a goofy stereotype character. 529 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:24,719 Speaker 4: Yeah, they don't say what nationality Pedro is supposed to be, 530 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 4: but he is playing a Latin American character, Pedro, who, 531 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,440 Speaker 4: at least definitely in the first half of the movie 532 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:33,760 Speaker 4: movie is the butt of some jokes yeah about like 533 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:36,399 Speaker 4: trying to find his lost horse, which has actually been 534 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:37,640 Speaker 4: shrunken with a shrink ray. 535 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:41,959 Speaker 2: Yeah, so you know, this was a you know, a 536 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 2: casting situation that definitely made me sigh a bit. But 537 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,479 Speaker 2: if you want to know more about Jack and Ellie, 538 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:53,639 Speaker 2: I did find a page on Bewesterns dot com like 539 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 2: bee Hyphenwesterns dot com that that has like seems to 540 00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:59,440 Speaker 2: be the only place I could find online. Like you 541 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 2: can only much of a biography of him on IMDb, 542 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 2: but this site gets a little more into like his 543 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 2: what kind of audeville acts he was involved in, and 544 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,239 Speaker 2: he did seem to kind of make a career in 545 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 2: places out of playing a Mexican stereotype, and certainly that's 546 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 2: what more or less he's doing in this film. Now, 547 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 2: another interesting character that is involved in this film ultimately uncredited, 548 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 2: but there's a guy by the name of Charles Gemora 549 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 2: who lived nineteen oh three through nineteen sixty one, and 550 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:32,000 Speaker 2: he's an uncredited makeup artist on this film. Were you 551 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,440 Speaker 2: familiar with this guy before, Joe. 552 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 4: Well, I guess by his work, but not by name. 553 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:39,680 Speaker 2: Okay, So he was born in the Philippines. He was 554 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 2: a Hollywood makeup artist who became known as the King 555 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 2: of the Gorilla Men. And it's interesting how this came 556 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 2: to be, Like, apparently he's a guy who would he 557 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 2: would hang around outside the studio and he would he 558 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 2: would offer to paint for you or draw for you, 559 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 2: like he had sort of an innate and I'm guessing 560 00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 2: kind of like self taught artistic ability. And of course 561 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 2: people eventually notice this and they're like, Oh, bring this 562 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:03,880 Speaker 2: guy in, we got some stuff to paint. Let's get 563 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 2: him going. And I guess he was up for anything. 564 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 2: And at one point in one of these films they 565 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:13,000 Speaker 2: busted out a gorilla suit and he's like Hey, that 566 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 2: should be me. I'm the right just the right height. 567 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:19,120 Speaker 2: I've got the physicality to carry this heavy suit. Let 568 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 2: me get in there. And so that's what he did. 569 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:23,960 Speaker 2: And aside to doing a lot of he did a 570 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 2: lot of monster makeup in other films. But he has 571 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 2: and he has sixty makeup credits on IMDb, but he 572 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 2: also has sixty acting credits, most of which are playing 573 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 2: gorillas wearing gorilla costumes. And so if I do recommend 574 00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 2: looking him up because it's kind of amazing, Like, if 575 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 2: there was a gorilla costume in a film, this was 576 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 2: often the guy that was wearing it. In addition to 577 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 2: some you know, aliens here and there, he definitely did 578 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 2: some alien costumes and other kind of like humanoid monster costumes, 579 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 2: but his specialty was the gorilla costume. 580 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 4: Oh and I see what do you know? He's in 581 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 4: at least one adaptation of The Murders in the Room Morgue. 582 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:02,760 Speaker 2: Yeah. In addition to being an actor and an artist, 583 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 2: he was also an inventor and he held actually held 584 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 2: a couple of patents, including a I would look these 585 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,280 Speaker 2: up on Google scholar, a sanitary pad holder, and a 586 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:12,240 Speaker 2: tissue dispenser. 587 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 3: Wow. 588 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:17,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, so interesting fella. Now again he was just a 589 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:19,400 Speaker 2: you know, makeup guy in this The two main special 590 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 2: effects names were of Farcio Edward and Gordon Jennings. These 591 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 2: were the two that were nominated for an Oscar for 592 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:31,720 Speaker 2: the special effects in this film for the thirteenth Academy Awards. 593 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 2: Now they ultimately lost to the Thief of Baghdad. But 594 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:39,760 Speaker 2: these are some impressive special effects. Like we said, they're 595 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,080 Speaker 2: impressive for their time. It's not the first time that 596 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 2: we see miniaturized humans or giant animals in a film. 597 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 2: Certainly Todd Browning's nineteen thirty six film The Devil Doll 598 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,800 Speaker 2: predates it, but this film makes some impressive use of 599 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 2: supersized sets, giant hands, creative combinations of footage. 600 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:01,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, the special effects in this film are really top notch. 601 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 4: I was trying to think of earlier examples of really 602 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,720 Speaker 4: good looking special effects for miniaturized humans, and I recall 603 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:09,680 Speaker 4: the main example I could think of. There are the 604 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 4: excellent shrunken human effects in Bride of Frankenstein. Oh Yes, 605 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:18,080 Speaker 4: by James Whale, which was released in nineteen thirty five. Now, 606 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:20,600 Speaker 4: you might remember in that movie when we first meet, 607 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:23,719 Speaker 4: you could argue the villain of the film. Doctor Septimus 608 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:28,320 Speaker 4: Pretorius also just one of my favorite mad scientists in movies, 609 00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 4: Doctor Thorkel and doctor Septimus Pretorious. They're really up there 610 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 4: in the canons of mad science in the first few 611 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,600 Speaker 4: decades of studio motion pictures. 612 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 2: I love doctor Pretorius because in the Frankenstein film Brida Frankenstein, 613 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:44,960 Speaker 2: he's such a mad science enabler. 614 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:45,240 Speaker 3: You know. 615 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 2: Yes, Frankenstein is like, I can't do it anymore. I'm 616 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:50,200 Speaker 2: emotionally rotted from that last film, and he's like, no, no, 617 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 2: we've got to get you back in there. We've got 618 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 2: to get you back in there. You can do it. 619 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:54,880 Speaker 3: Let's do some evil. 620 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:59,160 Speaker 4: There's also a great part in right of Frankenstein where 621 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 4: we see doctor doctor Pretorious just going down into a 622 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,880 Speaker 4: crypt just to have like a midnight snack. Like he 623 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 4: goes down into a crypt at night for a picnic. 624 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 4: He lays out a spread with like food and wine 625 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,480 Speaker 4: and stuff on a big tombstone. It's wonderful. 626 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:16,680 Speaker 3: Oh man, I forgot about that part. 627 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, but I think it's like, right when we first 628 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,320 Speaker 4: meet doctor Pretorius in the movie, I think, what is it, 629 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 4: who is it who's playing doctor Frankenstein in the movie. 630 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 4: Is it Colin Clive, Yes. 631 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 3: That's Cly. 632 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,880 Speaker 4: Yeah. So he's meeting with Colin Clive and he's like 633 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:34,280 Speaker 4: showing off his latest work, which are these jars of 634 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:38,480 Speaker 4: homemade homunculi. So he's got like tiny humans in jars, 635 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,440 Speaker 4: and I think he has like a tiny king in 636 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 4: one glass vial, and a tiny queen and another. I 637 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:48,480 Speaker 4: don't really recall the special effect relating to the plot much. 638 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 4: Maybe I'm forgetting how it connects, but it no. 639 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:53,400 Speaker 2: It doesn't really. It's just like, look at what I 640 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:56,920 Speaker 2: can do. Yeah, I'm pretty great. You're you're great. Let's 641 00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 2: work together and you will do great mad science things. 642 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 3: Well. 643 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:02,360 Speaker 4: Yeah, it seems like one of those things that I 644 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:07,360 Speaker 4: suspect often happened in early special effects driven movies like this, 645 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:10,720 Speaker 4: which is that somebody had figured out how to do 646 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 4: a certain kind of effect in a way that looked good, 647 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 4: so you just find a way to work it into 648 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:17,800 Speaker 4: the movie. It's like, well, we can do it, why 649 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:22,920 Speaker 4: not do it? So let's get a homunculus in this movie. Yeah, 650 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 4: And I didn't look deep into it. But as a 651 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 4: side note, I think those homunculous effects in Bride of 652 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 4: Frankenstein were done by John Fulton and David Horseley, and 653 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 4: that was it was done by like combining different different shots, 654 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:38,200 Speaker 4: so you'd have a you know, a shot of people 655 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 4: inside full sized glass jars with a certain kind of background, 656 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 4: and then that was matted over the full shot, you know, 657 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:49,520 Speaker 4: at normal distance, with the actors looking huge in comparison. 658 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:01,400 Speaker 2: All right, well, let's get into the plot of Doctor Cyclops. 659 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:04,720 Speaker 4: Okay, here's the full plot breakdown. You know, we always 660 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 4: have to comment on the opening credits, and this movie 661 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 4: also has excellent opening credits. Like a lot of the 662 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:16,000 Speaker 4: weird older movies we have watched, I feel like opening 663 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:20,040 Speaker 4: credits used to be really cool for weird sci fi movies, 664 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:23,320 Speaker 4: and then they got kind of whatever, you know, it 665 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:26,360 Speaker 4: just be some like words on the starfield background for 666 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 4: a few decades, and then they just started doing away 667 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:30,400 Speaker 4: with opening credits altogether. 668 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:33,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, but for a while, certainly in this age, it 669 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:35,680 Speaker 2: feels like the opening credits were treated like the poster, 670 00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 2: you know, as if you might be walking by the 671 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:42,480 Speaker 2: projection screen and deciding whether you're going to stop and 672 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:44,600 Speaker 2: finish watching. I mean, that's the ultimate weird I guess 673 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:47,360 Speaker 2: you get in the audience revd up. But it's like 674 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,719 Speaker 2: they've already paid their money, they're already in the seat, 675 00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:52,439 Speaker 2: They're they're clearly they're not going to walk out yet, 676 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:55,799 Speaker 2: but I guess it's about just preparing them for what's 677 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 2: to come. 678 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 4: Well, there's actually a kind of visual continuity from the 679 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 4: open credits to the opening scene in this movie, because 680 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,640 Speaker 4: you've got While the credits are rolling, there is this 681 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:09,799 Speaker 4: flickering light effect that creates a kind of auroral unease 682 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,719 Speaker 4: that is then replicated again once you get to the 683 00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:16,800 Speaker 4: opening scene. It's like the same shimmering flickering light effect 684 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:20,640 Speaker 4: carries over into the scene of a bald man in 685 00:35:20,719 --> 00:35:24,440 Speaker 4: welding goggles who is leaning over a table examining a 686 00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:28,040 Speaker 4: fluorescent green tube in a room lit by this shimmering 687 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:32,239 Speaker 4: green light. And of course this is doctor Thorkel, and 688 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,759 Speaker 4: the movie gets right to it because his colleague Mendoza 689 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 4: enters the room, and of course, I my brain every 690 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:41,320 Speaker 4: time somebody said Mendoza, my brain kept going to the Simpsons. 691 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 4: But his colleague Mendoza enters the room and he says 692 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:49,000 Speaker 4: to doctor Thorkel, how much longer will you struggle before 693 00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:52,280 Speaker 4: you realize you can't do it, and thor Kel says, 694 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:55,560 Speaker 4: no longer, my dear Mendoza, because I have done it. 695 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:59,359 Speaker 4: Look for yourself. So, you know, they examine what it 696 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:01,920 Speaker 4: is that thor Keeke has been looking at, and Mendoza 697 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,920 Speaker 4: is aghast. He has shaken. Thorkel says, there should be 698 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,799 Speaker 4: sufficient radium to tear it to shreds, and yet it's 699 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:11,800 Speaker 4: still alive. And we don't know what they're talking about. 700 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,839 Speaker 4: But Mendoza is horrified. He's terrified of the power of 701 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,759 Speaker 4: whatever they've discovered. And he says, he starts saying like, 702 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 4: you must destroy your slides, you must burn your notes. 703 00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:28,200 Speaker 4: And then we get some classic backstory through utterly implausible dialogue, 704 00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:30,839 Speaker 4: you know, and somebody says something to another character that 705 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:33,279 Speaker 4: that person would have no occasion to say to them, 706 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:37,480 Speaker 4: just obviously for the benefit of the audience. So Mendoza says, 707 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 4: when I discovered this gigantic radium deposit, I first thought 708 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:45,799 Speaker 4: of you, doctor Thorkel, my teacher of doctor Thorkel, the 709 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:49,239 Speaker 4: great biologist. I sent for you to counsel me. I 710 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:52,799 Speaker 4: began to imagine here in the jungle, the Thorkel Institute, 711 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:56,040 Speaker 4: a palace of healing to which all might come, and 712 00:36:56,120 --> 00:36:58,719 Speaker 4: it was very much like Grandpa Seth has been dead 713 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:01,359 Speaker 4: for three weeks now. It's been hard on all of us, 714 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:02,920 Speaker 4: including me his daughter. 715 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 2: That is correct Joe, my podcast partner who has podcasted 716 00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:07,439 Speaker 2: with me for many years. 717 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:13,960 Speaker 4: At this point, but Thorkel is immediately dismissive of Mendoza's concerns. 718 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,560 Speaker 4: He's like, you know, bah, we now have the very 719 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,920 Speaker 4: cosmic force of creation itself. We can shape life like clay. 720 00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:24,800 Speaker 4: And then Mendoza again with the classic sci fi movie line. 721 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:28,320 Speaker 4: He says, you are tampering with powers reserved to God, 722 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 4: which is almost verbatim the last line of Bride the 723 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:34,359 Speaker 4: Monster by Ed Wood. You remember that. 724 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:35,960 Speaker 3: Part, Yeah, yeah, I think so. 725 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:40,759 Speaker 4: The movie with Bella Legosi and Tor Johnson. And at 726 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:44,239 Speaker 4: the end of the movie, Bella's mansion explodes. I don't 727 00:37:44,239 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 4: remember why. There's a giant octopus attack and the mansion explodes, 728 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:51,160 Speaker 4: and then a guy just kind of soberly looks at 729 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:54,040 Speaker 4: the camera and says he tampered in God's domain. 730 00:37:56,120 --> 00:37:58,320 Speaker 2: So Mendoza is like, we shouldn't tamper in God's domain. 731 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:01,479 Speaker 2: But doctor Thorkel was like, yeah, that's what we're doing 732 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:02,720 Speaker 2: and we're gonna do it. 733 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:06,400 Speaker 4: He literally says. He says, like you're tampering with powers 734 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:08,760 Speaker 4: were served to God. And Thorkel says, that is good, 735 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 4: that is just what I am doing. And so Mendoza 736 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:15,919 Speaker 4: tries to forbid it, but Thorkel he's tasted the God 737 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,480 Speaker 4: power now and there's no going back. So it is 738 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:22,000 Speaker 4: time to murder. And the Mendoza murder is a very 739 00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:26,759 Speaker 4: cool scene. I thought. Thorkel shoves Mendoza's head through this 740 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:30,319 Speaker 4: radioactive green tube he's been looking at, and then there's 741 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:35,040 Speaker 4: a photographic effect where Mendoza's face is just gradually layered 742 00:38:35,239 --> 00:38:36,760 Speaker 4: over by skull paint. 743 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:37,680 Speaker 3: I like that. 744 00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:41,280 Speaker 2: It's a weird scene. Apparently this one was removed from 745 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:44,520 Speaker 2: some TV airings of the film, so I don't know 746 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:46,279 Speaker 2: if they found it, like maybe it was for time 747 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:49,080 Speaker 2: or it was just considered too graphic. There is a 748 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 2: like a severity to it, like it firmly establishes doctor 749 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:57,640 Speaker 2: Thorkel as a guy who will murder for you know, 750 00:38:57,680 --> 00:39:00,560 Speaker 2: for for his science. And we'll really not think it's 751 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:02,680 Speaker 2: not like there was a struggle or some sort of accidents. 752 00:39:02,680 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 2: It wasn't one of those situations where oh, I've stumbled 753 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:07,920 Speaker 2: into murder and now this is who I am. He's like, 754 00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:10,239 Speaker 2: got to kill you now, and he does it right. 755 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:13,200 Speaker 4: So next we cut to some guys in a fancy 756 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:15,880 Speaker 4: study and it's a room that sort of reminds me 757 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:19,160 Speaker 4: of M's office in the Sean Connery James Bond movies. 758 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:22,399 Speaker 4: But weirdly, despite what you might assume about the sort 759 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:26,239 Speaker 4: of pipe tobacco drabness of such an environment, the first 760 00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:29,680 Speaker 4: thing I couldn't ignore was how much the colors drip 761 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:32,800 Speaker 4: just in this scene in a study. Because the opening 762 00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:36,600 Speaker 4: scene is very much shimmering green and black. It's actually 763 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:39,360 Speaker 4: sort of closer to the look of the two color 764 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:42,400 Speaker 4: Technicolor range in Doctor X, which we watched for a 765 00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:45,359 Speaker 4: previous episode. Remember how that whole movie was very had 766 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:48,840 Speaker 4: a kind of diseased green and orange palette without the 767 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:52,239 Speaker 4: full range of a full color Technicolor. This has all 768 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:54,839 Speaker 4: the colors. Now now that we're in the office, and 769 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:57,960 Speaker 4: the greens, the reds, blue, and orange, the color is 770 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:02,920 Speaker 4: almost violent and it is really beautiful, Pops. But anyway, 771 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,880 Speaker 4: so we're in the study now and these two stuffy 772 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:10,319 Speaker 4: old guys are discussing attempts by Thorkel to recruit them 773 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:14,080 Speaker 4: by mail for research at his remote institute in the Amazon. 774 00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:16,040 Speaker 4: I think it's supposed to be in Peru. And this 775 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:18,680 Speaker 4: is doctor Bullfinch we're meeting. He's one of these two 776 00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:21,759 Speaker 4: guys here and they're discussing the pros and cons of 777 00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:25,920 Speaker 4: joining doctor Thorkel's jungle institute. Pros are that he is 778 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:28,960 Speaker 4: the greatest living biologist, so be good to work with him. 779 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:33,480 Speaker 4: Cons are at he's a strange man, secretive about his experiments. 780 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:37,000 Speaker 4: You already get the impression that these guys suspect he 781 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:41,640 Speaker 4: may kill them. And I love the strong vibe from 782 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 4: the very beginning that this is going to be like 783 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:46,920 Speaker 4: the fire Festival of scientific research. It's just like lure 784 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:50,160 Speaker 4: everybody to a remote location and then just watch it 785 00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:51,000 Speaker 4: all go to hell. 786 00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:51,720 Speaker 3: Yeah. 787 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:54,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty obvious where this is, at least in general, 788 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:57,440 Speaker 2: where this is going, like mad scientist is up to 789 00:40:57,480 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 2: bad stuff in the middle of nowhere, where where they're 790 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:02,839 Speaker 2: there is no law but his own. Let's go, let's 791 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:04,440 Speaker 2: go hang out with him and see what happens. 792 00:41:04,719 --> 00:41:07,279 Speaker 4: Yeah, and then there's a sort of recruiting montage. 793 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,480 Speaker 2: These scenes are they're brief there's not much to them. Yeah, 794 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:14,200 Speaker 2: it's kind of like, hey, if you paid your hotel bill, no, well, 795 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:16,399 Speaker 2: better join up with us then, right. 796 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:18,560 Speaker 4: So we get doctor Bullfinch, and then we get doctor 797 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,839 Speaker 4: Mary Robinson, who's writing a letter saying she's joining the team. 798 00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:26,520 Speaker 4: I think letter, yeah, I think the letter says something 799 00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:32,239 Speaker 4: like should should be no problem or something. And then 800 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:35,279 Speaker 4: we see the recruitment of a good for nothing, deadbeat 801 00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:39,520 Speaker 4: geologist named doctor Bill Stockton. This is the guy played 802 00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:42,200 Speaker 4: by Thomas Coley, and he has pulled in on the 803 00:41:42,239 --> 00:41:46,239 Speaker 4: promise of having his mini IOUs remitted. So when we 804 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:50,040 Speaker 4: meet him, he's lounging in a patio recliner. And I 805 00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:52,480 Speaker 4: don't know if you noticed this. Did you notice that 806 00:41:52,520 --> 00:41:54,720 Speaker 4: there are just in at least one of these shots, 807 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:58,080 Speaker 4: there are bugs crawling all over his lap. 808 00:41:58,600 --> 00:41:59,799 Speaker 3: No? I did not notice that. 809 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:02,839 Speaker 4: I mean, it's easy to miss. It goes by pretty quick, 810 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:04,520 Speaker 4: and I don't think it's supposed to be like that. 811 00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:06,399 Speaker 4: I think it's just something that happened to get caught 812 00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:08,480 Speaker 4: by the camera. But in one of the shots there 813 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:12,480 Speaker 4: are at least three flies simultaneously, a couple around his 814 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:15,320 Speaker 4: belt buckle. Ones kind of to the side of his crotch, 815 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:17,920 Speaker 4: and it makes me wonder, like, what did he spill 816 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:21,000 Speaker 4: sugar water and his lap or something in an earlier take. 817 00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:23,960 Speaker 3: I don't know. I mean, is he shirtless in the scene? 818 00:42:24,360 --> 00:42:25,840 Speaker 4: No? No, no, no, he's got a shirt on. 819 00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:27,759 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, I was thinking maybe they oiled him up 820 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:30,719 Speaker 2: a bit, you know. Okay, but who knows. 821 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:34,399 Speaker 4: But yeah, So they're recruiting him because I think there 822 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:37,799 Speaker 4: was supposed to be another mineralogist or geologist and that 823 00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:40,200 Speaker 4: person fell through. So now they're trying to get the 824 00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:42,920 Speaker 4: deadbeat guy. But he's a handsome dead beat. And then 825 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:46,000 Speaker 4: finally they're out in the field in Peru and Bullfinch, 826 00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:51,440 Speaker 4: Robinson and Stockton recruit a minor slash mule wrangler named 827 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:54,000 Speaker 4: Steve who has a lot of mule thoughts and he 828 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:57,200 Speaker 4: wants to get rich. And there's a mule hagling scene 829 00:42:57,239 --> 00:42:59,880 Speaker 4: between Bullfinch and Steve, which is pretty funny. Steve's like, 830 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:02,320 Speaker 4: you can't have the mules. I need him for something, 831 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:05,440 Speaker 4: and then all these eggheads are like, but doctor Thorkel 832 00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:09,600 Speaker 4: is the greatest living authority on organic molecular structure, and 833 00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:12,279 Speaker 4: the muleman is not very impressed, but eventually they get 834 00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:15,880 Speaker 4: him to go along by promising him riches and saying 835 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:18,600 Speaker 4: that he can come with them to I guess make 836 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:19,840 Speaker 4: sure the mules are okay. 837 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:24,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it doesn't make tremendous amount of sense, but okay, 838 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:25,120 Speaker 2: he's coming. 839 00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:27,839 Speaker 4: Along, right, So they journey through the jungle. They arrive 840 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:32,720 Speaker 4: at doctor Thorkell's compound. Thorkell's assistant Pedro, comes to inform 841 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:37,279 Speaker 4: him that they've arrived, and when Thorkell is interrupted, I 842 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:40,520 Speaker 4: just want to say he's wearing an awesome helmet slash suit. 843 00:43:41,200 --> 00:43:43,440 Speaker 4: Rabbi attached to a picture I found of the helmet 844 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:46,440 Speaker 4: for you to look at. Here is it's just like 845 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:49,080 Speaker 4: it's just like a can, just like a straight up 846 00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:53,640 Speaker 4: thick can with two eye holes surrounded by glass and 847 00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:56,719 Speaker 4: then the kind of rounded top. It's not very elaborate, 848 00:43:56,760 --> 00:43:57,720 Speaker 4: but it looks great. 849 00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:00,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, it looks kind of I mean, finds me a 850 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:03,880 Speaker 2: lot of some of the stock rocketmen and robot costumes 851 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:06,239 Speaker 2: of the of the day. You know, it looks a 852 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:08,000 Speaker 2: little bit like a medieval night as well. 853 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:10,520 Speaker 4: Oh, it's kind of the night guarding the bridge and 854 00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:14,200 Speaker 4: Monty Python and the Holy Grail and so they get 855 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:17,120 Speaker 4: there and they all meet doctor Thorkel, and doctor Thorkel 856 00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:20,160 Speaker 4: is a creep from the first minute. They do not 857 00:44:20,440 --> 00:44:23,319 Speaker 4: like ease into it. He's got the unholy combo of 858 00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:27,240 Speaker 4: a huge head with tiny glasses, and he's he's huge 859 00:44:27,280 --> 00:44:30,880 Speaker 4: in general. But it's just this like large bulky bald 860 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:33,880 Speaker 4: man grabbing people by the arm and moving them around 861 00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:36,560 Speaker 4: and saying like, I'm so glad you've come. He might 862 00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:39,120 Speaker 4: as well be saying, you know what lovely cells you're 863 00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:42,320 Speaker 4: made out of. And so we find out the doctor 864 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:46,080 Speaker 4: Thorkel sent for the assistance of the other scientists because 865 00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:49,120 Speaker 4: of damage to his eyes. The damage to his eyes 866 00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:52,880 Speaker 4: no longer allows him to use the microscope. But I 867 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:55,880 Speaker 4: was wondering, wait a minute, then, if that's the only problem, 868 00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:58,960 Speaker 4: why did he send for three different scientists. Then it 869 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:02,560 Speaker 4: almost seems like the imply is that doctor Thorkell thinks 870 00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 4: that if he had fully functioning eyes, he would be 871 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:06,880 Speaker 4: worth four scientists put together. 872 00:45:08,239 --> 00:45:11,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, that makes sense, or you know, or maybe it's 873 00:45:11,239 --> 00:45:15,160 Speaker 2: it's he doesn't expect all of them to live that long. 874 00:45:15,239 --> 00:45:17,880 Speaker 2: You know, he needs multiple sets of spare eyes. 875 00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:20,880 Speaker 4: Well, this is weird because so here's a question I 876 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:24,040 Speaker 4: have he is a creep from the beginning, but the 877 00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:26,719 Speaker 4: movie does not suggest that he planned to kill them 878 00:45:26,719 --> 00:45:29,640 Speaker 4: all along. Like the fact that he kills them does 879 00:45:29,760 --> 00:45:33,480 Speaker 4: genuinely seem to be an unexpected development for him. He 880 00:45:33,560 --> 00:45:36,520 Speaker 4: kills them because they discover his secrets. 881 00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:40,360 Speaker 2: Basically, Yeah, yeah, I mean, I guess he what he 882 00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:42,400 Speaker 2: I think has revealed that he he sort of needed 883 00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:47,640 Speaker 2: a mineralist, a mineral specialist to weigh in on some 884 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:51,040 Speaker 2: of his work. He needed somebody with a biology background. 885 00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:54,200 Speaker 2: But I don't know about the professor, did he. I 886 00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:56,960 Speaker 2: mean just sort of brought him into the boast to 887 00:45:57,080 --> 00:46:00,239 Speaker 2: him about like maybe part of it is like ultimately 888 00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:03,560 Speaker 2: he needs an audience, like he's he's doing amazing thing. 889 00:46:03,719 --> 00:46:07,040 Speaker 2: So yes, I need I need a basically a team 890 00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:09,160 Speaker 2: of judges to come here and tell me how great 891 00:46:09,160 --> 00:46:09,480 Speaker 2: I am. 892 00:46:09,680 --> 00:46:11,920 Speaker 4: I think we're sort of rewriting the script as we go, 893 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:14,360 Speaker 4: But that's I think you're onto something there that that 894 00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:17,400 Speaker 4: is part of it. Like he as a megalomaniac, he 895 00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:19,640 Speaker 4: needs people to witness his greatness. 896 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:23,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, So that's one of the downsides to working out 897 00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:25,640 Speaker 2: in the jungle, is that in the jungie, is you 898 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:29,319 Speaker 2: occasionally have to bring people in to recognize your greatness. 899 00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:31,840 Speaker 4: Right, And so they're there and they recognize his greatness, 900 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:34,200 Speaker 4: but he wants them to get right to work. So 901 00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:36,319 Speaker 4: he has them look at some stuff in a microscope 902 00:46:36,719 --> 00:46:40,520 Speaker 4: and Stockton, the deadbeat hunk, he sees some iron crystals 903 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:43,400 Speaker 4: under the microscope. This is like minutes after they've arrived, 904 00:46:43,920 --> 00:46:47,080 Speaker 4: and he says, yes, it's iron crystals in the microscope. 905 00:46:47,320 --> 00:46:50,600 Speaker 4: And doctor Thorkel is like, ah, eureka, okay, that's it. Well, 906 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:55,240 Speaker 4: I'm done with you guys now. But Bullfinch, which is funny, 907 00:46:55,239 --> 00:46:58,839 Speaker 4: I mean very funny, Bullfinch is mad. He immediately gets 908 00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:01,719 Speaker 4: super indignant, starts yelling and he's like, you can't do 909 00:47:01,880 --> 00:47:06,359 Speaker 4: this to us. At one point, Bullfinch is like are 910 00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:08,960 Speaker 4: you Are you intimating that you brought us here just 911 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:12,000 Speaker 4: for five minutes of work, and Thorkel is like, I 912 00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:16,640 Speaker 4: am not intimating. I am merely stating a fact. Which 913 00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:19,520 Speaker 4: that's man. That's one of my favorite types of statements 914 00:47:19,520 --> 00:47:22,520 Speaker 4: in English, the like I'm merely stating a fact, like 915 00:47:22,600 --> 00:47:25,759 Speaker 4: that wasn't a threat, it was a promise. I'm not 916 00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:29,719 Speaker 4: suggesting anything. I'm merely stating a fact. I wonder when 917 00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:31,080 Speaker 4: was the first instance of that. 918 00:47:32,080 --> 00:47:32,600 Speaker 3: I don't know. 919 00:47:33,480 --> 00:47:36,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, this seems like at least an early variation on 920 00:47:36,760 --> 00:47:37,120 Speaker 2: the theme. 921 00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:40,279 Speaker 4: But anyway, Bullfinch and Robinson they are mad and they 922 00:47:40,280 --> 00:47:42,840 Speaker 4: want to know what it is that Thork is working 923 00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:46,680 Speaker 4: on before they leave. Steve the mule guy, he thinks 924 00:47:46,680 --> 00:47:48,840 Speaker 4: he knows. He thinks the answer is that there is 925 00:47:48,920 --> 00:47:52,920 Speaker 4: a mind full of precious ore somewhere around here. Stockton 926 00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:55,080 Speaker 4: doesn't seem to care much. It seems like he's fine 927 00:47:55,120 --> 00:47:57,240 Speaker 4: to just like get his bill settled and then leave. 928 00:47:57,760 --> 00:47:59,400 Speaker 4: You know, all he wants to do is lay around 929 00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:00,560 Speaker 4: in a chair basically. 930 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:02,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, But the other two it is kind of like 931 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:05,160 Speaker 2: they thought they thought this was going to be Thorkel 932 00:48:05,280 --> 00:48:05,640 Speaker 2: at all. 933 00:48:06,280 --> 00:48:07,600 Speaker 3: Yes, you know, they thought. 934 00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:10,360 Speaker 4: They were going to go author credit, yes exactly. 935 00:48:10,040 --> 00:48:13,200 Speaker 2: But no, there's only one author on Thorkel research, and 936 00:48:13,239 --> 00:48:14,320 Speaker 2: that's doctor Thorkel. 937 00:48:14,960 --> 00:48:17,040 Speaker 4: Now you might know more about this than me. I 938 00:48:17,120 --> 00:48:21,560 Speaker 4: was kind of curious about this movie's abundance of unflattering pants. 939 00:48:21,960 --> 00:48:25,480 Speaker 4: There are multiple characters wearing pants that have like big, 940 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:29,120 Speaker 4: saggy butt and thigh areas that sometimes make it look 941 00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:31,920 Speaker 4: like they're wearing like a weird sort of diaper or 942 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:34,600 Speaker 4: just sort of just have a saggy butt in the pants? 943 00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:38,120 Speaker 4: Are these some specific kind of rugged outdoor pants of 944 00:48:38,160 --> 00:48:42,279 Speaker 4: the era, like the go into the jungle pants. I 945 00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:43,600 Speaker 4: didn't know what the deal with this was. 946 00:48:44,200 --> 00:48:46,520 Speaker 2: I don't know. I just I just thought maybe that 947 00:48:46,600 --> 00:48:48,000 Speaker 2: was the style of the day. You know, he just 948 00:48:48,000 --> 00:48:51,000 Speaker 2: wore big balloony pants. But I could be wrong. Maybe 949 00:48:51,480 --> 00:48:53,920 Speaker 2: maybe the pants experts out there can weigh in. 950 00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:54,400 Speaker 3: Well. 951 00:48:54,400 --> 00:48:57,359 Speaker 4: Anyway, Steve the mule guy goes out snooping at night 952 00:48:57,760 --> 00:49:00,399 Speaker 4: the day before Thorkel has told them they're supposed to leave. 953 00:49:00,560 --> 00:49:02,960 Speaker 4: Thorkell says, you need to leave tomorrow, and so it's 954 00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:05,359 Speaker 4: that night and Steve goes out snooping around. I think 955 00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:09,240 Speaker 4: he wants to track down the mine. So while Thorkel 956 00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:12,600 Speaker 4: is inside wearing his crazy helmet and doing science work, 957 00:49:13,960 --> 00:49:16,520 Speaker 4: Steve is snooping around this big hole in the ground 958 00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:19,279 Speaker 4: that has a giant like rigging over it and with 959 00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:21,720 Speaker 4: some kind of rope dangling something down in the hole. 960 00:49:22,280 --> 00:49:25,120 Speaker 4: And then he's almost caught by Thorkell. Thorkel comes out 961 00:49:25,160 --> 00:49:28,880 Speaker 4: and Baker hides and it is revealed that Thorkell is 962 00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:33,040 Speaker 4: operating some kind of awesome giant copper drill in the 963 00:49:33,120 --> 00:49:36,239 Speaker 4: Thorkel super deep borehole. He's like drilling down into the 964 00:49:36,280 --> 00:49:39,120 Speaker 4: earth and getting something out of the earth. I don't know. 965 00:49:39,640 --> 00:49:41,600 Speaker 4: I think maybe it's the radium samples. 966 00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:43,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, there's this. 967 00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:46,759 Speaker 2: They don't talk about it that much, but there's this 968 00:49:47,120 --> 00:49:53,080 Speaker 2: sense that he's somehow absorbing radiation out of the ground itself, 969 00:49:54,239 --> 00:49:59,200 Speaker 2: you know, by lowering this probe down into it. That's 970 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:00,799 Speaker 2: kind of the sense I was getting from it. 971 00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:04,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, And then we see at some point Thorkel is 972 00:50:04,120 --> 00:50:06,920 Speaker 4: alone in his lab later and it reveals that he 973 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:10,239 Speaker 4: has created a tiny pony. This is very much like 974 00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:15,720 Speaker 4: the Septimus Pretorious images. So there is somehow they've superimposed 975 00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:19,520 Speaker 4: footage of a full sized pony kind of neighing and 976 00:50:19,880 --> 00:50:23,480 Speaker 4: clumping around, but they have matted that onto the shot 977 00:50:23,560 --> 00:50:26,120 Speaker 4: of Thorkel sitting at a table, and so it looks 978 00:50:26,160 --> 00:50:28,359 Speaker 4: like the pony is on the table and it looks great. 979 00:50:28,920 --> 00:50:29,600 Speaker 3: Yeah. 980 00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:31,239 Speaker 4: But then later we check in. I guess this is 981 00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:35,160 Speaker 4: the next morning. Bullfinch is examining some pig remains that 982 00:50:35,239 --> 00:50:38,319 Speaker 4: he came across, and it claim he claims that he's 983 00:50:38,360 --> 00:50:40,879 Speaker 4: discovered a new species of pig that is only four 984 00:50:40,920 --> 00:50:44,239 Speaker 4: inches long at maturity, and Bullfinch tries to name the 985 00:50:44,280 --> 00:50:50,080 Speaker 4: species after himself, like you do, and then Thorkel rolls 986 00:50:50,160 --> 00:50:53,279 Speaker 4: up on them, and he's immediately like, haha, you weak 987 00:50:53,320 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 4: minded fool, you think you've discovered a new pig. And 988 00:50:57,120 --> 00:50:59,919 Speaker 4: he said, I wrote down this quote. Strange how as 989 00:51:00,000 --> 00:51:03,640 Speaker 4: absorbed man has always been in the size of things. 990 00:51:05,719 --> 00:51:07,839 Speaker 2: Yes, because of course he knows what this is. This 991 00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:10,000 Speaker 2: is not a new species of pig. This is just 992 00:51:10,040 --> 00:51:12,000 Speaker 2: a normal pig that he shrank down. 993 00:51:12,480 --> 00:51:15,920 Speaker 4: He's been shrinking pigs for months, and they're all here amazed, 994 00:51:15,960 --> 00:51:19,040 Speaker 4: thinking they've discovered new species of pigs. And he's like, ah, 995 00:51:19,200 --> 00:51:22,360 Speaker 4: you idiots, you don't understand pig shrinking. I'll tell you 996 00:51:22,480 --> 00:51:27,800 Speaker 4: about pig shrinking. But Bullfinch retorts, he says that size 997 00:51:27,840 --> 00:51:30,840 Speaker 4: is the chief difference between mammals. I wrote down this 998 00:51:30,920 --> 00:51:33,880 Speaker 4: quote as well. He says, in all essentials, a mouse 999 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:40,359 Speaker 4: and a whale are identical. Yeah, so Bullfinch, I guess 1000 00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:42,520 Speaker 4: he's supposed to be like the second best biologist in 1001 00:51:42,560 --> 00:51:45,080 Speaker 4: the world, but I'm not sure about that one. 1002 00:51:45,120 --> 00:51:47,520 Speaker 2: There was a big gap between first and second greatest 1003 00:51:47,560 --> 00:51:50,160 Speaker 2: biologists of the time, I guess, yeah, no, I don't 1004 00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:53,000 Speaker 2: think there were. I think gray Bao just in real life. 1005 00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:56,719 Speaker 2: Before these guys would have argued, no, a mouse isn't 1006 00:51:56,719 --> 00:51:59,840 Speaker 2: in a whale or not essentially the same creature there is, 1007 00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:01,880 Speaker 2: there are some major differences. 1008 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:05,600 Speaker 4: But after this, I like this Thorkel, like we said, 1009 00:52:05,640 --> 00:52:08,200 Speaker 4: even though he is very much a creep from the beginning, 1010 00:52:08,719 --> 00:52:10,959 Speaker 4: he does seem to give them another chance. He tries 1011 00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:12,960 Speaker 4: to send them away again. He's like, be on your way, 1012 00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:16,359 Speaker 4: but Bullfinch is just so mad he refuses to leave 1013 00:52:16,520 --> 00:52:19,440 Speaker 4: until he finds out what's going on, and then Thorkell 1014 00:52:19,640 --> 00:52:22,040 Speaker 4: begins to threaten them. He's like, if you do not 1015 00:52:22,200 --> 00:52:24,920 Speaker 4: leave within the hour, you will remain at your own peril. 1016 00:52:27,280 --> 00:52:30,439 Speaker 4: So there's some snooping around. After this, Thorkel goes back. 1017 00:52:30,520 --> 00:52:32,799 Speaker 4: I guess, assuming that they're supposed they're going to leave, 1018 00:52:33,080 --> 00:52:35,680 Speaker 4: but they end up investigating. They're too curious for their 1019 00:52:35,680 --> 00:52:38,920 Speaker 4: own good. They hear some horse sounds and they end 1020 00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:42,360 Speaker 4: up spying on Thorkel appearing to like search around for 1021 00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:45,880 Speaker 4: a horse in tall grass. So they all start to think, okay, 1022 00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:50,480 Speaker 4: Thorkell has gone mad, but Pedro explains that actually he 1023 00:52:50,600 --> 00:52:53,360 Speaker 4: has delivered a bunch of animals to Thorkell, and he 1024 00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:55,840 Speaker 4: doesn't know where they are now. He's delivered rats and 1025 00:52:55,960 --> 00:52:59,279 Speaker 4: chickens and dogs and cats, and he doesn't know where 1026 00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:04,080 Speaker 4: they are now except for uh, there's this cat, Satanas, 1027 00:53:04,800 --> 00:53:08,399 Speaker 4: and oh my god, Satanas is a good cat. 1028 00:53:09,040 --> 00:53:09,560 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1029 00:53:09,640 --> 00:53:14,040 Speaker 2: Upon just mere introduction of Satanas by doctor Thorkel, I 1030 00:53:14,200 --> 00:53:16,839 Speaker 2: I instantly laugh, in part because just seeing a cat 1031 00:53:16,960 --> 00:53:19,520 Speaker 2: just sitting there looking slightly bored in a film is 1032 00:53:19,760 --> 00:53:23,640 Speaker 2: always a light but also because it does it doesn't 1033 00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:26,520 Speaker 2: take take much to realize where this is going. You 1034 00:53:26,560 --> 00:53:29,480 Speaker 2: know that cat is going to try and eat a 1035 00:53:29,480 --> 00:53:31,320 Speaker 2: tiny person at some point in this film. 1036 00:53:31,560 --> 00:53:34,279 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, which is a brilliant idea for for a 1037 00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:36,640 Speaker 4: horror movie. By the way, I mean, a cat of 1038 00:53:36,640 --> 00:53:40,400 Speaker 4: sufficient size to attack you is a terrifying proposition. 1039 00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:41,479 Speaker 3: Oh yeah. 1040 00:53:41,520 --> 00:53:44,560 Speaker 2: Like anybody who owns a cat can can attest to this, 1041 00:53:44,800 --> 00:53:47,360 Speaker 2: because you know, sometimes they will They will hunt the 1042 00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:51,080 Speaker 2: feet of full sized adults like me. Uh, and their 1043 00:53:51,160 --> 00:53:55,719 Speaker 2: their speed. The reflexes are terrifying. Despite how much time 1044 00:53:55,719 --> 00:53:58,640 Speaker 2: they spend, you know, laying around doing nothing and sleeping. 1045 00:53:59,160 --> 00:54:02,000 Speaker 2: When they want to move, they can do so with 1046 00:54:02,239 --> 00:54:06,040 Speaker 2: just incredible speed. So it's easy to imagine yourself as 1047 00:54:06,320 --> 00:54:09,040 Speaker 2: a small creature and having to face, you know, the 1048 00:54:09,480 --> 00:54:13,360 Speaker 2: ferocity of a domestic cat. You know, you wouldn't you 1049 00:54:13,360 --> 00:54:16,160 Speaker 2: wouldn't stand a chance your your only chance really would 1050 00:54:16,160 --> 00:54:18,319 Speaker 2: be that it would grow bored and torturing you to death. 1051 00:54:18,719 --> 00:54:21,720 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I would say seek out water because 1052 00:54:21,760 --> 00:54:23,439 Speaker 4: you know, a lot of a lot of domestic cats 1053 00:54:23,520 --> 00:54:26,839 Speaker 4: don't don't really like getting too wet. I guess there's 1054 00:54:26,880 --> 00:54:28,919 Speaker 4: some exceptions, but you know, they can be scared about 1055 00:54:28,960 --> 00:54:31,160 Speaker 4: getting too close to water. But then again, if you're 1056 00:54:31,320 --> 00:54:34,560 Speaker 4: very small, I guess water would probably like a shrunken 1057 00:54:34,680 --> 00:54:37,760 Speaker 4: human might very well be in extreme danger from water. 1058 00:54:38,160 --> 00:54:39,680 Speaker 4: We can talk about this more as we go on, 1059 00:54:39,840 --> 00:54:42,480 Speaker 4: but I recall again the JBS Hall day and Essay, 1060 00:54:42,640 --> 00:54:44,719 Speaker 4: you know, on on being the Right size, where he 1061 00:54:44,760 --> 00:54:48,960 Speaker 4: talks about how getting wet is an entirely different proposition 1062 00:54:49,040 --> 00:54:51,160 Speaker 4: for a small animal than it is for a larger 1063 00:54:51,200 --> 00:54:53,960 Speaker 4: animal because like, if if a rat gets wet, like 1064 00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:57,320 Speaker 4: a huge percent of its body weight is now clinging 1065 00:54:57,360 --> 00:54:58,399 Speaker 4: to the outside of it. 1066 00:54:58,760 --> 00:54:59,640 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1067 00:54:59,640 --> 00:55:02,319 Speaker 4: But anyway, so there's this question, like where did all 1068 00:55:02,320 --> 00:55:04,920 Speaker 4: the animals go? You know, all the animals that Pedro 1069 00:55:05,040 --> 00:55:08,120 Speaker 4: delivered and where are they now? Pedro says, I don't know. 1070 00:55:08,239 --> 00:55:10,760 Speaker 4: But Satanas every day she gets more fat. 1071 00:55:11,280 --> 00:55:13,920 Speaker 2: She is really living her best life here. She's getting 1072 00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:18,239 Speaker 2: to kill, to hunt, and kill so many animals that 1073 00:55:18,280 --> 00:55:19,480 Speaker 2: she wouldn't get to otherwise. 1074 00:55:19,600 --> 00:55:24,160 Speaker 4: Shrunken pigs, shrunken horses. It's all gravy for Satanas. 1075 00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:25,360 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1076 00:55:25,360 --> 00:55:28,439 Speaker 4: But anyway, so they're packing up to actually leave this time, 1077 00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:31,760 Speaker 4: I think, But then they discovered that they keep finding 1078 00:55:31,840 --> 00:55:35,719 Speaker 4: reasons to stay. They discovered that the ore that they've 1079 00:55:35,760 --> 00:55:38,719 Speaker 4: been finding around this place contains radium, which at this 1080 00:55:38,840 --> 00:55:41,160 Speaker 4: time they're like, whoa, that's worth a lot of money 1081 00:55:41,200 --> 00:55:44,440 Speaker 4: and it's very important for scientific research. I guess this 1082 00:55:44,440 --> 00:55:46,680 Speaker 4: would have been on the cusp of the era of 1083 00:55:46,719 --> 00:55:48,920 Speaker 4: the discovery of nuclear power. 1084 00:55:49,320 --> 00:55:52,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, so certainly you know that the scientists are like, 1085 00:55:52,360 --> 00:55:55,799 Speaker 2: this is great for science. And then mule guy is like, like, 1086 00:55:55,880 --> 00:55:58,320 Speaker 2: there's there's that's some expensive radium. 1087 00:55:58,400 --> 00:55:59,239 Speaker 3: I want a piece of it. 1088 00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:02,080 Speaker 4: Yes, get me the money, And so they start snooping 1089 00:56:02,120 --> 00:56:05,080 Speaker 4: around in Thorkell's stuff and then there's a big confrontation. 1090 00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:09,280 Speaker 4: They find records of him saying that he has shrunk 1091 00:56:09,360 --> 00:56:11,840 Speaker 4: things and they're like, well, he's obviously lost his mind, 1092 00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:15,759 Speaker 4: and they and then he comes in and discovers them 1093 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:19,160 Speaker 4: going through his stuff that they have a confrontation and 1094 00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:21,400 Speaker 4: he's like, here, well let me explain everything to you. 1095 00:56:21,760 --> 00:56:24,160 Speaker 4: Come into this room and look at my condenser. And 1096 00:56:24,200 --> 00:56:29,680 Speaker 4: so they all go in there, Robinson, Bullfinch, Steve Stockton 1097 00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:30,400 Speaker 4: and Pedro. 1098 00:56:30,719 --> 00:56:30,919 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1099 00:56:31,160 --> 00:56:33,280 Speaker 2: At last, he's like, Pedro, get in here this room. 1100 00:56:33,200 --> 00:56:36,319 Speaker 4: Yeah, tru Yeah, everybody cray him into this, into this room. 1101 00:56:36,320 --> 00:56:39,040 Speaker 4: Don't be suspicious. Just look at the condenser. And then 1102 00:56:39,080 --> 00:56:41,640 Speaker 4: he slams the door on them and shrinks them, and 1103 00:56:41,680 --> 00:56:45,440 Speaker 4: now we've reached the situation of the film. Everybody except 1104 00:56:45,480 --> 00:56:57,759 Speaker 4: Thorkel has been shrunk to about thirteen inches tall. And 1105 00:56:57,880 --> 00:57:00,839 Speaker 4: so after this, you know, they're in a room having 1106 00:57:00,920 --> 00:57:04,560 Speaker 4: been shrunk, and Thorkel is like doing some playful diagnostics, 1107 00:57:04,560 --> 00:57:08,120 Speaker 4: saying like wow, you know, oh your vocal cords still work, 1108 00:57:08,200 --> 00:57:11,399 Speaker 4: and oh you're of this size, and he's crowing over 1109 00:57:11,440 --> 00:57:14,200 Speaker 4: his victory over them while the rest of the main 1110 00:57:14,280 --> 00:57:17,600 Speaker 4: characters scamper around on the floor trying to hide and escape. 1111 00:57:17,600 --> 00:57:20,680 Speaker 4: And here's where the special effects just get wonderful, because 1112 00:57:21,080 --> 00:57:24,320 Speaker 4: a lot of what you have here are fully built 1113 00:57:24,520 --> 00:57:29,000 Speaker 4: sets to make actors that normal size appear to be like, 1114 00:57:29,120 --> 00:57:32,200 Speaker 4: you know, somewhere between like six and thirteen inches tall 1115 00:57:32,880 --> 00:57:35,600 Speaker 4: according to perspectives. So they were like giant chairs and 1116 00:57:35,640 --> 00:57:37,080 Speaker 4: they'll go up to one of the legs of the 1117 00:57:37,200 --> 00:57:40,400 Speaker 4: chair and crouch behind it, and giant books and things 1118 00:57:40,440 --> 00:57:40,800 Speaker 4: like that. 1119 00:57:41,640 --> 00:57:44,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, I love it when films would do this, and 1120 00:57:44,560 --> 00:57:47,760 Speaker 2: I guess they still do variations on this. But I 1121 00:57:47,840 --> 00:57:52,040 Speaker 2: talked to a guy once in real life who had 1122 00:57:52,080 --> 00:57:56,160 Speaker 2: previously worked in special effects, and he had worked on 1123 00:57:56,280 --> 00:57:59,400 Speaker 2: the film Stephen King's Cat's Eye, which you might remember 1124 00:57:59,640 --> 00:58:02,600 Speaker 2: doesn't have any miniaturization occurring, but it does have a 1125 00:58:02,680 --> 00:58:05,480 Speaker 2: troll creature, which was of course played by like an 1126 00:58:05,520 --> 00:58:08,000 Speaker 2: adult in a full size costume. In order to make 1127 00:58:08,080 --> 00:58:10,520 Speaker 2: him seem like a tiny creature, they had to build 1128 00:58:10,560 --> 00:58:15,600 Speaker 2: like an enormous child's bed for this actor to prance 1129 00:58:15,640 --> 00:58:18,280 Speaker 2: around on. So I got to see some behind the 1130 00:58:18,280 --> 00:58:20,160 Speaker 2: scenes photos of that he had in an album and 1131 00:58:20,160 --> 00:58:20,919 Speaker 2: it was super cool. 1132 00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:24,160 Speaker 4: I love it. I love it. I really really missed 1133 00:58:24,160 --> 00:58:28,880 Speaker 4: the era of special effects through built sets and built environments. 1134 00:58:29,680 --> 00:58:32,080 Speaker 4: I do feel like something really is lost, no matter 1135 00:58:32,080 --> 00:58:35,480 Speaker 4: how good an animated environment can look. I mean, the 1136 00:58:35,520 --> 00:58:38,840 Speaker 4: green screen world I do feel like has lost something beautiful. 1137 00:58:39,800 --> 00:58:41,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a craftsmanship to it. I mean not to 1138 00:58:41,640 --> 00:58:44,400 Speaker 2: say there's not a craftsmanship in creating virtual environments, but 1139 00:58:45,960 --> 00:58:50,560 Speaker 2: there's a physical craft to it that perhaps is kind 1140 00:58:50,560 --> 00:58:51,000 Speaker 2: of lost. 1141 00:58:51,320 --> 00:58:51,480 Speaker 3: You know. 1142 00:58:51,520 --> 00:58:53,760 Speaker 4: One thing I noticed at the very beginning is that 1143 00:58:54,000 --> 00:58:55,680 Speaker 4: as soon as we come on the new characters, I 1144 00:58:55,680 --> 00:58:57,960 Speaker 4: guess they are too small for their original clothes now. 1145 00:58:58,000 --> 00:59:01,080 Speaker 4: So instead the characters have all replaced their original clothes 1146 00:59:01,120 --> 00:59:04,720 Speaker 4: with like togas. They're like little torn pieces of cloth 1147 00:59:04,800 --> 00:59:08,120 Speaker 4: that they're wearing like like togas and stuff. And this 1148 00:59:08,200 --> 00:59:10,760 Speaker 4: really I think heightens the connection to the Odyssey. 1149 00:59:11,440 --> 00:59:11,840 Speaker 3: That's right. 1150 00:59:11,960 --> 00:59:14,640 Speaker 2: And of course the film will continue to it will 1151 00:59:14,720 --> 00:59:17,960 Speaker 2: let you know that it is referencing the Odyssey. It's 1152 00:59:17,960 --> 00:59:20,280 Speaker 2: going to be very direct about it. But yeah, this 1153 00:59:20,320 --> 00:59:22,600 Speaker 2: may be the first sign that they're going in that direction. 1154 00:59:23,200 --> 00:59:26,160 Speaker 2: So I love this because they their clothes were not shrunk. 1155 00:59:26,720 --> 00:59:29,000 Speaker 2: Doctor Thorkel is picking up their clothes and putting them 1156 00:59:29,000 --> 00:59:32,000 Speaker 2: in a bag later, but I guess he left either 1157 00:59:32,280 --> 00:59:37,000 Speaker 2: pristine handkerchiefs in there and some sewing equipment at scale 1158 00:59:37,000 --> 00:59:40,480 Speaker 2: for them, or he had pre arranged clothing made from 1159 00:59:40,560 --> 00:59:43,520 Speaker 2: handkerchiefs for them one or the other because they seem 1160 00:59:43,520 --> 00:59:44,320 Speaker 2: to fit rather well. 1161 00:59:44,640 --> 00:59:47,360 Speaker 4: Yeah, and so Thorkel says that, you know, he's like, well, 1162 00:59:47,400 --> 00:59:49,680 Speaker 4: I've been working for days without rest, and now I'm 1163 00:59:49,720 --> 00:59:52,439 Speaker 4: going to fall asleep. So he falls asleep, and while 1164 00:59:52,440 --> 00:59:56,280 Speaker 4: he's asleep, they escaped the room by building a tower 1165 00:59:56,360 --> 00:59:58,680 Speaker 4: out of books and using a match stick to draw 1166 00:59:58,760 --> 01:00:01,120 Speaker 4: back the bolt on the door. And then there's a 1167 01:00:01,200 --> 01:00:03,160 Speaker 4: there's a great moment I loved where they're trying to 1168 01:00:03,200 --> 01:00:06,520 Speaker 4: sneak around outside once they've gotten out, and there are 1169 01:00:06,520 --> 01:00:10,560 Speaker 4: some chickens just like ye, giant chickens and giant chickens. Eh, 1170 01:00:10,640 --> 01:00:12,840 Speaker 4: that would be really scary. I mean that's like a dinosaur. 1171 01:00:13,480 --> 01:00:16,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, I would be terrified, Yes, like a like a 1172 01:00:16,760 --> 01:00:19,400 Speaker 2: big feathered t rex. And you know, I guess with 1173 01:00:19,480 --> 01:00:21,240 Speaker 2: any of these animals, you have to ask yourself, what 1174 01:00:21,320 --> 01:00:25,600 Speaker 2: is the threshold of miniaturization at which I am identified 1175 01:00:25,640 --> 01:00:27,680 Speaker 2: as potential prey by this animal? 1176 01:00:27,920 --> 01:00:30,800 Speaker 4: Right? And the chickens never try to eat them, but 1177 01:00:30,840 --> 01:00:32,760 Speaker 4: the implication is there, I mean I really do. 1178 01:00:32,880 --> 01:00:33,080 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1179 01:00:33,120 --> 01:00:35,120 Speaker 4: So if you were thirteen inches tall and you were 1180 01:00:35,160 --> 01:00:37,640 Speaker 4: walking past a chicken, I mean that'd probably be like 1181 01:00:37,720 --> 01:00:42,840 Speaker 4: a human walking past a dynonicus or something like therapod dinosaur, 1182 01:00:43,000 --> 01:00:43,960 Speaker 4: the predatory one. 1183 01:00:44,280 --> 01:00:46,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, if it decided you were worth a pack, I 1184 01:00:46,120 --> 01:00:47,600 Speaker 2: mean that could that would be death. 1185 01:00:47,880 --> 01:00:49,680 Speaker 4: But they do a thing that really did make me laugh. 1186 01:00:49,760 --> 01:00:52,040 Speaker 4: They do the just tack natural walk while they walk 1187 01:00:52,120 --> 01:00:56,040 Speaker 4: past the chickens like pretend like we're supposed to be here, 1188 01:00:57,240 --> 01:01:00,640 Speaker 4: and then they get attacked by Satanas the cat, and 1189 01:01:00,680 --> 01:01:03,240 Speaker 4: they have to hide among a bunch of cactus, which 1190 01:01:03,400 --> 01:01:07,040 Speaker 4: I thought was a cool idea. Yeah, and Pedro's dog 1191 01:01:07,120 --> 01:01:10,720 Speaker 4: Tipo eventually comes to the rescue, chases off Satanas, and 1192 01:01:10,840 --> 01:01:13,280 Speaker 4: here we get we here we get the movie, I 1193 01:01:13,280 --> 01:01:17,040 Speaker 4: guess offering thoughts about how you would be treated differently 1194 01:01:17,080 --> 01:01:20,480 Speaker 4: if you were miniaturized by a cat versus by a dog. 1195 01:01:21,120 --> 01:01:23,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, this was fun because I've heard this this many 1196 01:01:23,840 --> 01:01:26,560 Speaker 2: times before, people commenting that, Okay, if you were to 1197 01:01:26,600 --> 01:01:30,800 Speaker 2: suddenly be you know, an inch tall or whatever, your 1198 01:01:31,200 --> 01:01:33,680 Speaker 2: your dog would still be your friend, but your cat 1199 01:01:33,720 --> 01:01:37,960 Speaker 2: would just eat you immediately. And and I don't disagree 1200 01:01:38,000 --> 01:01:40,880 Speaker 2: with that principle, though I do. If I'm going to 1201 01:01:41,000 --> 01:01:43,440 Speaker 2: seriously consider the question, I'm going to wonder if a 1202 01:01:43,480 --> 01:01:46,640 Speaker 2: dog would be able to recognize you by side or 1203 01:01:46,640 --> 01:01:50,439 Speaker 2: by smell in a miniaturized form, Like if you start 1204 01:01:50,480 --> 01:01:52,360 Speaker 2: asking hard scientific questions about all. 1205 01:01:52,280 --> 01:01:55,080 Speaker 4: Of this, I don't know. I am a dog lover, 1206 01:01:55,200 --> 01:01:56,760 Speaker 4: but I kind of think the dog would eat you. 1207 01:01:57,120 --> 01:01:57,440 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1208 01:01:57,800 --> 01:02:00,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess it. Were more inclined to believe and 1209 01:02:00,640 --> 01:02:03,320 Speaker 2: want to believe, the dog would be like, oh, master, 1210 01:02:03,400 --> 01:02:05,480 Speaker 2: why are you so small? Let me help you, whereas 1211 01:02:05,800 --> 01:02:07,880 Speaker 2: there's no doubt with the cat, Like the cat would 1212 01:02:07,880 --> 01:02:11,640 Speaker 2: be like, sorry, the table has turned, and you know 1213 01:02:11,720 --> 01:02:12,480 Speaker 2: what I have to do. 1214 01:02:12,800 --> 01:02:15,080 Speaker 4: The cat would one hundred percent each you. I feel 1215 01:02:15,080 --> 01:02:17,320 Speaker 4: like I'm at about eighty percent, and the dog would 1216 01:02:17,320 --> 01:02:17,680 Speaker 4: eat you. 1217 01:02:18,000 --> 01:02:18,320 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1218 01:02:18,360 --> 01:02:21,360 Speaker 2: In a way, it's like that slight level of uncertainty 1219 01:02:21,360 --> 01:02:23,480 Speaker 2: that makes it more terrifying, Like if you were suddenly 1220 01:02:23,520 --> 01:02:25,560 Speaker 2: miniatized in your home, you'd be like, oh crap, I 1221 01:02:25,560 --> 01:02:27,480 Speaker 2: got to avoid the cat at all costs because that 1222 01:02:27,600 --> 01:02:29,280 Speaker 2: is death. But then you're like, I don't know about 1223 01:02:29,280 --> 01:02:31,440 Speaker 2: the dog. The dog could be my savior, but the 1224 01:02:31,480 --> 01:02:33,440 Speaker 2: dog might just eat me anyway, or at least put 1225 01:02:33,440 --> 01:02:34,680 Speaker 2: me in his mouth for a while. 1226 01:02:35,160 --> 01:02:35,480 Speaker 4: Yeah. 1227 01:02:35,560 --> 01:02:36,120 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1228 01:02:36,280 --> 01:02:38,840 Speaker 4: So after this we get a little interlude where we 1229 01:02:38,880 --> 01:02:41,760 Speaker 4: see the humans sort of adapting to their new scale, 1230 01:02:41,960 --> 01:02:45,440 Speaker 4: and it sort of turns into one of those recapitulation 1231 01:02:45,680 --> 01:02:48,840 Speaker 4: of the discovery of technology narratives like you get in 1232 01:02:49,320 --> 01:02:52,160 Speaker 4: stories like the Swiss Family Robinson. I think that's really 1233 01:02:52,640 --> 01:02:55,000 Speaker 4: part of the pleasure people get in a lot of 1234 01:02:55,120 --> 01:02:58,680 Speaker 4: castaway stories. Is they really like that, like watching people 1235 01:02:59,440 --> 01:03:03,880 Speaker 4: rebuild technological capability out of the materials available to them. 1236 01:03:04,160 --> 01:03:08,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, like a Robinson Crusoe or to a certain extent, 1237 01:03:08,160 --> 01:03:10,440 Speaker 2: Flight of the Phoenix was like that. I think they 1238 01:03:10,520 --> 01:03:12,680 Speaker 2: remade it at some point, but the original was like 1239 01:03:12,720 --> 01:03:15,480 Speaker 2: a god was it a not to be twenty four? 1240 01:03:16,040 --> 01:03:18,480 Speaker 2: It was a B oh, it was a B twenty nine. 1241 01:03:18,480 --> 01:03:21,600 Speaker 2: Of course B twenty nine crashes in the desert and 1242 01:03:21,640 --> 01:03:25,440 Speaker 2: then they have to take it apart and try and 1243 01:03:25,480 --> 01:03:28,840 Speaker 2: build a new airplane out of this four prop engine 1244 01:03:28,880 --> 01:03:31,000 Speaker 2: airplane and then fly out of the desert in it. 1245 01:03:31,360 --> 01:03:34,120 Speaker 4: Yeah. So obviously, the fact that this type of narrative 1246 01:03:34,400 --> 01:03:37,200 Speaker 4: recurs so much, I mean, I do think it's clear that, 1247 01:03:37,320 --> 01:03:40,080 Speaker 4: like some people really enjoy watching this sort of thing happen. 1248 01:03:41,000 --> 01:03:44,080 Speaker 4: It's some kind of fantasy fulfillment, and this movie has 1249 01:03:44,120 --> 01:03:46,200 Speaker 4: stuff kind of like this, except instead of a desert 1250 01:03:46,240 --> 01:03:50,280 Speaker 4: island where you're trying to recreate known technology and solutions 1251 01:03:50,320 --> 01:03:53,440 Speaker 4: and stuff out of I don't know, coconuts or whatever. Instead, 1252 01:03:53,440 --> 01:03:55,960 Speaker 4: it's on a tiny scale, so you see them figuring 1253 01:03:55,960 --> 01:03:58,440 Speaker 4: out how to use a needle as a giant drill 1254 01:03:58,960 --> 01:04:01,600 Speaker 4: or a scissor handle, was a sword and stuff like that. 1255 01:04:02,160 --> 01:04:03,880 Speaker 2: Oh, man, you know, I have to jump back in 1256 01:04:03,920 --> 01:04:06,320 Speaker 2: and say, I'm mistaken. It was not a B twenty 1257 01:04:06,400 --> 01:04:08,040 Speaker 2: nine and Flight of the Phoenix. It was a C 1258 01:04:08,120 --> 01:04:11,920 Speaker 2: eighty two. But I think I'm confusing it with some 1259 01:04:12,080 --> 01:04:14,600 Speaker 2: Disney film that came out where they the characters did 1260 01:04:14,600 --> 01:04:17,280 Speaker 2: a similar thing and turned a B twenty nine into 1261 01:04:17,560 --> 01:04:20,240 Speaker 2: a sailing vessel of some sort. But at any rate, 1262 01:04:20,320 --> 01:04:22,680 Speaker 2: it's a it's a trope. It's a fun thing that 1263 01:04:22,720 --> 01:04:23,760 Speaker 2: you see in a lot of films. 1264 01:04:23,960 --> 01:04:24,800 Speaker 4: Is that water World. 1265 01:04:25,520 --> 01:04:27,040 Speaker 2: They might have had one of these in water World, 1266 01:04:27,040 --> 01:04:28,960 Speaker 2: but it was a different film that I don't think 1267 01:04:29,000 --> 01:04:32,600 Speaker 2: I ever saw, but I vaguely remember the VHS box 1268 01:04:32,640 --> 01:04:32,920 Speaker 2: for it. 1269 01:04:33,080 --> 01:04:36,800 Speaker 4: Wait, it's the version of Noah's arc made made with 1270 01:04:36,880 --> 01:04:39,960 Speaker 4: John Voight. I'm pretty sure that had some aircraft in it. 1271 01:04:40,360 --> 01:04:44,160 Speaker 2: Actually, I've looked it up, Joe, and it is the 1272 01:04:44,280 --> 01:04:48,080 Speaker 2: Last Flight of Noah's Arc from nineteen eighty. It starred 1273 01:04:48,120 --> 01:04:51,240 Speaker 2: Elliott Gould and A B twenty nine. 1274 01:04:51,480 --> 01:04:53,560 Speaker 4: The Last Flight of Noah's Ark. You're not kidding. 1275 01:04:53,880 --> 01:04:55,160 Speaker 2: I'm not kidding. That was the name of it was 1276 01:04:55,200 --> 01:04:56,920 Speaker 2: a Disney film. I don't think this one has been 1277 01:04:56,920 --> 01:04:58,280 Speaker 2: added to Disney Plus yet. 1278 01:04:58,600 --> 01:05:01,280 Speaker 4: I was joking the job Void. Noahs Arc does have 1279 01:05:01,360 --> 01:05:03,440 Speaker 4: pirates in it, but I don't recall aircraft. 1280 01:05:03,800 --> 01:05:09,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, anyway back to miniaturize people. They're making tools, 1281 01:05:09,040 --> 01:05:11,600 Speaker 2: they're rediscovering what they can use for a weapon, et cetera. 1282 01:05:11,680 --> 01:05:15,640 Speaker 2: They're making new clothes, all while doctor thorkel Is is 1283 01:05:15,880 --> 01:05:17,880 Speaker 2: snoozing off his latest science bender. 1284 01:05:18,120 --> 01:05:20,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, and when he does wake up from the Science Bender, 1285 01:05:21,000 --> 01:05:23,240 Speaker 4: he has got a bit of a science hangover. He's 1286 01:05:23,320 --> 01:05:26,120 Speaker 4: he's kinda he's kind of frisky, but he's also kind 1287 01:05:26,120 --> 01:05:27,640 Speaker 4: of mad, and he's like, what is he going to 1288 01:05:27,720 --> 01:05:31,520 Speaker 4: do with these these with these shrunken people, And doctor 1289 01:05:31,520 --> 01:05:36,400 Speaker 4: Bullfinch starts he's still just like mouthing off to Thornell. 1290 01:05:36,560 --> 01:05:40,120 Speaker 4: He's like, he's like, we are prisoners in cyclops cave again, 1291 01:05:40,400 --> 01:05:44,240 Speaker 4: recalling the story from the Odyssey where where ulysses or 1292 01:05:44,600 --> 01:05:46,880 Speaker 4: he calls him Ulysses. In the movie Ulysses may be 1293 01:05:46,880 --> 01:05:51,160 Speaker 4: better known today as Odysseus and his crew are are 1294 01:05:51,240 --> 01:05:55,320 Speaker 4: captured within the cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops I don't 1295 01:05:55,320 --> 01:05:58,439 Speaker 4: remember on some island and and they have to find 1296 01:05:58,480 --> 01:06:00,720 Speaker 4: a way to escape, and they end up blinding the 1297 01:06:00,760 --> 01:06:04,240 Speaker 4: Cyclops by stabbing him in the eye. But Odysseus has 1298 01:06:04,280 --> 01:06:07,720 Speaker 4: said that his name is no One. So when somebody 1299 01:06:07,720 --> 01:06:11,840 Speaker 4: comes to ask if the Cyclops needs help, the Cyclops says, 1300 01:06:11,840 --> 01:06:17,080 Speaker 4: no one is hurting me. Very clever, yes. But doctor 1301 01:06:17,080 --> 01:06:20,360 Speaker 4: Thorkel ends up catching Bullfinch in a net oh after 1302 01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:23,200 Speaker 4: a part where Bullfinch tells off a chicken. He's like, 1303 01:06:23,240 --> 01:06:27,480 Speaker 4: go away, you ridiculous vowl. And Bullfinch, as always, is 1304 01:06:27,560 --> 01:06:31,000 Speaker 4: extremely uncooperative. Thorkel is like he brings him inside to 1305 01:06:31,120 --> 01:06:35,160 Speaker 4: measure him in various ways, and then Thorkel expresses disappointment. 1306 01:06:35,200 --> 01:06:37,600 Speaker 4: This is privately just between him and Bullfinch all the 1307 01:06:37,600 --> 01:06:40,480 Speaker 4: other people are still outside. He says, you know what, 1308 01:06:40,640 --> 01:06:44,200 Speaker 4: your bodies are growing. Your bodies are reacting as if 1309 01:06:44,240 --> 01:06:47,360 Speaker 4: you have reverted to childhood, and you will eventually grow 1310 01:06:47,440 --> 01:06:51,360 Speaker 4: back to regular size. And Thorkel of course can't allow 1311 01:06:51,440 --> 01:06:54,360 Speaker 4: this because then they would interfere with his work again. 1312 01:06:54,920 --> 01:06:59,160 Speaker 4: So Thorkel turns to murder once again. We've seen him. 1313 01:06:59,320 --> 01:07:01,320 Speaker 4: We've seen him murder to solve a problem at the 1314 01:07:01,360 --> 01:07:04,600 Speaker 4: beginning of the movie. And his eyes, his eyes become cold, 1315 01:07:04,640 --> 01:07:06,440 Speaker 4: and he's like, I'm going to do it again. And 1316 01:07:06,480 --> 01:07:08,720 Speaker 4: he gets a cotton swab and puts it in some 1317 01:07:08,800 --> 01:07:11,480 Speaker 4: kind of chemical and smothers Doctor Bullfinch with it and 1318 01:07:11,560 --> 01:07:14,880 Speaker 4: kills him. And there's like a giant fake hand for 1319 01:07:14,960 --> 01:07:17,000 Speaker 4: Bullfinch to be held in. It's pretty good. 1320 01:07:17,240 --> 01:07:21,760 Speaker 2: It's a great scene and again very brutal, you know, 1321 01:07:22,080 --> 01:07:24,960 Speaker 2: just despite the sanitized nature of this film as a whole, 1322 01:07:25,200 --> 01:07:28,800 Speaker 2: it's just a cold murder of the of this professor. 1323 01:07:29,640 --> 01:07:29,840 Speaker 4: You know. 1324 01:07:30,040 --> 01:07:32,280 Speaker 2: But also during this scene, I was thinking about what 1325 01:07:32,680 --> 01:07:35,760 Speaker 2: doctor Thorkel said about how you're going to grow as 1326 01:07:35,800 --> 01:07:38,760 Speaker 2: if you were children into adult form again, which in 1327 01:07:38,800 --> 01:07:40,680 Speaker 2: this movie all it means is you're going to get 1328 01:07:40,680 --> 01:07:42,320 Speaker 2: big again. By the end of the film and the 1329 01:07:42,960 --> 01:07:44,760 Speaker 2: end it's saying like if you had hidden, you would 1330 01:07:44,760 --> 01:07:47,160 Speaker 2: have just returned to normal anyway, but instead you came 1331 01:07:47,200 --> 01:07:49,160 Speaker 2: back to me, and now it will kill you. But 1332 01:07:49,600 --> 01:07:52,000 Speaker 2: I had a moment there where I was imagining, like 1333 01:07:52,040 --> 01:07:55,560 Speaker 2: what does this mean? Because a baby is not like 1334 01:07:55,560 --> 01:07:58,600 Speaker 2: a miniature adult. You know, it changes a lot as 1335 01:07:58,640 --> 01:08:01,160 Speaker 2: it becomes a grown person. So I was trying to 1336 01:08:01,240 --> 01:08:03,360 Speaker 2: just contemplate, like what would that mean if you were 1337 01:08:03,560 --> 01:08:06,920 Speaker 2: a miniaturized person and then you grew Like what monstrous 1338 01:08:07,240 --> 01:08:09,480 Speaker 2: full sized forms would they grow into? 1339 01:08:09,800 --> 01:08:12,680 Speaker 4: You're gonna have skull plates fusing together? Again, like what's 1340 01:08:12,720 --> 01:08:13,040 Speaker 4: going on? 1341 01:08:13,600 --> 01:08:16,040 Speaker 2: Like, so I that was kind of a nightmare scenario 1342 01:08:16,120 --> 01:08:18,360 Speaker 2: that this film does not explore, but I had a 1343 01:08:18,360 --> 01:08:20,000 Speaker 2: moment there I was like, oh my god. 1344 01:08:20,320 --> 01:08:23,519 Speaker 4: Doctor Bullfinch say hello to a second round of baby teeth. 1345 01:08:28,040 --> 01:08:30,559 Speaker 4: And then so we mentioned that scene is kind of brutal, 1346 01:08:30,600 --> 01:08:33,800 Speaker 4: there's another there's a lot of imployed Like this is 1347 01:08:33,840 --> 01:08:36,720 Speaker 4: not a bloody film, but there's a lot of implied 1348 01:08:36,880 --> 01:08:40,520 Speaker 4: violence in it that is very brutal in its suggestions. 1349 01:08:40,560 --> 01:08:43,479 Speaker 4: So you see that the other humans after Bullfinch is murdered, 1350 01:08:43,760 --> 01:08:46,559 Speaker 4: they're hiding in this big thicket of cactus and then 1351 01:08:46,640 --> 01:08:48,800 Speaker 4: Thorkel comes out and I guess he's trying to kill 1352 01:08:48,840 --> 01:08:51,599 Speaker 4: them and he starts chopping up the cactus with a shovel. 1353 01:08:52,000 --> 01:08:54,840 Speaker 4: It's messed up. But uh, we find when he chops 1354 01:08:54,880 --> 01:08:56,920 Speaker 4: it all up and then finds they've escaped through a 1355 01:08:56,960 --> 01:09:00,439 Speaker 4: hole in the wall out into the jungle, and Thorkell 1356 01:09:00,560 --> 01:09:02,880 Speaker 4: taunts them over the wall, saying that they will never 1357 01:09:02,960 --> 01:09:05,479 Speaker 4: live half an hour out in the jungle, and sure 1358 01:09:05,560 --> 01:09:08,280 Speaker 4: enough there comes along a storm, which again to think 1359 01:09:08,280 --> 01:09:11,960 Speaker 4: about how terrifying of a threat a storm would be 1360 01:09:12,080 --> 01:09:14,519 Speaker 4: if you were tiny, if you were like, you know, 1361 01:09:14,600 --> 01:09:16,719 Speaker 4: six inches tall or a foot tall or whatever. 1362 01:09:16,760 --> 01:09:18,640 Speaker 2: This is yeah, I mean just on top of the 1363 01:09:18,920 --> 01:09:22,040 Speaker 2: jungle itself. Like when Thorkel said that, I was like, no, 1364 01:09:22,080 --> 01:09:24,559 Speaker 2: he's absolutely right, Like to go into the jungle at 1365 01:09:24,560 --> 01:09:27,880 Speaker 2: this size is just death, Like everything is going to 1366 01:09:27,920 --> 01:09:28,760 Speaker 2: potentially eat you. 1367 01:09:29,160 --> 01:09:29,519 Speaker 4: Yeah. 1368 01:09:29,800 --> 01:09:31,320 Speaker 2: But and then on top of that the storm. 1369 01:09:31,720 --> 01:09:33,840 Speaker 4: Right, And again this comes back to the hall day 1370 01:09:33,880 --> 01:09:35,920 Speaker 4: and essay I mentioned earlier on being the right size. 1371 01:09:36,160 --> 01:09:38,680 Speaker 4: The thing about how when you're when you have a 1372 01:09:39,600 --> 01:09:44,120 Speaker 4: much larger surface area to mass ratio as smaller creatures do. 1373 01:09:44,439 --> 01:09:46,720 Speaker 4: There are advantages to that, Like you can fall off 1374 01:09:46,720 --> 01:09:49,000 Speaker 4: of a roof and probably not be hurt because you 1375 01:09:49,040 --> 01:09:52,880 Speaker 4: know the the amount of air resistance provided by the 1376 01:09:52,880 --> 01:09:54,720 Speaker 4: surface of your body will be enough to keep you 1377 01:09:54,800 --> 01:09:57,800 Speaker 4: going pretty slow actually as you fall compared to the 1378 01:09:57,840 --> 01:10:00,920 Speaker 4: mass in your body. But the downside are like getting 1379 01:10:01,040 --> 01:10:04,640 Speaker 4: wet is a terrifying proposition when you are tiny, like 1380 01:10:04,680 --> 01:10:07,320 Speaker 4: the surface tension of water clings to you like a 1381 01:10:07,400 --> 01:10:11,320 Speaker 4: kind of slime. And so imagine, Yeah, you're out in 1382 01:10:11,360 --> 01:10:13,320 Speaker 4: the jungle and the rain is coming down and there's 1383 01:10:13,520 --> 01:10:18,639 Speaker 4: rivulets everywhere. Very scary. So they end up coming across 1384 01:10:18,680 --> 01:10:21,280 Speaker 4: a boat in a river later on, and they try 1385 01:10:21,320 --> 01:10:23,599 Speaker 4: to use technology to free it, and they get attacked 1386 01:10:23,640 --> 01:10:26,160 Speaker 4: by a crocodilian. I think it's a crocodile. Might have 1387 01:10:26,200 --> 01:10:29,200 Speaker 4: been an alligator. I didn't check the nose shaped too well, 1388 01:10:29,800 --> 01:10:32,360 Speaker 4: But the crocodile attack sequence is great. They're trying to 1389 01:10:32,360 --> 01:10:34,880 Speaker 4: fend it off with fire, but they've got these like 1390 01:10:35,000 --> 01:10:37,320 Speaker 4: little tiny sticks that are on fire that are just 1391 01:10:37,439 --> 01:10:38,639 Speaker 4: not enough fire. 1392 01:10:38,920 --> 01:10:41,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, they're just kind of dropping it on the creature 1393 01:10:41,120 --> 01:10:42,439 Speaker 2: and doesn't seem to particularly care. 1394 01:10:42,760 --> 01:10:45,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, and then eventually, after they chase it off by 1395 01:10:45,160 --> 01:10:48,839 Speaker 4: throwing a bunch of flaming sticks on it, Thorkel returns. 1396 01:10:48,880 --> 01:10:53,519 Speaker 4: He comes and finds them, and again it's brutal. Pedro 1397 01:10:53,720 --> 01:10:57,840 Speaker 4: heroically leads his dog away from them. Drawing off the 1398 01:10:58,280 --> 01:11:01,880 Speaker 4: smell and and so he saves the rest of the people, 1399 01:11:01,880 --> 01:11:05,000 Speaker 4: but Thorkel sees him and shoots him, and so Pedro 1400 01:11:05,120 --> 01:11:07,840 Speaker 4: has been murdered. And then after that, the rest of 1401 01:11:07,840 --> 01:11:10,839 Speaker 4: the people are hiding in some grass and Thorkel starts 1402 01:11:10,880 --> 01:11:13,880 Speaker 4: stomping through the grass and then when he can't find them, 1403 01:11:13,880 --> 01:11:15,160 Speaker 4: he burns the grass. 1404 01:11:15,520 --> 01:11:20,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, so there's this inferno that he starts here, just 1405 01:11:20,360 --> 01:11:22,920 Speaker 2: trying to flush them out. Yeah, but he doesn't quite work, 1406 01:11:23,040 --> 01:11:26,880 Speaker 2: because they find another place that they can hide themselves, right. 1407 01:11:27,080 --> 01:11:30,280 Speaker 4: They stow away in his specimen box, the box that 1408 01:11:30,360 --> 01:11:32,519 Speaker 4: he was going to put them in when he found them. 1409 01:11:33,400 --> 01:11:36,680 Speaker 4: And so Robinson, Stockton and Steve the mule guy are 1410 01:11:36,720 --> 01:11:39,559 Speaker 4: the three people left alive. And they ride back in 1411 01:11:39,680 --> 01:11:43,320 Speaker 4: this box to Thorkell's hut and once they get there, 1412 01:11:43,360 --> 01:11:46,840 Speaker 4: they get out and Stockton decides, no, I'm gonna stand 1413 01:11:46,880 --> 01:11:49,000 Speaker 4: my ground this time. I'm not going to try to escape. 1414 01:11:49,040 --> 01:11:52,000 Speaker 4: We've got to kill Thorkel and the other to agree. 1415 01:11:52,400 --> 01:11:54,920 Speaker 4: So first they try to aim a shotgun like a 1416 01:11:54,920 --> 01:11:58,280 Speaker 4: cannon at his pillow in his bed, but then Thorkel 1417 01:11:58,360 --> 01:12:00,479 Speaker 4: doesn't go to bed and stead he falls sleep in 1418 01:12:00,479 --> 01:12:04,040 Speaker 4: his chair and then it really gets into the blinding 1419 01:12:04,080 --> 01:12:07,240 Speaker 4: of Polyphemus in the Odyssey because they steal his glasses. 1420 01:12:07,280 --> 01:12:10,040 Speaker 4: Remember it said at the beginning that he called them 1421 01:12:10,040 --> 01:12:12,880 Speaker 4: there because his eyes were so damaged he really couldn't 1422 01:12:12,920 --> 01:12:16,080 Speaker 4: see without his glasses. And they they know where he 1423 01:12:16,200 --> 01:12:18,519 Speaker 4: keeps his extra pairs of glasses because they find them 1424 01:12:18,520 --> 01:12:21,400 Speaker 4: when they're going through his stuff earlier, and they hide those. 1425 01:12:21,920 --> 01:12:23,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, they stick them through like a hole on the 1426 01:12:23,640 --> 01:12:25,640 Speaker 2: floor of the wall. So now he has the you know, 1427 01:12:25,640 --> 01:12:29,160 Speaker 2: the only only the one pair, and they remove those 1428 01:12:29,200 --> 01:12:33,000 Speaker 2: as well. So yeah, suddenly you have this this blinded 1429 01:12:33,040 --> 01:12:35,200 Speaker 2: polythemous trope going on here. 1430 01:12:35,640 --> 01:12:39,400 Speaker 4: Yeah, and so Thorkel is enraged. He's smashing, you know, 1431 01:12:39,439 --> 01:12:43,000 Speaker 4: he's running around trying to destroy them. He does recover 1432 01:12:43,200 --> 01:12:46,280 Speaker 4: one pair of glasses, but one of the lenses is smashed, 1433 01:12:46,520 --> 01:12:49,360 Speaker 4: and he says, now you can call me Cyclops because 1434 01:12:49,360 --> 01:12:50,519 Speaker 4: I have one good eye. 1435 01:12:51,080 --> 01:12:53,599 Speaker 2: Thank you for being clear about the title of the film, 1436 01:12:53,640 --> 01:12:54,400 Speaker 2: doctor thorp Kel. 1437 01:12:54,840 --> 01:12:56,240 Speaker 4: I think they could have done without that. 1438 01:12:56,640 --> 01:12:58,560 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1439 01:12:58,560 --> 01:13:02,439 Speaker 4: But so there's a final conference in the end. I 1440 01:13:02,479 --> 01:13:05,800 Speaker 4: won't spoil exactly how it happens, but there they are victorious. 1441 01:13:05,840 --> 01:13:08,599 Speaker 4: They end up they end up defeating doctor Cyclops here 1442 01:13:09,080 --> 01:13:12,959 Speaker 4: and in the end, the three remaining characters they regrow 1443 01:13:13,040 --> 01:13:16,760 Speaker 4: to full size and they travel back to civilization. And 1444 01:13:17,120 --> 01:13:19,519 Speaker 4: the main things now we find are that Stockton and 1445 01:13:19,600 --> 01:13:22,479 Speaker 4: Robinson are now in love because of course, and we 1446 01:13:22,560 --> 01:13:25,720 Speaker 4: find that Steve the mule guy does not like cats, 1447 01:13:25,760 --> 01:13:27,960 Speaker 4: Like he sees a cat back in the town they 1448 01:13:27,960 --> 01:13:30,160 Speaker 4: go to and he's like, scram. 1449 01:13:30,120 --> 01:13:32,639 Speaker 2: Well, maybe you remember this. I watched it last week 1450 01:13:32,640 --> 01:13:34,680 Speaker 2: and I think you watched it this morning. Did we 1451 01:13:34,720 --> 01:13:37,640 Speaker 2: ever get any real payoff with Satanas? No, Like, like 1452 01:13:37,680 --> 01:13:40,479 Speaker 2: it's not like they had a big throwdown with the 1453 01:13:40,560 --> 01:13:42,120 Speaker 2: Like they didn't have a big fight with the cat. 1454 01:13:42,160 --> 01:13:44,120 Speaker 2: They didn't have to like slay the cat or I 1455 01:13:44,120 --> 01:13:46,720 Speaker 2: think the dog just chased Satanas off and that was it. 1456 01:13:46,920 --> 01:13:48,679 Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm glad they didn't have to kill the cat, 1457 01:13:48,680 --> 01:13:50,200 Speaker 4: because I mean, the cat's just being a cat. 1458 01:13:50,439 --> 01:13:53,040 Speaker 2: It's true, Yeah, I mean, but I also wonder, like 1459 01:13:53,160 --> 01:13:55,800 Speaker 2: was that like maybe something they wanted to do, but 1460 01:13:55,880 --> 01:13:58,280 Speaker 2: they just didn't have the effects, Like maybe that was 1461 01:13:58,320 --> 01:14:00,280 Speaker 2: just too much of an effects asked to have like 1462 01:14:00,280 --> 01:14:03,120 Speaker 2: a big fight with a giant cat. I don't know, Yeah, 1463 01:14:03,160 --> 01:14:05,720 Speaker 2: I don't know, because of you know, there are there 1464 01:14:05,720 --> 01:14:08,240 Speaker 2: were films that you know, they would later go more 1465 01:14:08,280 --> 01:14:10,400 Speaker 2: in that direction of having you know, the cat to 1466 01:14:10,520 --> 01:14:13,559 Speaker 2: aggressively go after tiny humans. 1467 01:14:14,240 --> 01:14:16,000 Speaker 4: Well like Cat's Eye the one you mentioned. 1468 01:14:16,200 --> 01:14:17,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that's true. 1469 01:14:17,120 --> 01:14:20,280 Speaker 4: Well not a tiny human, an evil troll and the cat. 1470 01:14:20,360 --> 01:14:23,439 Speaker 4: There is the hero going that's right, the evil tiny monster. 1471 01:14:23,920 --> 01:14:27,120 Speaker 2: So yeah, this is this is absolutely a fun film. 1472 01:14:27,520 --> 01:14:29,800 Speaker 2: You know, there's not not a you know, tremendous amount 1473 01:14:29,840 --> 01:14:32,600 Speaker 2: of depth to it. There's not a huge amount of 1474 01:14:32,640 --> 01:14:34,519 Speaker 2: monster science to discuss about it. I mean you can 1475 01:14:34,560 --> 01:14:37,080 Speaker 2: take various you can certainly get really pedantic on the 1476 01:14:37,120 --> 01:14:40,280 Speaker 2: idea of miniaturizing organisms and then how does that miniaturize 1477 01:14:40,360 --> 01:14:46,719 Speaker 2: organism react and and fit in with with an immediate 1478 01:14:46,760 --> 01:14:50,240 Speaker 2: environment that it was not miniaturized. And depending on how 1479 01:14:50,280 --> 01:14:53,599 Speaker 2: small you go, those problems can be you know, can 1480 01:14:53,640 --> 01:14:57,280 Speaker 2: be quite extreme. But then there are other directions as well. 1481 01:14:58,000 --> 01:15:00,479 Speaker 2: You know, we found this interesting paper we were both 1482 01:15:00,560 --> 01:15:04,760 Speaker 2: looking at titled Human Engineering and Climate Change by lal 1483 01:15:04,880 --> 01:15:09,759 Speaker 2: Sandberg and Roche. This was from twenty twelve published in Ethics, 1484 01:15:09,800 --> 01:15:12,599 Speaker 2: Policy and Environment, and it's pretty wild read. You can 1485 01:15:12,640 --> 01:15:16,360 Speaker 2: find it for free online. I think we founded at 1486 01:15:16,760 --> 01:15:20,479 Speaker 2: BLC dot Arizona Dot Edu. And one of the things 1487 01:15:20,479 --> 01:15:22,040 Speaker 2: they get into is like, if you were to shrink 1488 01:15:22,120 --> 01:15:25,800 Speaker 2: humans down, they would have less of an environmental footprint, 1489 01:15:25,880 --> 01:15:27,799 Speaker 2: so it would ultimately be better for the environment. 1490 01:15:28,360 --> 01:15:31,800 Speaker 4: This paper is absolute. This is something doctor Thorkel would write. 1491 01:15:32,439 --> 01:15:34,800 Speaker 4: I started reading it and I was just like, what 1492 01:15:35,439 --> 01:15:39,920 Speaker 4: it is interesting, but it is nuts And I don't know. 1493 01:15:40,000 --> 01:15:42,320 Speaker 4: I mean, it seems like there may be more direct 1494 01:15:42,400 --> 01:15:45,000 Speaker 4: things that could be done about climate change than saying, like, 1495 01:15:45,200 --> 01:15:47,439 Speaker 4: what if we were to shrink humans so that they 1496 01:15:47,479 --> 01:15:48,960 Speaker 4: consume fewer resources. 1497 01:15:49,320 --> 01:15:53,759 Speaker 2: Yeah, there are other levers we should pull first. Certainly 1498 01:15:54,680 --> 01:15:58,559 Speaker 2: we shouldn't take the thorkelp that path Thorkel way on 1499 01:15:58,600 --> 01:15:59,759 Speaker 2: that particular problem. 1500 01:16:00,000 --> 01:16:01,679 Speaker 4: I mean, it's at least got to go like solar 1501 01:16:01,720 --> 01:16:03,479 Speaker 4: panels before shrinking people. 1502 01:16:03,800 --> 01:16:09,040 Speaker 2: Absolutely. All right, Well you may be wondering where can 1503 01:16:09,080 --> 01:16:12,799 Speaker 2: I watch Doctor Cyclops. Well, these things are always subject 1504 01:16:12,840 --> 01:16:15,240 Speaker 2: to change. But we actually had a hard time tracking 1505 01:16:15,280 --> 01:16:17,760 Speaker 2: this one down. We couldn't find it streaming anywhere or 1506 01:16:17,800 --> 01:16:20,280 Speaker 2: for digital purchaser rental. We couldn't even find a We 1507 01:16:20,280 --> 01:16:23,120 Speaker 2: couldn't find a physical rental either, So we actually bought 1508 01:16:23,120 --> 01:16:26,880 Speaker 2: it on special edition Blu ray from kl Studio Classics 1509 01:16:27,320 --> 01:16:30,799 Speaker 2: aka Keno Lorber. It's a brand new four K master. 1510 01:16:31,160 --> 01:16:34,240 Speaker 2: It also has an audio commentary by film historian Richard 1511 01:16:34,240 --> 01:16:36,479 Speaker 2: Harlan Smith. I didn't I didn't have a chance to 1512 01:16:36,520 --> 01:16:38,640 Speaker 2: listen to it, but it sounds like it would be 1513 01:16:38,680 --> 01:16:41,639 Speaker 2: pretty cool. The box art on this one is great. 1514 01:16:42,080 --> 01:16:44,360 Speaker 2: Unlike some of the other previous releases that have come 1515 01:16:44,400 --> 01:16:46,559 Speaker 2: out that had kind of like cheesy box art, like 1516 01:16:46,640 --> 01:16:50,400 Speaker 2: this one has that weird probe mechanism in the center 1517 01:16:50,479 --> 01:16:53,120 Speaker 2: that is lowered into the earth. You have a picture 1518 01:16:53,520 --> 01:16:57,080 Speaker 2: of doctor Thorkel there with it looks like lasers coming 1519 01:16:57,080 --> 01:16:57,679 Speaker 2: out of his eyes. 1520 01:16:57,720 --> 01:16:58,360 Speaker 3: It's pretty good. 1521 01:16:58,800 --> 01:16:59,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's really good art. 1522 01:17:00,560 --> 01:17:02,639 Speaker 2: But then again, this is also a classic film by 1523 01:17:02,680 --> 01:17:06,280 Speaker 2: a notable director, so it's it's entirely possible you might 1524 01:17:06,280 --> 01:17:08,559 Speaker 2: be able to catch this one on one of like 1525 01:17:09,120 --> 01:17:11,960 Speaker 2: Turner Classic movies or something to that effect. I know 1526 01:17:12,000 --> 01:17:13,960 Speaker 2: we've we heard from some people after we did our 1527 01:17:14,000 --> 01:17:16,880 Speaker 2: episode on Mad Love chiming in and saying, oh, they're 1528 01:17:16,880 --> 01:17:19,240 Speaker 2: showing Mad Love tonight, so who knows. Maybe check your 1529 01:17:19,280 --> 01:17:23,040 Speaker 2: local listings, is what I'm saying. Well, let's do it. Then, 1530 01:17:23,080 --> 01:17:25,760 Speaker 2: let's go ahead and call it done. We're done with 1531 01:17:25,840 --> 01:17:28,559 Speaker 2: Doctor Cyclops here, but this was a fun one to watch, 1532 01:17:28,600 --> 01:17:32,160 Speaker 2: a fun one to discuss, and if you would like 1533 01:17:32,200 --> 01:17:35,080 Speaker 2: to listen to us discuss other films. You can catch 1534 01:17:35,160 --> 01:17:38,120 Speaker 2: other episodes of Weird House Cinema every Friday in the 1535 01:17:38,200 --> 01:17:41,439 Speaker 2: Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast feed. So our core 1536 01:17:41,479 --> 01:17:44,519 Speaker 2: episodes are are about science and culture and those published 1537 01:17:44,520 --> 01:17:46,920 Speaker 2: on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We do an artifact episode on 1538 01:17:46,960 --> 01:17:50,760 Speaker 2: Wednesdays listener mail on Mondays. But Friday that's when we 1539 01:17:50,800 --> 01:17:53,479 Speaker 2: get to cut loose and discuss some sort of a 1540 01:17:53,520 --> 01:17:56,960 Speaker 2: weird cinematic gem, generally from Yesterdayear. 1541 01:17:56,479 --> 01:17:59,639 Speaker 4: That's right, so keep tuning in. Huge thanks as always 1542 01:17:59,640 --> 01:18:03,439 Speaker 4: to our excellent audio producer Seth Nicholas Johnson. If you 1543 01:18:03,479 --> 01:18:05,280 Speaker 4: would like to get in touch with us to let 1544 01:18:05,320 --> 01:18:07,800 Speaker 4: us know feedback on this episode or any other, to 1545 01:18:07,840 --> 01:18:10,280 Speaker 4: suggest a topic for the future, or just to say hello, 1546 01:18:10,360 --> 01:18:13,160 Speaker 4: you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow 1547 01:18:13,240 --> 01:18:21,519 Speaker 4: your Mind dot com. 1548 01:18:21,720 --> 01:18:24,680 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For 1549 01:18:24,760 --> 01:18:27,559 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 1550 01:18:27,720 --> 01:18:30,479 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.