Notable perhaps only because it was the producing debut of the B-movie king Roger Corman, Monster From the Ocean Floor is one of hundreds of dirt-cheap monster movies produced in the U.S. in the 1950's. Atomic testing had opened the floodgates for many a wannabe film-maker to throw someone in a rubber suit, and build a generic story around it for exploitation purposes. Many of Corman's films were about unknown dangers lurking in the vast and unexplored ocean, and produced/directed many profitable pre and post-Jaws (1975) horrors, and here, the beastie is a giant one-eyed octopus skulking amongst a coastline in Mexico.
While holidaying in Mexico, Julie Blair (Anne Kimbell) learns about a mysterious monster who has eaten various residents of the sea-side town. The only clues it leaves behinds are massive drag marks that resident Pablo (director Wyott Ordung) describes as "not a seal." Marine biologist Steve Dunning (Stuart Wade) picks her up in his mini-submarine and the two hit it off, only Steve is unconvinced by Julie's concerns about the mythical creature. With Steve moving on for further exploration, Julie is left on her own, with one of the local residents whispering in Pablo's ear that a human sacrifice may cause the creature to go back into hibernation.
At only 64 minutes, Corman's beginning to what would become an extraordinary career (he's still going), is a massively dull affair. There are long moments of exposition that drags the film along while it struggles to come with anything remotely inventive or entertaining. The misleading poster that depicts the monster bursting out of the ocean is laughable given we only glimpse the creature twice throughout the whole movie (though this wasn't anything new - dazzling posters brought the audience in under false pretences). The film doesn't look half bad given its obviously modest budget, but even a giant rubber octopus can't save this film from becoming a damp squib.
The propagation of fear of the "other", or the unknown, is a fervent device used by governments for the control of the masses (the population). In the 1940's and 1950's in the west (particularly the United States - and to a lesser extent the UK), the common object of fear was the spread of Communism. In 1947, this paranoia about the infiltration of socialist ideologies into US politics, culminated in the organisation of HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), which began a witch hunt for any persons involving themselves (allegedly) in Communist politics and ideas. Propaganda was in full swing by 1954, and the hunt was extended into the arts, particularly Hollywood - with its "Harbouring" of socialism - which led to the imprisonment of "The Hollywood Ten" which included the writers and filmmakers involved in the making of Salt of the Earth - which was inevitably blacklisted.
With a largely non-professional cast (only five were professionals), this neo-realist style film tells the story - based on real events - of a workers strike for equality of pay and conditions for American-Mexicans working in the Delaware Zinc mines in New Mexico. Told from the perspective of Esperanza Quintero (Rosaura Revueltas - one of the five actual actors), the film opens with a domestic scene and her narration, as she outlines their social conditions, and the small community. Her husband, Ramon (incredibly heartfelt performance by non-professional, Juan Chacon), signifies the "traditional" male, whose displays a reluctance for his wife to involve herself with nothing but the upkeep of the home, and the raising of their children (not a particularly revelatory experience in the 1950's).
After the failure of the men - bound by union restrictions - to successfully picket the mine, the women of the village take their places, creating a barrier to the entrance. This destabilises the workers union to begin with, and fundamentally disrupts the home life of Ramon and Esperanza - whose conventional roles are reversed, creating an emasculated man-of-the-house. The reactions of the mining management/owners leads to the arrest of all the women, which creates an even greater sense of solidarity between the women, and eventually (once they realise the importance of this strike) the men.
Within the context of this film, it is hard to believe in this day that this film (which perpetuates socialist ideas - Communist theories) was regarded as dangerous to the point of being blacklisted. However, what this part of history highlights is that these political ideas are simply dangerous to a hegemony of market power. That is, the fear of Communism (or socialism) is simply that it would - in theory - give equal rights and fair wages to the workers of any company or corporation. Of course, if socialism did spread, this would mean the obliteration of the free market economy that has so far simply created a greater divide of rich and poor in the West, and ultimately led to such incredible greed, and intrinsically creating the banking crisis of 2008.
With a strong cast of actors and locals, this film is both enlightening and emotionally mature. It is itself a piece of pure propaganda, but it skillfully emphasises the socialist ideal of equality. The film also raises some interesting feminist questions - a movement that didn't really become part of popular culture until the late '60's and '70's - and gravitates towards alternative social roles for women. It was of course ignored by the Hollywood system, but eventually found audiences within film schools and workers unions. A common reaction was astounding: The Hollywood Reporter (a trade magazine) made a bold and frivolous statement claiming that the film was made under the direct orders of the Kremlin. It is an incredibly important piece of social history, that is also successful as an interesting and entertaining slice of cinema.
When a geology expedition headed by Dr. Carl Maia (Antonio Moreno) uncovers the fossilised hand of a giant sea/man creature, Maia recruits marine biologist Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson) on another expedition back to the Amazon to find the remaining skeleton of the strange beast. They get the funding they need, and take a journey aboard a steamer along with a ragtag gang including Dr. Williams (Richard Denning), who may be in love with Reed's lady Kay (Julia Adams). When arriving at the site, they find the former camp decimated, and a dead body. An ancestor of the fossilised 'gill-man' may be lingering in the water with murder and terror in mind.
Of all the monster 'creature-features' that flowed out of the 1950's, that mainly consisted of a man dressed up in a badly made suit or a leftover from a previous films' wardrobe department, the most iconic has to be the image of the gill-man carrying Kay, or coming out of the water. These films were quick and cheap to make, always had an eager marketplace, and were ripe for over-elaborate posters that were usually always far better than the film was ever going to be. The gill-man image is well remembered not only because it's a pretty cool costume, but also because Creature From The Black Lagoon is actually a good film.
The creature-feature genre is always restricted to its formulaic plot devices and tick-boxes of screaming girlfriend, square-jawed hero, and a generally non-threatening monster than you could easily run away from if in real-life or had at least half a brain. But what places Black Lagoon above the vast majority is the fact that it makes the most of these restrictions. The monster itself, although clearly a man in a suit, is genuinely quite creepy. The scene where he watches motionless from his underwater cage, his mouth slowly opening and closing like that of a fish, is unnerving.
The Amazonian backdrop is captured with a flair that goes beyond the film's budget limitations by cinematographer William E. Synder, something of a B-movie regular, and the underwater shots are mysterious and sometimes beautiful, as the two lead macho men battle with the gill-man and each other's testosterone. But most importantly, its riotously entertaining stuff, which differs from most pictures in the genre that usually have one entertaining scene surrounded by bad acting and boring plotting. It was never going to be anything more than very good, given it's limitations, but it is, and makes me sad to think that modern films will never be able to capture this sort of innocent charm.
Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) is a beautiful and shy lower-class girl whose father (John Williams) works as a chauffeur for the rich Larrabee family. She watches the elegant and lavish parties from afar and is head-over-heels in love with playboy David (William Holden). Attempting to commit suicide, the more business-minded brother of David, Linus Larrabee (Humphrey Bogart) intervenes and saves her. Her father decides to send her off to Paris on a cookery course where she arrives back re-invented, capturing the eye of David. Linus has set up the marriage between David and the daughter of a potential business partner, and so tries to sabotage their relationship while falling for Sabrina himself. And so begins a love triangle between two rich brothers and the girl they always ignored.
This is a familiar fairytale story of an 'ugly duckling' who is given the chance to show who she really is to the people that have failed to recognise her previously. How this film manages to tackle it from a seemingly fresh perspective speaks volumes about the sheer genius of director Billy Wilder, who is undoubtedly one of the greatest film-makers from the Golden Age of Hollywood. It achieves in equal measures an air of magic and sweetness of which can only be found in the 'golden oldies', with three truly great comedic performances from the lead trio.
Yes, it is wholly unbelievable that rich boys David and Linus would fail to recognise someone as astoundingly beautiful as Audrey Hepburn until she puts on some expensive earrings and a nice dress. But that is a minor quibble that one must expect from a romantic comedy. It is instead a film to sit back and enjoy. As strong as all three leads are, I felt this was Bogart's film. Most of my laughs came from his strange obsession with his company's newly designed plastic that he advertises to anyone who will listen. Having only seen him in hard-boiled noirs, it was nice to see him flexing his comedy muscles.
In an age where production companies shit out one soulless rom-com after the other that seem to serve no purpose other than to fill corporate pockets and earn some easy money for some B-list actor, it's reassuring to know that there was once a time when scriptwriters and directors alike would put genuine heart and talent onto screen and page, and create a romantic comedy that can be genuinely entertaining and truly heartfelt.
