Product Details

• Actors: Daryl Hannah, Daniel Baldwin, William Windom, Frances Fisher, Cristi Conaway
• Directors: Christopher Guest
• Writers: Joseph Dougherty, Mark Hanna
• Producers: Daryl Hannah, Andrew G. La Marca, Chuck Binder, Dan Mizell, Debra Hill
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Hbo Home Video
• VHS Release Date: September 8, 1998
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000JWWC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,162 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Daryl Hannah finally hits the big time in this HBO remake, February 9, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" finds Daryl Hannah in the titular role of this HBO remake of the 1958 exploitation cult classic. Director Christopher Guest goes whole heartedly for a retro Fifties look in this 1993 which tries to take the best parts (so to speak) of the original and enlarge the rest into a feminist allegory. Once again the story is about poor little heiress Nancy Archer (Hannah), who has been abused all of her life by men from her father, Hamilton Cobb (William Windom) to her swarmy husband, Harry (Daniel Baldwin), who is devoting his limited attention to local bad girl, Honey Parker (Cristi Conaway). Out driving around in the desert to relieve her sexual frustration, Nancy encounters a flying saucer that zaps her, thereby starting the growth process that will level off at the 50 ft. level (note: the original is "Foot" but the remake is "Ft."). The teleplay by Joseph Dougherty (who did his first script for "thirtysomething") borrows as much from "The Feminist Manifesto" as it does from "King Kong." What becomes important is that not even the U.S. military is going to stop Nancy from getting some much needed attention from hubby Harry. Sure, she could do a lot better than Harry, but that is not suppose to be the final payoff of this little feminine fantasy.

This remake does not have the same sort of tacky charm that makes the original so compelling. But there is still the great unanswered question from both of these films as to how the giant woman's underwear manages to keep up with her growth spurt. Daryl Hannah is a lot angrier than Allison Hayes was in the original, and it was the latter's decided sense of disinterest during the final rampage (along with the cloth bikini) that made it one of the enduring images of Fifties science fiction. Ultimately, this is more Guest's film as director, because the entire art direction and visual style of the film is as much a homage to the genre in the Fifties as the original storyline. The remake does not stand alone because there is too much that works off of the original to allow that to happen, so you have to have seen the 1958 version to fully appreciation this one. The main thing is that "Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman" does not take itself seriously, and that makes up for a lot of the film's shortcomings.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Attack of the 50ft. Woman, September 26, 2002

By 

Patrick N. Thayer "Patrick" (Lebanon, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (DVD)

Nancy Archer (Darryl Hannah) is a rich but troubled young woman, who is married to a cheating lowlife who only stays with her for her money. One night, she is driving home by herself, when an alien spaceship lands on the road. She is irradiated by the ship and over the next few days, starts to grow taller and taller, until she reaches a height of 50 feet. She uses her newfound height (and power) to take revenge on those who have wronged her - especially her sleazy husband Harry (Daniel Baldwin) and the trashy, gold-digging bimbo (Christi Conaway) he has taken up with.

This HBO made-for-cable remake of the 1957 cult classic of the same name is updated with an even more feminist slant and has a more thoughtful (and clever) script. The effects and acting are still every bit as cheesy though.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ain't spandex great?, November 4, 2004

By 

bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (DVD)

This is an HBO remake of the original 50's 50 footer. Naturally there had to be some adjustments for the new era. However it still captures the thrills and chills. You may also marvel at the spandex clothing that stretches for ever (rats.)

Nancy, the little woman, (Daryl Hannah) does not have quite the devoted husband (Daniel Baldwin.) Here life is not quite ideal. Soon a chance encounter with aliens (the space type) leaves her feeling bigger about the situation. 50 foot bigger. Now it is Nancy's turn for a little revenge. The ending is a little unnerving.

Be sure to see Daryl in just as serious of a role in "High spirits" (1998)


High Spirits