4.0 out of 5 stars
" No, Helene and Andre believed in the sacredness of life. They wouldn't harm anything...not even a fly...", December 8, 2009
This review is from: The Fly / Return Of The Fly (1958) (DVD)
THE FLY was based on a well-received story written by George Langelaan for Playboy Magazine, and was brought to the screen by Twentieth Century Fox in 1958. Lushly filmed in CinemaScope and Deluxe Colour, it provided audiences with a far more sleek and stylish horror movie than they would be used to seeing. It's topline stars Vincent Price and Herbert Marshall, two of the leading character actors of their generation, added another layer of prestige to the production.
The story is told in flashback. The beautiful Helene Delambre (Patricia Owens) is charged with the gruesome murder of her husband Andre (David 'Al' Hedison) after his crushed body is discovered in the Delambre factory. Helene insists that Andre told her to kill him, following an experiment that went disastrously wrong, involving the cross-fire of atoms belonging to Andre and a common house-fly. Andre's brother Francois (Vincent Price) and Inspector Charas (Herbert Marshall) remain unconvinced--until a fly with Andre's head is seen trapped in a spiderweb... Co-starring Kathleen Freeman and little Charles Herbert ("Houseboat", "13 Ghosts"), THE FLY is still one of the most unsettling and intense horror movies from the 1950s.
In THE RETURN OF THE FLY, filmed the following year, we get a good sense of continuity with Vincent Price reprising his role of Francois Delambre. The story opens several years after the events of "The Fly". Following the death of Helene, Andre's now-grown son Philippe (Brett Halsey) is determined to continue his father's work, much to the horror of Francois. But Philippe's honest and honourable intentions are destroyed by his devious assistant (David Frankham) who turns Philippe into another hideous fly-creature. Can Francois save him from the same fate that Andre suffered? RETURN OF THE FLY also co-stars Danielle de Metz (best-remembered as the Italian tourguide in "Gidget Goes to Rome"), and John Sutton.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Lure of the Fly, January 12, 2007
This review is from: The Fly / Return Of The Fly (1958) (DVD)
This DVD is a good example of 1950s classic science at its best. You get the original THE FLY and its sequel. In 1958's THE FLY man through his science takes experimentation of his environment one step too far. Man's attempts to disrupt nature's harmony leads to destruction and horror to him and his loved ones. This is a well intentioned, poignantly directed and produced film. The horror resulting from Al (David) Hedison's experiments gone awry are devastating and disturbingly represented in the film's images. Once seen, the viewer can never forget them. This is a powerful film even to this day. Vincent Price as Francois and Charles Herbert as the young Philippe are good. However, David Hedison and Patricia Owens' performances are brilliant and elevate this film a notch higher. This CinemaScope print by cinematographer Karl Struss on this DVD is beautiful. The colors are rich and the Stereo Sound is excellent. Paul Sawtell's lush score is eerily touching. 1959's RETURN OF THE FLY is an interesting and imaginative sequel. Brydon Baker's black & white CinemaScope photography gives it a feel of film noir with a twist of science fiction. It looks great on this DVD. Both Vincent Price as Francois and Bret Halsey as the grown Philippe turn in believable performances. This can be attributed to Director Edward Bernds' choice to concentrate on characterization over the science fiction elements, which had also been effectively accomplished in the original. John Sutton as Inspector Charas, played by Herbert Marshall in the original turned in a credible performance. The score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter was very effective to the mood of the piece. RETURN OF THE FLY is an interesting and a somewhat overlooked film. I would recommend both these films.
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