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| Fig 1: Poster |
The incredible shrinking man is a B movie directed by Jack Arnold which tells the story of Robert Scott Carey as he is subjected to a mysterious mist that ends up decreasing his height over time, turning him into a spectacle in his home town.
The film was made in 1957 and for the majority of the film it really shows its dated quality particularly with special effects. As Robert begins to dwarf into a miniature version of himself the special effects are clearly visible to a novice in CGI. The green screen in parts where Robert is juxtapositioned in a world of normal sized people as he walks along the street (fig 2) show no shadow unerneath him which makes him feel like he is floating in the abyss. The perimeter of Robert seems to animate and ripple in a manufactured manner showing clearly when green screen was used.
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| Fig 2: Screenshot, showing green screen with no shadow under Robert |
At one stage Robert is standing in the threshold of the basement while his wife Louise is looking up at him the wall paneling behind Robert is clearly visible with Robert looking slightly invisible which shows how the special effects in B movies need a lot to be desired (fig 3).
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| Fig 3: Screenshot, Robert as slightly see through |
The acting in the film in parts is extremely comical especially at any moment when Louise has to show any glimpse of remorse over her husband shrinking down to child size or when she believes that he has been eaten by the household cat, Louise really overacts these parts showing crocodile tears and makes the scenes laughable. On the website Dan of Geek it is described how men are perceived "In The Shrinking Man, men are defined by their ability to dominate those around them – whether it’s their wife, their daughter, or their neighbours. As Carey dwindles in size, so too does sense of power and self-esteem, until he becomes an embittered, deviant character who comes to hate the people he once loved (Den Of Geek 2011".
The movie takes a more impressive turn when Robert is stuck down in the basement as the world around him genuinely seems massive which was not nearly as accomplished when Robert was around other normal sized people. The basement provides all sorts of challenges for Robert as he is now in a quest for survival. The use of everyday normal objects used for weapons and shelter in Roberts new universe is paramount at accomplishing his tiny size and how mammoth and terrifying everything seems at that size as hunting for food and having a battle to the death with a tarantula are all obstacles that Robert faces, all the while his voice overs providing cheesy intropsection of his barren basement of a world such as "eventually Louise would come to the celler, until then I had to keep myself alive with whatever resources I could find in my basement universe... and in myself"
The voice over of Roberts throughout the movie is a nice touch and shows an element of a story within a story as Robert introduces the viewer to his story and shows his elements of brooding which leaves the viewer asking if he will grow back to normal size. The score is also musically melodic to the ears as it instills a sense of eclectic nostalgia that emphasises elements of exasperation and danger especially when Robert faces against the spider. The incredible shrinking man holds up against other B movies and although it is cheesy in parts, its sombre quality shows shows that its a classic story of a mans fight for survival and the ending in particular is unexpected and a nice change from the oversaturated happy endings, In the ending Robert understands that he is one with the universe no matter how small he may be.
Bibliography
Den of Geek. (2011). The Incredible Shrinking Man: a classic book and film. [online]
Available at: http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/the-incredible-shrinking-man/18183/the-incredible-shrinking-man-a-classic-book-and-film
[Accessed 15 Dec. 2017].
Illustration List
Arnold J, (2011). "Fig 1: Poster" [image] Available at: Den of Geek. (2011). The Incredible Shrinking Man: a classic book and film. [online] Available at: http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/the-incredible-shrinking-man/18183/the-incredible-shrinking-man-a-classic-book-and-film
[Accessed 15 Dec. 2017].
Arnold J, (2011) "Fig 2: Screenshot, showing green screen with no shadow under Robert"
[Accessed 15 Dec. 2017].
Arnold J, (2011) "Fig 3: Screenshot, Robert as slightly see through"
[Accessed 15 Dec. 2017].
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