The Cyclops (film)
| The Cyclops | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster to The Cyclops (1957) | |
| Directed by | Bert I. Gordon |
| Written by | Bert I. Gordon |
| Produced by | Bert I. Gordon |
| Starring | James Craig Gloria Talbott and Duncan Parkin |
| Cinematography | Ira H. Morgan |
| Edited by | Carlo Lodato |
| Music by | Albert Glasser |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Cyclops (1957) is a science fiction horror film written, produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon, starring James Craig, Lon Chaney Jr. and Gloria Talbott. Typical of the "B" movie features of the period, a modicum of production values was involved.
Plot
Test pilot Bruce Barton (Duncan Parkin) is missing and his girlfriend, Susan Winter (Gloria Talbott) organizes a search party, sent out in the jungles of Mexico. The team of scientist Russ Bradford (James Craig), mining expert Martin "Marty" Melville (Lon Chaney Jr.) and pilot Lee Brand (Tom Drake) fly into an unknown territory. While searching the area, however, they uncover giant mutated earth animals such as giant snakes and lizards, behemoth bugs, oversized mammals.
More importantly, they encounter a mutated 50-ft tall, one-eyed human monster who became disfigured due to an exposure to radioactivity from massive radium deposits in the area. He kills Melville but appears to recognize the girl. When the cyclops tries to prevent the rest of the group from flying to safety, he is gravely wounded, and dies.
Cast
As appearing in The Cyclops, (main roles and screen credits identified):[1]
- James Craig — Russ Bradford
- Gloria Talbott — Susan Winter
- Lon Chaney Jr. (credited as Lon Chaney) Martin "Marty" Melville
- Tom Drake — Lee Brand
- Duncan Parkin — Bruce Barton/The Cyclops
- Vincente Padula — The governor
- Marlene Kloss — Salesgirl
- Paul Frees — vocal effects for The Cyclops
Production
Duncan Parkin also played Col. Manning in the War of the Colossal Beast, which is the sequel to The Amazing Colossal Man, basically playing the same disfigured giant in both films.[2]
A clip of "The Cyclops" was used as part of the original opening sequence of WPIX Channel 11 New York's "Chiller Theatre" back in the 1960s.[3]
Production effects were limited to backscreen projection, rudimentary matte work, and incorporating large images into the scenes. In the film, there is a scene in which the creature grabs Susan, but he also grabs the background as well, revealing the black color behind it. The discovery of the test pilot's aircraft involves dissimilar and haphazard parts scattered about debris in the form of a light aircraft wing, a P-51 Mustang canopy and a radial engine.
Release
Released as a double-feature with Daughter of Dr.Jekyll.
See also
References
- ^ "Credits: The Cyclops (1957)." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: April 19, 2012.
- ^ * Telotte, J. P. Science Fiction Film (Genres in American Cinema). New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-511-03495-4 p. 98.
- ^ "The Cyclops: Movie information." movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved: July 23, 2007.
Further reading
- Wingrove, David. Science Fiction Film Source Book. London: Longman Group Limited, 1985. ISBN 978-0582893108.
External links
- The Cyclops at IMDb
- The Cyclops at the TCM Movie Database
