Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Thing From Another World


The Thing From Another World is one of the great classics of sci-fi horror, a taut minimalist study of a group of military men and scientists under pressure, hemmed in by an extraterrestrial monstrosity that crash-landed at a remote research station near the north pole. The film was produced by Howard Hawks, and though ostensibly the first directorial feature of editor Christian Nyby, it's well-known that Hawks was on the set giving, at the very least, comprehensive advice, and most likely taking over the directing chair for himself. Certainly, though the science fiction premise is unlike anything else in Hawks' filmography, the film bears the director's aesthetic signature and deals with some of his typical concerns. Indeed, the alien monster appears only sporadically, in brief flashes, mostly obscured by darkness. The film's emphasis is not on its horror elements but on the dynamics within the tight-knit professional groups doing hard, dangerous work in the midst of this snowbound wasteland.

Among these men is Air Force Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey), who fulfills the role of the romantic hero even though, like Hawks' Air Force before it, this is a film where individual characters matter far less than the group as a whole. The research station is populated mostly with minor, little-known actors (Dewey Martin, James R. Young, Robert Nichols, etc.), including several recurring Hawks bit players, which only enhances the impression that the individual personalities of these men are not meant to stand out. They exist only as a part of the group and, symbolically, as members of the human race. Hendry and his crew of military men are summoned to a research station near the north pole after a mysterious aircraft crashes with a tremendous impact some fifty miles away from the station. The crash immediately begins triggering strange phenomena: communications are disrupted and measuring instruments go haywire, while Geiger counters pick up traces of radiation from the vicinity of the crash. Hendry's men are summoned by the brilliant scientist Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) to help investigate the crash site and determine what happened. Of course, the crashed aircraft is no ordinary plane but a flying saucer, and though the military accidentally destroy it while trying to free it from the ice that hardened around it, they do recover the frozen body of one of the craft's inhabitants, a massive alien trapped in a block of ice.

Of course, soon enough the alien escapes and begins stalking around the base, largely unseen, feeding on the blood of the base's human and canine inhabitants. But the film's focus is not so much on the horror of the alien's violence but on the effect his mere existence has on the people at the base. Carrington sees the creature as a specimen, an unprecedented opportunity for scientific discovery and new knowledge. Hendry sees the alien as a threat to be contained and possibly eliminated. And the eager reporter Scotty (Douglas Spencer) sees only a phenomenal story, one that unfortunately he isn't able to tell thanks to military stalling and spotty communications. The alien itself is rarely shown, even after it emerges from its icy prison. The first time it attacks one of the base's soldiers, it's just a hint of a shadow falling across the man, who turns and fires his gun at the offscreen monster. Later, the alien, played through bizarre makeup by James Arness, is only seen from a distance or bathed in shadows, its hulking menace enhanced by this indirectness.


Hawks and Nyby spend much more time with the gathered inhabitants of the base, who huddle together in tight circular compositions, clustered around tables where papers and scientific demonstrations and endless cups of coffee hold their interest as they discuss what to do about the alien. These tight, cluttered compositions are purely Hawksian and perhaps the most obvious indication of Hawks' influence on the film. Despite the looming threat, the dialogue is crisp and light, with the actors delivering their lines at Hawks' characteristic brisk pace. The camaraderie between the men, especially the military men, is established through their continual exchanges of jokes and banter, particularly at the expense of Hendry, who the men rib for his interest in the scientists' assistant Nikki (Margaret Sullivan). Nikki is a typically Hawksian woman, strong and assertive and capable of verbally sparring with Hendry and even pulling jokes on him just like one of the boys. She even gets the drop on him, tying his hands behind his back for some playful S&M foreplay, feeding him drinks and then giving him a kiss once he's passive and restrained.

In the film's second half, Hawks and Nyby slowly build the tension, compressing the station's staff into tighter and tighter spaces, keeping the monster mostly out of sight but allowing his unseen presence to spread terror throughout the compound. There's also the queasy fascination of such unforgettable images as the severed hand that slowly comes back to life and begins flexing its fingers, or the bed of alien plant buds, fed on human plasma, that throb as though breathing and cry like hungry babies. The special effects are crude and simple, but these roughly crafted images contribute to the film's minimalist intensity. Considering that this was Hawks' sole contribution to the sci-fi or horror genres, he proves startlingly adept at it. An assault on the creature with kerosene and a flare launcher in a small, dark room is awash with frenzied terror (as well as being a very early experiment in setting stuntmen on fire), with the flaming alien careening around the confined space, flailing its arms around and unleashing an inhuman howl.

Towards the beginning of the film, there are several stark exterior sequences in windy, barren white landscapes with snow blowing past in flurries. As the film progresses it becomes increasingly claustrophobic and enclosed, culminating in the final sequence where the group backs into a corner within the isolated, cut-off station, waiting for the alien to come for them, their cold breath letting out trails of steam in the chilly air. The Thing From Another World is a fascinating, quietly intense masterpiece, with Hawks bringing his unique perspective to the sci-fi horror genre and truly making it his own.

7 comments:

Richard Bellamy said...

It is a taut, well-made film. You're right about the frenzy generated in the very sudden fiery scene; it's perfectly staged. I wish filmmakers today would re-study some of these 50s sci-fi films and thrillers and realize how much can be done with minimalist sets and a low budget. The Thing From Another World shows how much you can do with a tight screenplay and intelligent direction.

bill r. said...

The fire scene is incredible. I've never seen another scene with a comparable idea at its core that was handled half as well.

Ed Howard said...

Films like this really should be the model for modern genre filmmakers -- that is, if there even are any modern genre filmmakers worth a damn. It's a dying breed, for sure.

Before yesterday, I hadn't seen this film since I was a kid. I remember loving it then and I'm surprised how well it holds up, and how many of its images have stuck with me over the years.

Anonymous said...

"The Thing From Another World is one of the great classics of sci-fi horror, a taut minimalist study of a group of military men and scientists under pressure, hemmed in by an extraterrestrial monstrosity that crash-landed at a remote research station near the north pole."

Yes, indeed Ed. It is that and much more. But the "much more" was dealt with in magisterial fashion (again) in this definitive review of the 50's classic, that in my view trumps the John Carpenter re-make. I have argued for years with a friend over this, and the friend has always brought in the later film's fathful conscription of the short story that inspired both films, "Who Goes There?" By the looks of this review, it does appear that Ed favors the Hawkes version. The moody and ominous tension of the film, and that rather campy banter early on poses a stark contrast, (I do get your contention that they are a group, and not individuals though) but it's true that the miniscule budget yielded this imaginative genre foray. I know of a number of films of course that are indepted to this film, (i.e. IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE, even ALIEN)but it's matchless in its chemistry. I could point to so many passages in this review that are beautifully observed and written, but here's just one: (although I love that phrase, "minimalist intensity")

"Towards the beginning of the film, there are several stark exterior sequences in windy, barren white landscapes with snow blowing past in flurries. As the film progresses it becomes increasingly claustrophobic and enclosed, culminating in the final sequence where the group backs into a corner within the isolated, cut-off station, waiting for the alien to come for them, their cold breath letting out trails of steam in the chilly air."

I think I'll pop in my Warner DVD of this later today! This review has somehow pumped me up.

Unknown said...

I saw this 40 years ago and never forgot it. It is facinating to me how such a low tech and crudly made film could have such an impact.

Unknown said...

I remember thinking...no you idiot...not an electric blanket!!!

Ed Howard said...

Very true, J. Low budget and all, this film really makes an impact.