Not since the beginning of time has the world beheld terror like this!
Memorable quote:
" I can tell you something about this place. The boys around here call it "The Black Lagoon." Only they say nobody has ever come back alive to prove it."
Movie Review:
By 1954, the end a very popular and successful genre of movies was coming to an end - The Creature Feature. Universal Studios had pulled itself from extinction in the 1930's with.....full review
The Plot:After discovering the fossilized remains of an ancient amphibious-humanoid type creature buried in a cliffside near the Amazon River, a scientific expedition sets out to trap a living member of the gilled sub-species.
Sequels: The Gill man returns a year later in The Revenge of the Creature, (1955 Universal Pictures.) In this film, the Creature is captured and taken to an aquarium, where he is put on display. He escapes and subsequently tears on a rampage through the town, pushing cars over and throwing people like rag dolls. He eventually falls in love with a girl, Helen Dobson whom he kidnaps, only to eventually set free so that he can wet himself in the ocean. He is eventually captured again, only this time he appears to have been killed during his capture.
In the third installment called The Creature Walks Among Us (1956 Universal Pictures) we find that the Gill Man wasn't killed by his captors afterall. In this film, he is caught by scientists who attempt to alter his genetic makeup in an effort to make him human. The conversion works, unbeknownst to the Gill man however. He eventually discovers that he has lost his ability to breathe underwater.
He is then framed for a murder after the scientists find a dead body in the Creature's electrified cage. Naturally, the Creature is blamed for the murder and he eventually escapes and kills the real murderer. He then returns to the ocean.
The Creature later later returned in the 1987 film "The Monster Squad" appearing alongside Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, and The Mummy. Dracula plans to rule the world and seeks the help of other legendary monsters including "Creature". However, a gang of kids regarded by their peers as losers uncover the devious plan and prepare for a counter strike.
DVD Release Details:
DVD Release Date:
August 29, 2000
Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1
Region information:
Region 1: USA
Closed Captioning:
None
Master Format:
Film
Sides:
1
Chapter Stops:
18
Sound:
Dolby Digital: 2.0 mono
Subtitles:
English (captions), French
DVD Extra Features:
Interactive menus; scene access; Audio Commentary by film historian Tom Weaver; Production stills; "Back to the Black Lagoon" The Making of Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
DVD Chapter List:
1 Main Titles; 2 In the Beginning; 3 In Brazil; 4 An Attack; 5 The Dig; 6 The Black Lagoon; 7 A Solitary Swim; 8 The Net; 9 Big Game Hunt; 10 Poison Water; 11 Night Watch; 12 The Creature Attacks; 13 Captured; 14 Breakout; 15 Trapped; 16 Abducted; 17 In the Grotto; 18 End Titles
The DVD Set:
Creature From the Black Lagoon is part of The Universal Classic Monster Collection that contains the following movies in one DVD set, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, The Wolfman, and Creature From the Black Lagoon.
The DVD of Creature From the Black Lagoon comes in a nicely designed keep-case with full-color graphics. There is a color insert with chapter listings on one side and a reproduction of the original poster used for the 1954 theatrical release on the other side. There is also a game playing insert advertising a Universal giveaway that includes one of those red-tinted decoders with instructions to visit a web site and look through the decoder to see if you've won. Its nicely designed packaging and brilliantly encoded DVD make this DVD a nice addition to anyone's cllection. The Universal Classic Monster Collection entire DVD Set runs about $120-150.
Movie stills From Creature From the Black Lagoon:
It is said that the water dance scene above, inspired some of Stephen Spielberg's underwater scenes in Jaw's.
"The Gill Man" had difficulty seing through the creature mask. In this scene above, he inadvertantly banged Julie Adams' head into the cave walls during shooting, causing several retakes.
Julie Adams as Kay Lawrence and Nestor Paiva as the Captain of "The Rita". Nestor is the only actor in the entire movie that can actually act. But with Julie Adams' good looks, she doesn't need to act.
Creature From the Black Lagoon DVD Navigation Panel
Movie Posters:
Trivial Tidbits:
Jennifer Clack of the University of Cambridge, UK, paints a picture of the tetrapod past in the 2 July 1998 issue of Nature. She describes fossils of a strange, salamander-like animal found in rocks at a place called East Kirkton, in southern Scotland, that were laid down close to a tropical lake, around 335 million years ago. There was active volcanoes in the area then, and there might even have been hydrothermal activity in the lake itself.
Originally released in 3-D.
One of the first films to use sophisticated underwater footage. The underwater photography by Charles S. Welbourne was considered state-of-the-art at the time of the film's release.
Joseph Gershenson's score became a standard on the TV series "Creature Features."
Fred Frank was the assistant director; Joan St. Oegger was the hairstylist.
Additional cast: Bernie Gozier (Zee) and Henry Escalante (Henry).
Ricou Browning, a professional diver and swimmer, was required to hold his breath for up to 4 minutes at a time for his underwater role as the "Gill Man." The director's logic was that the air would have to travel through the monster's gills and thus not reveal air bubbles from his mouth or nose. Thus, the costume was designed without an air tank. In the subsequent films, this detail was ignored and air can be seen emanating from the top of the creature's head.
In this film, the eyes of the Creature were a fixed part of the rubber construction of the suit. The actors who played the part of the "Gill Man" could barely see, if at all. In the second film, the eyes have been, somewhat ludicrously, replaced with large, bulbous fish-eyes to assist in the actor's vision.
April 24, 2003 —
From Harry Knowles of Aint It Cool News:
Guillermo tells me that he will not be doing a remake of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. For him, he is more interested in doing adaptations that haven't been iconically driven into the minds of cinema goers. For him, the black & white CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is the Creature he wants to see for the rest of his life. He doesn't need to see that design altered. He doesn't want to remake it any more. He'd rather focus his attentions on a serious live-action WIND AND THE WILLOWS or AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS or his original scripts like THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS or MEPHISTO'S BRIDGE, and then there's always the possibilty of another HELLBOY or that COFFIN film with James Cameron's company.
THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON was originally filmed in 3-D, and there are some really dynamic shots that are obviously meant to exploit the 3-D technique. Unfortunately, the particular 3-D process originally used on this film only works with a special projection setup, and, consequently, the 3-D version is not available for home video. But don't let that deter you from buying the film for home viewing; it is still an excellent movie even without the 3-D effect. Some art-house theaters do occasionally screen the 3-D version--It recently screened in 3-D in a Baltimore theater sometime in the early 1990s, and is said to be a great experience--so if you ever get a chance to see it in that format, DO IT!
Movie Quotes:
Lucas: Who eats rocks?
Carl Maia: I eat rocks. I crush and look inside them and they tell me things.
Lucas: What do they tell you?
Carl Maia: How old they are.
" I can tell you something about this place. The boys around here call it "The Black Lagoon." Only they say nobody has ever come back alive to prove it."
Horror Online - Universal Studios' Chamber of Horrors is your doorway into all the current releases and classic thrillers available from Universal Studios home video.
Ben Chapman the "Gill Man" fan site - Aloha from Hawaii! This site is for those of you who are fans of the Creature From the Black Lagoon. I played the Gillman in the picture. In this site you will read trivia, see pictures, and have the chance to order autographed photographs of the Gillman.
The Monster Shop - CFTBL products including action figures, DVDs, CDs, plastic model kits, vinyl model kits and the ever elusive 3.5" Little Big Head figurine.
Creature from the Black Lagoon 12" Figure - The long awaited addition to our Universal Monster line is finally in production! This 12" Creature from the Black Lagoon figure is fully articulated and comprised of a film-accurate monster portrait, solid PVC hands, feet, and a rubber wet-suit.
Music from the Movies - The best internet source for film music news, reviews, interviews
The Official Creature From the Black Lagoon Fan Site - This club has the most comprehensive collection of "Creature" reference materials anywhere on the Wide Watery Web. Props, movie posters, lobby cards, stills and never before seen pictures to vintage and new toys and model kits. It's all here!! Join our Brotherhood of the Black Lagoon and check back often! We currently have approximately 450 members.
Ben Chapman as the Gillman - Aloha from Hawaii! This site is for those of you who are fans of the Creature From the Black Lagoon. I played the Gillman in the picture. In this site you will read trivia, see pictures, and have the chance to order autographed photographs of the Gillman.
Classic-Horror.com - Jenn Dlugos with our friends at Classic Horror.com interviewed Ben Chapman "The Gill Man" from Creature From the Black Lagoon. Read the transcript here.
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