The Fly (1958)

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

George Langelaan (story)
James Clavell (writer)

Release Date:

1958 (Norway)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

If she looked upon the horror her husband had become... she would scream for the rest of her life!

Plot:

A scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device.

Plot Keywords:

Fly | Scientist | Teleportation | Inspector | Horror Movie Remade

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Hedison	...	Andre Delambre (as Al Hedison)
Patricia Owens	...	Helene Delambre
Vincent Price	...	François Delambre
Herbert Marshall	...	Insp. Charas
Kathleen Freeman	...	Emma (Delambre maid)
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Nurse Andersone
Charles Herbert	...	Philippe Delambre
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eugene Borden	...	Dr. Ejoute (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Arthur Dulac	...	French waiter (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Lady at the ballet (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	Gaston (uncredited)
Franz Roehn	...	Police doctor (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
Kurt Neumann

Writing credits
George Langelaan		(story)
James Clavell		(writer)

Produced by
Kurt Neumann	....	producer
Robert L. Lippert	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Paul Sawtell

Cinematography by
Karl Struss

Film Editing by
Merrill G. White

Art Direction by
Theobold Holsopple
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Eli Benneche
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Adele Balkan

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Gertsman	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
James B. Gordon	....	special effects (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	executive wardrobe designer (as Charles LeMaire)

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant
Orven Schanzer	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Starfix Video Productions (1982) (Belgium) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Fox Video (199?) (Germany) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Cat-Film Distributions (1958) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Fox Film (1958) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Percepto Records  score album released by (limited edition)

Also Known As:

La mosca (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Öldüren arzu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
A Mosca (Portugal) [pt]
A Mosca da Cabeça Branca (Brazil) [pt]
De vlieg (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Die Fliege (West Germany) [de]
Fluen (Denmark) [da]
Flugan (Sweden) [sv]
I myga (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
I myiga (Greece) [el]
Kärpänen (Finland) [fi]
L'esperimento del dottor K. (Italy) [it]
La mouche (Belgium: French title) [fr]
La mouche noire (France) [fr]

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (nf) (original rating) | USA:TV-PG (tv rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:PG (video re-rating) (2001) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

James Clavell's first script was faithful to George Langelaan's original story, but Fox executives demanded a happier ending.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the fly is first revealed in the spider's web, when Vincent Price's character is unaware, you see the fly struggling in the web. The string used to make the fly shake is visible.

Quotes:

Andre Delambre: [about the cat killed by the transporter] She disintegrated perfectly, but never reappeared.
Helene Delambre: Where's she gone?
Andre Delambre: Into space... a stream of cat atoms...
[sighs]
Andre Delambre: It'd be funny if life weren't so sacred.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Earthworm Jim: Darwin's Nightmare (#2.3)" (1996)

A nightmare

The "help me, help meeeee" scene revolted and scared me so much as a young child that it was years before I could see this movie again. Even now I cringe when I witness that nightmarish scene. As good as Cronenberg's movie is (and it is very good), there is nothing that surpasses the delirious horror of the man-fly in the spider's grasp.

Elsewhere, the movie is rather subdued. In some spots, almost too much so. Although the first revelation of The Fly's appearance is another classic spot...the multiple reflections was a great touch. Like all great monsters, the Fly has a very sympathetic edge to it. We are revolted by the horror of this monster but we feel overwhelming pity for him as well.

Vincent Price does a workman-like job in a rather blasé part. Usually he adds a special touch to a film, but really, any number of actors could have played his part here.

The scientific basis of this movie is pure rubbish, as there is no way that insect and human parts could biologically interact with each other. The result of such a mixture would be instantly dead in real life.

But that doesn't matter here. A nightmare has its own logic. And "The Fly" is a nightmare.