THE FLY AT FIFTY: THE CREATION AND LEGACY OF A CLASSIC SCIENCE FICTION FILM by Diane Kachmar & David Goudsward
The Fly (1958), an American science fiction/horror film that was produced and directed by Kurt Neumann, and the film was a huge success, especially with stars such as David Hedison (credited as Al Hedison), Patricia Owens, Vincent Price, and Hebert Marshall.
Who can forget the horrifying plea of the man turned into a fly? "Help me! Help me!" His wail and the startling close-up that followed etched permanently into the minds of science fiction fans worldwide.
The story follows Andre Delambre, a devoted husband, a loving father and a brilliant scientist. When his body is found in his laboratory with his arm and head crushed by a hydraulic press, his wife Helene admits to having killed him. Believing Helene incapable of such a crime, Andre's brother slowly uncovers the truth - that an experiment with Andre's new teleportation device went horribly wrong and Andre persuaded Helene to assist him in suicide.
When the American Film Institute distributed a ballot with 400 nominated movie quotes to a jury of over 1500 film industry figures, the above quote came in 123rd. The Fly’s influence extends far beyond a simple quote. The movie's concept, ending, and the quote have permeated pop culture from 1958 to The Simpsons to a 2008 opera based on a 1986 film remake by David Cronenberg.
The original movie was the surprise hit on 1958. Shot in eighteen days at a cost of $450,000, it brought in $6 million, at a time when 20th Century Fox Studios was in desperate need of a hit.
This film made a star of David Hedison and cemented Vincent Price's place among the horror film immortals. It is more than a tale of science gone wrong and hideous mutants. It is a film classic, the rare perfect blending of story, cast, and crew, with the fantastic elements in sync with the universality of Andre's struggle with what he had hoped to do with this technology and what actually happened to him. That struggle touches everyone who has ever watched this film and is why, after 50 years, it remains a classic.
Complete with reminiscences from David Hedison, this book covers the history and legacy of this seminal science fiction film.
Named One of the Best Books of 2008 by Famous Monsters!
Voted "Best Cover of the Year" by Classic Images magazine!
Famous Monsters honors the book as one of the Best of 2008