Post by doomedbloodwork on Jul 6, 2004 13:14:09 GMT -5
If there is ever one movie that has survived the test of time, not only for horror fans, but film fans in general, it has got to be John Carpenter's THE THING.
Along with Philip Kaufman's excellent remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE THING is among those films that I can happily watch again and again. When the film was screened on the Sci-Fi Channel about 10 years ago in the UK, it was shown in it's original Widescreen ratio version and I actually scanned the Cable TV guide to see when it was going to be shown again so I could tape it for posterity. As it stands, it didn't, but it was possibly one of the first ever DVDs I bought in my collection (and that was before I even foolishly forgot that you need to buy a player before you can watch it!)
Anyway, I must stress to those who have never seen it, PLEASE DO WATCH IT IN IT'S ORIGINAL 2.35:1 RATIO! Along with other Carpenter offerings like ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and HALLOWEEN, this is a movie that hides things at the edges (nowhere more apparent than in ASSAULT, which has never been released on DVD in it's correct ratio here in the UK (although wiser fans amongst you will then say they have spent many a happy hour watching the US release version) but which turns up on a matted 16:9 , semi-1.85:1 version on BBC whenever it turns up to appease those nouveau-riche folk who own a home-cinema now, even if they never thought about it before!)
When I first saw it on VHS in 1983, my first feeling was that Rob Bottin's FX eclipsed those in the then-equally recent EVIL DEAD for sheer amazement-quotient and even today, this is a movie that puts more recent CGI-offerings like VAN HELSING and THE MUMMY to shame. I do long for a return to the old-style physical FX that a recent hit like CABIN FEVER offered and I hope that film-makers turn to the likes of Winston, KNB and Savini successors for this type of inspiration.
Some may complain about the lack of a female lead in the film, but I do think the mix of middle-aged to ageing scientists, coupled with an interracial mix of attitude, which has personified Carpenter's work in the likes of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, THEY LIVE and ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, is something that is perfect for this particular work. I also think that the film contains one of Kurt Russell's best ever performances before or since.
Dean Cundey's cinematography, which in a way pays homage at times to the atmosphere of THE SHINING, notably in some Steadicam shots, is amongst his best.
The only weakness in the film is Ennio Morricone's score, which works when necessary, but doesn't have the diverse quality that has been an integral part of his other scores and like others at the time, I would have preferred Carpenter to do the score himself.
My comment about the right ratio for the film is justifiable because of the setting and the mood of the film, which needs to be just right to get the right feeling. Happily, this is where DVD has scored zillions of extra points and - as to which film I would have preferred to see between this and ET had there been a choice in 1982 - this wins hands down.
Along with Philip Kaufman's excellent remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE THING is among those films that I can happily watch again and again. When the film was screened on the Sci-Fi Channel about 10 years ago in the UK, it was shown in it's original Widescreen ratio version and I actually scanned the Cable TV guide to see when it was going to be shown again so I could tape it for posterity. As it stands, it didn't, but it was possibly one of the first ever DVDs I bought in my collection (and that was before I even foolishly forgot that you need to buy a player before you can watch it!)
Anyway, I must stress to those who have never seen it, PLEASE DO WATCH IT IN IT'S ORIGINAL 2.35:1 RATIO! Along with other Carpenter offerings like ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and HALLOWEEN, this is a movie that hides things at the edges (nowhere more apparent than in ASSAULT, which has never been released on DVD in it's correct ratio here in the UK (although wiser fans amongst you will then say they have spent many a happy hour watching the US release version) but which turns up on a matted 16:9 , semi-1.85:1 version on BBC whenever it turns up to appease those nouveau-riche folk who own a home-cinema now, even if they never thought about it before!)
When I first saw it on VHS in 1983, my first feeling was that Rob Bottin's FX eclipsed those in the then-equally recent EVIL DEAD for sheer amazement-quotient and even today, this is a movie that puts more recent CGI-offerings like VAN HELSING and THE MUMMY to shame. I do long for a return to the old-style physical FX that a recent hit like CABIN FEVER offered and I hope that film-makers turn to the likes of Winston, KNB and Savini successors for this type of inspiration.
Some may complain about the lack of a female lead in the film, but I do think the mix of middle-aged to ageing scientists, coupled with an interracial mix of attitude, which has personified Carpenter's work in the likes of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, THEY LIVE and ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, is something that is perfect for this particular work. I also think that the film contains one of Kurt Russell's best ever performances before or since.
Dean Cundey's cinematography, which in a way pays homage at times to the atmosphere of THE SHINING, notably in some Steadicam shots, is amongst his best.
The only weakness in the film is Ennio Morricone's score, which works when necessary, but doesn't have the diverse quality that has been an integral part of his other scores and like others at the time, I would have preferred Carpenter to do the score himself.
My comment about the right ratio for the film is justifiable because of the setting and the mood of the film, which needs to be just right to get the right feeling. Happily, this is where DVD has scored zillions of extra points and - as to which film I would have preferred to see between this and ET had there been a choice in 1982 - this wins hands down.
