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The Fly (1958)/Return of the Fly (1959)

The Fly (1958)/Return of the Fly (1959)

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Buzz and Buzz Off
Review: The original "Fly" is in widescreen and in color, and when Bad Things begin to happen, the creamy production values and posh suburban settings give the horror a disturbing power. What's really creepy about "The Fly" is watching the hero Andre trying to hang on to his humanity as it slowly ebbs away. "Return of the Fly," the pissant sequel, was obviously filmed quickly on a "B" budget and goes in for obvious horror movie effects: thunderstorms, funerals, and really big spider webs in the old abandoned la-bore-a-tory. When you think about it, you can't blame those spiders, though, can you? The plot has son Phillippe attempting to vindicate Andre's work by attempting The Exact Same Experiment... naturally The Exact Same Thing happens. By the time Phillippe is lumbering through the countryside looking for payback (and maybe a Dunkin Donuts), the movie has moved firmly and forever into high camp; Vincent Price obliges with a truly outrageous last closeup. "The Fly" is almost a masterpiece, but you'll want a swatter handy for the sequel.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: There are some things man is not supposed to know
Review: This double disc presents two horror movies from the 1950s: the classic Fly and the not-so-classic sequel, The Return of the Fly. Although neither movie is close to perfect, they are good enough for some fun, old-fashioned entertainment.

In The Fly, a scientist experiments in his basement lab on a matter transmission device that he is certain will solve all of humanity's problems. An experiment on himself, however, goes awry when a fly gets into the works. Although often cheesy, this is a generally solid work that avoids a lot of the standard mad scientist cliches and also has at least two real classic scenes: a "fly's-eye-view" of the scientist's screaming wife and one of the concluding scenes, with a fly with a human head caught in a spider web.

The sequel, however, is a step or two below in quality, little more than a standard monster movie. In it, the son of the original character continues his father's experiments and through the malicious act of a partner, winds up similarly transformed. As a follow-up to the original, it is barely okay, but as a standalone, it offers little worthwhile.

As a twosome, this pair rates a low four stars. If you like 1950's style monster movies, this should be a pleasure, but if you are looking for any sort of truly great movies, you might want to look elsewhere.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: There are some things man is not supposed to know
Review: This double disc presents two horror movies from the 1950s: the classic Fly and the not-so-classic sequel, The Return of the Fly. Although neither movie is close to perfect, they are good enough for some fun, old-fashioned entertainment.

In The Fly, a scientist experiments in his basement lab on a matter transmission device that he is certain will solve all of humanity's problems. An experiment on himself, however, goes awry when a fly gets into the works. Although often cheesy, this is a generally solid work that avoids a lot of the standard mad scientist cliches and also has at least two real classic scenes: a "fly's-eye-view" of the scientist's screaming wife and one of the concluding scenes, with a fly with a human head caught in a spider web.

The sequel, however, is a step or two below in quality, little more than a standard monster movie. In it, the son of the original character continues his father's experiments and through the malicious act of a partner, winds up similarly transformed. As a follow-up to the original, it is barely okay, but as a standalone, it offers little worthwhile.

As a twosome, this pair rates a low four stars. If you like 1950's style monster movies, this should be a pleasure, but if you are looking for any sort of truly great movies, you might want to look elsewhere.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The classic original horror film and its inferior sequel
Review: This DVD combines the classic Horror/Science Fiction film "The Fly" with its inferior sequel. What makes "The Fly" a classic is not when we finally see that Andre Delambre (David Hedison) has the head of a fly, but when we see the screaming face of his wife Helen (Patricia Owens) multiplied by the insect's multi-faceted eye. But even that scene is nothing compared to when Francois Delambre (Vincent Price) and Inspector Charas (Herbert Marshall), discover a fly with the head and arm of a human, trapped in a spider's web and screaming "Help Me!" over and over again in a high pitched voice of terror. Francois had been helping Andre with his teleportation experiments, which were going well until Andre used himself as the test subject and never noticed there was a fly in the chamber with him. David Cronenberg remade this film to show how this would have "really" happened, but this is one of those films where most of us willingly suspend our disbelief and go along for the ride. The story is told in flashback as a distraught Helen, accused of having crushed her husband's head and arm in a press, frantically insists no one in house hurt a fly--especially if it has a white head. With a script by James Clavell based on the story by George Langelaan (it appeared in Playboy with the artwork of a white page on which there was one small fly), this 1958 film was directed by Kurt Neumann.

"The Return of the Fly" attempts to duplicate the success of the original by pretty much just repeating the original plot line. However, instead of achieving horror the end result this time around is completely laughable. Philippe Delambre (Brett Halsey), the son of the original "fly" Andre Delambre, grows to continue his father's teleportation experiments. Once again Francois Delambre (Price) helps Philippe as he did the boy's father. And, once again, a Delambre trades his head and an arm with a fly. Price, whose performance in the original was wonderfully understated, goes back to overacting and when the fly starts running around the countryside it is impossible not to start laughing so hard you are in danger of choking on your popcorn. Go watch David Cronenberg's remake, where he tells how this story would have "really" happened, instead of "The Return of the Fly." Watching this 1959 sequel, directed by Edward L. Bends, will only leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The classic original horror film and its inferior sequel
Review: This DVD combines the classic Horror/Science Fiction film "The Fly" with its inferior sequel. What makes "The Fly" a classic is not when we finally see that Andre Delambre (David Hedison) has the head of a fly, but when we see the screaming face of his wife Helen (Patricia Owens) multiplied by the insect's multi-faceted eye. But even that scene is nothing compared to when Francois Delambre (Vincent Price) and Inspector Charas (Herbert Marshall), discover a fly with the head and arm of a human, trapped in a spider's web and screaming "Help Me!" over and over again in a high pitched voice of terror. Francois had been helping Andre with his teleportation experiments, which were going well until Andre used himself as the test subject and never noticed there was a fly in the chamber with him. David Cronenberg remade this film to show how this would have "really" happened, but this is one of those films where most of us willingly suspend our disbelief and go along for the ride. The story is told in flashback as a distraught Helen, accused of having crushed her husband's head and arm in a press, frantically insists no one in house hurt a fly--especially if it has a white head. With a script by James Clavell based on the story by George Langelaan (it appeared in Playboy with the artwork of a white page on which there was one small fly), this 1958 film was directed by Kurt Neumann.

"The Return of the Fly" attempts to duplicate the success of the original by pretty much just repeating the original plot line. However, instead of achieving horror the end result this time around is completely laughable. Philippe Delambre (Brett Halsey), the son of the original "fly" Andre Delambre, grows to continue his father's teleportation experiments. Once again Francois Delambre (Price) helps Philippe as he did the boy's father. And, once again, a Delambre trades his head and an arm with a fly. Price, whose performance in the original was wonderfully understated, goes back to overacting and when the fly starts running around the countryside it is impossible not to start laughing so hard you are in danger of choking on your popcorn. Go watch David Cronenberg's remake, where he tells how this story would have "really" happened, instead of "The Return of the Fly." Watching this 1959 sequel, directed by Edward L. Bends, will only leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Originals! The FLY x 2 on DVD!
Review: This DVD is a good example of 1950s classic science at its best. You get the original "The Fly" and its sequel. In 1958's "The Fly" man through his science takes experimentation of his environment one step too far. Man's attempts to disrupt nature's harmony leads to destruction and horror to him and his loved ones. This is a well intentioned, poignantly directed and produced film. The horror resulting from Al (David) Hedison's experiments gone awry are devastating and disturbingly represented in the film's images. Once seen, the viewer can never forget them. This is a powerful film even to this day. Vincent Price as François and Charles Herbert as the young Philippe are good. However, David Hedison and Patricia Owens' performances are brilliant and elevate this film a notch higher. This CinemaScope print by cinematographer Karl Struss on this DVD is beautiful. The colors are rich and the Stereo Sound is excellent. Paul Sawtell's lush score is eerily touching. On the flip side, 1959's "The Return of the Fly" is an interesting and imaginative sequel. Brydon Baker's black & white CinemaScope photography gives it a feel of film noir with a twist of science fiction. It looks great on this DVD. Both Vincent Price as François and Bret Halsey as the grown Philippe turn in believable performances. This can be attributed to Director Edward Bernds' choice to concentrate on characterization over the science fiction elements, which had also been effectively accomplished in the original. John Sutton as Inspector Charas (played by Herbert Marshall in the original) turned in his best performance since 1952's "Five Fingers." The score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter was very effective to the mood of the piece. This is an excellent and highly underrated film. This is a handsome DVD and highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Film Noir is alive and Flying
Review: This is an interesting sequel to 1958's "The Fly." Brydon Baker's black & white photography gives it a feel of film noir instead of science fiction. Both Vincent Price and Bret Halsey turn in believable performances. This can be attributed to Director Edward Bernds' choice to concentrate on characterization over the science fiction elements, which had also been effectively accomplished in the original. John Sutton as Inspector Charas turned in his best performance since 1952's "Five Fingers." The score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter was very effective to the mood of the piece. This is an excellent and highly underrated film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Help...Me...
Review: This is truly a classic sci-fi flick from the 1950's. A man switches head and arm with a fly. The struggle to find the tiny fly with "a white head and a funny looking arm" begins after learning of this tragic mistake. The movie reaches its climax when the fly's head is revealed and the woman screams. At the end, we see a scary ending that kept me up that night. I heard that the only reason Vincent Price and the person who played Chalas didn't talk to each other is that they couldn't help but laugh when they talked due to the squeaky voice of the Fly (What?). The ending is truly a classic. And please...help...me...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Help...Me...
Review: This is truly a classic sci-fi flick from the 1950's. A man switches head and arm with a fly. The struggle to find the tiny fly with "a white head and a funny looking arm" begins after learning of this tragic mistake. The movie reaches its climax when the fly's head is revealed and the woman screams. At the end, we see a scary ending that kept me up that night. I heard that the only reason Vincent Price and the person who played Chalas didn't talk to each other is that they couldn't help but laugh when they talked due to the squeaky voice of the Fly (What?). The ending is truly a classic. And please...help...me...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What's Bugging You?...Great Transfer of Classic Horror/Sc-Fi
Review: This review refers to the Fox Double Feature DVD of "The Fly/Return of the Fly"......

"The Fly"...

You think you got problems?....Poor Helene Delambre, or "Mrs Fly" as I like to call her, is really bugged by her husband Andre. He is a brillant scientist and has been experimenting with disintergration and reintergration experiments and oops has accidently intergrated himself with a fly. So now we have a man with a gigantic fly head and claw and a fly with a human head and arm. The problem is getting these two back together. Not only is he just grotesque but is now developing the killer instinct of a fly, and the little fly has a very short life span. Will Mrs. Fly be able to locate the little fly and save her husband or will she need a giant can of raid to rid the world of this pest?

Well..from the opening scene we know what the outcome will be, but in this classic and fun horror story, will still watch with enthusiasm waiting to see! It has great special effects(for the 50's) and make up, some terrific acting and is beautifully transfered to DVD. It's in anamorphic widescreen, with great color and the Sound has been newly created in 4.0 Surround. It looks like a new movie!. It stars Vincent Price, Al Hedison(as The Fly), Patricia Owens(a great screamer), Herbert Marshall and be sure to look for Kathleen Freeman as Emma.

"The Return of The Fly"...

Okay so this film doesn't quite live up to the original, but fun none the less. In this one we find Phillipe, the son of Andre, returning home from his education and wanting to follow in his father's footsteps. His Uncle Francois(Price returns as well as The Fly), is dead set against these experiments and tells his nephew why. But to no avail, Phillipe picks up where his father left off with the help of a very shadey assistant. He not only falls prey to his assistants greedy aspirations but uh-oh guess what, he really does follow in his father's footsteps. Can he be saved?

This one in Black and White is also beautifully remastered in crisp and sharp images. It too is in anamorpic widescreen and this one has the sound in stereo, but very good. It also stars Brett Halsey, David Frankham and John Sutton.

I was really impressed with the quality of these old films(1958/1959). There are DVD's of movies made in the 60's and 70's that don't look this good. If you are a fan of the old horror films you should be happy with this DVD. There are no special features except some wonderful original theatrical trailers. The trailers are for these two films, introduced by Vincent Price at his creepiest. There are also original trailers for the remake(The Fly/The Fly2) and some great old trailers for "Fantastick Voyage" and "Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea".

Get the popcorn ready(and maybe a no-pest strip), kick back and enjoy.......Laurie


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