The Cyclops (film)
| The Cyclops | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bert I. Gordon |
| Written by | Bert I. Gordon |
| Produced by | Bert I. Gordon |
| Starring | James Craig |
| Cinematography | Ira H. Morgan |
| Edited by | Carlo Lodato |
| Music by | Albert Glasser |
Production companies | B & H Productions, Inc. |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $71,500[1] |
| Box office | $68,000[1] |
The Cyclops is a 1957 American science fiction horror film written, produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon, starring James Craig, Lon Chaney Jr. and Gloria Talbott. The theme of a monster created as a result of radioactivity was a common one in the 1950s.[2]
The Cyclops was released in July 1957 by Allied Artists as a double feature with Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957), which also starred Gloria Talbott. [3]
Plot
Test pilot Bruce Barton is missing and his girlfriend, Susan Winter, organizes a search party, which is sent out in the jungles of Mexico. Scientist Russ Bradford, mining expert Martin "Marty" Melville, and pilot Lee Brand fly into unknown territory. While searching the area, however, they uncover giant mutated Earth animals such as a mouse, an eagle, a spider, a green iguana, a lizard and a boa constrictor.
More importantly, the group encounter Barton, now a mutated 25-ft tall, one-eyed cyclops who became disfigured due to an exposure to radioactivity from massive uranium deposits in the area. This is responsible for the unusual size of all the other giant inhabitants of the region. Barton kills Melville, but appears to recognize Susan. When the cyclops tries to prevent the rest of the group from flying to safety, he is wounded in the eye by Bradford and dies.
Cast
As appearing in The Cyclops (main roles and screen credits identified):[4]
- James Craig as Russ Bradford
- Gloria Talbott as Susan Winter
- Lon Chaney Jr. as Martin "Marty" Melville
- Tom Drake as Lee Brand
- Duncan Parkin as Bruce Barton/The Cyclops
- Vincente Padula as Governor
- Marlene Kloss as Salesgirl
- Manuel López as Policeman
- Paul Frees as vocal effects for The Cyclops
Production
The film was shot in 1955. The main leads, James Craig, Tom Drake and Gloria Talbott signed up for the independent production, which was initially going to be a RKO production, but financing fell through. The producer/director Bert I. Gordon worked feverishly to complete the film before money ran out, with only five or six days allotted to shooting. Not making things any easier was having to contend with Lon Chaney Jr., who was habitually drunk.[5] Duncan Parkin, cast as the cyclops Peter Barton, also played Col. Glenn Manning in the War of the Colossal Beast (1958), the sequel to The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), basically playing the same disfigured giant in both films.[6]
Production effects in The Cyclops were limited to backscreen projection, rudimentary matte work, and incorporating large images into the scenes. In the film, there is a scene in which Barton grabs Susan Winter (Talbott), but he also grabs the background as well, revealing the black color behind it. The discovery of the test pilot Barton's aircraft involves dissimilar and haphazard debris scattered about in the form of a light aircraft wing, a P-51 Mustang canopy and a radial engine.[7]
Release
Gordon sold the distribution rights to RKO, which planned to release the film in 1956 on a double bill with Hammer's X the Uknown. However RKO went out of business. Film rights went to Allied Artists.
The Cyclops was released in July 1957 by Allied Artists as a double feature with Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957), which also starred Gloria Talbott.
Reception
Variety said it was "for undiscriminating audiences."[8]
Film critic Leonard Maltin in Leonard Maltin's 2012 Movie Guide (2011) dismissed the film as "Nothing much in this cheapie."[9][a] In the UK, The Cyclops was cut to only 65 minutes.[3]
See also
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b "Bert Gordon's Fancy Dan 'Fantasies'; Make 'Em For 429G and Net $1,071,000". Variety. September 17, 1958. p. 24.
- ^ Wingrove 1985, p. 233.
- ^ a b Warren 1982, p. 414.
- ^ "The Cyclops (1957)". tcm.com. March 10, 2013. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
- ^ "Articles: The Cyclops (1957)". tcm.com. March 10, 2013. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
- ^ Telotte 2001, p. 98.
- ^ Maltin 2011, p. 120.
- ^ "The Cyclops". Variety. 21cAugust 1957. p. 6.
{{cite magazine}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Maltin 2011, p. 309.
- ^ "The Cyclops: Movie information." movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved: July 23, 2007.
Sources
- Maltin, Leonard (2011). Leonard Maltin's 2012 Movie Guide. New York: A signet Book. ISBN 978-0-451-23447-6. OCLC 1465595488.
- Telotte, J. P. (2001). Science Fiction Film. Genres in American Cinema. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-59372-4. OCLC 70744344.
- Warren, Bill (1982). Keep Watching The Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the 1950s. Vol. 1. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-89950-191-8. OCLC 7999158.
- Wingrove, David, ed. (1985). Science Fiction Film Source Book. Harlow, Essex, England: Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-89310-8. OCLC 15486917.
Further reading
- Craig, Rob (2013). It Came from 1957: A Critical Guide to the Year's Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4766-1243-0. OCLC 858861234.
- Palmer, Randy (2009). Paul Blaisdell, Monster Maker : A Biography of the B Movie Makeup and Special Effects Artist. Jefferson NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4766-0729-0. OCLC 1058506711.
External links
- The Cyclops at IMDb
- The Cyclops at the TCM Movie Database (archived version)
- The Cyclops at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- The Cyclops at Trailers from Hell