''The Cyclops'' is a 1957

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

horror film written, produced and directed by

Bert I. Gordon Bert Ira Gordon (born September 24, 1922) is an American filmmaker and visual effects artist. He is best known for writing and directing science fiction and horror B-movies such as ''King Dinosaur'' (1955), ''The Amazing Colossal Man'' (1957), '' ...

, starring James Craig, Lon Chaney Jr. and

Gloria Talbott Gloria Talbott (February 7, 1931 – September 19, 2000) was an American film and television actress. Early life and career Gloria Maude Talbott was born in Glendale, California. Her great-grandfather Benjamin F. Patterson arrived from Oh ...

. The theme of a monster created as a result of radioactivity was a common one in the 1950s.

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 Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. The team of 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

mygale Mygale Racing Car Constructor (Mygale SARL) is a French racing car manufacturer that specialises in the production of single seater chassis for use in formula racing. It is most notable for its Formula Ford chassis. Mygale also produces the chas ...

, a green iguana, a tegu and a boa. More importantly, they encounter a mutated 25-ft tall, one-eyed human monster who became disfigured due to an exposure to radioactivity from massive

radium Radium is a chemical element with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, but it readily reacts with nitrogen (rat ...

deposits in the area. This is responsible for the unusual size of all the other giant inhabitants of the region. He kills Melville, but appears to recognize the girl. When the cyclops tries to prevent the rest of the group from flying to safety, he is wounded and presumably dies.

Cast

As appearing in ''The Cyclops'' (main roles and screen credits identified):"Credits: 'The Cyclops' (1957)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: April 19, 2012. * James Craig as Russ Bradford *

as Susan Winter * Lon Chaney Jr. (credited as Lon Chaney) as Martin "Marty" Melville * Tom Drake as Lee Brand * Duncan Parkin as Bruce Barton, the Cyclops * Vincente Padula as The governor * Marlene Kloss as Salesgirl * Manuel López as Policeman *

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

as vocal effects for The Cyclops

Production

The main leads, Craig, Drake and Talbott signed up for the independent production, which was initially going to be a RKO production, but financing fell through. The producer/director 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. Duncan Parkin also played Col. Manning in the ''

War of the Colossal Beast ''War of the Colossal Beast'' (a.k.a. ''Revenge of the Colossal Man'' and ''The Colossal Beast'') is a 1958 black-and-white science fiction film, written, produced, and directed by Bert I. Gordon for his Carmel Productions, and starring Dean Par ...

'' (1958), the sequel to ''

The Amazing Colossal Man ''The Amazing Colossal Man'' (also known as ''The Colossal Man'') is a 1957 American black-and-white science fiction film from American International Pictures. Produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon, it stars Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, William ...

'' (1957), basically playing the same disfigured giant in both films. Production effects in ''The Cyclops'' were limited to backscreen projection, rudimentary

matte Matte may refer to: Art * paint with a non-glossy finish. See diffuse reflection. * a framing element surrounding a painting or watercolor within the outer frame Film * Matte (filmmaking), filmmaking and video production technology * Matte pa ...

work, and incorporating large images into the scenes. In the film, there is a scene in which the creature grabs Susan, but he also grabs the background as well, revealing the black color behind it. The discovery of the test pilot's aircraft involves dissimilar and haphazard debris scattered about in the form of a light aircraft wing, a

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

canopy and a radial engine.

Reception

''The Cyclops'' was released as a

double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera h ...

with '' Daughter of Dr. Jekyll'', which also starred Gloria Talbott. Film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

in ''Leonard Maltin's 2012 Movie Guide'' (2011) dismissed the film as "Nothing much in this cheapie."Maltin 2011, p. 309.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Craig, Rob. ''It Came from 1957: A Critical Guide to the Year's Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films''. Jefferson, North Carolina:

McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its forme ...

, 2013. . * Maltin, Leonard. ''Leonard Maltin's 2012 Movie Guide''. New York:

Signet Signet may refer to: *Signet, Kenya, A subsidiary of the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), specifically set up to broadcast and distribute the DTT signals * Signet ring, a ring with a seal set into it, typically by leaving an impression in sea ...

, 2011. . * Palmer, Randy. ''Paul Blaisdell, Monster Maker: A Biography of the B Movie Makeup and Special Effects Artist''. Jefferson, North Carolina:

, 2009. . * Telotte, J. P. ''Science Fiction Film'' (Genres in American Cinema). New York:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pr ...

, 2004. . * Wingrove, David. '' Science Fiction Film Source Book.'' London: Longman Group Limited, 1985. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cyclops 1957 films 1957 horror films 1950s science fiction horror films Allied Artists films American monster movies American science fiction horror films Films about size change American aviation films 1950s English-language films Films about giants Films directed by Bert I. Gordon Films scored by Albert Glasser Films set in Mexico Films set in jungles Giant monster films 1950s American films