Caltiki – The Immortal Monster
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''Caltiki – The Immortal Monster'' () is a 1959
black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
-
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
with similarities to ''
The Blob ''The Blob'' is a 1958 American science fiction horror film directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. from a screenplay by Theodore Simonson and Kate Phillips, based on an idea by Irving H. Millgate. It stars Steve McQueen (in his first leading role ...
'' that was released in the previous year. The film's storyline concerns a team of archaeologists investigating
Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
ruins, who come across a creature that is a shapeless, amorphous blob. They manage to defeat it using fire, while keeping a sample of the creature. Meanwhile, a
comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma surrounding ...
, which previously passed near the Earth around the time of the collapse of the
Mayan civilization The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from Ancient history, antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by Maya architecture#Pyramids and temples, its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script ...
, is due to return, raising the possibility of a connection between the creature and the comet. After the success of their film ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
'' (1958), Galatea Film began production on films in other genres that they hoped would entice the international market, which led to
Riccardo Freda Riccardo Freda (24 February 1909 – 20 December 1999) was an Italian film director. He worked in a variety of genres, including sword-and-sandal, horror film, horror, ''giallo'' and spy films. Freda began directing ''I Vampiri'' in 1956. The f ...
being hired to direct ''Caltiki – The Immortal Monster''. Freda left the project during filming, later explaining that he wanted to give his friend
Mario Bava Mario Bava (; 31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter. His low-budget genre films, known for their distinctive visual flair and stylish ...
, who had been hired as the film's cinematographer and special effects artist, a chance to direct and earn more on the project. In interviews given long after the release of the film, both Freda and Bava gave conflicting opinions on who should be considered the real director of ''Caltiki''. Various historians and ministerial papers suggest that Bava did create a large amount of footage of the film involving death scenes, the monster, matching shots and special effects scenes. The film was released in Italy on 8 August 1959, where it grossed less than Bava's and Freda's previous genre collaboration, '' I Vampiri''.


Plot

A delirious
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
stumbles into his group's camp without his partner, both of whom have been exploring a nearby cave. He quickly goes mad, requiring hospitalization. Their interest piqued by this strange turn of events, the group sets out for the cave. Once there, they find a deep pool of water and a large statue of Caltiki, the vengeful Mayan goddess who was ceremonially presented with human sacrifices. Hoping to find artifacts, the group sends one of their own down into the pool. At the bottom, he finds a menagerie of skeletons clad in gold jewelry. He comes back up, clutching as much gold as he can carry. Although the others tell him not to go down again, he insists on doing so, suggesting that they could become wealthy from the treasures below. Relenting, they let him descend once more. As he collects more and more treasure, his cable to the surface suddenly begins to move erratically. Fearing for his safety, the group pulls him back to the surface, only to find that his flesh has been reduced to a decayed mass over his skeleton upon removing his face mask. Moments later, the shapeless creature that attacked him rears up from the pool, attempting to digest anyone within reach. One of the group members is briefly caught by the arm but is then rescued. As the team escapes, the shapeless mass begins to crawl out of the cave. Nearby, there is a tanker truck full of gasoline. One of the scientists drives the tanker directly into the moving mass, which violently explodes and sets fire to the blob, destroying it. The team returns to
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
to take their injured colleague to a hospital. Still on his arm is a small piece of the blob, which is slowly digesting him. The surgeons carefully remove the creature, wrapping it up. They find that his arm is nothing more than a few moist scraps of flesh still connected to the underlying bones. After further experimenting on the creature, scientists discover that it is a
unicellular A unicellular organism, also known as a single-celled organism, is an organism that consists of a single cell, unlike a multicellular organism that consists of multiple cells. Organisms fall into two general categories: prokaryotic organisms and ...
bacterium that quickly grows when in the presence of radiation. A comet emitting radiation that crosses Earth's path only once every 850 years is rapidly approaching. At the comet's closest approach to Earth, the remaining piece of the blob removed during the surgery begins expanding to an enormous size and reproducing. Unfortunately, the extracted sample of the creature is stored in the home of expedition member Dr. John Fielding. While attempting to convince the Mexican government to send its army to destroy the reproducing blobs, Fielding is arrested but manages to escape. A colleague finally convinces the authorities to sound an alarm because the multiplying creatures will soon be beyond their control. The government marshals a regiment of soldiers equipped with
flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World W ...
s and jeeps and sends them to Dr. Fielding's home. Upon arrival, they find that the amorphous blobs have continued to multiply and have overrun the house and grounds. Dr. Fielding's wife and child have hidden on a second-floor window ledge to escape being devoured. Fielding arrives just in time to save them, just as the arrayed soldiers lay waste to the creatures with torrents of fire.


Cast

*
John Merivale John Herman Merivale (1 December 1917 – 6 February 1990) was a Canadian-born British theatre actor, and occasional supporting player in British films. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, John Merivale was the son of English actors Philip M ...
as Dr. John Fielding *
Didi Perego Didi Perego (born Aida Perego; 13 April 1935 – 28 June 1993) was a statuesque Italian actress who appeared in more than 80 films and television shows. She made her film debut in 1959's '' Death of a Friend''. The same year, she starred in per ...
as Ellen Fielding *
Gérard Herter Gérard Herter, also known as Gerhard Haerter, Gerard Haerther, Gerald Herter, Gerard Herter, and Gerhard Herter (born 12 April 1920 in Stuttgart, died 6 February 2007 in Munich) was a German actor of the 1950s and 1960s who played many villains ...
as Max Gunther *
Daniela Rocca Daniela Rocca (12 September 1937 – 28 May 1995) was an Italian actress, model and writer. Biography Rocca was born and raised in Acireale, a small town near Catania. She became Miss Catania in 1953, and was discovered by talent scouts after ...
as Linda *
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart Giacomo Rossi Stuart (25 August 1925 – 20 October 1994) was an Italian film actor often credited as Jack Stuart or Giacomo Rossi-Stuart. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1953 and 1989. including the ''Gamma One'' science fiction f ...
as Prof. Rodriguez's assistant *
Daniele Vargas Daniele Vargas, stage name of Daniele Pitani (20 April 1922 – 26 April 1981) was an Italian film actor. Life and career Born in Imola, a small town in the district of Bologna, after attending high school with Pier Paolo Pasolini, Daniele ...
as Bob (expedition member) * Vittorio André as Prof. Rodriguez *
Nerio Bernardi Nerino "Nerio" Bernardi (23 July 1899 – 12 January 1971) was an Italian stage and film actor. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1918 and 1970. Life and career Born in Bologna, Bernardi started his acting career in 1918 with a loc ...
as Police inspector *
Arturo Dominici Arturo Dominici (2 January 1916 – 7 September 1992) was an Italian film, television and voice actor. Biography Born in Palermo, Dominici became best known for his many villainous roles in horror and fantasy films. He is best remembered f ...
as Nieto (expedition member)


Production


Background and development

After the release of '' I Vampiri'', director
Riccardo Freda Riccardo Freda (24 February 1909 – 20 December 1999) was an Italian film director. He worked in a variety of genres, including sword-and-sandal, horror film, horror, ''giallo'' and spy films. Freda began directing ''I Vampiri'' in 1956. The f ...
took on another new genre, the
science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as Extraterrestrial life in fiction, extraterrestria ...
, with his next genre film ''Caltiki - The Immortal Monster''. Very few
sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...
s in Italy were science fiction films at this point, with
Sergio Corbucci Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and Film producer, producer. He was one of the main exponents of the Spaghetti Western genre during the 1960s and 1970s, with his most notable work ...
's comedy film ''Baracca e burattini'' made in 1954 and Steno's '' Totò nella luna'' and ''
The Day the Sky Exploded ''The Day the Sky Exploded'' (), released in the United Kingdom as ''Death Comes From Outer Space'', is a 1958 French/Italian international co-production science fiction film. It is known as the first Italian science fiction film, predating even ...
'' from 1958. ''Caltiki'' was produced by Nello Santi for Galatea Film, who were interested in exploring new genres of film after the success of ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
'' (1957), and produced ''Caltiki'' with foreign markets in mind. Although not mentioned in any credits or ministerial papers, European sources list the involvement of the French company Climax Film in the production. Prints of the U.S. version of the film credit it as a "Samuel Schneider presentation", leading to some sources speculating that the film was an Italian-American co-production.


Director

Freda was angered by the way producers and other filmmakers had his cinematographer
Mario Bava Mario Bava (; 31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter. His low-budget genre films, known for their distinctive visual flair and stylish ...
work on previous films, specifically films of
Pietro Francisci Pietro Francisci (; 9 September 1906 – 1977) was an Italians, Italian film director, best remembered for the film ''Hercules (1958 film), Hercules'' (1958) which inspired the sword and sandal boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Born in Rome, ...
. Freda concocted a way to push Bava into the director's chair of Freda's next film, ''Caltiki – The Immortal Monster''; he left the project early. Bava had been hired again as the film's cinematographer, while Filippo Sanjust was hired as the film's screenwriter, having co-written Freda's previous film ''
Beatrice Cenci Beatrice Cenci ( , ; 6 February 157711 September 1599) was an Italian noblewoman imprisoned and repeatedly raped by her own father. She killed him, and was tried for murder. Despite outpourings of public sympathy, Cenci was beheaded in 1599 ...
'' (1956). Freda also contributed to the script without credit. Specific information on how much Freda and Bava directed the film differ between interviews and recollections. Freda noted with an interview with
Luigi Cozzi Luigi Cozzi (born 7 September 1947) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. At a young age, Cozzi became a fan of science fiction and began his career as an overseas correspondent for Western film magazines. After directing his first film ' ...
in 1971 that he "left it when there were just two days of shooting left. I did shoot it yes, but it's Bava's type of film. I don't enclose it in my body of work. The only thing I remember with pleasure about it are the statues that decorated the sets: I sculpted them myself." Bava described ''Caltiki – The Immortal Monster'' as "my very first film", while noting that Freda had fled the set "because everything was falling to pieces. I managed to carry it out, patching it up here and there". Cozzi commented on his interview with Freda in 2004, stating that his own words were misinterpreted and that "the truth is only one: the director of ''Calitiki il mostro immortale'' is Riccardo Freda, full stop. Mario Bava did take care of the cinematography, the special effects and directed the scenes with the miniatures (that is, mostly the tanks....), and in addition to that he filmed some shots of soldiers with flame throwers. That's all, and of course it cannot be enough to say that Bava directed that movie." Cozzi also stated that Bava spoke about the film, stating that "I did not direct ''Caltiki''. The director of that movie is Freda. Only at a certain point, after principal shooting ended, Freda started editing the picture and then he had a big argument with the producer ..Then Freda walked out." Bava's statement from Cozzi then noted that Bava finished some special effects shot, scenes with soldiers with flame throwers for the ending of the film and declared "that does not mean I was the director of ''Caltiki'': that is a Riccardo Freda film." According to Bava's biographer
Tim Lucas Timothy Ray Lucas (born May 30, 1956) is an American film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter and blogger, best known for publishing and editing the video review magazine ''Video Watchdog''. Biography and early career Lucas, born in Cinc ...
, Freda's walk-off left "two or three weeks of filming", leaving Bava to shoot over 100 special effects shots for a 76-minute long production. Massimo De Rita, who worked as a unit manager for Galatea, spent time on the set of ''Caltiki'' and opined that "at 90 percent Bava was also the director of ''Caltiki''. Freda was away, he didn't know anything about what Bava was contriving." De Rita noted that Bava told actors what to do and that Bava shot all the connecting shots with the monster and all the death scenes. Ministerial papers also note the Bava and Freda's roles in the film. The final balance in the film assigns Freda 5,000,000 lire, instead of the initial 6,000,000 and that Bava was paid 6.250 million lire, instead of his initial 3,000,000.


Release

''Caltiki - The Immortal Monster'' was released theatrically in Italy on 8 August 1959 where it was distributed by
Lux Film Lux Film was an Italian film distribution (and later production) company founded by Riccardo Gualino in 1934. Gualino was an anti-fascist businessman who had clashed with the regime of Mussolini in 1931 and had been forced into internal exile on ...
. In Italy the film was less successful than Freda's and Bava's film '' I Vampiri'', which had grossed ₤125.3 million
Italian lire The lira ( , ; : lire, , ) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was introduced by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different states that would eventually fo ...
. ''Caltiki'' grossed a total of 94.15 million lire domestically. The film was distributed theatrically in the U.S. in September 1960 by Allied Artists as ''Caltiki – The Immortal Monster''. The English-language dub of the film was created in New York by
Titra Studios Titra Studios aka Titan Productions was an American dubbing studio. The studio was responsible for dubbing numerous foreign films, including '' Mothra vs. Godzilla'' 1964 as well as the ''Speed Racer'' anime series and the original ''Ultrama ...
, which dubbed many Italian films from this period. It was released in the U.K. in 1962.


Home media

''Caltiki - The Immortal Monster'' was published as a
photonovel Photo comics are a form of Sequential art, sequential storytelling using photographs rather than illustrations for the images, along with the usual comics conventions of narrative text and word balloons containing dialogue. They are sometimes ...
in the magazine ''I Vostri Film'' in the 1 July 1962 issue. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by
Arrow Video An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a Bow and arrow, bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like St ...
on 11 April 2017. Arrow's release features both Italian and English audio tracks, two separate audio commentaries by Bava historians
Tim Lucas Timothy Ray Lucas (born May 30, 1956) is an American film critic, biographer, novelist, screenwriter and blogger, best known for publishing and editing the video review magazine ''Video Watchdog''. Biography and early career Lucas, born in Cinc ...
and Troy Howarth, an interview with critic
Kim Newman Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. He is interested in film history and horror fiction – both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula'' at the age of eleven & ...
about the film's place in the history of
monster film A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall unde ...
s, several archival featurettes, and an alternative "full
aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...
" presentation of the film that contains more visual information than was present in the original theatrical prints, particularly with regard to Bava's visual effects shots.


Critical reception

From contemporary reviews, The ''
Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...
'' commented that "phony sets, bad acting and limitations of a small budget seriously hamper the first half" and that "once the monster asserts itself things begin to liven up." The review concluded that the film was "so incredibly banal that it almost entertains." Wanada Hale of the ''
New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' referred to ''Caltiki'' as a "feeble horror film" and that "Not only the story is bad; so are the production, the direction, the dubbing and the acting". Among retrospective reviews, Bruce Eder of
AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...
gave the film a generally positive review, calling it "a neat and compelling science fiction-horror amalgam, squeezing cosmology together with archaeology and myth to create a genuinely fascinating and original thriller." In Phil Hardy's book ''Science Fiction'' (1984), a review described the film as a "minor outing ..though the acting is routine and the script leaden, Bava injects a few stylish flourishes."
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
stated that the film "remains an impressive showcase for Bava's inimitable skills behind the camera, in particular his uncanny ability to craft moody atmosphere and some extremely grisly imagery (for 1959, anyhow) out of the simplest and most frugal of cinematic means."


See also

* List of Italian films of 1959 *
List of horror films of the 1950s This is a list of horror films released in the 1950s. At the beginning of the 1950s, horror films were described by Kim Newman as being "out of fashion". Among the most influential horror films of the 1950s was ''The Thing From Another World'', ...
*
List of science fiction films of the 1950s A list of science fiction films released in the 1950s. These films include core elements of science fiction, but can cross into other genres. They have been released to a cinema audience by the commercial film industry and are widely distributed w ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * Warren, Bill. ''Keep Watching the Skies: Science Fiction Films of the Fifties'', 21st Century Edition. 2009. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company,(First Editions Vol. 1, 1982, Vol. 2, 1986).


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caltiki - The Immortal Monster 1959 films 1959 horror films 1950s science fiction horror films Italian science fiction horror films French science fiction horror films 1950s monster movies Films directed by Riccardo Freda Films directed by Mario Bava Films set in Mexico City Allied Artists films 1950s Italian films 1950s French films 1950s Italian-language films