The Thing from Another World

The Thing from Another World
by Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks

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Actor: Douglas Spencer, James R. Young, Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite
Director: Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks
Brand: ARNESS,JAMES
Producer: Howard Hawks
Writer: Howard Hawks
Producer: Edward Lasker
Writer: Ben Hecht
Writer: Charles Lederer
Writer: John W. Campbell Jr.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-08-05
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Turner Home Ent

DVD Reviews of The Thing from Another World

DVD Review: Hawks Sets Another Trend
Summary: 5 Stars

This is a review of the WB release of the DVD of the 1951 film entitled THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD which starred Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornwithe, Douglas Spencer and, to quote critic Dave Kehr," James Arness in his most sympathetic role."
The films direction is credited to Christian Nyby but generally is ceded to veteran director Howard Hawks who is listed as the producer. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD was adapted from a short story by Robert W. Campbell entitled "Who Goes There?"

This is a groundbreaking film because I believe that it was the first science fiction release that made a big impact on the burgeoning youth market of the fifties.
And why wouldn't THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD be popular? It has a tasty combination of science fiction and horror, scienctific research versus military might and more than a few references to the cold war and cold war paranoia.

In fact, it's set in the frozen arctic ice with the military battling scientists for the right to examine or destry the "thing" which was found in a crashed flying saucer.
The unknown creature, frozen in a block of ice, is carted to the military/scientific out post where one "thing" after another goes wrong, threatening this little island of warmth and civilization.

When finally THE THING FROM ANTHER WORLD concludes, most audiences are wrung out
and I can only imagine the effect this exciting film had on the audiences of the early fifties.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and THE THING has to be among the most flattered films of its time....or maybe any time.

All in all, this DVD of THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD is a very nice print, with an extra uneleased scene included as well as the original trailer as an extra feature all at a bargain price. There are also subtitles in English, French and Spanish. I can't recommend this film highly enough and when you're not watching THE THING,make sure that you "watch the skys."

DVD Review: One scary carrot
Summary: 5 Stars

I saw the original "Thing" in the movie theater as a child...or at least I heard it, because I was so frightened the moment James Arness appeared at the greenhouse door that I hid beneath the theater seat for most of the rest of the film.

Many years (and, I'm guessing, 50+ viewings) later, the film still has me by the throat. Fortunately, I've also come to appreciate its other enduring qualities--crackling dialogue, breathless pace, quick and nicely drawn characters and its understanding that what really terrifies an audience is what it cannot see.

Simply put, The Thing from Another Planet is the scariest, wittiest, swiftest sci-fi movie ever made.

DVD Review: Watch the skies!
Summary: 5 Stars

You know, I really think that you can trace a line from every sci-fi movie ever made back to this film and "Forbidden Planet".

The Thing is a true classic of the genre, beginning what we know as science fiction as well as many elements of good filmmaking, on what was at the time a low budget. Snappy dialog, likable characters, and some "thing" that is drinking their blood like high-test Miracle-Gro.

If you're seeing it for the first time, you have to notice the foreshadowing of "Alien"; the xenophobia, the claustrophobia..."there's something in here with us...we can't seem to find it...but it's finding US." Also the element of the good doctor wanting to preserve the creature for science...willing to trade the life of everyone on the team as well as his own to "save" the creature...shades of Ash, anyone? You'd almost bet that the scientific team here gets its paycheck from what will become Weyland/Yutani.

Carpenter's remake is an absolute classic on it's own; much more faithful to the original short story; but I think it unfair to call it a remake. This original film used elements of the source material, sure, but it's an entirely different film all on it's own (albeit an allegory for cold war paranoia), and it's unfair to compare the two.

Any film that can stand the test of time like this one has and still have the chill factor and feeling of dread that it provides is one for any sci-fi fan's collection, purist (as I am) or not.

Buy it. Watch it.

...and watch the skies.

DVD Review: The Thing
Summary: 5 Stars

Quick delivery. Quality product. Classic black & white Sci-Fi movie. Great entertainment. Well worth the money. I am a very satisfied customer.

DVD Review: Still one of my favorites
Summary: 5 Stars

They show this on TV a lot but having it at home for whenever I want to see it is great. The quality is good. I had to adjust the contrast for some scenes but overall it's easy to watch and who doesn't enjoy watching James Arness (Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke) as the Thing!

Description of The Thing from Another World

Members of an Antarctic research team are killed off by a frozen alien they uncover.

With its modest special effects, lean plot, and small cast of lesser stars, this 1951 thriller remains a sturdy blueprint for fusing horror and science fiction. The formula has been employed countless times since, fleshed out with more extensive and elaborate production values, and manned by higher profiled marquee names, but the results have yet to improve on The Thing from Another World, Howard Hawks's lone foray into sci-fi.

The story begins as military airmen are dispatched to a remote Arctic research station where scientists have detected the crash of a spacecraft. An effort to retrieve the saucer-shaped vehicle fails, but the team returns to the station with the frozen body of its sole occupant. When the extraterrestrial pilot is accidentally thawed, the crew, headed by a tough-talking pilot (Kenneth Tobey), grapples with a massive, chlorophyll-based humanoid (James Arness) thirsty for blood and in no mood for galactic diplomacy.

Hawks takes only a production credit for this low-budget exercise, but his filmmaking style transcends Christian Nyby's nominal direction: rapid-fire, overlapping dialogue, an ensemble of comrades whose professionalism is tempered by wisecracks, and unsentimental female characters (embodied by feisty romantic interest Margaret Sheridan) recall Hawks's signature works, while propelling the plot over any potential gaps in credibility. It's hardly surprising, then, that The Thing from Another World remains among the most influential science fiction movies ever shot, or that it remains exciting entertainment a half century later. --Sam Sutherland

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