April 16, 2004
http://www.aintitcool.com/
The
Creature at Fifty
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure to check out a
fun little documentary titled CREATURE FEATURE: 50 YEARS OF THE GILL-MAN.
Directed by Sam
Borowski and Matt Crick, it’s an affectionate look back on the poor,
lovelorn green guy, who, understandably, needed Julie Adams all to
himself. The last of the great Universal Monsters (one of the
interviewees in the film describes him as the Elvis to the Rat Pack of
Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy and the Wolf Man), the Creature has
long fascinated horror aficionados thanks to his singular design,
courtesy of the legendary Milicent Patrick, and the tragic arc of his
story, which was crafted by Arthur Ross (father of Gary) and directed
by genre specialist Jack Arnold. Now, with his fiftieth birthday upon
us, Borowski and Crick have feted him by rounding up a number of the
principals involved in the original production (Ross, Adams, and Ben
Chapman, who wore the outfit out of water), as well as a motley group
of fans ranging from rabid collectors to actors like Daniel Roebuck and
Benecio Del Toro (yes, you read that correctly).
Sounds
like a perfect fit for Universal’s new “Legacy Collection”, right?
Well, it is, but Universal isn’t completely convinced. As a fan of the
Creature myself, I’m telling you that this absolutely should be snapped
up by the studio. It’s filled with great anecdotes on the making of all
three films in the trilogy, and also offers an amusing look into the
world of Creature fandom that thankfully refrains from making fun of
its subjects. For anyone who loves the Creature, it’d be a worthwhile
complement to the film.
But if you want
to see
it, you’ve got to let Universal
*know* you want to see it. How do you do that? E-mail ‘em
here!!
Be
respectful in your responses, and you just might get to see this when
you purchase THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON later this year.
Faithfully submitted, Mr. Beaks
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