Creature from the Black Lagoon
Year:
1954
Directed by:
Jack Arnold
Rated:
NR
Country:
United States
Runtime:
1 hr. 19 min.
Production Company:
Universal International
Written by:
Harry Essex
Arthur A. Ross
Maurice Zimm
Starring:
Ricou Browning (uncredited)
Richard Carlson
Julia Adams
Richard Denning
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One of cinema's best monsters. This is a classic.
To this day, Creature from the Black Lagoon is the best swamp monster movie there is. Now, that might not be saying much (this subgenre lacks the number of films one might expect), but this really is a good movie. It also carries the themes of the misunderstood monster and of the beast who falls in love. While not particularly exciting or crafty (at least not anymore), this is an insightful 1950s sci-fi/horror featuring the best monster since King Kong.
In an expedition camp in the Amazon, something confusing and frightening is discovered: a fossil of a webbed claw attached to an arm. When ichthyologist couple David Reed and Kay Lawrence hear about it, they take a trip with their greedy boss, Mark Williams, to the heart of the Amazon. This area, known as the Black Lagoon, has remained unchanged for millions of years. Little do they know that there is a living version of the fossil they hope to find, and they find themselves at the mercy of a monstrously powerful man-fish (which would later become known as the "Gill Man").
At the heart of this story lies the conflict of humanity and science. As David explains, much could be learned from this creature. Other than the fact that it is an entirely new species, it is in a state of transition, presumably from fish to man, millions of years lagging the human race. Studying it alive at its home in the swamp could be invaluable in helping mankind reach its next step of evolution. Mark, though, sees it as the ultimate cash cow. He'd prefer just to kill the thing and drag it home. "Why settle for a photo when we can get the real thing?" he asks.
Mark's mindset leads, of course, to the classic monster-as-victim theme. The first time he sees it, he attacks it, so it's no wonder the Gill Man spends the rest of the film attacking the crew. All that the monster apparently cared about beforehand was the beauty of Kay. In one great scene, Kay goes for a casual swim in the swamp (probably a bad idea anyway), and the creature swims beneath her, looking up in awe. He is even intimidated by her, probably almost as much as she would be by him. He can hardly bring himself to even touch her, and when he does lightly tap her foot, he is so frightened that he darts away. The Gill Man follows the pattern that so many movie monsters have before him: he falls in love, he is attacked for being monstrous, and he spends the rest of his time doing horrible things to others while in search of love.
At the same time that the creature is misunderstood by the humans, the humans cannot understand each other, particularly members of the opposite sex. This is underscored in several conversations, one of which takes place between David and Kay. She tells him at one point, "You don't understand the species very well," meaning women. He responds, "Well, give me time. I thought I was doing well considering that we've only been together for six months." This exchange, like a few other moments in the film, draws a distinct parallel between the sexes understanding each other, and humanity understanding the Gill Man. The two opposite researching characters, David and Mark, are perfect for exploring this theme in relation to the creature. David wants to understand the creature, and Mark wants to conquer it. We have the same options with the other sex as with the monster: try to understand the other, or fight over your differences.
There is another thematic layer to this film, though, and that is its fear factor. As something the world has never encountered, the monster evokes the fear of the unknown, but it goes farther than that. The Gill Man is something that has been around forever. Unlike Godzilla, which would be released just months later in Japan, the Gill Man is not the product of radiation or some other human blunder. He is simply something we never discovered. Just as it comes from deep in the Amazon, in a place that has remained unaltered for millions of years, and just as it comes from the depths of its swamp, it can represent some awful thing deep within us that has never yet surfaced.
