Der Koloss von New York

An elderly doctor (Otto Kruger) transplants his genius son's brain inside the head of an over-sized robot after the young scientist is killed in an auto accident. The revitalized Colossus retains our sympathy but eventually grows somewhat mad and kills people by shooting them with rays from out of his eye fixtures. I must say that even though I don't typically get scared watching horror movies, the very first time I heard the robot's unhinged and desperately static-tinged voice as he's being given life, it sent absolute shivers of discomfort down my spine - I was terrified! I liked the look of the robot, and the unnatural way he's sometimes photographed jerkily lumbering along (which sometimes sloppily reflected the other characters' motions in the same scenes). Just really creepy. If they could have consistently managed to photograph the other people's reactionary movements at "normal pace" while the robot only was moving awkwardly, it would have been even more weirdly effective. The production values are very cheap, and there is only a modest piano soundtrack to accompany the activities, yet somehow it all works out effectively enough for this movie. Old man Otto Kruger was probably embarrassed to be acting in this, but I enjoyed him here just as I enjoyed his turn as a mad doc in THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE. This movie's also got unintentional chuckles, too (I was in hysterics at Kruger's silly looking-down expression at the United Nations of the film when his robot meets its fate). Fun low budgeted '50s Flick, now one of my favorites from the genre. **1/2 out of ****

Although the title of this movie - "The Colossus of New York" - suggests that the Big Apple is terrorized for most of the running time, the title figure only goes on a (brief) rampage in the final few minutes. For just about the rest of the movie, the Colossus stays on a country estate near the city. Though it might have been more fun to show the Colossus on more of a rampage, the movie is still enjoyable. Certainly, there are some unintended chuckles, like the primitive science used to construct the Colossus. But there are actually some genuinely good moments here and there. The scene where the Colossus is first activated is both creepy and intriguing. And there are some pointed questions as to if the scientists are doing the right thing or not. Though the movie is cheap, there is some real atmosphere in part with the piano musical score, which gives this movie a really different feeling than other sci-fi movies of this period. Don't get me wrong - this isn't some intelligent masterpiece. But it manages to catch your attention, and at 70 minutes does not overstay its welcome.

The conventional wisdom is that this is a mediocre movie. Yet I find it strangely affecting. A man's brain is placed in a large robotic body, but it's not the usual mad scientist bit. The scientist is a desperate father and the brain belongs to his son (Ross Martin), killed(?) in an automobile accident.

Encased in his robotic body, the son longs to see his own son. These are mad scientists with family values!

The only music in the movie is provided by a lone piano. The motivation for this decision was probably more economical than artistic but Nathan Van Cleave's score echoes the fear and melancholy that permeates the film perfectly.

Not a great film, but one every sci-fi and horror movie fan should see.

The impressive title work is the viewer's first clue that producer William Alland and director Eugene Lourie squeezed considerable artistry and style from a shoestring budget. Look past the economic limitations; the suspenseful and imaginative story involves the death of a humanitarian genius whose father (a famous surgeon) and brother (a robotics expert) team up to keep the genius' brain alive in a robot body (well designed by ace effects artist John P. Fulton). The film's message concerns the nature of the soul and the role which physical sensations play in making humans act humane. Other affects by Fulton include one of sci-fi cinema's best death rays. All in all, a moving and intelligent movie

BRIEF BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Seriously, I was totally blown away with the picture quality of this Blu-ray, especially for it's age. Whomever was in charge of the Restoration should be Canonized... Some scenes were so vivid and detailed, that you genuinely felt that you could just step right onto the set!

Anyway, concerning the movie itself; do you notice how many reviews of this film (and as of now, there are only a total of about 25) MANY people use the terms 'Atmospheric', 'Eerie', 'Creepy', etc... Well, I have to add my complete agreement with that. Most of the Sci Fi films of that decade could be quite hokey in their low-budgetedness (?) But, there was just something to this one which carried a much heavier weight and mood than most. I don't know exactly what it was, but there was an unusual 'earnestness' or 'gravitas' that somehow created a much stronger atmosphere and very serious mood for the film. I mean, even with it's very low budget and fairly common theme, there was just some magical element in the direction, acting, and especially the bloody MOOD of the dang thing that conveyed a LOT more impact than the sum of it's familiar parts can quite explain.

I REALLY like Ross Martin, who plays the son. Another early reviewer mentioned his love and appreciation of the 'Wild, Wild, West' series; I fully agree (not to mention his Oscar worthy turn in the excellent movie, 'EXPERIMENT IN TERROR')

I had never seen this film before; and to be honest, I was fully expecting a REAL corny 1950's Sci Fi film. But, there was just SOMETHING that kept me riveted to the screen and much more emotionally involved than I EVER would have expected with a film of this nature and from this time period.

So, there you have it... I mean, it's no 'FORBIDDEN PLANET' or 'THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL' (original ONLY, PLEASE!) But, I would say that IF by chance you can kind of 'Tune In' to the unusual 'resonance' of this film, you should definitely enjoy it more than the usual Sci Fi movie of the time.