The Amazing Transparent Man

Before viewing this 1960 drive-in hit, keep in mind that it is not really a serious attempt at science fiction. Many critics and viewers have panned this movie because they expected some sort of INVISIBLE MAN-style plot with good acting and plenty of special effects. But if it was high-quality cinema they were looking for, then why in the hell did they choose to watch a movie with a title like "THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN"?

Viewers with no expectations, a good sense of humor, and an open mind will probably enjoy this bizarre little sci-fi romp. The whole mad scientist/escaped prisoner/invisible Nazi story is beyond befuddling, but it is so unbelievably far-fetched that you'll be entertained anyway.

THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN does a nice job at not dawdling on boring fake science jargon (a shortcoming that most sci-fi yarns of this era suffer from) and somehow manages to dole out one outrageous scene after another during its unusually short running time. Within the course of 58 minutes, you will witness invisible fist fights, invisible robberies, atomic blasts, jailbreaks, in-your-face anti-nuclear-weaponry overtones, and a whole barrage of people stealing from and/or deceiving one another. Every single character either betrays or holds one another hostage at some point during the picture.

If you're in the mood for something that is so goofy and so off-the-wall that it defies description, then I suggest you run out the VHS cut-out bin nearest you and pick up this movie. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

Some aspects of Ulmer's Amazing Transparent Man are, in retrospect, pretty funny. James Griffith's poorly mimed fight with an invisible man, the occasional continuity disasters, and the infrequent technobabble are examples. This is not, however, quite funny enough or cheesy enough to have been good MST3K fodder. Underlying the mediocre special effects, the occasionally overblown dialog, and the uneven performances, the story line presents an interesting take on the invisible man theme.

The heavy, played without much verve by James Griffith, is an ex-Nazi spy who looks and speaks like Mr. Rogers. His plan, involving all manners of extortion, involves forcing refugee German scientist (Ivan Triesault) to use radiation to turn an escaped convict safe-cracker (Douglas Kennedy) invisible. His goal is ostensibly to steal money and radioactive materials to further his experiments. In the role of his co-conspirator and femme fatale we find Marguerite Chapman.

Chapman and Kennedy have some on-screen chemistry which is used to good advantage in the film, but Chapman's performance is below par. Kennedy does well in a role which used his experience well. Griffith's performance, given his credentials, is surprisingly poor. The ancient and experienced Triesault, the class of the acting talent in this film, steals the show to an extent, but is also the only really sympathetic character in the lot.

The movie has a somewhat plodding pace at first, but the character development is good enough to draw the audience in. The Amazing Transparent Man is no action film, but once the action begins, it doesn't really let up until the nicely climactic end. Despite all of the bad press this film has received here on IMDb, this film really isn't a bomb, and I recommend it to sci-fi and low budget b movie buffs.

Why are people so down on this modest but enjoyable movie? Beats me. Joey Faust (what a name!), safecracker, is busted out of the pokey and made an offer - turn invisible and steal radium for a mad scientist/soldier planning on setting up an invisible army to conquer the world. Joey goes along with it but quickly decides to use his powers for what comes naturally - stealing lots of do re mi. This causes conflict as you can imagine, and then his invisibility goes on the fritz. Faust is played by Douglas Kennedy who played one of the cops in 'Invaders From Mars', the baddie is James Griffith who had a bit part in Kubrick's 'The Killing', and the movie was directed by Edward G. Ulmer who made the strange Lugosi/Karloff classic 'The Black Cat' back in the 1930s. 'The Amazing Transparent Man' won't change your life, but it's entertaining enough. Worth a look for fans of 1960s/60s b-grade thrillers.

After being helped to break out of prison, Joey Faust (Douglas Kennedy) is taken to a rural location, where he is introduced to the man responsible for his release. Faust's new benefactor is a criminal mastermind, named Maj. Paul Krenner (James Griffith).

Krenner has big plans for Faust, involving radiation, invisibility, and world domination. Of course, there's a mad scientist doddering about the premises, waxing melodramatic at every opportunity!

Fairly predictable, with the requisite double cross, THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN is just fun enough to offset its silliness. At less than an hour in length, it's also too short to become a total nuisance!

FULL DISCLOSURE: The real reason I watch this movie is due to the fact that it has the beautiful Marguerite Chapman (FLIGHT TO MARS) in its cast. Playing the role of Laura Matson, Ms. Chapman makes me feel glad to be alive! One raised eyebrow from her, and I... Well, never mind! Anyway, the rest is typical 1950's / early 60's sci-fi cheeeze...

Ah, now this one gets a bad rap here, but it's too short to be tedious and too cute to be annoying. At 57 minutes, you've got a nice compact sci-fi film that won't tax your brain too much (unless you try thinking about the plot).

Joey Faust gets busted from the barry hole by a dame, and gets taken to a farmhouse run by a mysterious and shifty ex-army guy who wants to use both Joey's lockpicking skills and a mad scientist's invisible ray gun to create an army of invisible men. That's good stuff right there.

After turning a guinea pig invisible, Joey kind of eventually agrees to go for it, and I liked that the moment he turned invisible he started beating the shifty guy up. Joey's out for an invisible score but he finds one problem - the ray's effects don't last that long. What's a career criminal to do? Find redemption by rescuing the mad scientist's daughter?

Never dull, full of banter and daft effects, punch ups and the mad scientist asking the audience a direct question I was too thick to understand, I really liked this little film. Loved the stock footage nuke blasts too!