L'incredibile Hulk

This pre-series pilot was a good way to start off a TV saga based on a comic book superhero. To me, it is a TV-movie classic.

As you'll see in this pilot (as well as the series that followed it), our hero is really a reluctant hero. We have a man who changes into a seven-foot green creature, but he doesn't want to. All he wants is to be rid of the curse. Still, he has to give his alter-ego credit for having saved countless lives.

The three characters in the series are also ones that I can relate to because of various common traits, and they are as follows:

David Banner: he is a man looking for solace. In addition, I know what it's like to be close to obtaining certain goals, only to have them suddenly slip away. He's experienced that himself when he has thought that he would finally be cured of his problem, only to have something happen and ruin that chance.

The Incredible Hulk: he has experienced something we all experience in life: rejection. In his case, the rejections tend to result from some misunderstanding. Like the Frankenstein monster, the Hulk is misunderstood, and, therefore, people confuse his intentions. Few people will admit it, but I am sometimes misunderstood. And I suspect that other people's general misconceptions about me has often played a role in my being rejected.

Jack McGee: he is, of course, the newspaper reporter who chases the Hulk, thinking our hero is a killer. McGee is persistent in his goal to capture and expose the Hulk. Like McGee, I am very relentless when it comes to reaching certain objectives, and I tend not to give up until they are finally obtained.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if all of Marvel and D.C. 's came to our boring little reality to peacefully co-exist ? If we ever did have a Hulk,this is the closest thing.Gone is the Roswell-like cover-up of a green monster and here we have a closer and realistic version of a tabloid reporter seeking the truth in an X-File that even Mulder and Scully wouldn't even acknowledge.Ten stars for the most sympathetic and misunderstood monster.

The Hulk's first incarnation on TV was this made for television movie starring Bill Bixby as the green giant. I don't know Hulk's origins in the Marvel Comics series, but here Dr. David Banner (Bixby) is experimenting with gamma rays, trying desperately to figure out how people get an incredible flow of Adrenalin when faced with utter danger. Having recently lost his wife in a car crash and not being able to save her in his attempts to lift the vehicle, Banner is nothing short of obsessed with finding out why he failed where others succeeded in saving their loved ones. Once he starts injecting gamma rays into his body he turns into the green giant whenever he gets really mad.

This is no grandiose spectacle, it's rather cheap looking really, with that oh so 70's look and feel with special effects at a very minimum. It is however a very well written and totally involving story, well acted and ultimately very tragic. The scenes involving the Hulk aren't spectacular visually speaking but they are powerful, especially his first appearance on that rainy thunderstorm night when Banner gets mad while changing his tier. The love story here, between Banner and a fellow scientist, is very well played out and makes for a strong ending for the film.

This film was the starting block for a long running TV series, but on it's own the film is very satisfying, definitely won't entertain younger viewers who're used to such visual extravaganza's as most modern superhero films are these days. I however like it very much, it takes it's time in establishing the character, it's a very human story that doesn't go overboard despite it's subject matter and it has a bitter ending that makes it all the more memorable.

This cheap looking made for TV film is also a lot better than the 2003 version which I found simply terrible.

Riding high on the success of his excellent 1976 TV creation "The Bionic Woman", writer/director Kenneth Johnson embarked on perhaps his most ambitious project ever: bringing to the screen for the first time the story of The Incredible Hulk.

The result is the best TV pilot I've ever seen in my life. Even if you're not a hulk fan, you must see this episode for its expert presentation, unparalleled acting, sublime poetry and iconic music (the "Lonely Man" piano themesong has the power to make people weep instantly).

There is not a lot of action in this episode, but it's far from boring. In the opening scene, Bill Bixby brings to life the character of David Banner in a way that no one will ever be able to touch. His portrayal brings to mind the line from Thoreau: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Only David Banner gets the opportunity to be not-so-quiet. Enter Lou Ferrigno 1973-1974 Mr. Universe, who needed no cgi, special effects or prosthetics to portray the hulk: the personification of raw, primeval rage. Ferrigno's roaring mass of muscles contrasted sharply against Bixby's quiet desperation to create a perfect balance of extremes.

I love the entire series and the 3 TV movies that followed. But this 100 minute pilot is the best of the lot. It was a cut above the rest back in '77 and to this day it's still a cut above.

Joseph Harnell was the composer, and his music will burn itself into your brain. The melody of "Lonely Man" reappears in the heart-pumping action pieces as well as the heart-wrenching piano sonata. In between we have distinct themes that are equally memorable, such as Mr. McGee's theme (which is instantly recognizable by its bass drum and hi-hat rhythm). At times Harnell mixes separate themes and moods together into one piece, perfectly in tune with the bipolar nature of the story. You'll hear trombones "fighting" with violins the same way David Banner fights with the monster within him. This is one of the cases where the music brings as much to the table as the directing, cinematography & acting.

And back to the subject of acting, we get stellar performances from everyone. Not just Bixby & Ferrigno as I mentioned, but Susan Sullivan (Banner's research partner and best friend), Jack Colvin (the antagonistic reporter McGee, who is wonderfully fleshed out in subsequent episodes) and even the minor actors doing bit parts are brilliant.

In terms of directing & cinematography, there was no equal in the 1970s. Kenneth Johnson made extreme use of shadows, darkness, hazy lighting and wide camera shots to create an indescribable feeling of loneliness and isolation. Back in the 70s, TV was very bright and fast paced (think "Love Boat", "Charlie's Angels", etc). But here in "The Incredible Hulk" we get a journey into darkness for the first time I had seen on network TV. Think of the way the 2003 Battlestar Galactica remake plunged us into darkness for the first time, and that is what Kenneth Johnson did for the 1970s crowd. (By the way, the 2003 BSG is my pick for 2nd greatest TV pilot in the history of time & space, don't miss it either!) I can't speak highly enough of this show. Watch it a few times. Absorb its full spectrum of human emotion: sadness, rage, love. And tip your hat to the amazingly talented individuals, particularly the great Mr. Bixby, who made this possible for us to experience.

This is a lot better than the television show that followed and that footage in the rain with David transforming into The Hulk for the first time is outstanding! Note the editing and music used in this footage. Right after this scene we cut to the lake scene with the direction and music still on a very high standard: even the green paint on The Hulk's skin looks more impressive than usual! But this high standard of production could never last in the lower budget weekly television series, which is too bad as this movie displayed what The Incredible Hulk series could have been if more money was put into it! I am told The Incredible Hulk series got more female viewers than male viewers so maybe I was the wrong sex for it?