|
|
THEM!
 .
.
Man,
do I love fifties sci-fi movies. The fifties were probably the greatest
single decade for the science fiction genre. Looking back on the 1950s,
one would find such classics as FORBIDDEN PLANET, THE THING
FROM ANOTHER WORLD, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, WAR
OF THE WORLDS, I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE, THE
BLOB, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THE FLY and
the list goes on and on and on. During the fifties, there were a number
of films that speculated on the possible side effects of radioactive fallout
from atomic bombs; however, the greatest of these, was a movie with the
ambiguous title- THEM!.
 .
THEM!
opens in the New Mexico desert, with two police officers investigating
a report of a small girl wandering alone across the arid landscape. When
they find the girl, she is in shock- staring blankly and walking aimlessly
towards oblivion. Searching for the girl's parents, the officers discover
a ravaged mobile home that appears to have been pried open as easily as
a tin can. A short distance up the highway, the police find that the
local general store has suffered a similar fate, however this time there
is a body. Turning all of the evidence over to the FBI, the government
dispatches two scientists to the scene. The scientist are reluctant to
release any information to the police or the FBI, that is, until they
confirm their shocking theory- when they discover a nest of radiation
mutated giant ants near the crime scenes. THEM! stars James Whitmore,
Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens, Sean McClory,
Fess Parker and Olin Howlin. Genre fans should keep an eye out for an
incredibly young Leonard Nimoy in a bit role.
 .
Warner Home Video has made THEM! available on
DVD in a spectacular looking black and white transfer that presents the
film in its proper 1.37:1 full screen aspect ratio. Obviously, Warner
has taken great pains to digitally restore THEM! for DVD because
this nearly sixty year old film looks incredible. There isn't a single
blemish anywhere, and I seriously doubt that any film element from the
fifties could be preserved this well. Another nicety of this presentation
is the color title on this black and white film, which must have been
part of the original theatrical presentation, since it has never been
part of the television prints that I sat through countless times during
childhood.
 .
The
image on the DVD itself is truly gorgeous. Crisp, clean and finely detailed-
the picture truly sparkles for almost all of the ninety-two minute running
time. Only the dust storm sequence ventures away from demonstration quality,
and this is due to limitations in MPEG-2 compression algorithms, which
cannot keep up with the swirling masses of particles in the image. Otherwise,
this DVD rates amongst the finest black and white presentations currently
available on DVD. The blacks appear velvety and the white are clean and
completely stable. There is wonderful variety and nuance in the grayscale,
which reminds one that black and white cinematography is an art form that
was sadly allowed to die by Hollywood. Digital compression artifacts
are well concealed, except for the instance that I noted above.
 .
THEM!
features a Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack, and considering the age
of the material, it sounds quite good. Sure, there are the expected frequency
limitations that restrict the music and certain sound effects, but Warner
has done a great job cleaning up the track to minimize traces of background
hiss and surface noise. The track is definitely worth amplifying for
the giant ant sound effects, which enhances the popcorn value of this
classic sci-fi flick. Dialogue is crisply rendered throughout the movie,
with every line coming across with complete intelligibility. No other
language soundtracks are provided, although English,
Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Japanese subtitles are encoded onto the
DVD.
 .
.
.
The
basic interactive menus for THEM! are really nicely designed with
the appearance of sensationalistic tabloid. Through the menus, one has
access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
some extras. Included on the DVD is some outtake footage showing the
operation of the giant ants, as well as a theatrical trailer, a brief
text essay on giant bug movies and a short cast & crew listing.
 .
The
1950s was the decade where science fiction movies reigned supreme and
THEM! is definitely a classic offering from that period. Warner
Home Video has done a superb job with their presentation of THEM!
on DVD- making this disc a must have for genre fans, movie buffs and anyone
that appreciates the beauty of black and white cinematography.
|
This DVD review
is brought to you by
THE CINEMA LASER
Them!
(1954)
|
