The Amazing Transparent Man (1960)

Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer

Writer:

Jack Lewis (original screenplay)

Release Date:

July 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Invisible and Deadly!

Plot:

A crazed scientist invents an invisibility formula. He plans to use the formula to create an army of invisible zombies.

Plot Keywords:

Invisibility | Scientist | Safecracker | Invisibility Ray | Atomic Weapons

Cast

Marguerite Chapman	...	Laura
Douglas Kennedy	...	Faust
James Griffith	...	Krenner
Ivan Triesault	...	Dr. Ulof
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	...	Julian (as Red Morgan)
Cormel Daniel	...	Maria
Edward Erwin	...	Drake
Jonathan Ledford	...	Smith
Norman Smith	...	Security Guard
Patrick Cranshaw	...	Security Guard
Kevin Kelly	...	Woman
Dennis Adams	...	State Police
Stacy Morgan	...	State Police

Also Known As:

Search for a Shadow (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

57 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Not Rated (DVD rating) | Australia:M (TV rating) | USA:Unrated (2005 DVD release) | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Berkshires, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Miller Consolidated Pictures (MCP)

Trivia:

This was shot back-to-back with Beyond the Time Barrier (1960). The combined shooting schedule was only two weeks. They became Edgar G. Ulmer's last American films.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Drake uses binoculars to view what is left of ground zero for the lab explosion, the perspective of what he is seeing through the binoculars changes four times (one of the views is from ground up at a man in a fallout suit), all of which are technically impossible from his vantage point.

Quotes:

Laura Matson: I know what I've been, Joey, but I can change all that. What are you doing?
Joey Faust: Giving you your split. You're on your own, Baby!
Laura Matson: But you... you said we would be together!
Joey Faust: Honey, right now I need a car more than I need you. You can start walking anytime.
Laura Matson: But you can't just go off and leave me... Joey?
Joey Faust: Goodbye, Laura!

Movie Connections:

Featured in AIP: Fast and Furious (1985) (V)

Better than the title suggests - but that suggested stinker

A title like "The Amazing Transparent Man" does have you seriously wondering on how poor the movie you are about to watch will be - - for a start, he can't even achieve invisibility (only transparency), so what is 'amazing' about that?

But the opening titles suggest you might get something a bit better than you were bracing yourself for. It's quite a good mood setting, with the music involving a cello grinding 4 repeating notes ominously. The other give away is that in the opening credits, the directors and producers names are shown in running-writing style - clearly both artists. And the opening prison escape bit is good, as well as the police checkpoint scene, and they involve some nicely framed external shots.

In fact its all looking like this might be a surprisingly enjoyable film, until the escaped safe-cracking crim Faust (played by Douglas Kennedy) has his first real indoor talking scene. And then you realize that for some reason only known to him, Mr Kennedy plays Faust like some "John Wayne" cowboy. Why a safe cracker would also be a swaggering tough guy who looks like he is ready to say "Ok Pilgrim" is a constant annoyance which does tend to cripple the film.

Anyway - - I don't think I'm giving much away to point out the early setup in the film when Krenner (the Bad Guy) says something like "Dr, make sure the radioactive material is kept away from the beam, or else we will all blow up", and then Dr Ulof repeating something similar back to Krenner five minutes later - - clearly, something is eventually going to go wrong along these lines much later in the film, and they really don't want you to miss it.

The other annoying thing about this movie is how quickly the characters (Faust, Krenner, Dr Ulof, Laura (the bad guys girl), and Julian (the bad guys hired help)) seems to keep swapping alliances and personality, all as a result of some simple statement that would even make a daytime soap opera blush.(eg: a "But your son is dead" has Julian swapping sides without a thought that "Hey, maybe she is lying because I have a gun pointed at her?").

So, the film is not too strong on the logic of how and why the characters act and respond. When combined with its over-earnestness, the final sentence uttered in the film, instead of being the deep and meaningful thought provoker the director and producer obviously intended, resulted in me chuckling for quite a while after the closing credits finished.

Ultimately - The Amazing Transparent Man is better than its title suggests, but not something to recommend.