SYNOPSICS
The Colossus of New York (1958) is a English movie. Eugène Lourié has directed this movie. John Baragrey,Mala Powers,Otto Kruger,Robert Hutton are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1958. The Colossus of New York (1958) is considered one of the best Horror,Sci-Fi movie in India and around the world.
Jeremy Spensser, genius humanitarian, is killed in an accident just after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. His father William, a brilliant brain surgeon, works on the body in secret before burial; later revealing to his other son Henry that he has the brain on life support and hopes to encase it in a robot body! The resulting being is large, strong, and develops many strange powers. Initially it has Jeremy's gentle personality but this, too, begins to change, and a year later it decides to end its long seclusion... Unusual piano music score.
The Colossus of New York (1958) Reviews
Great 50's Sci-Fi
Reading other comments forced me to write my own. One commenter complains of it being a 50's Sci-Fi with no name actors. Well I saw this movie several times in the 50's. It was one of my favorites for sure. I think there are numerous, outstanding, Sci-Fi and Horror movies in the 50's and this is one of them. It had a Hitchcock feel with the shadows and suspense. And if you were a 10 or 12 year old when that movie came out you could really identify with the story. It played for years in the Saturday matinees. And no name actors? How about Ross Martin! We all loved him in the Twilight Zone and the Outer Limits. And of course he was great as Artemus Gordon in the Wild Wild West TV series. Heck check out his imdb credits. Anyhow now that I revealed my age I should mention that if you missed the 50's Sci-Fi while they were new releases you sure missed some fantastic fun. And it was those 50's Sci-Fi movies that motivated so many great talents to produce all the great ones that followed. I too hope this makes DVD.
The second-best movie from the 1950s.
Paramount produced this fascinating, low-budget gem in 1958 and release it with a second feature which was tailor-made to go with it (see `The Space Children'). They played together at drive-in theaters nation wide, and thousand of kids like me watched them both in wide-eyed wonder. Young viewers (15 to 25 years old) who watch either of these films today tend to totally miss the point. `The Colossus of New York' is an admirable and well-crafted exploration of concepts that were years ahead of their time: ideas like sensory deprivation, organ transplants, psychic powers, and others. This movie is NOT simply a Frankenstein rehash (as several misguided reviewers have claimed). The story is about a noble, humanitarian genius whose brain is placed in an unfeeling robot body. The film invites the viewer to ponder what makes each of us the sensitive and compassionate person we are (or should be). If `The Colossus of New York' seems hockey and corny to you, remember that it was designed for an audience -- and a culture -- that existed almost half a century ago. If you have the maturity and the intelligence to translate this message from a by-gone age, you'll benefit from your efforts. If not . . . well, it's your loss.
An underrated atmospheric thriller
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.
Underappreciated but Memorable Cult Classic!
Contrary to what some critics and viewers may say, THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK was actually quite dark and atmospheric! This was an exemplary modern-day take on the "Frankenstein's Monster" theme! The performances were well-done, the solo-piano music by Van Cleave was brilliant, and the Colossus itself was actually well created for its time. Even the climax, no matter how "cliched" by today's standard, is still poignant. I definitely reccommend this movie! I think it deserves to be on DVD as well! -John Cassidy
Stop bashing this film...if you weren't 'there'....
Along with a few others, I too, must chime in with my 'thumbs up' opinion of this lost classic. I was fortunate to see nearly ALL of the horror/sci-fi 'Classics' in theaters during the 50's binge..when there was a new double feature nearly every other week. This one, stands quite a bit above all the others. The creep factor is high and it has some truly haunting moments. The piano score just adds to the muted terror. Cheap? Yep. But I think that adds to the atmosphere. Sure, I was a 'kid' when I saw all of these back then, but only a handful of these films were 'great'. 'Colossus' is hands-down one of the best of that era. If you watch it in the proper context, I'm sure you will agree.