Remember, another soldier was crushed and they kept moving on, to get all the ants. There was no time for sorrow, not yet anyway. It's war, and you can't stop and mourn, or you'll be mourned. But of course, it's a movie and they *could* have showed some more reaction shots. But I think it was already very upsetting that he got caught and killed by the ants to save the kids, that more reaction might be too much.
Nowadays, you'd have 5 minutes spent on close ups for each of the actors with requisite fake tears to show how versatile our present-day celebrity so-called actors are. Back then, THEM! was a standard studio picture - Get it done, and start the next one. Of course, now we know that yesterday's journeyman Hollywood is far superior to the accolade-swamped, award-saturated self congratulatory movie industry with associated merchandising that passes for entertainment today.
THEM! is a superb film in every way. Your point is well taken, but I can also see the reasons for not dwelling on his death too much in reaction shots.
As a kid, that scene was shocking. Still chokes me up. I think it's the saving the kids aspect that does it. And of course the wonderful shadow work that really gets the blood moving just before that.
Well done scene.
The entire film is uploaded and celebrated at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1202814376077659868&q=&hl=en
HS
One more transfusion, and I'll be a full-blooded Irishman.
-Peter Cushing in Island of Terror
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