Well, James Arness' reaction as he waves the other soldier to help Peterson indicates that a little bit since he looks quite sad, but we never actually see him die nor is is stated in the film.
So, what do you think? I'd love to see him survive!
I'm pretty sure that the intent was that Peterson died. My thought is that they makers wanted to leave the viewer with the impression that Peterson died a pretty gruesome death, but of course, would not and probably could not show it. Of course, all my knowledge about gruesome death by giant bug comes from watching Starship Troopers ;) I was pretty sad, too, first time I watched it because Peterson was a good guy. One of my favorite flicks, brings back many memories.
sharePeterson died. We heard the "Wilhelm scream" when he was in the big ant's mandibles. Nothing says "he died" like the "Wilhelm".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_scream
Besides, if Peterson was just wounded James Arness would have yelled for a medic.
Yes, it is the lot of Peter-san's to die, tragically. Just like in the Green Berets. It does, however, leave room for doubt. Perhaps there was footage of his fate that wound up on the cutting room floor? Who can say. I too, was sad that he got it at the end but, he sure enough got his licks in with the flamethrower! I hate ants.
shareWhile I place myself firmly in the camp who believes that no matter how bad it seemed on-screen, "He recovered after the fade-out."
CF: Bride of Frankenstein, where they firmly establish (or at least explicitly suggest) that the Monster has just butchered the Nuemann Family with an axe(!) but just as the scene fades out we heard a tracked-in groan, mandated by the censors, to suggest that it wasn't really as bad as it seemed.
SO while things did look pretty grim for Arness, I like to believe that in true 50's movie hero style he pulled through after being evac-ed to an army hospital.
The reality, however, as they explained earlier in the film, is that in addition to having most of his ribs and internal organs crushed, he most likely also received a massive injection of concentrated formic acid -which would almost certainly kill him if his internal injuries and shock didn't.
At least the victims in The Giant Leeches were somewhat anesthetized as they were sucked dry...
'The reality, however, as they explained earlier in the film, is that in addition to having most of his ribs and internal organs crushed, he most likely also received a massive injection of concentrated formic acid -which would almost certainly kill him if his internal injuries and shock didn't.'
Medford makes it clear the ants use their stingers to poison their victims, and those are on their hinders. Peterson was only grabbed by the mandibles so he was only crushed, he was never injected with formic acid because the ant never got the chance.
I'll give you that one; but that still leaves him with cracked and broken ribs as well as massive internal injuries. Even in one of today's high-tech trauma centers such injuries would be a challenge; back in the 50's, with only army surgeons on hand (okay, maybe there was an ambulance or two standing by), his chances for survival seem almost non-existent.
Don't get me wrong, I wanted his character to survive, but they didn't give him much of a chance. Even if the injuries and internal bleeding didn't kill him, the shock and trauma almost certainly would.
"If you don't know the answer -change the question."
That'd kill me.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!
I hated the fact that he died saving those kids and we never even GOT to seem them reunited with their mother. Why not include the scene? It would've made his death that more...worthy if that's the nice word in putting it. I liked his character and was pretty sad to see him go...
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I think filmmakers in that time relied more on the audience's imagination that most do today.
The key moment was when Ben was readying the last child for escape, then sees the ants approach. He knows he has a choice -- to put the child down and pick up his flamethrower to save himself, or continue to lift the child to safety. He decides to save the child.
The aftermath of this (the reuniting of the children with their mother) would have been unnecessary to 50s audiences, because their expectations were different from modern audiences -- no such affirmation was necessary or required (it was all implicit in his decision).
In today's movies, I hazard to say the children would be intercepted by more ants and die anyway, reflecting the nihilism present in too many modern movies -- which is what scares me more than the mindless violence they portray....
According to a 2007 National Hospital Associations study, 87% of giant ant victims survive.
So, to sum it up in legal terminology: Get lost, you bum.
Arness actually does the Wilhelm scream himself a couple minutes later when being attacked, but he survives. Kinda weird to see such a legendary tough guy screaming like that.
share"Peterson died. We heard the "Wilhelm scream" when he was in the big ant's mandibles. Nothing says "he died" like the "Wilhelm". "
Thanks alpha, that's going to be the funniest thing I read today!
Yep. He's gone. Every time I see the movie, it's the same.
"Madame meets many people, but she usually avoids the mad ones."
I believe it's called and ambiguous ending, like Eastwood's Pale Rider (was that the guy the marshal shot getting revenge) or High Plains Drifter ( ghost or just gunman handing out retribution). It's up to the viewer.
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I think the ants use him as a substitute queen.
share