MovieChat Forums > The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) Discussion > how can anyone call this a classic???

how can anyone call this a classic???

posted 14 years ago by MotorCityCobra55
53 replies | jump to latest

i saw this movie about 5 times.and yesterday.now at 31 yrs old im saying is this a classic lol i thought it was fun to watch and amusing watching the man getting smaller and smaller and did love his adventure s in the basement.but that were it ends.it may piss alot of poeple off but thats my opinion.like i said i loved the cat scene how he trie s surviving as tiny man in a vast new world.amusing like i said.but a classic is gone with the wind.did any man or woman that saw this think scott was going to be killed by the cat that chased him???i giggled and thought it was amusing watching a kittycat play cat and mouse with the tiny man but i didnt jump out of my seat.if you did somethings wrong with you.the sewing box scene lighting the match using his wifes tools as weapons were very smart and well thought of.and the spider was scary but please did you think scott wouldnt lance it with the sewing pin???so predictable.i laughed out loud at the dollhouse scene watching a tiny man shouting at his wife lol no offence to you lovers of the movie.all i did was wish it was me so i could have told him to go back inside his new home i put him in and shut up until i get back to care for him.i found myself saying this isnt a sci fi movie atleast not all of it.its a movie about emasculation and the more he shrunk the more emasculated he got.if it was today with todays woman picture a tiny man living in a her dollhouse shouting at her lol he would be spanked.like i said it was very fun and loved how the man turned more into a caveman surviving in a huge new world his basement and found myself cheering everytime scott past a new test like climbing the wall for food.but all in all its FUN AND AMUSING thats it.grant williams was brilliant as the shrinking man and his voice over was great not to mention he was very handsome.but if you call this a classic your brain dead.i would have toyed with him rather then the cat lol and why is it his wife was dumb enough to let a cat in while her shrinking husband is left alone???if i get negative feedback or not and i could care less if i do.me and my girlfriends loved it and thought it was fun but a classic.like i said your brain dead yours truly susan

[–] brussels_sprout13 14 years ago

Ever hear of... .? !? :? ...oh excuse me, you did use three . and a few ?... what a mess. Please take an elementary writing class and lay off the booze. This is a true classic!

"You shot me... I can't believe you just shot me!"-- Meg Masters

[–] yuma310 13 years ago

Ok, you've been belittled enough by other posters. In truth, I read your post and respect your opinion. But aren't you missing some of the larger themes? Like, you know, what makes a man a man? He is stripped of his pride (a circus freak without a circus), his masculinity (it's a frickin' dollhouse!), basic human dignity (battling arachnids for food) and becomes, at the end, basically nothing. But his spirit persists, THE human spirit persists. That is what I think elevates ISM above your typical 50s sci-fi. At first Carey dismisses all that "spirit" stuff as hogwash ("Easy enough to talk of soul and spirit and essential worth") but by the end he comes to accept his fate and, in his own way, triumphs over his lot. He wins the battle with himself, if you want to think about it that way. How is that not the stuff of great cinema? So you've got terrific suspense (dude, the paint stick over the "canyon"), marvelous plot twists (I really did think his wife would find him eventually), thought-provoking themes and a powerful character arc... classic schmlassic, this was a great movie.

[–] jhndce 13 years ago

The 1950's were a terrible time. Outwardly, everything is fine, but underneath, fear and paranoia were very close to everyday life. I was born in '54 and looking back, my parent's and grandparent's reactions to that culture are far more terrible than any of the parables of my beloved 50's Sci-Fi.
Read your history. If you don't get it, then just enjoy the movie. These films were very creative for their time. Most of the science fiction and fantasy films today that have any impact owe their existence to these flaky offshoots.
Who questioned nuclear testing first ?

Let's hear it for the 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T and the Twonky.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Ten-Inch-Toni 11 years ago

I was born in '58 it was a really weird time. Exactly as you say. On the service everyone is polite, all is well, etc. But behind close doors, at cocktail parties and picnics, or lying in my bed at night listening to the adult conversations were terrifying.

For one thing, we didn't have round the clock news like we do now. The news came on after we went to bed. If the parents kept the volume up, you heard everything, then you heard them talking about it. Their fears, concerns, and anger.

No put all that on the school playground where we kids are just trying to exist but all of this that are parents are feeling is an undercurrent in us. Add to this the public school system, the fallout shelter drills, sirens going off, lining up quietly with your heaviest textbook in hand. Walking into the hallway and crouching on the floor with your face to the wall and holding your book over the back of your head and neck. Meanwhile, looking out of the corner of your eye, the teachers are just standing around talking, waiting for the all clear signal. The we standup quietly, and walk in line back into class for afternoon penmanship or classroom courtesy.

Extremely surreal time. It's no wonder it's the age or birth of scifi.

[–] jmsocool 13 years ago

To the OP: I honestly don't know if there is a formal definition of "classic" as it pertains to films, or who determines that a particular film is a classic. If an individual thinks a movie is a classic, they're entitled to their opinion, even if I disagree. And they don't deserve to be insulted. I think that this film is considered by many to be a classic because it has more depth than the typical science fiction film of the 50's. It's not just a small man being threatened by a cat, and a spider. There are themes regarding people's perceptions of each other, the role and value of individuals in society, and within their own family, and whether an individual is important or insignificant within the context of the universe.

I suppose a film may be considered a classic if it causes a viewer to ask questions that they may not have considered before. If that's the case, then The Incredible Shrinking Man may very well qualify.

"My girlfriend sucked 37 d*cks!"
"In a row?"

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] franzkabuki 9 years ago

"Honestly don't know if there is a formal definition of "classic" as it pertains to films".

I think it's got to do with some kind of a consensus - amongst the critics, film historians as well as wider audiences.

"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan

[–] FairlyAnonymous 12 years ago

I kind of agree with you. A sci-fi classic would be the Forbidden Planet or Star Wars. Something that actually was innovative. Other classics would be Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, It's a Wonderful Life, African Queen etc.. I wouldn't consider the Incredible Shrinking Man a classic... just an above average, fun movie.

[–] escalation746 12 years ago

The ending makes it a classic. It lacks the triumphalism of pap like "Star Wars", and turns to inner space not outer space for the solution. True poetry.

And the effects are good too.

[–] jkirk2010 12 years ago

what I like about the movie and Im sure others do as well that consider it a classic, is the idea of atomic bombs, and how they can destroy a country, and how an atomic bomb gives us fear, and makes us feel insignificant and small, almost shrinking, not literally shrinking, but small as in we dont matter, and can be wiped off the planet with the push of a button, but our fears dont mean *beep* we can conclude our life with these apparent fears, and still find a way to be happy. And if we cant be happy then we can be accepting of our fears

[–] karaokekevin2004 12 years ago

and yet...you thought "the Deadly Mantis" ROCKED!

[–] FreddiesDead 12 years ago

I almost got brain dead trying to read your post

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Ten-Inch-Toni 11 years ago

It made me crosseyed. The OP also goes by Cowboy something-or-other55. With the same wall of words. He brags about being a stunt man and better than the star of this show. So when I read this one where the OP signs it as Susan...

Well, I have to admit I'm dumbfounded. Are we dealing in a multiple-personality schizophrenic? IDK, but something sure isn't right, here.

[–] randi_middleton 12 years ago

I never got this.
There are many movies I don't much care for that others do, but I would never go and post here telling people my opinion.
The truth is... no one cares what you think... or what I think.

Next time you have a thought like this, think about if anyone else cares what you think and if it will stimulate a real conversation.
If the answer is "no", then go do something productive.

[–] SunnyMonroe 12 years ago

In Germany, where i am from, this Movie used to run in a "show" called "Das Gruselkabinett" (Gruel Cabinet) that featured mostly old sci-fi and horror movies. The show where popular in the late 70´s and early 80´s, when there where only 5 Television Stations in german TV. It usually screened aorund 10, 11 PM. I was a little Boy and only had the chance to stay up this long, when i was at my grandmothers. And i tried to be at my grandma´s as often as i can at the weekends, just to watch this show.

I remember a lot of cool stuff they aired there, but "The Incredible Shrinking Man" surely was my favorite. When i saw it, many years later, again on one of the many new cable-stations and heard the trumpet-music from the opening scene, i was immediatly kicked back to my childhood.

So, i say : Hell yeah, this is an Classic! And i think not just in my opinion. It aged pretty good and is still lots of fun to see (Actually, i was looking for a link to a Blu Ray Version here, this second, when i was getting aware of this thread). The ending is epic.

I think to define a "classic", you don´t have to look for innovation or the impact for the masses. You just have to see a movie and look into your heart ;-)

[–] vestdennis 12 years ago

The OP probably thinks a "classic" is Beavis & Butthead Do America. Of course The Incredible Shrinking man is a classic. Did it win an Oscar? No, but to any serious sci-fi movie buff or ANY film buff, this is known as a classic. The special effects were outstanding for it's time. In fact, given the overuse of CGI today they stand out as marvelous.

The battle with the spider, his fighting for his life in a simple four inches of water and the common house cat all make for a great time. It has earned praise from almost all film critics over the decades.

The script & directing (and acting of course) make this a great movie to watch with the family.

[–] musicbytes 11 years ago

Yes it was and remains an instant classic ! Perhaps and arguably the greatest sci-fi film ever made ! The unforgettable ending with pathos and very moving !