Monsters and Aliens - Analysis of the 50's Science Fiction Boom

The proliferation of science fiction movies in the 50's is nothing short of a phenomenon. In the history of filmmaking, few genres have made such an explosion on the scene as the genre of the 'sci-fi' movie during this decade. Giant insects, sea monsters, robots, and otherworldly forces suddenly found a niche in American cinema, accompanied with themes of invasion, mass hysteria, and the dark consequences of advances in science. This decade is fascinating in so many regards, and the science fiction movie is certainly an area I am excited to examine, especially in regards to its social implications. First, however, I would like to list the eight movies that I have watched and will be discussing: The Boy with Green Hair (1948), Invasion USA (1952), Invaders from Mars (1953), Them! (1955), It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955), Forbidden Planet (1956), The Deadly Mantis (1957), and The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957).

The term "B-movie" has become synonymous with 50's science fiction. The term represents several defining characteristics: sub-par acting, little known actors, low budgets, and cheesy storytelling. Though many of the movies fit these criteria, it is important to note that there are some exceptions. It Came from Beneath the Sea features some outstanding moments from the special effect master of his time, Ray Harryhausen. As well, Forbidden Planet is extremely intellectual, utilizing Freudian theory to construct a monster that, the movie claims, resides in every person. But what is the appeal of the rest, the true, blue B-movies? Though some feature what would have been dazzling special effects at the time, especially in the 'monster movies', there has to be something more, as mere novelty alone cannot explain the saturation of this genre for so many years. Under scrutiny, the movies seem to connect to something deeper and more personal in its viewers, especially when looked at in context of the American fear of a Russian offensive against America. It is in this context that the 50's science fiction film becomes so fascinating, which is precisely why I chose to analyze them. Underneath the 20-foot long mutant ants and brain-controlling aliens from Mars, a canvas of social commentary exists in a way that is completely different from any other cinema at the time.

The title screen of the defining anti-communist movie, The Red Menace, shows a giant octopus with its tentacles stretched out across the world, glaring spitefully at it with the utmost evil intent. It makes me wonder if this symbol for communism was common at the time, since It Came from Beneath the Sea draws upon a similar archetype (the creature is technically a squid, according to the movie-but it exhibits characters much more similar to an octopus). Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, the sentiments towards the creatures are certainly reminiscent of the sentiments towards communism at the time. One striking example comes halfway through the film, when a narrator explains the sudden surge of fear that comes when the monster's identity is confirmed. The navy is dispatched and so begins the "strangest search in history." Fast-forward almost twenty minutes and we see the scientists explaining to a ship captain that a very similar monster existed in the 13^th century, and is known to have ravaged the coastal towns of Denmark and Holland. In context of the time, it is noteworthy to remember that Germany invaded Denmark and Holland early on in WWII, causing much destruction with their blitzkrieg attacks. The connection may not be unintentional, even if it is referring to a fascist government, not Communist. WWII was also fresh in the minds of people, and exploiting any sort of underlying fear was exactly what these types of movies aimed at doing. The astute scientist, Leslie, even makes the claim that it is the government's job to confine this monster, claiming that action should have been taken before the problem became worse. The message here is that that if the government does not step in, the monster will continue to ravage the innocent and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.

This raises a very intriguing point, one that Nora Sayre comments on in her book "Running Time". When all is said and done, military men and FBI agents are the heroes that restore peace and order in the 50's sci-fi film. The final solution to a problem is rarely more complex than a well-aimed missile or bomb from a soldier. The queen ant in Them! is destroyed by soldiers with flamethrowers; the squid of It Came from Beneath the Sea is dispatched with a naval missile; the space soldiers in Forbidden Planet make everything right by merely blowing up the dangerous planet. The emphasis is on power and a perceived idea of masculinity that was part the era's dominant ideology. The fascination with these characteristics is not only seen in science fiction movies, but range across almost all American films of the time period. Look at leading men in popular movies of the 50's, and you will see strong, rugged, powerful individuals that are men of action, not just mere words. When push comes to shove, they choose to take matters into their own hands. This idea is also seen in how many Americans felt was the best way to root out Communism, the antagonist of the 50's. The approach taken was very forceful and with little regard to the individual, in that same 'taking matters into our own hands' sort of way. HUAC did not wish to waste time on words and subjects that were not 'pertinent' to the questions being asked. They wanted direct answers, and would not stand for anything else. Witnesses who tried to answer damning questions in their "own way" were not tolerated and told even more harshly to answer the question given. A HUAC hearing was not a place for trivial words and deliberation, in the Committee's mind-it was a place for rooting out un-American subversives in the entertainment industry.

The scientists of the sci-fi B-movie can be seen as examples of how knowledge can hinder more than it can help. In monster movies, before the monster is found, a scientist is normally summoned to make sense of what is happening. Through their research and discovery, a better understanding is gained of the threat that is posed to the human race. However, they're never the end solution-they talk too much, and always want to preserve the specimens for research in the name of science. Luckily, any leading man in a 50's B-movie science fiction film knows that the only way to dispose of a giant creature is through powerful artillery and bombs (ironically, products of science). All the collective knowledge and scientific jargon in the world can't accomplish that, at least as far as they are concerned. All of this can be connected back to the American fear of Communism, since Communists were commonly though to be very smart individuals-too smart for their own good, in a sort of devious and perpetually-scheming sort of way. Looking at the testimonies of many "unfriendly" witnesses at the HUAC hearings, one finds that the term "unfriendly" is actually just a roundabout way of saying, "desiring a rational discussion on the rights of American citizens in regards to political affiliation and self-incrimination." Of course, this creates an atrocious acronym, and so the much more vague term "unfriendly" is employed. The Committee wanted answers that were succinct, to the point, and fulfilled what they were looking for. People wanting to give a lengthy explanation that avoided directly answering the question were only further condemning themselves, since Commies were notorious for using intellect to try and talk their way out of tight situations.

In very much the same way, scientists in the 50's sci-fi movies are given the same disdain because of their intellect. They are never the heroes, despite the fact that they normally are responsible for identifying the creature, finding its location, and shedding light on the way to dispose of it. Sometimes, they are even the blamed for the problem, as in Forbidden Planet. The erudite Krell of the ancient age had discovered things far beyond the understanding of any human, great and wonderful things that made them more advanced than any civilization previously known to man. Yet, the consequence of their findings was a horrid monster that was fueled by the subconscious evils of the human mind. So who's at fault and should be corrected-the evil ways of human or the scientific discovery? At the final climax, the main antagonist screams out at the self-made monster, "Stop! I deny you! I give you up!" But these are mere words, and words are no good. The evil is in his mind and, deep down, he is unwilling to give it up. So the movie ends with the annihilation of the planet after the human crew escapes, leaving us with the question-has the problem really been solved? Was the monster really destroyed?

Even though The Boy with Green Hair is not a movie from the 50's (made in 1948), I chose to include it in my discussion because it is all the more intriguing in correlation with The Incredible Shrinking Man, which was made in 1957. In addition, fully understanding the social commentary we can gain from 50's science-fiction movies requires us to look at what came before their explosion into American cinema. In The Boy with Green Hair, the green hair becomes the surreal, "sci-fi" element that drives the movie, up to the very end where we find that it's alright to be different from everybody else. It is in nonconformity that we are able to bring the spotlight to ourselves and work for beneficial change. Contrast this with the caustic criticism of Communist ideas, which included the accusation that its principles were vehemently anti-American and deserved no place in American politics. In the Blacklist era, to not conform to certain ideals was to be unpatriotic and unbecoming of an American. In movies of the early 50's, such as Invasion U.S.A. and Invaders from Mars, the plot boils down to an "us vs. them" storyline. The "us" is always the ideal American man, woman, or family of that time period; the "them" might be Communists, invaders from the red planet, or hoards of mutant bugs. The identification of "them" is of secondary importance in these movies-if they're not us, then they're our enemy. Them! goes so far as to even incorporate this idea in the very title. "Them" is not referring to us, and so it immediately takes a negative connotation-just hearing the title, one can infer that the movie will be about some strange entity encroaching on "normal" people.

Now turn the pages of time forward a bit, and we have the movie The Incredible Shrinking Man. It involves a man, who experiences a bizarre change that makes him different than anyone else in the world. At first, it is difficult to adapt and he feels his life is too hard to endure, until the end of the movie, when he realizes that everyone has a purpose, and in his extremely unique situation, he can do things no one else can. The resemblance to the plot of The Boy with Green Hair is overtly apparent. How interesting it is that this theme reoccurs in both 1948 and 1957-the theme of celebration for non-conformity-whereas everything in-between these dates seemed to push just the opposite view. I feel the two films can be seen as markers of the ebb and flow of American fear about Communist influence in the United States.

Being that it was released late in 1948, The Boy with Green Hair was probably filmed late '47 and into the next year. During this time, the HUAC hearings would still be in the process of stirring up paranoia in the American people's conscience (the government by this point, of course, was drowning in hysteria over the fear of Communism in America). As the fifties begin, we start to see more Smith Acts; also, the Immigration & Nationality Act and the Emergency Detention Act are passed. Fear of the "others" and anything "suspect" was coming into full swing. The American Communist party finds itself unable to organize into a forceful organization in the face of such massive opposition, and so the party begins to dissolve. In 1957, the party is in its death throes, and so America is satiated out of its Communist hysteria. The Incredible Shrinking Man represents this 'settling back' into the old idealogy that we saw in The Boy with Green Hair, in again accepting non-conformity as something that makes America great-shown in the closing line "To God, there is no zero." Of course, the beginning of the movie also exhibits the fledgling fear that was mounting in the country that would soon create a whole other wave of mass hysteria-the atom bomb (as does Them!, since the ants are a product of bomb tests in the desert).

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the anti-Communist undertones of 50's science fiction films is how absurd it all seems. It's as if the irrationality in the Communist witch-hunts of the McCarthy era are translated directly to the films. The ridiculous fears of Communism are reflected perfectly in the bizarre stories of the science fiction films. Many of the films are barely tolerable to sit all the way through, due to their incongruous storyline and low quality filmmaking. The Deadly Mantis, for example, was perhaps the most boring thing I have ever seen on my television-the temptation was almost overwhelming to simply fast-forward to the parts of the giant mantis attacking objects, the 'McGuffin' of an otherwise silly film. Similarly, the perpetual screeching of the behemoth ants in Them! caused me to mute my TV on more than one occasion. Did the directors realize how low quality their filmmaking was? Did the actors and actresses take these movies seriously?

I wish I could put my mind in the idealogy of the time (temporarily, of course) so I could see these films as people back then would have seen them. I wonder if they picked up on the anti-Communist undertones. Upon learning that the ants of Them! had created complex, underground societies of working ants that were headed by a leader who was intent on making their domain as large as possible, did audience viewers make a connection to Communism? The sickle-shape of the giant praying mantis' arms-did they connect it to the Russian flag? It is important to consider that the connections I see may only be a result of the mindset I am in-looking for subtext in the films that refer to American sentiments about Communism. Might I be overanalyzing certain elements of the films? Certainly, this is a possibility to weigh in its validity. But how much does the subconscious of a person affect the art they make (in referring to The Deadly Mantis, I use the word 'art' lightly)? Even if the screenplay writers and directors were not making direct connections to Communism in their minds, might the sentiments they held at the time towards Communism have affected their work? We may never know the true answer, but the mounting evidence seen in these science fiction films would appear to suggest that fear of Communists and being associated with them was rooted deep in the hearts of Americans.

Monster movies are perpetually interesting to me, because analyzing these films can shed light on the collective fears of a society during different time period. Some are obvious, such as many modern horrors that rely on the terror of torture or people disappearing without warning-subjects which have saturated the media and news recently. Other monsters are much more representational of a societal fear, as in Them!, where the highly organized ants society is very similar to American ideas about how Communism was operating under the public eye (it was unfortunate I could not find The Thing, as Nora Sayre's description of the 'super-carrot' monster in it got me quite excited at the prospectus of analyzing what fear it represented). It makes me wonder if these films, and other monster films, are creating avenues for us to confront our fears. Perhaps the monster film can be seen mentally relaxing for the viewer in the end, because they watch how the monster representing their fears is overcome in the end. This may explain an important reason for the appeal of the 50's sci-fi monster movie. Paranoia was a dictator in this country during the 50's, and the films that were made in the midst of it certainly reflect this naive time in our nation's history. Perhaps in watching the army men slay the ants or exterminate the giant squid that is attacking San Francisco, the audience's fears are calmed. They see their greatest worries given a physical form on the silver screen, and suddenly relate with the characters fighting the monster. It is in seeing the monsters destroyed that the audience is soothed into believing that their fears are not invincible, and can be destroyed-most effectively if the government is involved, according to the films. Perhaps this was the appeal of science fiction B-movies, in that they were the "opium of the masses." It's a bit unsettling to think that films could service our psychological needs without us even realizing it, while lulling us into feeling certain ways that we have little control over-but is it completely irrational to believe there could be some truth in this idea? I would say, with great confidence, that few statements are, in fact, closer to the truth.