The Fly (1958) - A Reaction Paper

Clearly, it is a science fiction horror film, and it served its intended purpose: To show the horrible consequences of science gone wrong.

Andre Delambre was working on a revolutionary technology: a matter transporter. Primarily, it is a device that is able to transmit matter instantaneously in space. It is his answer to the problems of transportation: quick and efficient. No more traffic and congested roads, no more air pollution from car exhausts and NO MORE WAITING. How it works, is that first, the matter is disintegrated in one chamber. It is then transported to another chamber, where it would be reintegrated back to its original form. (Andre likens his invention to that of the telephone, where matter is replaced by sound vibrations).

It is without its fault though. Andre has failed to safeguard his equipment from possible defects, and thus has suffered because of it. He tried transport himself in his machine, without knowing that a fly has entered the chamber with him. In the process of disintegration-integration, their atoms were mixed, creating a man with a fly’s head and arm, and a fly with a man’s head and arm.

He was a man of science, passionate in his pursuit of knowledge, even to the point of unrest. We see him in his lab all the time, to the vexation of his wife and family. That passion became his downfall. His passion led him to push his own boundaries and do unsafe tests on living creatures, including the family cat, and later himself.

IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW that cost Andre his life and humanity. The conclusion was sad, but necessary. As it was said in the film, Andre died doing what he believed would benefit mankind, and faced the dangers that came with it.

Overall, it was a good film, although the horror was a bit offset by the campiness of 50s cinema. I found the 1986 a bit more horrifying.