What Happens in The Lagoon... [Media Experience One]

Movies today are good, but movies from the 50's, 60's, the classics, are better. This weekend I watched "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and thought that it was a fantastic film. Movies back then were just so much more, passionate.

For those that don't know, "Creature from the Black Lagoon" was made in 1954 starring Richard Carlson and Julie Adams. The plot, a scientific expedition searching for fossils along the Amazon River discover a prehistoric Gill-Man in the legendary Black Lagoon. The explorers capture the mysterious creature, but it breaks free. The Gill-Man returns to kidnap the lovely Kay (Julie Adams, the fiancee of one of the expedition, with whom it has fallen in love.



The Gill-Man, pictured above, is done so well, considering this was over 50 years ago, and they had nothing available to them like film makers do today. This is a perfect example of production techniques, because it is so different from anything we've seen today. Not to mention, most people my age don't usually watch the classics. Being in black and white, it leaves a lot more to the imagination. The sound effects would be considered cheesy today, and the editing wouldn't be considered that good either.


Also, it's a perfect example of the Technological Shift, given the way that I watched it. In the 50's when this movie came out, you'd go to the theater, see it, and that would be the end of it. Me however, I Bit-Torrented the movie, downloaded it to my flash drive, plugged it into my X-Box, and watched it for my own personal viewing on my flat screen TV. Really, the two methods of viewing couldn't be any different.

I didn't feel this movie used any persuasive techniques, but I do however, feel it had an effect of my triune brain. Mainly, my Limbic Brain, given the fact that the movie was black and white, the image took a different effect on my brain, and the music and sound effects were so different. I'm used to something to intense and jumpy, that this music was almost calming, and so stereotypical, that I knew what was coming. Of course, this can all also connect to my Reptilian Brain, because it's a matter of instinct or not. With the Gill-Man, it made my heart rate, and my reptilian brain had to decide if I was scared or not.

There is talks of remaking this film in 2011, in fact it's already in pre-production. I'm not sure how I feel about this, after all there is no reason to mess with perfection. All in all, I thought this movie was great. I love the classics because they give you an experience that you can't find with most movies today. Next to watch on my list of classics; Frankenstein with Gene Wilder.