What Would 1951 Audiences and Critics Thought of John Carpenter's 1982 Version of the Thing ?

[BAYLOR]

Imagine all the movie theaters in 1951 , expecting to see their version the thing , suddenly via mysterious unexplained shift of a shift in reality instead, end up with is John Carpenter's 1982 Version of the thing. How do suppose the audiences would react to this film and , what do suppose the critics of that era would make of Carpenters version of this film?

 

[Droflet]

They would be horrified. You can't bridge a gap of that many years without consequences. To use an old quote:

“Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!”

 

[reiver33]

I agree that the culture shock would be a tall hurdle to cross, plus the gore would see it immediately kicked into ‘R’ status (UK ‘X’) for the period. In terms of technical accomplishment, it would leave critics dumbfounded.

 

[Mon0Zer0]

it would be like those old timey movies of people watching trains coming at them from the 1900's. Can you imagine what today's movies would be like if they had the thing in the 50's???

 

[Vince W]

They would all condemn the film for being vulgar and tasteless. This would be after they had all recovered from faint and nausea. It would be far too shocking for that time.

 

[BAYLOR]

I agree that the culture shock would be a tall hurdle to cross, plus the gore would see it immediately kicked into ‘R’ status (UK ‘X’) for the period. In terms of technical accomplishment, it would leave critics dumbfounded.

The sequences of the morphing Creatures. The dog kennel scene, The man Cehc spinning up and bitting off the doctors arms , the spider head scene would cause a few audience swoons.

 

[BAYLOR]

They would all condemn the film for being vulgar and tasteless. This would be after they had all recovered from faint and nausea. It would be far too shocking for that time.

The level of gore and vilnace would be way too much for them. I think a few the critics of that era would have enough imagination to see the film intent and themes.

 

[Droflet]

Swoon Baylor? They'd be carting the bodies off to the morgue in droves. Heart attacks and all that.

 

[Rodders]

It was a shocking movie when we saw it in the 80's. I suspect a movie like that would've been banned.

I still haven't seen the original movie or read the book and i think i might add them to my Science Fiction goals for 2022.

I did, rather coincidentally, go and watch this at the cinema yesterday afternoon. Still a cracking film some 40 years on.

 

[BAYLOR]

It was a shocking movie when we saw it in the 80's. I suspect a movie like that would've been banned.

I still haven't seen the original movie or read the book and i think i might add them to my Science Fiction goals for 2022.

I did, rather coincidentally, go and watch this at the cinema yesterday afternoon. Still a cracking film some 40 years on.

Frozen Hell by John W Campbell Jr Its the novel length version of Campbell's original story Who Goes there ?

 

[BAYLOR]

I had also thought about doing a thread about the 50's crowd would thought of the 1979 film Alien or Star Wars.

 

[Rodders]

Given that it was styled on the serialised movies like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, i would've expected a 1950's audience's attitude to Star Wars to be pretty similar to the reception it received in the 70's.

 

[Droflet]

But for THAT scene in Alien, they'd have to call the paramedics.

 

[BAYLOR]

Given that it was styled on the serialised movies like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, i would've expected a 1950's audience's attitude to Star Wars to be pretty similar to the reception it received in the 70's.

I think they would have gotten a kick out of Star Wars . They would love the Space Battles , The Deathstar and the characters. Chewbacca would likely have been fan favorite.

 

[BAYLOR]

But for THAT scene in Alien, they'd have to call the paramedics.

Ah Yes, the Chest bursting scene would causes a few audience faints and, so would the full sized monster.

 

[BAYLOR]

They would be horrified. You can't bridge a gap of that many years without consequences. To use an old quote:

“Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!”

A Ghostbuster reference , awesome !

 

[paranoid marvin]

Given that it was styled on the serialised movies like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, i would've expected a 1950's audience's attitude to Star Wars to be pretty similar to the reception it received in the 70's.

Yes, with Newman and Redford as Luke and Han, The Duke as Obi Wan and Vincent Price as the Emperor.

 

[BAYLOR]

Yes, with Newman and Redford as Luke and Han, The Duke as Obi Wan and Vincent Price as the Emperor.

The Duke as Obi Wan ? That one's is giving me a headache. I can just imagine how he would dealt with the thugs that were bothering Luke in that Bar in Mos Eisley. Yes, Imagines of John Wayne as Genghis Khan are now flashing though my mind !

 

[Harpo]

 

[BAYLOR]

Yes , that's pretty much what a 50's Star Wars would have looked like.