Phase IV
| Phase IV | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Saul Bass |
| Produced by | Paul Radin |
| Written by | Mayo Simon |
| Starring |
Michael Murphy Nigel Davenport Lynne Frederick |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Dick Bush |
| Edited by | Willy Kemplen |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
Phase IV is a 1974 British-American science fiction horror film. The only feature-length film directed by graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass, it stars Michael Murphy, Nigel Davenport and Lynne Frederick.
The interiors of the film were shot at Pinewood Studios in England and the exterior locations were shot in Kenya, though the film is set in the Arizona desert in the United States. It was produced by Alced Productions and Paramount Pictures.
The film was a box office disappointment and as a result this was the only feature film directed by Bass. It has since gained a cult following due to TV airings beginning in 1975 and also being shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000 during the KTMA era.
Due to an unknown cosmic event, listed in "phases", ants have undergone rapid evolution and developed a hive mind. A scientific team begins investigating strange towers and geometrically perfect designs that ants have built in the desert. Except for one family, the local human population flees the strangely acting ants. Scientists James Lesko and Ernest Hubbs set up a computerized lab in a sealed dome located in an area of significant ant activity in Arizona. The ant colony and the scientific team, along with the holdout family, fight each other though the ants are the more effective aggressors.
The narrative uses the scientific team as the main protagonists, but there are also ant protagonists going about their duties in the colony. The ants immunize themselves to the humans' chemical weapons and soon infiltrate their lab. Teams of ants penetrate the computers of the lab and short them out. After Lesko decodes an ant message, Kendra Eldrige, (a young woman who had taken refuge with the scientists) becomes convinced that her actions have enraged the ants. Seeking to save the two scientists, she abandons the lab and apparently sacrifices herself.
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Wikipedia