The Colossus of New York
| The Colossus of New York | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Eugène Lourié |
| Written by |
Willis Goldbeck (story) Thelma Schnee (screenplay) |
| Starring |
Ross Martin Otto Kruger John Baragrey Mala Powers Charles Herbert |
| Music by | Van Cleave |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
|
Release date
|
1958 |
|
Running time
|
70 minutes |
| Language | English |
The Colossus of New York is a 1958 black-and-white science fiction film from Paramount Pictures, produced by William Alland, directed by Eugène Lourié, that stars Ross Martin, Otto Kruger, John Baragrey, Mala Powers, and Charles Herbert. The screenplay was written by Thelma Schnee, the maiden name of Thelma Moss, who would go on to become a famous parapsychologist. The story for the film is credited to Willis Goldbeck. John P. Fulton handled the special photographic effects. Colossus was released by Paramount to most theaters on a double bill with The Space Children.
Following an accident, Jeremy Spensser's brain is transplanted by his scientist father into the huge body of an unattractive, frightening cyborg, in order to save his brilliant son's mind so that it can continue to serve mankind. Soon, his son's brain becomes transformed by the experimental procedure, losing key attributes that make him human and define his personality.
Jeremy Spensser (Ross Martin), the brilliant young son of a New York family of scientists and humanitarians, is killed in an automobile accident. His death occurs on the eve of his winning the "International Peace Prize", and he leaves behind a wife (Mala Powers) and young son (Charles Herbert).
Jeremy's father, noted brain surgeon William Spensser (Otto Kruger), is distressed that his son's gifts will be denied to mankind. He conceives a plan to give Jeremy's excellent mind another chance to benefit humanity by transplanting the brain (which he has revived and kept on life support) into an artificial, robotic body. William convinces Jeremy's brother, Henry, an expert in automation, to assist with the process in secret.
Because of its horrific appearance, the huge colossus (Ed Wolff) they've created is kept in seclusion for nearly a year, secretly continuing Jeremy's work on new food sources. However, deprived of normal human contact and possibly of its "soul", Jeremy's mind slowly begins to lose its humanity. He kills his brother, who has fallen in love with Jeremy's wife, and then speaks to his father of the futility of providing food for "the slum people of the world", when it's "simpler and wiser to get rid of them". As Jeremy's mind loses control of his mechanical body, other unexplained powers suddenly emerge from the strictly mechanical body, including mind control of humans and a death ray emanating from both its eyes.
...
Wikipedia