The Illustrated Man (film)
| The Illustrated Man | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jack Smight |
| Produced by |
Ted Mann Howard B. Kreitsek |
| Screenplay by | Howard B. Kreitsek |
| Based on |
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury |
| Starring |
Rod Steiger Claire Bloom |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Philip H. Lathrop |
| Edited by | Archie Marshek |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros.–Seven Arts |
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Release date
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Running time
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103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Illustrated Man is a 1969 American science fiction film directed by Jack Smight and starring Rod Steiger. The film is based on three short stories from the 1951 collection The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury: "The Veldt", "The Long Rain", and "The Last Night of the World".
Set in the backroads of America, the film enacts three of Bradbury's short stories set in the future, with Steiger as a man named Carl telling tales behind some of his tattoos, which he insists are not to be called tattoos, but only ever "skin illustrations." The stories are about virtual reality (The Veldt), a mysterious planet (The Long Rain) and the end of the world (The Last Night of the World). Carl, accompanied by his dog, Peke, tells his tales to Willie, a traveler. The tie-in prologue tells of how Carl came to be tattooed after he encountered a mysterious woman named Felicia (Claire Bloom) in a remote farmhouse.
The Illustrated Man comprises three science fiction short stories from Ray Bradbury's collection of short stories The Illustrated Man. Howard B. Kreitsek wrote the screenplay that encompassed the stories "The Veldt", "The Long Rain", and "The Last Night of the World", Jack Smight directed the film. Bradbury was not consulted for the adaptation. The author sold story rights to the film in December 1967 for $85,000, but he did not sell the film rights. Since the collection included eighteen short stories, Smight chose three stories and used the carnival sideshow freak who appeared in the collection's prologue and epilogue as the film's primary narrative. As the tattooed man, the director cast Rod Steiger, whom he had known since the 1950s.
The Illustrated Man was considered a critical and financial failure.Time wrote, "Responsibility for the failure of The Illustrated Man must rest with Director Jack Smight. He has committed every possible error of style and taste, including the inexcusable fault of letting Steiger chew up every piece of scenery in sight."
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