User reviews

The conventional wisdom is that this is a mediocre movie. Yet I find it strangely affecting. A man's brain is placed in a large robotic body, but it's not the usual mad scientist bit. The scientist is a desperate father and the brain belongs to his son (Ross Martin), killed(?) in an automobile accident.

Encased in his robotic body, the son longs to see his own son. These are mad scientists with family values!

The only music in the movie is provided by a lone piano. The motivation for this decision was probably more economical than artistic but Nathan Van Cleave's score echoes the fear and melancholy that permeates the film perfectly.

Not a great film, but one every sci-fi and horror movie fan should see.

BRIEF BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Seriously, I was totally blown away with the picture quality of this Blu-ray, especially for it's age. Whomever was in charge of the Restoration should be Canonized... Some scenes were so vivid and detailed, that you genuinely felt that you could just step right onto the set!

Anyway, concerning the movie itself; do you notice how many reviews of this film (and as of now, there are only a total of about 25) MANY people use the terms 'Atmospheric', 'Eerie', 'Creepy', etc... Well, I have to add my complete agreement with that. Most of the Sci Fi films of that decade could be quite hokey in their low-budgetedness (?) But, there was just something to this one which carried a much heavier weight and mood than most. I don't know exactly what it was, but there was an unusual 'earnestness' or 'gravitas' that somehow created a much stronger atmosphere and very serious mood for the film. I mean, even with it's very low budget and fairly common theme, there was just some magical element in the direction, acting, and especially the bloody MOOD of the dang thing that conveyed a LOT more impact than the sum of it's familiar parts can quite explain.

I REALLY like Ross Martin, who plays the son. Another early reviewer mentioned his love and appreciation of the 'Wild, Wild, West' series; I fully agree (not to mention his Oscar worthy turn in the excellent movie, 'EXPERIMENT IN TERROR')

I had never seen this film before; and to be honest, I was fully expecting a REAL corny 1950's Sci Fi film. But, there was just SOMETHING that kept me riveted to the screen and much more emotionally involved than I EVER would have expected with a film of this nature and from this time period.

So, there you have it... I mean, it's no 'FORBIDDEN PLANET' or 'THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL' (original ONLY, PLEASE!) But, I would say that IF by chance you can kind of 'Tune In' to the unusual 'resonance' of this film, you should definitely enjoy it more than the usual Sci Fi movie of the time.

"The Colossus of New York" has aged rather well. It still evokes the same strange fascination it had back in the late 1950s, when its story and title character startled me. It was evident back then that the film was a low-budget production, and that it was not a masterpiece of fantastic cinema, but its variation of the theme of the scientist that creates a monster was interesting, and the appearance of the colossus was impressive. I have read a couple of commentaries from producer William Alland, in which he expressed that he was very unsatisfied with the results, and put all the blame on Eugène Lourié. Allan definitely did not paid too much attention to the limitations of the budget he administered –forcing to reuse shots, and the inclusion of stock footage-, of Thelma Schnee's weak script, or the negligence of Floyd Knudtson's editing. But especially, Alland overlooked John F. Warren's images, some of which are remarkable. This is also due to Lourié's background: he was originally an art director and set designer, and it shows. The lightning, compositions and camera angles are effective most of the times, and compensate for the shortcomings. Where Lourié's lack of expertise shows is in the routine camera set-ups, putting the camera (and the spectator) in the same position, in scenes that take place in the same locations, but separate in time. This somehow makes the movie unfold too cautiously, an explanation to the speed up of some shots when the colossus moves. Otherwise it is a recommended, little cult film that will stick to your memory.

Paramount produced this fascinating, low-budget gem in 1958 and release it with a second feature which was tailor-made to go with it (see `The Space Children'). They played together at drive-in theaters nation wide, and thousand of kids like me watched them both in wide-eyed wonder.

Young viewers (15 to 25 years old) who watch either of these films today tend to totally miss the point. `The Colossus of New York' is an admirable and well-crafted exploration of concepts that were years ahead of their time: ideas like sensory deprivation, organ transplants, psychic powers, and others. This movie is NOT simply a Frankenstein rehash (as several misguided reviewers have claimed).

The story is about a noble, humanitarian genius whose brain is placed in an unfeeling robot body. The film invites the viewer to ponder what makes each of us the sensitive and compassionate person we are (or should be).

If `The Colossus of New York' seems hockey and corny to you, remember that it was designed for an audience -- and a culture -- that existed almost half a century ago. If you have the maturity and the intelligence to translate this message from a by-gone age, you'll benefit from your efforts.

If not . . . well, it's your loss.

An elderly doctor (Otto Kruger) transplants his genius son's brain inside the head of an over-sized robot after the young scientist is killed in an auto accident. The revitalized Colossus retains our sympathy but eventually grows somewhat mad and kills people by shooting them with rays from out of his eye fixtures. I must say that even though I don't typically get scared watching horror movies, the very first time I heard the robot's unhinged and desperately static-tinged voice as he's being given life, it sent absolute shivers of discomfort down my spine - I was terrified! I liked the look of the robot, and the unnatural way he's sometimes photographed jerkily lumbering along (which sometimes sloppily reflected the other characters' motions in the same scenes). Just really creepy. If they could have consistently managed to photograph the other people's reactionary movements at "normal pace" while the robot only was moving awkwardly, it would have been even more weirdly effective. The production values are very cheap, and there is only a modest piano soundtrack to accompany the activities, yet somehow it all works out effectively enough for this movie. Old man Otto Kruger was probably embarrassed to be acting in this, but I enjoyed him here just as I enjoyed his turn as a mad doc in THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE. This movie's also got unintentional chuckles, too (I was in hysterics at Kruger's silly looking-down expression at the United Nations of the film when his robot meets its fate). Fun low budgeted '50s Flick, now one of my favorites from the genre. **1/2 out of ****

While not nearly as smitten with it as some folks, The Colossus of New York does maximize a rather small budget and presents an interesting story. The story involves whether men with great minds also have souls as a father and brother of just such a mind resurrect the brain of a lost son/brother through their knowledge of brain surgery and robotics. They place the brain in a hideous monstrous creation with a huge gigantic body and eyes like lasers(in fact shoot something like lasers to kill). Yes, this is heavily reliant on the Frankenstein mythos about playing God and tampering with what makes up human beings - body and soul. The film's story does have glaring weaknesses which the inferior budget magnifies unfortunately. The acting as well is not all that good despite a pretty good cast with Ross Martin in his brief role as the great mind prior to his new home in a basement creation basically. Martin was the best actor in the whole film and is in it barely 10 minutes! His father is played by Otto Kruger who just looks like he is in a daze the whole time and gives a very wooden performance. Playing the brother is John Baragrey who is adequate. Mala Powers as the grief-stricken wife seems to be taking the news of terrible things rather well, and rounding out the important characters is Charles Herbert as the son. He is okay and a bit too cutesy. The music by Van Cleave is more than intrusive(as another reviewer noted). It is downright annoying and makes the film very static in scenes which should have had more umph if you will. There are few action scenes, a lot of talking, and a rather nicely shot climatic scene at the United Nations, but when all is said and done the movie abruptly ends with major characters walking away looking very disinterested and emotionless. I really did like much of the story and there are several scenes which are rather well-conceived(the outdoor meeting with Herbert and giant Dad and the end of the film for the most part standing out). The film has not had a DVD release and is awfully hard to find on video but can be with some perseverance. While the special effects are incredibly limited and the film has a real cheap feeling to it, The Colossus of New York is better than average if for no other reason than its imaginative script.

Is there anyone in this world so indispensable that their continued existence is absolutely essential? That's the question that is posed to the viewers in The Colossus Of New York.

Ross Martin plays the super achieving son of Otto Kruger in a family of geniuses. In said family Martin is the crown jewel, a world famous scientist who on the day he's awarded the Nobel Prize is killed in a traffic accident. The world mourns but not Otto Kruger who takes the body and does some Frankenstein like experiments.

In short he puts Martin's preserved brain in the body of one rather large and powerful robot who can kill with a ray gun blast. The values he developed as a human gradually fade away.

Watching The Colossus Of New York I thought back to this truly horrid film They Saved Hitler's Brain where some Nazis have concluded the genius of the Fuehrer must be preserved for eternity. This is a much better film, but the same principle applies. Applied in fact by a father who just will not accept his son's death at the height of his fame and ability to do good works.

Not a big budget film, but it does give one a lot to think about. What are human beings without the packaging?

A still from this film, depicting the titular robot and a little boy, had adorned the cover of that Sci-Fi issue of “The Movie” periodical which I mentioned in my review of ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958) – and I’d always been interested in it for this reason (considering that it’s a title which is rarely discussed). Despite being produced by a major Hollywood studio, Paramount, the film is definitely a ‘B’ genre effort – made to cash-in on the sci-fi craze of the Cold War era. The makers clearly relied on such classic prototypes as THE GOLEM (1920), METROPOLIS (1927) and FRANKENSTEIN (1931) for inspiration – but, being somewhat underwritten, the plot doesn’t quite supply the necessary impetus to elicit favorable comparison with them!

Mind you, it’s fairly intriguing during the first half (surprisingly written by FATHER BROWN [1954]’s screenwriter Thelma Schnee!) and bolstered throughout by reliable Otto Kruger’s mad scientist characterization. Besides, the design of the robot itself (fitted with the re-activated brain of Kruger’s son, a humanitarian-cum-genius prematurely killed in a road accident) is interesting and actually quite eerie…though bestowed with curiously short arms! However, the latter doesn’t have that much to do since it’s confined for the most part to Kruger’s lab! Eventually breaking free of its creator/father’s control, the robot emerges into the open and befriends his own son (who’s unaware of the machine’s true ‘identity’). Inevitably, the human feelings once inherent in its brain gradually get lost within the metallic ‘armor’ – and the scientist even kills his own elder brother (for attempting to steal his wife’s affection…though she’s also pursued by his former best friend, who’s allowed to get away with it!). Finally, having gone berserk, the robot breaks into the United Nations building (the ‘monster’ during the sci-fi heyday always seemed to vent its fury at some point on such big-city landmarks), where it’s destroyed – or, more precisely, shut off – via a convenient lever lodged in its structure by the boy himself!

The film, as I said, doesn’t quite make it into the genre’s top-rank – but, running a terse 70 minutes, emerges nonetheless to be a generally entertaining entry (and not an unintelligent one, either). That said, it’s somewhat cheapened by Van Cleave’s funereal score (which is more akin to the slapdash accompaniment one is prone to find in Public Domain editions of Silent films!). Besides, there are a number of illogicalities in the narrative which tend to stick out like a sore thumb: for instance, the robot is often seen traveling via water – but wouldn’t contact with this element cause a short circuit to begin with?; despite Kruger’s audacious claim that his son’s genius is on the same level of such world-renowned luminaries as Napoleon, Macchiavelli and Michelangelo, the young doctor’s major claim to fame seems to be merely that he had invented a way in which to fabricate food products more quickly!!; the climax is marred by a blatant continuity goof – a girl is seen on the ground in one shot, up on her feet the next and, then, once again on the ground to be pulverized by the robot’s laser beam!; as soon as the creature is gotten rid of, it’s business as usual for the folk at the United Nations – with no thought given to the many who had just lost their lives!; a similar nonchalant reaction is allotted to Kruger, who admits his responsibility for the tragic events – and, yet, isn’t held to account for his irresponsibility!

Reading other comments forced me to write my own. One commenter complains of it being a 50's Sci-Fi with no name actors. Well I saw this movie several times in the 50's. It was one of my favorites for sure. I think there are numerous, outstanding, Sci-Fi and Horror movies in the 50's and this is one of them. It had a Hitchcock feel with the shadows and suspense. And if you were a 10 or 12 year old when that movie came out you could really identify with the story. It played for years in the Saturday matinees. And no name actors? How about Ross Martin! We all loved him in the Twilight Zone and the Outer Limits. And of course he was great as Artemus Gordon in the Wild Wild West TV series. Heck check out his imdb credits. Anyhow now that I revealed my age I should mention that if you missed the 50's Sci-Fi while they were new releases you sure missed some fantastic fun. And it was those 50's Sci-Fi movies that motivated so many great talents to produce all the great ones that followed. I too hope this makes DVD.

****SPOILERS***** Very outdated in the special effects department but very up to date in the timeless debate of faith and theology versus science and technology. "Colossus of New York" brings up the questions about the human soul, for those billions of us who believe it exists, that goes well beyond modern science. Can a brain as advanced and dedicated that it is to the ending of suffering in the world and human as it was in life be the same in death? Or in the case of being without a body and soul a brain will only think logically without feeling and without the soul's goodness and humanity. that in many cases is not logical and will only respect the law of the jungle: survival of the fittest and destruction of the lame sick and unproductive.

Brilliant scientist Dr. Jaremy Spensser, Ross Martin, who just came back to New York from Stockholm after receiving the International Peace Prize for his work in growing frost resistant plants that is to provide the world with an unlimited food supply. Getting off the plane and meeting his family Jaremy is suddenly killed by a runaway truck at the airport.

Jaremy's father the imminent brain surgeon Dr. William Spensser, Otto Kruger, can't accept his son's death. With the help of his other son automotive engineer Dr. Henry Spensser, John Baragary, Dr. Spensser has Jaremy's brain removed and puts it into a tropical fish tank for the time being. Henry construct a eight foot Colossus for the brain to work out of but what both William & Henry totally forgot was that for the brain to be as effective, as the good kind and feeling person that Jaremy was, in death as it was in life it would need what only God can provide for it: A SOUL.

Even though Henry was hesitant in going along with it,saving Jeramy's brain, he gave into his fathers William's mad. In the end it led to him being killed by the mad Colossus. The movie has been compared to "Frankenstein" but unlike the Frankenstein monster which had the brain of a murder the Colossus in the movie had the brain of a brilliant and kind human being, Jaremy Spensser. Like in both stories they didn't have a soul and that's what made all the difference.

The ending of the movie the Colossus went to the UN and killed about a dozen scientists and policemen, with some kind of killer ray, at a conference for peace in the world. Later with the Colossus, who was really Jaremy, was shut down by his son Billy, Charles Herbert, and thus being destroyed was a bit ridicules. Even the Colossus' ability to see into the future, when he saw in a vision a sea disaster, wasn't all that convincing. Later we see both William and Henry watching the TV where they see stock footage of the sinking of the Andrea Doria after it collided with the US ship Stockholm. The Colossus calls the ship in his vision The Viking! That seen and the Colossus' fortune telling ability was never really explained and was totally unnecessary to be put in the story.

The main plot of the movie about the human soul as well as the heart and how it makes the difference in all of us when it comes to being a good kind and understanding human beings, instead of a cold calculating and unfeeling machine, was right on target. Like the song says, with a few minor changes, "Without a Soul You Don't Have Anything".

Question: if possible, would it be morally right to preserve the mind of a genius so that its intellectual brilliance can continue to serve humanity whilst losing the key attributes that define personality? Measuring "genius" is only determined by one's successful innovation, or the Intelligence Quotient test. The likes of Da Vinci, Einstein and Newton far exceeding the average IQ score, yet would today's society be far more advanced had their minds been artificially preserved for humanity's purpose? To continue their work?

Lourié's monochromatic B-movie sci-fi, released as a part of a double feature with Arnold's 'The Space Children', explores that proposed moral dilemma, albeit with as much subtlety as the clomping metal boots of the titular Colossus. After a vehicular accident, the brain of an "International Peace Prize" recipient is transplanted by his sociopathic father into an intimidatingly colossal cyborg, when the son's humanity rapidly diminishes during the experimental procedure. Jeremy Spensser is no more, and the Colossus of New York is born! Goldbeck's narrative basis is clearly that of Shelley's legendary gothic novel 'Frankenstein', modifying its themes for science as opposed to supernatural. It works, if one can ignore the forced thematic endeavour that Schnee's plain screenplay explores. Spensser's father conceiving a plan to transplant his son's brain, treating him not as flesh and blood but instead an object for humanity's betterment. Problem is, there was no moral or emotional conflict for his actions. He automatically endured a "light bulb" moment, at the precise time of his son's death, and lacked any duelling moralities whilst undergoing the procedure, regardless of the other supporting characters stating how unethical the experiment was. The feature needed that creation and creator stability that 'Frankenstein' excelled at, otherwise the characters become mere plot devices.

Regrettably, these quick actions are a consequence of such a short runtime, clocking in at just seventy minutes, so some leniency can be supplied. Schnee does incorporate Spensser's son and wife into the foray of artificial vulnerability for the Colossus, acting as prime examples of human emotional output. Love and reassurance. Too little too late though, as the Colossus soon starts developing inexplicable powers including future foresight, mind control and a suspiciously equipped death ray, which begs the question why such a foreboding autonomous body was conceived in the first place. Perhaps a more human-like body would've been proficient? Minus the killer death ray?

Still, the design of the Colossus, and Wolff's physically demanding performance wearing the costume (including kneeling down and walking out of water) were charming to say the least, and certainly memorable. The conclusive ten minutes were rushed, and the sci-fi tones were turned up to full schlock mode, however the core essence of this feature is what makes it somewhat entertaining. It is thinly plotted, technically wobbly and mediocrely acted, yet it all totals up to the eventual schlock-fest that grants this Colossus life. Just unfortunate that its restricted runtime prevented the much required ethical and characterised exploration into its central experiment.

Contrary to what some critics and viewers may say, THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK was actually quite dark and atmospheric! This was an exemplary modern-day take on the "Frankenstein's Monster" theme! The performances were well-done, the solo-piano music by Van Cleave was brilliant, and the Colossus itself was actually well created for its time. Even the climax, no matter how "cliched" by today's standard, is still poignant.

I definitely reccommend this movie! I think it deserves to be on DVD as well!

-John Cassidy

Quirky Combination of Horror-Sci-Fi with Strains of Humanitarianism.

Ultimately a Lot to Contemplate in so Little Time with such Limited Resources.

It Makes Up for it with Nerve-Shattering Sound and a "Colossus" that is a Throw-Back to the "Gods" of Old with a "Roman" Ambience and an Other-Worldly, Modern Look of an Enormous Cranium Alien.

The "Mad-Lab" has its Unique Charm of Piano Wires, Flashing Lights, Oscilloscopes, and the Like.

Crammed into its 70 Min Run-Time is Musings on Genius, Family, World-Hunger, and Science Run-Amok.

It's Certainly an Odd-Ball Affair and Looks and Feels LIke No-Other in the 1950's Cycle of its Ilk.

Art-Director of some Repute, Eugene Laure Only Directed 4 Films, Including Ray Harryhausen's First..."The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" (1953),,,and..."Gorgo" (1960),

This is One of Those that has been "Under the Radar" and gets Little Notice.

But it is Different Enough and has some Chills, with Interest for Sci-Fi Buffs and B-Movie Fans. For those it's...

Worth a Watch

Not for Everyone.

After a fatal car accident, a surgeon (John Baragrey) transplants the brain of his brilliant humanitarian son (Ross Martin) into a towering mechanical body. Seen by some as an updating of 'Frankenstein', 'TCoNY' is more about preserving genius than preserving life, as the goal of the surgeon is to ensure that the good work his son was doing continues rather than to simply 'defeat death'. The film does little with this interesting premise. There is no discussion as to why the father would keep what is likely the greatest medical achievement of all time a secret nor why the cyborg he creates gradually loses its humanity (there is a suggestion that this loss is unwelcome but inevitable - an interesting concept that is left fallow). Instead, we are given yet another lumbering monster, one endowed with psychic senses, the ability to hypnotise people into doing its will, and death-ray emitting eyes, all presumably resulting from the screenwriter's need to make the slow-moving and awkward colossus menacing enough to drive a monster movie (no script-time is squandered explaining the provenance of these implausible but convenient abilities). There is a tedious side-plot involving the hybrid's son (a saccharine Charles Herbert) that leads to the painfully predictable and ham-fisted finale. The cinematography is quite good, the piano score unusual for the genre, but unfortunately nothing novel nor interesting is done with the promising first act, and the film ends up being just another lacklustre sci-fi/horror picture.

Another little gem from the fifties about lab monster with a high IQ brain that scary New York, the casting was quite predicable, due the older Otto Kruger had entered into obscurity, Mala Powers aside be gorgeous wasn't a star properly, John Baragrey was a distinguished unknown and Ross Martin yet wasn't the notably Artemus Gordon, said that the movie is quite average.

A brief overview is about a family intellectual well endowed the father Dr. William (Otto Kuger) an upper surgeon, Dr. Henry (John Baragrey) a wise engineer and the brainy Dr. Jeremy (Ross Martin) a famous scientist who was developing of growth genetically modified crops that can withstand the cold, allowing be sown in cold weather in order to tackle hungry worldwide.

However the genius Dr. Jeremy suffers a sudden accident that kill him at once, thus his old father Dr. William remove his brain to keep alive at laboratory, later he is added by his brother Dr. Henry to build a machine body to deploy the special brain hoping this hybrid human-mechanical who could carry on his studies where he left off.

Great entertainment for whom relish those incredible monsters that ramped up the imaginary popular along five decades and still working with new generation!!

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2022 / Source: DVD / How many: 1 / Rating: 6.5.

This is a rip off of the old Frankenstein premise. An acclaimed scientist is killed in a freakish accident and his father, a noted brain surgeon saves the brain. It is then put into a robotic body of his own design. His brother, an electrical genius, gives the 'colossus' impetus to transfer thoughts into motion. The whole project goes bad, when the creation goes berserk.

Special effects are undeveloped. The script is lacking. And it is humorous that this is not scary a bit. Well, very small kids will think this is good. If you are wide awake at three in the morning and this comes on....night, night.

The lead characters are played by Otto Kruger, John Baragrey and Ross Martin. Ed Wolff played the 'Colossus'.

Along with a few others, I too, must chime in with my 'thumbs up' opinion of this lost classic. I was fortunate to see nearly ALL of the horror/sci-fi 'Classics' in theaters during the 50's binge..when there was a new double feature nearly every other week.

This one, stands quite a bit above all the others. The creep factor is high and it has some truly haunting moments. The piano score just adds to the muted terror. Cheap? Yep. But I think that adds to the atmosphere.

Sure, I was a 'kid' when I saw all of these back then, but only a handful of these films were 'great'. 'Colossus' is hands-down one of the best of that era. If you watch it in the proper context, I'm sure you will agree.

Although the title of this movie - "The Colossus of New York" - suggests that the Big Apple is terrorized for most of the running time, the title figure only goes on a (brief) rampage in the final few minutes. For just about the rest of the movie, the Colossus stays on a country estate near the city. Though it might have been more fun to show the Colossus on more of a rampage, the movie is still enjoyable. Certainly, there are some unintended chuckles, like the primitive science used to construct the Colossus. But there are actually some genuinely good moments here and there. The scene where the Colossus is first activated is both creepy and intriguing. And there are some pointed questions as to if the scientists are doing the right thing or not. Though the movie is cheap, there is some real atmosphere in part with the piano musical score, which gives this movie a really different feeling than other sci-fi movies of this period. Don't get me wrong - this isn't some intelligent masterpiece. But it manages to catch your attention, and at 70 minutes does not overstay its welcome.