The Fly: A Retrospective View

        I never am an avid fan of horror movies. Heck, I never watch them by my own will. Horror films don’t entertain me to tell the truth. But somehow The Fly of Kurt Neumann is an exception.

        What makes The Fly entertaining and interesting is how it combined a Gothic atmosphere and that air of constant apprehension throughout the movie perfectly. The audience, I for one, is made to continually feel the suspense and thrill of knowing what really happened prior to the death of a character and leaves that feeling of consternation and pity in the end---it “mixes horror with a subtle trace of sadness.”        

        Moreover, the film comments on how scientists constantly endeavor to seek for the truth. The Fly shows how difficult it is for scientists to present new discoveries without being criticized by the public and how they make sacrifices for the benefit of mankind. The conduct of science is still suspicious for most people and there is always fear of what it may bring in the near future.

I cannot say that the film was a morality play though; but a horrific tragic accident. Morality play is described as an allegorical drama that has characters who personify moral qualities and in which moral lessons are taught. But what happened in the movie was different. Yes, there was a lesson, but that lesson wasn’t all about morality. It was: “always check your machines before testing for BUGS.”

        The movie, which was created in 1958, presented how science and technology in the 1950s was held in a light of doubt and suspicion. This was the time the development of the Hydrogen bomb and Atomic Power were constantly debated and discussed. People back then were apprehensive of its discoveries and were fearful of what it might bring in their lives.

References

         Duarte, M. Enois. “The Fly (1958).” High-Def Digest. Internet Brands Inc., 2012. Web. 7 Dec 2013.

        “Science and Technology in The 1950s.” schmoop. Schmoop University, Inc., 2013. Web. 9 Dec  
2013.