A team of geologists in the Amazon make a rare discovery: a claw fossil. The leader of the expedition, Dr. Carl Maia (Moreno), leaves the dig to get more help. He turns to Dr. David Reed (Carlson), who is studing marine biology in Brazil. After seeing Maia's claw, Reed gathers a team to help excavate the site. The team includes Reed's girlfriend Kay (Adams), his ambitious boss Dr. Mark Williams (Denning), and Dr. Edwin Thompson (Bissel).
They hire Captain Lucas (Paiva) to take them to the site and serve as their guide in the jungle. But when they arrive, they discover the camp destroyed. They learn that the culprit is the same species as the claw they found. Mark sees this as the ultimate discovery, capturing the "gil-man" and presenting him before the scientific community. David is more interested in keeping their discovery alive, to better study it. As they try to find the gil-man, he is entranced by an unsuspecting Kay.
The story was inspired by legends of half-men half-fish creatures living along the Amazon River. It is an interesting premise, but the actual creature is a bit of a disappointment. Unlike other Universal monster movies, this one does not have much resemblance to a person. Two actors portray the creature, one takes the underwater portions, while the other is the creature on the land. Ben Chapman, who was the creature on land, underwent hours of makeup and prosthetics. He could barely see and confined movements, which translated into his portrayal of the creature. The creature is more interesting when Ricou Browning portrayed him underwater... there is a poetry to the movements, and he is more menacing / intimidating underwater.
The story is too talky, and the creature is a bit of a let down. But the most interesting / stressful sequence is when Kay goes swimming in the lagoon, with the creature mirroring her strokes. Every time she stops or dives under to do flips, you keep waiting for her to notice the creature or for him to do something about her presence. The rest is ok, but not overly memorable.
Ok, but not great... but since there are 2 sequels, someone must like this.
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) 79 minutes
Director: Jack Arnold
Starring: Richard Carlson as Dr. David Reed
Julia Adams as Kay Lawrence
Richard Denning as Dr. Mark Williams
Antonio Moreno as Dr. Carl Maia
Nestor Paiva as Captain Lucas
Whit Bissel as Dr. Edwin Thompson
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