The Bubble (1966 film)

Last updated
The Bubble
The Bubble British Poster.jpg
British quad poster
Directed by Arch Oboler
Written byArch Oboler
Produced by Marvin J. Chomsky
Arch Oboler
Starring Michael Cole
Deborah Walley
Cinematography Charles F. Wheeler
Edited by Igo Kantor
Music by Paul Sawtell
Bert Shefter
Production
company
Midwestern MagicVeurs
Distributed by Arch Oboler Productions
Release dates
  • December 21, 1966 (1966-12-21)
  • 1976 (1976)(Re-release)
Running time
112 minutes (Original release)
93 minutes [1] (1976 re-release)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Bubble is a 1966 American 3-D science fiction film in color, later re-released under the title Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth. It was written and directed by Arch Oboler and starred Michael Cole and Deborah Walley.

Contents

Plot

Tony is flying Catherine, who is in labor, and her husband Mark to a local city when a storm forces their small aircraft to land near a small town. Catherine is rushed to a local doctor, who delivers her baby successfully. The town is an odd amalgamation of architectural styles and technology levels, and the people act drugged. There is no wind or rain. Tony's plane goes missing.

Mark and Tony discover a throne-like seat in a building. When Tony sits in the seat, he becomes like the townspeople. Mark locates Tony after some time and knocks him out. When Tony awakes, he's back to his old self.

When the outsiders try to leave, they discover the town is encased in a gigantic clear dome. Mark hypothesizes that aliens are studying the townspeople, and sitting in the rock seat keeps the townspeople alive (as no food is getting in). A massive shadow passes over the town, and a woman and her child are pulled into the air. Hysterical, Catherine hides with her baby in an old mill on the edge of town.

Mark and Tony decide to try to dig a tunnel under the dome. In frustration, Mark takes a sledgehammer to the throne. The shadow passes over and Tony is taken by the aliens. Realizing he has little time left before the aliens come for him, Mark starts frantically digging and finds the bottom of the dome.

The townspeople gather outside the mill, chanting for food. Thinking his family is about to be eaten, Mark gives a speech about freedom. Suddenly, the wind starts blowing and it starts raining. The aliens and the dome are gone.

Cast

Production

The Bubble utilizes many gimmick shots that serve only to showcase the 3-D, which in 1966, after a dozen years' near-total absence from U.S. screens, was once again a novelty interesting in itself. Some gimmicks are marginally plot-related, such as Katherine reaching out to greet her husband, her arms stretching out to the viewer, but many are not. An electrical worker climbs up a power pole, the pole shown from above so that it projects out into the audience. Various objects are thrust out at the viewer. For no logical reason, a tray of beers defies gravity and slowly floats out of the screen to waft about in midair and tantalize the audience for a while before slowly returning. Scenes of vacant-faced townspeople strolling along the sidewalk in a daze while repeatedly opening and closing umbrellas, prolonged beyond any storytelling necessity, are revisited at intervals. Much of this gratuitous footage was trimmed out before later re-releases, unburdening the film of roughly twenty minutes of its original nearly two-hour running time.

Technical and historical importance

The Bubble marked the introduction of the economical Space-Vision 3-D system. Unlike the two-camera, two-projector systems used to make and show the 3-D feature films of the 1950s, Space-Vision used a single ordinary movie camera with an external optical attachment that allowed it to simultaneously photograph the left-eye and right-eye views stacked in an "over-and-under" configuration on a single frame of film. Because each image was only half the standard height, this resulted in a widescreen aspect ratio with roughly the same proportions as CinemaScope. A special attachment on the projector allowed the two images to be projected through oppositely-oriented polarizing filters and superimposed on a screen provided with a special non-depolarizing surface. As with the feature-length 3-D films of the 1950s, the audience had to wear Polaroid-type 3-D glasses so that each eye would see only the image intended for it. Space-Vision was used for Andy Warhol's Frankenstein (1974), the only widely shown first-run polarized 3-D film of the 1970s. Functionally identical over-and-under systems, branded with various names, were used for most of the films made during a revival of 3-D that began with the release of Comin' at Ya! in 1981.

Reappearance

The Bubble, under its original title, was the feature film in a November 2022 episode of the long-running movie-riffing comedy show Mystery Science Theater 3000 . The show's original creator, Joel Hodgson, returned to his original movie theater seat to jibe at the film with his two robot puppets.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital cinema</span> Use of digital projectors in cinemas

Digital cinema refers to the adoption of digital technology within the film industry to distribute or project motion pictures as opposed to the historical use of reels of motion picture film, such as 35 mm film. Whereas film reels have to be shipped to movie theaters, a digital movie can be distributed to cinemas in a number of ways: over the Internet or dedicated satellite links, or by sending hard drives or optical discs such as Blu-ray discs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetarium</span> Theatre that presents educational and entertaining shows about astronomy

A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie theater</span> Venue for viewing films

A movie theater, cinema, or cinema hall, also known as a movie house, picture house, picture theater or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoria for viewing films for public entertainment. Most are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing tickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IMAX</span> Large-screen film format

IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio and steep stadium seating, with the 1.43:1 ratio format being available only in few selected locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinerama</span> Widescreen, curved screen projection process

Cinerama is a widescreen process that originally projected images simultaneously from three synchronized 35mm projectors onto a huge, deeply curved screen, subtending 146-degrees of arc. The trademarked process was marketed by the Cinerama corporation. It was the first of several novel processes introduced during the 1950s when the movie industry was reacting to competition from television. Cinerama was presented to the public as a theatrical event, with reserved seating and printed programs, and audience members often dressed in their best attire for the evening.

3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion picture industry because of the costly hardware and processes required to produce and display a 3D film, and the lack of a standardized format for all segments of the entertainment business. Nonetheless, 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema, and later experienced a worldwide resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s driven by IMAX high-end theaters and Disney-themed venues. 3D films became increasingly successful throughout the 2000s, peaking with the success of 3D presentations of Avatar in December 2009, after which 3D films again decreased in popularity. Certain directors have also taken more experimental approaches to 3D filmmaking, most notably celebrated auteur Jean-Luc Godard in his film Goodbye to Language.

<i>National Lampoons Vacation</i> 1983 US film by Harold Ramis

National Lampoon's Vacation, sometimes referred to as simply Vacation, is a 1983 American road trip comedy film directed by Harold Ramis starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Christie Brinkley in her acting debut with special appearances by Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy, and Frank McRae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie projector</span> Device for showing motion picture film

A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying motion picture film by projecting it onto a screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras. Modern movie projectors are specially built video projectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3D display</span> Display device

A 3D display is a display device capable of conveying depth to the viewer. Many 3D displays are stereoscopic displays, which produce a basic 3D effect by means of stereopsis, but can cause eye strain and visual fatigue. Newer 3D displays such as holographic and light field displays produce a more realistic 3D effect by combining stereopsis and accurate focal length for the displayed content. Newer 3D displays in this manner cause less visual fatigue than classical stereoscopic displays.

<i>Jaws 3-D</i> 1983 American thriller film by Joe Alves

Jaws 3-D is a 1983 American horror film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Simon MacCorkindale and Louis Gossett Jr. It is the second sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the third installment in the Jaws franchise. The film follows the Brody children from the previous films to SeaWorld, a Florida marine park with underwater tunnels and lagoons. As the park prepares for opening, a young great white shark infiltrates the park from the sea, seemingly attacking and killing the park's employees. Once the shark is captured, it becomes apparent that a second, much larger shark also entered the park and was the real culprit.

A silver screen, also known as a silver lenticular screen, is a type of projection screen that was popular in the early years of the motion picture industry and passed into popular usage as a metonym for the cinema industry. The term silver screen comes from the actual silver content embedded in the material that made up the screen's highly reflective surface.

<i>Muppet*Vision 3D</i> 3D theme park attraction

Muppet*Vision 3D is a 3D film attraction located at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. The attraction also formerly operated at Disney California Adventure. Directed by Jim Henson, the attraction consists of a pre-show which then leads into Kermit the Frog guiding park guests on a tour through Muppet Studios, while the Muppets prepare their sketch acts to demonstrate their new breakthrough in 3D film technology. The show, however, completely unravels when Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's experimental 3D sprite, Waldo, causes mayhem during the next portion of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polarized 3D system</span> Using polarized light to create a 3D image

A polarized 3D system uses polarization glasses to create the illusion of three-dimensional images by restricting the light that reaches each eye.

<i>She Was an Acrobats Daughter</i> 1937 film

She Was an Acrobat's Daughter is an animated short in the Merrie Melodies series, produced by Vitaphone Productions and released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. on April 10, 1937. This animated short was directed by I. Freleng and produced by Leon Schlesinger. The short is currently available to stream on Max and is a part of the Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and iTunes releases of Goodfellas as a part of a Merrie Melodies & Looney Tunes bonus features compilation.

<i>Comin at Ya!</i> 1981 film

Comin' at Ya! is a Spanish-American 3D Western film, featuring Tony Anthony, Victoria Abril and Gene Quintano and directed by Ferdinando Baldi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RealD 3D</span> Digital stereoscopic projection technology

RealD 3D is a digital stereoscopic projection technology made and sold by RealD. It is currently the most widely used technology for watching 3D films in theaters. Worldwide, RealD 3D is installed in more than 26,500 auditoriums by approximately 1,200 exhibitors in 72 countries as of June 2015.

<i>The Intruder</i> (1962 film) 1962 American film directed by Roger Corman

The Intruder, also known as I Hate Your Guts, Shame and The Stranger, is a 1962 American drama film directed and co-produced by Roger Corman and starring William Shatner. The story, adapted by Charles Beaumont from his own 1959 novel of the same name, depicts the machinations of a racist named Adam Cramer, who arrives in the fictitious small Southern town of Caxton in order to incite white townspeople to racial violence against black townspeople and court-ordered school integration.

A movie gimmick is an unusual idea intended to enhance the viewing experience of a film, and thus increase box office sales. Many of these have been used for just a few films, proving unpopular with either audiences or cinema owners. Smell-o-vision, which involved releasing relevant odors during the film, only appeared in the film Scent of Mystery as audiences did not enjoy the experience. Sensurround, a method for enhancing sound pioneered for the 1974 film Earthquake, was abandoned as it sometimes resulted in damage to movie theatres. Other 'gimmicks' have gradually become more common in cinema, as technology has improved. Examples include 3-D film and the use of split screen, which was originally achieved through the use of dual projectors in cinemas.

<i>September Storm</i> 1960 American adventure film by Byron Haskin

September Storm is a 1960 American adventure film directed by Byron Haskin and starring Joanne Dru and Mark Stevens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotiabank Theatre Toronto</span> Cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Scotiabank Theatre Toronto is a major movie theatre at the RioCan Hall in the Entertainment District of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada at Richmond and John Street owned by Cineplex Entertainment for the building and the lands owned by RioCan. Opened in 1999, the venue screens theatrical films throughout the year, but is best known as one of the major venues for the annual Toronto International Film Festival alongside the nearby TIFF Bell Lightbox.

References

  1. "FANTASTIC INVASION OF PLANET EARTH (A)". British Board of Film Classification . 1972-11-28. Retrieved 2013-06-29.