Starring
Rod Steiger, Claire Bloom, Robert Drivas, Don Dubbins, Jason Evers.
Directed by Jack Smight. (1969, 103 min).
The
Illustrated Man is a sci-fi anthology film based on stories from a book by
Ray Bradbury. I vaguely recall it popping up on TV when I was a kid,
somewhat floored by the twist ending of the third and final segment.
Without giving too much away, I never gave the film another thought
until years later, when I first watched The Mist.
No,
I don't believe director Frank Darabont consciously ripped-off
Bradbury when adapting King's novel, but I'll bet he once read
the original story ("The Last Night of the World") or saw
this film.
Reviewing
The Illustrated Man on Blu-Ray, I was soon struck with another
thought (aside from the opinion that it hasn't aged very well): The
first segment, "The Veldt," is a
futuristic tale about two parents with growing concern over what
their children are doing in their "nursery," a VR room that
operates very much like the Holodeck in Star Trek: The Next
Generation. Not to say Gene Roddenberry is a plagiarist, but the
concepts are remarkably similar.
Just
sayin'.
As
for the film itself, The Illustrated Man is definitely a
product of its hippy-dippy decade. It looks, sounds and plays like a
bizarre made-for-TV movie from the late 60s. And if you can imagine what The
Twilight Zone would've been like if Rod Serling & Richard
Matheson passed the bong around before hitting their typewriters, you'll
have a good idea of the type of trippy tales in store. The
segments themselves aren't bad. Of the three, "The Last Night of
the World," is the best story, while "The Long Rain"
is the most visually interesting (Planet of the Apes fans
might even recognize the spaceship). Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom are
featured in all three (playing different characters). Co-star Robert Drivas has supporting roles in two of them.
 |
| Here you go, ladies. |
The
wrap-around story, however, is awful. Again we have Steiger,
practically gnashing the scenery as Carl, who's been tattooed from
head to tow by a mysterious woman he claims is a time traveler, and
his "skin illustrations" are actually visions of the
future. When he isn't regaling a young drifter, Willie, with tales
behind the tats (the aforementioned segments), Carl behaves like a psychotic
vagrant, screaming, ranting and repeatedly removing his shirt (and
Steiger ain't exactly known for his physique). He also has a small
dog he keeps in a bag (!), which he yells at almost as often as he
does Willie, who does little but look dumbfounded by it all. Maybe
these wraparound segments make more sense if you're high, but they
seem to go on forever without having anything relevant to say. That
time would have been put to better use with another classic story
from Bradbury's original book.
Still,
you don't have to let it sink the entire film. That's why God gave us
the skip button. The three tales themselves aren't life-changing, but
worth checking out at least once. The Illustrated Man hasn't
aged well at all, but it arguably presented a few of Bradbury's
nifty ideas decades before more renowned folks claimed them as their
own.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTE:
"Tattooed Steiger" - a vintage short about the process of
drawing the tattoos on the actor.
TRAILER
(which is nearly as bizarre as the movie)
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...LIKE LSD-LACED CAT CHOW
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