1958’s Attack of the 50 Foot Woman stomps onto Blu-ray

Woolner Productions

It’s impossible not to have fun with this all-time kitsch classic which, as fans know, is about a very big woman with a very bad attitude. The woman is wealthy Nancy Archer, fresh from the looney bin and ticked off. Her rat of a husband has been at play while the cat’s been away, putting the moves on Honey Parker and scheming about the day when Nancy’s fortune will be theirs. That day will never come — not after Nancy has an alien encounter that zaps her body into overdrive. Soon, Nancy’s size matches her rage. She’ll prove big girls don’t cry — they get even. Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers star in this enduring classic of 1950s science fiction.

REVIEW

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is certainly a film of its time, cashing in on the popularity of cheaply produced sci-fi films with colossal humans (or other critters like ants, scorpions and spiders) as the selling point. One might argue that this film also attempts to cleverly tap into what was then called the ‘women’s pictures’ that put a female lead at the center of some sort of romantic entanglement. One could also argue that it succeeds in the latter as the giant element of the story really doesn’t happen until almost near the end of the short 66 minute run time. Considering the type of movie this is, the star — Allison Hayes — gives a performance that elevates the film’s pedigree (in other words, she’s better than the material she’s given to work with). She’s the beleaguered wife, psychologically abused by her husband (and really the entire town which just humors her because she’s rich and pays the bulk of the taxes to keep the place on the map) who she knows is cheating on her as well, and try as she might to dump him, she can’t resist pulling him back … even though she knows he’s going to continue cheating with Honey, or whoever the next cute, young thing is that comes along. Hayes has to veer from sympathetic to shrill and back to sympathetic so that we root for her when the time comes to go after Harry. It’s a fine balancing act and she manages to pull it off under less than ideal circumstances. Also very good is Yvette Vickers as ‘the other woman’, whom we are not supposed to like since she practically tells Harry to kill Nancy at one point, but she does manage to earn some sympathy because of the situation she’s found herself in, with Harry constantly dangling the prospect of them being together in front of her, and we actually feel sorry for her when she is on the receiving end of Nancy’s rampage. William Hudson, as Harry, is the perfect cad and while Nancy, and Honey for that matter, is blinded by her love for him, we can see right though his manipulation games. He is a subtle villain, but he is the villain of the picture and it is satisfying when he receives his just desserts.

All of this part of the story would not be out of place in a much more lavish, Technicolor major studio production from a director like Douglas Sirk so it’s impressive that it’s all handled so well on such a tiny budget. Where that tiny budget hinders the production — and has actually made the film more endearing over the years — is in the sci-fi elements. Nancy is the first to encounter a ‘satellite’ (for some reason the thing is never referred to as a UFO) that looks like, well, a Chinese spy balloon that somehow houses a giant alien dressed in Medieval garb. None of this makes any sense, which just adds to the enjoyment. While you ponder the costume, you also have to wonder how a creature that large fits inside the bubble … because we get to see the interior when the police chief and Nancy’s butler enter (after finding giant footprints on the property they finally begin to believe Nancy’s story of a giant in the desert). There is absolutely nowhere in the thing for that giant to exist unless he somehow shrinks down when going inside. Alas, that is never explained. Of course, when Nancy’s size increases while she’s in her own bed, it’s never explained how she remains fully enclosed in her house. All we see is a giant papier maché hand, and then she finally exits the house without doing too much damage. The effects of the alien and Nancy stomping around the desert and in town also scream low-budget as they both become transparent for some reason in the wide shots (and for the record, Nancy never reaches the height of 50 feet). And if you’re expecting a scene similar to the film’s poster artwork … forget it. Nancy goes nowhere near a highway. There is some decent model work that allows a non-transparent Nancy to tear a sign off of a building, rip off the roof and encounter some power lines but then there are the hilarious rubbery giant hands that have no articulation. At one point, you can catch Hudson wrapping the fingers around himself before the shot quickly cuts away. It’s all mind-bogglingly hilarious but it just adds to the quirky charm of a film that had much higher aspirations than its budget would allow. And at just an hour and six minutes, you really don’t feel like you wasted too much time.

VIDEO

Woolner Productions

The Blu-ray for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, presented in its intended 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

I used to own the VHS of the movie so to me the film has always been in a 1.33:1 TV aspect ratio. To see it now in a widescreen edition and looking brand new is a revelation. The image is spotless and the additional clarity actually reveals wires I never saw before suspending the ‘satellite’ in mid-air. (Of course it only highlights the rough construction of that papier maché hand as well.) The black-and-white image is well balanced, details are sharp, and I just can’t imagine the film looking this good even upon its original release in 1958. For film buffs, this definitely puts the disk in the ‘must have’ category.

AUDIO

The DTS-HD 2.0 Mono soundtrack is also spotless, no hiss, cracks or pops, keeping the dialogue clear and well-balanced with the music and sound effects. There really is nothing here to complain about.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Unfortunately, because of a film of this vintage and budget, the special features are bare bones with just a trailer and an audio commentary track. The track is of interest as film historian Tom Weaver and the film’s co-star Yvette Vickers chat about the film and other things unrelated to the film. But Vickers’ recollections of making the film are a treat, so it is worth a listen.

OVERVIEW

If nothing else, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman makes a great party movie. This Blu-ray presentation makes it look and sound better than it has right to be, but for fans of kitschy, classic, low-budget 1950s films about giant beings, you couldn’t ask for a better presentation.

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman has a running time of 1 hour 6 minutes and is not rated.

Warner Archive generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes. The Blu-ray is available for purchase at the Warner Archive Amazon Store or online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Woolner Productions