SCIFIHISTORY.NET
  • MAINPAGE
  • About
  • Reviews

Stardate 08.24.2022.A: 1966's 'Fantastic Voyage' Turns 56 Years Young Today!

8/24/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
One of the challenges to loving so many older films as I do is that I often have to kinda/sorta look the other way when there's a sequence involving what modern audiences would easily term a question special effect.

Keeping in mind that special effects work in filmdom has been in a constant state of evolution for the better part of film history, it's pretty clear that what directors and storytellers were often trying to do in the 1950's, 1960's, and early 1970's was often just beyond the reach of the industry's finest technicians.  Many have long argued that it wasn't until Stanley Kubrick revolutionized Science Fiction filmmaking with his seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey when studios both saw, understood, and appreciated that high quality effects work could succeed in perfecting a vision.  Once George Lucas adapted those techniques (and more) and delivered a bona fide box office juggernaut, the suits were most definitely convinced ... and in many respects we're still largely stuck on that treadmill today.

However, one film I don't feel I've ever had to apologize for liking -- even with some fairly dated ideas for its period -- remains Richard Fleischer's Fantastic Voyage (1966).  While a few sections aesthetically feel a bit more psychedelic than perhaps they were intended, the effects work very convincingly detailed what the story required in a means that was entirely possible for studios.  While audiences may not have fully believed they had been transported deep within the human body, there was still enough 'presence' up on the silver screen for them to accept the supposition.  Perhaps that's the best viewers could, should, and would require of any generation.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
In fact, the effects and production work were so grand that the film took home two golden statues at the 1967 Academy Awards (in the U.S.): Art Cruickshank took home the Oscar for 'Best Effects - Special Visual Effects' while the team of Jack Martin Smith, Dale Hennesy, Walter M. Scott, and Stuart A. Reiss took home the gold for 'Best Art Direction - Set Direction (Color).'  Hats off to them and all of the other technicians behind-the-scenes who toiled to make that voyage as fantastic as was humanly possible!

​-- EZ
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Reviews
    ​Archive
    ​

    Reviews

    Daily
    ​Trivia
    Archives
    ​

    January
    February
    March
    April
    May
    June
    July
    August
    September
    October
    November
    December

    mainpage
    ​ posts

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly