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ACTOR
Richard EyerPhilip AbbottDiane BrewsterHarold J. Stone
DIRECTOR
Herman Hoffman
SYNOPSICS
The Invisible Boy (1957) is a English movie. Herman Hoffman has directed this movie. Richard Eyer,Philip Abbott,Diane Brewster,Harold J. Stone are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1957. The Invisible Boy (1957) is considered one of the best Adventure,Comedy,Family,Sci-Fi movie in India and around the world.
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The Invisible Boy (1957) Reviews
Grown-ups just don't understand
This little picture has its moments of pulp poetry. There are not one, but two intelligent machines. One is a supercomputer that's been biding its time for decades, waiting for an opportunity that arrives one day in the form of a lonely little boy. He is invisible in the sense that the grown-ups pay no attention to him, condescend to him, or talk over his head--they just don't understand! When he becomes literally invisible later, it's just a way of literalizing what the movie has already been saying. Anyway, the computer hypnotizes the boy and gives him instructions about putting together a robot that's lying disassembled in a workroom. It's all part of the evil plan to use boy and robot in a plot to take over the world via satellite. The best moment comes when the insidious computer, invented by the boy's father, flashes all his lights and promises that they can explore the universe together. "Dad--" the boy starts to complain. "Just be quiet, son," says Dad, "and look at all the pretty lights." Man spellbound by his own invention, even unto his own destruction, and taking his future generations with him . . . .
Pleasantly odd.
Such a strange film. One that doesn't really know which gimmick to run with: the super computer, the borrowed and infamous Robby the robot, invisibility, or space travel. It's a schizophrenic jumble of the time's sci-fi staples, with absurdly weak links. Still, I can't say it was ever dull. One thing that struck me about this picture, was the dry humor involving the Scientist father. He reacts almost casually to his son's sudden intelligence boost and invisibility. It comes off like a satire of the Cleaver-type family, and was a welcome surprise. Give this one a chance if you catch it on Turner Classic Movies one night. But I wouldn't recommend seeking it out for purchase.
Intriguing scene!
I think the most intriguing scene in this whole film is when we find out that Robby the Robot is really SUPPOSED to be the same one constructed by Dr. Edward Morbius on Altair-4 (in the movie Forbidden Planet). Supposedly, at the end of that movie, the United Planets' StarCruiser C-57D returns to earth with Robby the Robot and Altaira Morbius. Somehow, a professor from the 20th century travels forward in time to the 24th century in a time machine, witnesses the landing of the C-57D StarCruiser at Chicago Spaceport, takes a black and white photo of it, then somehow persuades Robby to come back with him to the 20th century. The robot then somehow ends up being dismantled and (in the movie The Invisible Boy) we find him lying in pieces covered with dust on a shelf. The boy Timmie (with the help of computer induced hypnotic instruction) then reassembles Robby. Quite an ingenious plot device, tying the two movies together.
Early Atomic Age Caveat
If demographics had been in use in the 1950's , half of the films would never have made the screen, such is the case of " The Invisible Boy. " Try to imagine a movie that would introduce the Atomic Age, to young children, with a Robot as your Best Buddy. Fighting against the unknown evil of an Atomic powered SuperComputer, with a consciousness bent on destruction . With tickets going about 35 cents, it would take more than one run to turn a profit. This is where I complement the screenwriter, director and producer for having the vision and courage to attempt this project. But that being said, a little more effort could have gone along way. Richard Eyer is perfectly cast , as the young naive prodigy, looking for a friend to share ,in a world changing at a rapidly increasing rate. Enter Robby the Robot, never underestimate the power of this legend,almost every boys dream in the 50's. Together they share a modest trip into the world of adults and computers. A timely movie in the sense it it was at the doorstep of the Atomic Age. If you can view it on a BIG screen, the impact is greater. A mild thriller for Boys 10.
Nightmare revisited
I feel compelled to add my two pennyworth, as the shade of this movie has been with me for most of my life. One of the most terrifying things I ever saw on TV, and I think I was only four, so this was back in 1959, was a clip from The Invisible Boy. I had no idea what a robot was, and so my introduction to the concept was this most impressive creation, 'Robby'. They must have been very generous with the footage, because I saw the whole kite sequence and the aftermath. I must have been watching through my fingers for most of the time, because when the kid is talking to Robby, he is on the top of a stepladder, and for a long time, I didn't even realise that the robot had a proper body, I thought it was just a great big glass head. Also, I thought that the chap announcing the clip had said Robin the Robot, and, I thought, hey, that's my name, so there was a scary identification thing happening there, too. I only remember that this sequence played on my mind - big giant glass head and a small boy - I was plagued by the notion that Robby the Robot might, one day, come lurching into our house, with his big old twirling pirate-earring antennae. Flash forward to January 2006. I had never seen a single section of this film since that nightmarish trailer on our little old wooden television set. Now I have it in my grasp, after finding it on DVD. I cut straight to the scene that scared me so much. It's astonishing how clearly it has registered on my memory. I even remember some of the dialogue. Having now watched this movie all the way through, I can only concur with several of the other reviews, and there is little that I can add. It certainly is a pretty uneven movie, and it looks like several different writers and directors worked on different sequences without ever liaising, although I don't believe this to be the case. One of the other reviewers referred to this, I think, as a child's nightmare, and that's a very apt description. The film's unevenness of mood adds to its bad-dream quality. The sequences that contain intentional humour are quite well-devised, but seem to belong to a little film of their own. The cast of competent nobodies deal with their lines pretty well, whether they know what the heck is going on or not. Robby has quite a lot to do, and, under the evil influence of the super-computer (this is part of the standard published synopsis, so I'm not giving anything away), gets to be menacing, which he's really rather good at, although his credibility wavers at one point, when he actually pops up from behind a bush in the garden. That has to be seen to be believed. I'm so glad I laid this ghost after 46 years, especially as the film is one of the strangest things I've enjoyed in many a long day. It's not really a good, or well-crafted film, but it's weird enough to merit my recommendation, especially as it has big, scary old Robby the Robot!