After Scott Carey begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him.After Scott Carey begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him.After Scott Carey begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide, medical science is powerless to help him.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 1 nomination
- Barker
- (as Frank Scannell)
- Balloon Vendor
- (uncredited)
- KIRL TV Newscaster
- (uncredited)
- Joe
- (uncredited)
- Doctor
- (uncredited)
- Giant
- (uncredited)
- Butch the Cat
- (uncredited)
- Minor Role
- (uncredited)
- Spieler
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRichard Matheson's book was written as a series of flashbacks so that you got into the cellar with Scott quickly. Universal insisted on a linear story. They also vetoed key sequences, such as Scott spending the night with the female midget, a drunk homosexual who abuses Scott, a gang of teenagers who terrorize him, and Scott becoming a Peeping Tom secretly spying on a teenage baby-sitter. These were rejected as too risqué for 1957.
- GoofsEven though the spider in this film is clearly a tarantula, it is shown sitting in a standard spider web. Tarantulas do not build webs like that. They live in burrows or holes.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Scott Carey: I was continuing to shrink, to become... what? The infinitesimal? What was I? Still a human being? Or was I the man of the future? If there were other bursts of radiation, other clouds drifting across seas and continents, would other beings follow me into this vast new world? So close - the infinitesimal and the infinite. But suddenly, I knew they were really the two ends of the same concept. The unbelievably small and the unbelievably vast eventually meet - like the closing of a gigantic circle. I looked up, as if somehow I would grasp the heavens. The universe, worlds beyond number, God's silver tapestry spread across the night. And in that moment, I knew the answer to the riddle of the infinite. I had thought in terms of man's own limited dimension. I had presumed upon nature. That existence begins and ends is man's conception, not nature's. And I felt my body dwindling, melting, becoming nothing. My fears melted away. And in their place came acceptance. All this vast majesty of creation, it had to mean something. And then I meant something, too. Yes, smaller than the smallest, I meant something, too. To God, there is no zero. I still exist!
- Alternate versionsWhen originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'A' rating. All cuts were waived in 2006 when the film was re-rated with a 'PG' certificate for home video. Note: The running time on the BBFC website for the 1957 theatrical release mentions a run time of 91 minutes 48 seconds with an indication this is the submitted run time prior to any cuts. It is not clear if this was a longer version of the film which is widely known to run just 81 minutes (77 minutes on PAL media).
- ConnectionsEdited into Attack of the 50 Foot Monster Mania (1999)
- SoundtracksThe Incredible Shrinking Man Theme
Written by Foster Carling and Earl E. Lawrence
Played by Ray Anthony
It begins in bland, generic, white picket fenced 1950s America and ends in deep contemplation of the infinite, and along the way becomes unmoored from all reference points from the age in which it was made, as the protagonist himself has every thing familiar to him progressively stripped away and he is reduced to the most raw, primal, archetypal battle for survival.
The actor Grant Williams never did anything of any real note again, but here, in his continually deepening suffering, he moves into a glowing, timeless space that would not look out of place in any Bergman film. It's a performance for the ages.
The Incredible Shrinking Man is a rare, unique work and by far my favourite of all those 1950s sci-fi and monster movies.
- MogwaiMovieReviews
- Sep 4, 2020
- Permalink
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Die unglaubliche Geschichte des Mr. C
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $750,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $2,580
- Runtime1 hour 21 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1