Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40354 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-09-05
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Black & White, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 172 minutes

Amazon.com
The plot device is so damned great that it simply had to be revisited: a scientist invents a device that transmits matter by disintegrating it in one chamber and reintegrating it in another. When he attempts to transmit his own body, he accidentally allows a fly into the chamber, and the resulting man-insect hybrid runs rampant across the Canadian countryside. Philippe, the son of that ill-fated scientist, is told the family history by a benevolent uncle (an oddly prim Vincent Price); possessed with the scientific will-to-know, he becomes determined to re-create his father's experiments. The legendarily silly costuming of the original Fly returns, and with it, the perplexing logic of transmogrification--it becomes difficult to decipher which of the man-insect hybrids we're meant to understand as possessing Phillipe's agency. The film is hampered by the lack of a strong female lead, and by performances by all principals that are disappointingly modern in their clear motivation and restraint. Almost normal--even by modern standards--Return of the Fly represents an interesting bridging piece between the arty, abstract, symbolist sci-fi aesthetic of the early '50s and the naturalist, highly mimetic, realist style that quickly came to dominate the genre. --Miles Bethany

Customer Reviews

Thrilling sci-fi classic with plenty of shocks and scares !!
Two spine tingling horror thrillers from the late 50's starring the American prince of horror, Vincent Price, on one DVD !!

Fans of the original (and less bloody) "THE FLY" will be wrapped to see this classic film presented in glorious crystal clear color and dolby digital sound that really gets the hairs up on the back of your neck. For those who don't know the story...scientist Andre Delambre (David Hedison....later to star in "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea") develops a matter transfer device. However, on trialling the machine himself, a fly is caught inside, and Hedison emerges with fly's head and arm...and the fly now posesses Hedison's head and arm !! Film boasts plenty of classic shock moments...including the first time we see the fly in full view !! "Return of the Fly" isn't quite up to the original, but still has plenty of enjoyable moments that make it a nice companion to the original....and it still has Vincent Price on board !

Interesting anecdote from "THE FLY"...according to Vincent Price in his book "I Like what I Know", in the final sequence of "THE FLY" where Price and fellow actor Herbert Marshall are peering into a spiders web containing the fly (with human head and arm)..the two actors could not complete the supposedly sombre scene without bursting into fits of paralysing laughter. The only way they could finish the scene was by ensuring no eye contact was made with each other....otherwise the laughter just continued !!

For any cult sci-fi fan....a great addition to your DVD collection !!

"Help me! Help me!"
I enjoyed 'The Fly' a lot. A good sci-fi story with a dash of 'don't mess with mother nature' thrown in...and after all these years, it still retains a lot of it's creepiness. The plot is pretty out there, but I think the actors did a really good job with their performances. The special effects seemed a little understated, but, for me, that worked to the movies' advantage. I always thought it was interesting that while Vincent Price was in this movie, he really didn't play a main character or have much to do with the more macabre features of the movie. He more or less played it straight, but I liked that, seeing him playing role where he isn't exuding that sinister aura that he does in a lot of his movies. I also think this is a beautiful looking transfer with vibrant colors. And the end still always gives me a shiver up my spine. A solid movie overall.

'The Return of the Fly' suffers from an obvious lack of originality and financial support. It is in black and white, while the original was in color. I don't have an issue with this as I think some movies look better in black and white, but I was a little disappointed in how closely story in this sequel matched that of the original. And the fly head and fly arm used in this movie seemed more comical, played up for visual effect while the fly head and fly arm in the first movie were more understated, and, to me, worked more effectively. Basically, this seems more of a remake than a sequel, with a few new things.

If you like sci-fi, then I think this DVD is a really good addition to your collection, and having both movies on one disc is certainly a decent value. The four stars I gave are for the original, while I would only give the sequel about 2 1/2 stars.

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?
FOX is leading the way. Apart from their 5 STAR COLLECTIONS (ID4/THE SOUND OF MUSIC), they have not forgotten their minor gems and forgotten classics - and THE FLY and THE RETURN OF THE FLY, are just such pictures. Presented in anamorphic widescreen , with remastered image, each film is crisp, clean and very well packaged. The double feature does not boast much in the way of extra's - you get six previews (both THE FLY and RETURN OF THE FLY, plus the remakes, but also FANTASTIC VOYAGE and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA - odd choices to tag onto these films, but there you go), and static, but very nice, menu screens (they come across like lobby cards). But, least you forget... you do get two movies for the price of one. THE FLY is the best of the two... it's in color (which is still vibrant), and features a superior script (written by James Clavell, author of the blockbuster bestseller SHOGUN, go figure) and fine performances all around (as well as the best opening... beautiful and gruesome... and a equally disturbing ending). Despite popular belief, Vincent Price is a supporting player here, not the lead. That honor goes to Patricia Owens who plays the solid but suffering wife of THE FLY. It is an excellent movie... very entertaining, impossible, yet thoughtful. THE RETURN OF THE FLY, produced a year later to cash in on the first, is a step or two down in quality. Flimed in black and white, it simply covers the same material as the previous film, and then waters it down. It's a revenge picture, pure and simple, and again Price is the supporting player (but he does have more to do). But it is not a total loss... it does have it's moments, and I do recommend it along side THE FLY. The disc is worth the rent, but also worth adding to your collection.