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The Blob (1958)

NOTE: These commentaries are only available on the Criterion Collection release of The Blob.

Commentaries on this disc:

Commentary 1: Producer Jack H. Harris and film historian Bruce Eder Rating:7.7/10 (3 votes) [graph]Login to vote or review
Reviewed by musíl65 on May 30th, 2016:Find all reviews by musíl65
I've found the track outside the Criterion Collection (Caqelight/Alive).

Harris and Eder were recorded separately in 2000. Harris dominates the track. He talks about his time as a producer and the circumstances of the movie. He gives some details about the production and the legacy of The Blob. This is quite nice, but not great. But his stories about Steve McQueen are great stuff. They’ve been in contact loosely after the movie.

Eder talks only from time to time. He points out very good things. As a historian he puts the movie into the context of its time. Eder parts are the best.

There are no gaps on the track. It is solid. 7 out of 10.
Commentary 2: Director Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. and actor Robert Fields Rating:7.0/10 (1 vote) [graph]Login to vote or review
Reviewed by iwantmytvm on January 31st, 2021:Find all reviews by iwantmytvm
Yeaworth jr. likes to be called "Shorty" and has some nice recollections about the creation of the project, his filmmaking at the time which had been shorter 16 mm films. He offers plenty of anecdotes from the shoot about sets, special effects, and working on a low budget which allowed very little coverage leading to a very tight edit. After making short films for education and religious purposes, this film was an attempt to create something for a wider audience. He remains grateful to Paramount for picking up the film for distribution. They filmed on the property of a religious film company, and many of the actors and extras were friends or locals. Fields played one of the "teenagers" and has his memories about his first acting job, and spending the summer in the middle of smalltown Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia. He became friends with Steve McQueen. Both have their memories of working with McQueen who was very reckless and brash in real life, driving at terrifying speeds around the countryside.

Fields has warmed to the film over the years, initially feeling some stigma when people mentioned his involvement in it. He remarks that contemporary kids watching it would likely be amused at its simplicity and relative tame horror. Shorty also recalls the film fondly, and still uses even now in his current work some of the cameras and techniques he employed back then. He is cordial about the remake, lauding its superior special effects but feels that his version succeeded more as a family film.