Phase IV (1974)

Great, seldom seen sci-fi movie from the 70s. The only movie ever directed by the brilliant Saul Bass. There is a new print containing the legendary "lost" ending that is being shown around the US. Check it out if you can. It's about super smart ants. Very surreal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_IV
http://lacma.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/science-fiction-after-kubrick-saul-bass-phase-iv/

 

I watched this a few months ago. Great film. Love the photography.

 

Another Beatles thread. Antz in de house.

 

Strange film -- I had forgotten that Saul Bass did it.

 

I remember watching this as an ABC Movie of the Week, way back when. I scarely remember the film, but I remember being a little freaked out by the ending.

How is this available to watch. As a DVD purchase?

 

Interesting movie, which I saw back in the VHS/Beta era on tape.

 

The DVD is $7.53 on Amazon. The first time I saw the movie was on late night TV when I was 12. An obscure 1970s ant sci-fi flick was bound to be bad. It really sucked me in and freaked me out as well. I just rewatched it, and I will need to rewatch it again. The 5 minute original ending is posted on youtube. It's freakier than anything in the movie. Some real amazing ant photography. James Cameron lifted several ideas and shots from this movie for "Aliens".

 

I saw it about 20+ years ago iirc on a Sunday Night Cult movie slot on BBC2.

Odd little film. Great ant footage.

Main thing I remember is the ants building the reflectors to heat up the dome.

 

One of my favorite films. I bought the DVD about 7 years ago from a special order company. I was first introduced to the film by a DVD of Grindhouse Trailers called Exploitation Explosion. The trailer sealed the deal for me. The film screams 1970s and oozes atmosphere.

 

Portraying insignificant insects with intelligence and emotions is very unsettling. Everything you think about the world and life has to be re-evaluated. Best Acting Oscar should have went to the ants in this movie. This movie really needs to be out on Blu-ray.

 

It is available as a high-def download/streaming, so there is hope for a Blu-ray release.

 

I love this film and seeing it with the lost ending was right near at the top of my cinematic wish list.

 

Thanks! I just watching the lost ending. Cam footage from a screening but a decent-quality look at it! All I can say is: "Well, that clears things up...."

 

If you look at Sauls hand drawn storyboards for it makes sense. It's one of those endings that you probably need to watch once or twice and think about to put in context.

 

your take? i always figured "phase iv" meant a new evolutionary stage. the guys in glasses? hybrids?

 

Yeah when you look at Sauls storyboards the ending is human race being retrained to be some next step or be more insect like in the approach to the world.

The whole film is kinda a Sci-fi take on the fake documentary The Hellstorm Chronicles which came out a few years earlier made by the guy who did all the insect filming in Phase IV. That film won the Oscar for best documentary.

Trying to dig up the original story boards. I'll have to do something digging because all the Google results are about the ending being found. They show how the ending represents different phases of retraining the humans.

 

http://www.devildead.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13034&start=30

Those are the storyboards and here is a summary someone made of all the images with Sauls titles for each section of the ending.

 

Those explanations help, but the end still kind of comes off like "hey I don't know how to clearly wrap this thing up, so let's throw together a lot of trippy imagery based on the ideas we've been spitballing and hope it adds up." It's all very, very early '70s, in any event.

 

At least the "lost ending" has the trippy imagery! Even some trippy visuals and overall weirdness is better than the "Huh? That's it?" abruptness of the regular ending.

 

Interesting cool little movie.

 

I wonder if this movie was been referenced in the Simpsons episode "Deep Space Homer"?
(eg. the ant farm; the dialogue about "our insect overlords", etc...)

 

Well, "Phase IV" is one Netflix now! I just watched it. As frightening and excellent as I remember. What's really bizzare is I haven't seen this film since the 70s, yet I remember vast amounts of the imagery. Imagine that, 40 years and I still remember. That's how incredible our brains are at storing images! Anyway, the ending seems REALLY abrupt on the version showing on Netflix. I'm sure I remember more creepy footage from when it was broadcast on ABC. I wonder if they showed it on TV and then parts were cut or were they cut before?

 

I for one welcome them!

 

I also saw on ABC when it was broadcast. Haven't looked at the Netflix but have it n DVD. I think it's memory tricks as it is exactly as I remembered it.