SFFS Film in the Fog: The Incredible Shrinking Man October 2, 2010

The San Francisco Film Society, with the Presidio Trust, continues its 2010 Fall Season with the much-anticipated ninth annual Film in the Fog at 5:00 pm, Saturday, October 2. There is a new location this year, on the lawn near Moraga Avenue and Arguello Avenue. The free, family-friendly film screening will feature the classic existential science fiction thriller The Incredible Shrinking Man (USA 1957), a classic Disney Silly Symphony short and free popcorn for all.


After businessman Scott Carey is engulfed by a mysterious noxious cloud composed of radiation and insecticide, he shrinks. And shrinks. And shrinks. What begins as a scientific/medical enigma soon presents dire consequences, as Carey is literally dwarfed by his environment. Directed by B-movie master Jack Arnold (Creature from the Black Lagoon, FIF 2007; The Mouse that Roared, SFIFF 1959), the film presents a not-so-sly allegory of masculine crisis in the post-WWII era. As Carey becomes smaller, less functional and less important, he becomes trapped in the home when his unsympathetic wife leaves to bring home the bacon. With his domestic space becoming increasingly menacing and full of pitfalls, Carey eventually squats in a dollhouse. The film’s special effects are especially ingenious, ranging from simple “big clothes” to rear projection and some amazing oddly-scaled sets. In 2009 The Incredible Shrinking Man was added to the National Film Registry, the list of films deemed worthy of preservation for their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance. Written by Richard Matheson. Photographed by Ellis W. Carter. With Grant Williams, Randy Stuart. 81 min.

Preceding the film will be the classic Disney Silly Symphony short The Skeleton Dance, drawn by Ub Iwerks with music by Carl Stalling, presented courtesy of the Walt Disney Family Museum, also located in the Presidio.

The film program begins at sunset (approximately 7:00 pm). Dress warmly, it’s San Francisco.

More information available at http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?catid=8,69&pageid=1830

Official Website: http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?catid=8,69&pageid=1830