Wednesday, 19 August 2015

I CAN SEE FOR MILES





















The Man With The X Ray Eyes, d. Roger Corman (1963)

Whilst experimenting with increasing man’s field of vision,Dr Xavier (Ray Milland) uses himself as a guinea pig and finds that he is soon able to see beyond the visible spectrum, then through clothes, walls, flesh and, ultimately, through the fabric of the universe itself.

The proto psychedelic visuals are cheap but effective, and the film taps into the same rich metaphysical vein as The Incredible Shrinking Man, one of the most profound movies Hollywood ever produced. It’s great fun, too, and the ending is quite brilliant.

It’s worth noting that taking LSD (under medical supervision) was a popular, perfectly legal pastime in Hollywood in 1963 (particularly for Cary Grant who claimed to have been ‘reborn’ as a result of his numerous acid trips), although this film is not about that, of course.

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