DOUBLE FEATURE 08.07.20
The Shape of Water + Creature From The Black Lagoon
When Guillermo del Toro was six years old, he watched Jack Arnold’s 1954 film Creature From The Black Lagoon for the first time. As he watched Ricou Browning’s Gill-Man reach for the legs of Julie Adams’ character Kay, he found the moment so intimate. Del Toro fully expected the two to fall romantically in love by the end of the film. When that didn’t happen, he sought to reimagine the sea monster film. Thus, The Shape Of Water was conceived.
For this week’s Double Feature, we present you with the sea monster films that truly go hand-in-hand: Creature From The Black Lagoon and The Shape Of Water. The former stands at a running time of 1 hour and 19 minutes and we recommend you watch it first. It is set in the Amazonian jungle where a creature lurks in the depths. A group of scientists is trying to capture the creature to study it. Creature From The Black Lagoon spawned two sequels with the Gill-Man venturing out on land.
Del Toro’s The Shape of Water seemingly picks up where Creature From The Black Lagoon leaves off. His Gill-Man is in a government facility during the Cold War. The film has espionage, noir characteristics and love and del Toro offers it as his version of a love story. In addition to the beautiful story, the cinematic elements elevate the film. The plot isn’t the only source of stimulation — your eyes will find themselves delighted by the underwater dreamscapes crafted on screen. Del Toro’s The Shape Of Water won Best Picture in 2018 and picked up 13 total nominations. It was his first Best Director win and a well-deserved one at that.
