Great Scene: “The Thing From Another World”

An excellent example of visual storytelling.

In a fundamental way, screenwriting is scene-writing, so the more we learn about this aspect of the craft, the better.

Today: The 1951 movie The Thing From Another World, screenplay by Charles Lederer, based on a story by John W. Campbell Jr.

IMDb plot summary:

Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.

The crew has spotted a strange object buried in ice. Here is the script version of the scene:

Here is the movie version:

Funny what you remember from your youth, but this scene with the men on the ice [starting at the 3:06 mark of the clip above] has always stuck with me, specifically how the men spread out to determine the shape of the object… and discover it is a circle. That leads to these lines:

We finally got one.
We found a flying saucer!

Such a powerful visual way to make the discovery, underscored by the dissonance of the horn section in the soundtrack.

Interesting that the bit of business where the men determine the shape of the flying saucer is not in the script. Whoever came up with the idea … kudos. It makes for a very cool cinematic moment.

To read all of the entries in the Great Scene series, go here.