Phase IV [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Set] [4K UHD]

The fragments of information surrounding this production spells sort of a tragedy, I think. I was given the impression that Saul Bass (Director) had been eager to create films of his own, was afforded very little opportunity to do so, and exhausted many of his connections to assemble and fund Phase VI, which ended up a commercial failure and was later relegated to late night TV reruns and low rating time-slots, soon after it's theatrical stagnation and fiscal no-show. Saul is quite famous for his visual acuity, creating title sequences for several dozen films, many of them impressive, and designing movie posters, mostly. In his resume are a few short films as well, one being a promotional film for Solar Energy, which can be found on Youtube, along with several interviews. He also worked with Hitchcock on Psycho and one can find some interesting controversies surrounding the production of that film, specifically regarding accreditation for certain scenes. Subsequently lost to Phase IV was a Kubrick-like montage, tailing the film and comprising the ending, which had been removed from the original film without consultation with Saul himself and which the studio felt muddled the effect of the ending or confused the audience. This was done prior to release for purely commercial reasons and as one would expect outraged the director. Unfortunately, this sequence is not included on the DVD, nor can it be found online, although fragments can be viewed in the trailer of the film. Also of note: this DVD offers little in the way of extras, presumably there aren't many regardless, but this isn't quite the selling point. For a while Phase IV has basked in obscurity, and it's a blessing to see it in such relatively high quality on the DVD format. As far as I know the aspect ratio of the original film differs from the 1.78:1 format found on the DVD, but the ratios were close enough for a beautiful transfer. The picture is adequately clear, surprising considering how little the source material was likely valued by its keepers, and the packaging is what one would expect, and is minimal, hardly an issue for me personally. Visually, as in from an artistic standpoint, the film is a mixed bag. Scenes on the farm plot are a bit mediocre but the insect sequences, the desert landscapes, the geometrically abstract, seemingly Easter Island inspired monoliths and the clever use of macro lenses, the color palette and desolate feel of the yellow poison sequences and set designs are all beautifully done and inspiring. Good things can be said for the hard-suit designs as well, which contrast nicely with the environment and alien undertones. I believe there's a lot of merit in the film just from a visual standpoint, and although clunky and somewhat campy at times, the dialogue is dry enough to suspend disbelief if one is forgiving of certain lines and shortcomings, which do tend to interject themselves, specifically regarding the sonic messages delivered by the ants a la geometrical symbolism: the interpretation there is just a tad bit far fetched and the revelations in the thinking-out-loud mind of the biologist a bit beyond belief and awkward. Also, the romantic interest involved is a bit contrived, hyper-developed, unfortunately tacked on, which is not a new thing in Hollywood trends and tends to be expected. The film still manages to be believable. This is mainly due to the excellent sound design, the music especially being stellar, the very moderate and mostly implied presence of the insects "out there" and only a few examples of direct confrontation, and the general feeling of dread maintained mostly throughout (whilst the insects are shown, direct human-insect interaction is thankfully moderate and therefore we get less a sense of disbelief, such as one gets with movies involving murderous dolls or toys). This is what low budgets tend to do sometimes, in the hands of a skilled director, budgetary restraints can actually increase the value of the film, as scenes are well planned and tasteful, rather than absurd and DIRECTLY impacting. The terror is mostly psychological. Regardless of the flaws in the script, and regardless of some banal scenes mucking up what is otherwise an inspired visual poem, I love this film. I'm very glad it was finally released and that I can relive some memories of my childhood, watching a taped version of this, or whenever it aired on TV. I've grown to appreciate the film much more since then, and would recommend it to any forgiving person interested in brooding science fiction or inspired visual design, or in the possible tragedy of Saul's stunted career as a director, which might have been exceptional.

I saw this a few times as a kid on local tv. I didnt get it then, just thought it "looked cool" and had awesome microscopic ant footage. It really does put you right there alongside the ants. I get it now and love it. Im glad this dvd finally became available on amazon, it was a bestbuy exclusive that soon became nearly impossible to find anywhere. It is an awesome movie and beautifully executed. Directed by title sequence legend Saul Bass (he did every title sequence for Hitchcock), the entire movie is an exercise in great visual composition and design. Interestingly, its small in scope, just a handful of characters in one location out west. But at times it feels vast (especially with all the ant footage) and it works and it is creepy. An unknown cosmic event has the earths scientists baffled as to how we will be effected. Will the oceans rise, will earth quakes destroy everything? One eccentric scientist discovers the effect of the phenomenon, and it nearly goes unnoticed. All the different species of ants begin uniting, killing their natural predators and constructing mysterious monoliths in the desert. Ive said too much, but if you like sci fi in the vein of 2001, the andromeda strain, and the like (made in the late 60s early 70s) then you will dig this movie.

3.5 stars. A classic example of the smart, serious sci-fi movies of the early 70s, before Star Wars began to dumb it all down. Along with this one there was THX 1138, Andromeda Strain, A Clockwork Orange, A Boy and His Dog, Silent Running, Dark Star (a comedy, but it still counts here), Soylent Green, The Man Who Fell to Earth... and lots more. They weren't all successful, but they tried. This one has a sophisticated story, some fantastic cinematography, a small and solid cast, and a great soundtrack. Well worth checking out if you like grown-up sci-fi.

I do not consider this a "great" or "classic" sci fi movie...to be truthful, it is fairly boring, even by 1970's standards. I know this is referred to as "thinking persons" sci fi- but intelligent sci fi doesnt have to mean boring and slow. that describes this film. The cinematography is for sure interesting. The extreme close ups of actual ants, captured by some type of motion control camera, is pretty interesting. ALso, the desert dome with electronic sound effects, and the odd columns built by the ants, are interesting looking and very retro 70's. The final few minutes are the most esoteric and unexplained, but have the most interesting visuals...if more of the movie were like that, it'd probably be more well known That being said, this movie has listless, unengaging acting. The opening of the film goes on and on and is really just confusing, just seeing ants running around for what seems like 15 minutes. Once humans enter the film, things dont get much better. The dialog is bad and stilted. The actors were, it seems, not all there. Saul Bass was one of the best at visuals, but he may not have been good working with actors....The interchange between the british scientist who "goes mad" and the american "leisure suit 70's dude" (sorry- er, communications expert) just isnt believable...the scared farmgirl is pretty in a 70's Partridge Family type of way, but her acting is even less lively then the others. This movie just lags. The ants move a lot more than the humans do. Basically- interesting visuals, a definite 70's influence in the style and in the very retro technology that is cool in a 70's retro t-shirt kind of way...If you like 70's films (I do) this one is ok for the visuals... but I would really hesitate to call this a classic as an overall movie - sorry, but intelligent plot or not, this movie is boring, even in comparison to other "intellectual" sci fi films.

Vinnegar Syndrome releases on both 4K UHD, and Blu-ray this cult classic mind-bender from 1974 directed by famed title designer Saul Bass and stars Nigel Davenport and Michael Murphy as two research scientists sent to a remote desert area after an unusual cosmic event occurred which seems to have turned ordinary ants intelligent, as different types of ants have joined forces in an apparent attempt to take over the Earth... Lynne Frederick co-stars in key supporting role. Looking superb in HD, though I am currently unable to view the UHD disc, the Blu-ray is a pristine transfer and huge upgrade over the previous Legend Films DVD from 2008 of this Paramount studio film, and later the Olive Films Blu-ray, both of which were barebones affairs, this release is a 3-disc set with two Blu-rays featuring the theatrical cut (83 minutes) and an audio commentary, plus the other Blu-ray with the preview version (89 minutes) featurettes, and trailers. Comes with an insert booklet of the preview ending illustrations, though no slipcover. Intriguing film was a flop at the time but whose reputation has grown in the ensuing decades. Clearly inspired by "2001: A Space Odyssey" to an extent, and though not at that level, is intelligently presented and ambitious. Despite the affection for the 89-minute cut, I prefer the 83, whose ending is more succinct and to the point, if no less abrupt. Judge for yourself, and as relevant today as it was then.

I happen to be a fan of "THEM" (and even enjoyed "Empire of the Ants") yet this 85 minute long movie from 1975 still ranks higher than those classics. When ants in one valley in the US start tipping the balance of power two scientists install themselves into a huge, not-so-ant-proof, dome right in the middle of it all. They plan to run tests and see what has happened to the ants. Why are nests NOT fighting each other? Why are creatures that normally feed on ants disappearing? Why did the ants build towers? With each day, with each hour, the scientists learn new things. They also come to realize that they might not be the only ones running tests. In fact, it soon becomes very clear that the ants are the ones in charge. Can mankind fight back or should it try to reason with the ants? Watch this film and find out.

I've been searching for this movie for years. I even ordered the action flick by the same title twice by mistake just hoping it would be the "ant movie". I've seen this movie once or twice as a kid/teen some 30+ years ago and never forogt about it. Right now all I recall is the different color poisons they used (which still for some reason connects with me as an influence on computer games) and how the ants jammed the driveshaft of a Jeep. Of course now I am afraid that what fascinated me 30+ years ago will look or feel totally different. But this is cult to me and I am thrilled to finally see it available commercially. Why did it take that long? Why was a second, totally different movie allowed to go by the same title? Not much of a movie review, but I like to share with likeminded people who remember this apparently rather obscure sci-fi/horror flick. What seems funny to me is that I grew up with so many sci-fi/cult/existential movies of the '70s at a young age 5-10 yrs later (I am 1965) and at the time never captured their true meaning. Or before my time. Yet they were either cool, must-sees or had a certain of the "forbidden" by parents' standards (Vansihing Point, Yellow Submarine, Zardoz). Yet I remember them more than later movies and would attribute to them a certain meaning and outlook on life if not also nostalgia.

This is an odd film for me: I saw it when it first came out, I remembered the ending and the designation of the first three Phases ... but when I saw the film, the "Phase" designations were there but the ending was nothing like what I remembered! So I got to see it again for the very first time. The ant photography is really great, I'll say that for it. Undeniably authentic (well, of course it is: this was done years before CGI was even dreamed of). The plot is the basic bare-bones sort of story common to many low-budget "creature features": something (something extraterrestrial, shown at the start) causes ants of different species to work together and communicate with each other; their abilities develop through three Phases until the fourth phase is reached at the end of the film. A scientist discovers their new abilities and gets funding for a research station and an assistant. Like the stereotype he is he proves to be indifferent to who dies so long as the research continues. A local girl is inserted into the station. I noted above that my memory of the ending was completely different from the actual ending. And so it was, except that it had the same effect of showing what Phase IV was. But to find out what it is, you need to watch the movie!

Chef d oeuvre

１９７４年のソール・バス監督デビュー作。７８年に東京１２チャンネル（今のテレ東）で「戦慄！昆虫パニック 砂漠の殺人生物襲来」のタイトルで放送された日本未公開作。そのときに、テレビで観たが登場人物も少なく地味な割には、ギュッと凝縮された話に引き込まれて面白かった記憶がある。あらためてＤＶＤで観なおしてみると、画質が格段に良くなっているためか、大き目の画角のテレビで観ているからなのか、より面白く楽しめた。やっぱり、蟻の大写しの映像、蟻たちが演技する様が（実際、自然ドキュメンタリーでアカデミー賞をとっている人が蟻を訓練して演技をつけているらしい）見応えがある。黒や黄色だったり、透明に緑色の腹をもつ蟻などのクローズアップが美しい。どうして「ウエストサイド物語」やヒチコックなどの映画のタイトルデザインで有名なソール・バスがこの題材を監督デビューに選んだのかというのは、当時も今も誰もが考えるところだと思う。ソール・バスは、もしかしたら蟻の形状の美しさ、集団で活動するその模様のような動きに、デザイン的な魅力をおぼえて、撮りたくてたまらなくなったのじゃないかな（なんて勝手な想像をしたくなる魅惑的な映像であると思う。虫の嫌いな人は別にして・・・）。透明腹緑蟻が一匹トコトコと、眠るリン・フレデリックのシャツの中を歩き回るクローズアップ映像が素晴らしい。皮膚の産毛や、角質のアップや乳首の脇（吹替えだと思う）をすり抜けたりする。蟻同士が会話をしたり、カマキリに対したり、昆虫たちの動きが実にサスペンスフル。人間たちが蟻が無言で仕掛けてくる罠というか策略に右往左往する。蟻たちとの会話を試みる展開も面白い。蟻って、どこかの隙間から入り込んできたりするので、結構怖いんですよね。月並みなホラー演出だと蟻の大群がどんどん押し寄せて・・・のパニックになるところが、なにせ知性のある蟻なのでそうはならない。ラストはちょっと急な飛躍があるように思うが、フェイズ１から始まって4で映画は静寂の中、幕を下ろす。主な出演者は、ナイジェル・ダベンポート、マイケル・マーフィ、リン・フレデリックの３人と蟻たち。舞台は砂漠の中のテントのようなドーム状の研究施設にほぼ限定される。上映時間８３分。リン・フレデリックが自然児のような美少女ぶりで魅力的。この後、しばらくして映画雑誌「ロードショー」などでアイドル的な人気を得るようになるが、このときは原石の輝きを放っているようにも思える。ダベンポート、マーフィの科学者2人も対照的なキャラを好演していて良い。音楽にはツトム・ヤマシタも協力している。あと、蟻を駆除する毒薬に黄色、青色と色が付いているのも、砂漠と銀色のドーム、黒い蟻塚とシンプルな画面構成に面白い視覚効果（カラーデザイン）があると思った。ＳＦ好き、自然（昆虫）との頭脳戦なんてところに興味があれば、一見の価値はある秀作だと思う。

Aparte de que es la única película que dirigió Saul Bass, es una perfecta alegoría de cómo las hormigas nos superan en casi todo a los humanos. Muy buena y muy difícil de conseguir.

Less The Swarm than something from early David Cronenberg, this subtle sci-fi horror tale pits besieged scientists against evolving ants who are learning what their natural sociability can do. Be all you can be. Saul Bass's only directorial film.

アリの知性と団結力に、人間が翻弄される。とにかく、映像がきれいで感動的。しかし、最後の場面はイマイチ納得できないので、星４つにした。