Phase IV is, sadly, the only feature film by legendary graphic artist Saul Bass, who designed great title sequences for directors Otto Preminger and Alfred Hitchcock (including acting as “pictorial consultant” for the all-important shower sequence in Psycho). The movie was a rather cerebral sci-fi thriller which included the most psychedelic of endings to rival Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. But Paramount Studios strong-armed Bass to cut the ending and then marketed the film as a horror film, which it clearly wasn’t, and the film disappeared quickly from theaters.
Mercifully the entire 35mm ending was preserved and thanks to the diligence of researchers at the Academy Film Archive it has finally been integrated back into the movie in a glorious 3-disc Blu-ray set from Vinegar Syndrome. The first disc is a 4K UHD restoration from the original theatrical release, but the third disc is the original director’s “preview cut” (which can be played without Michael Murphy’s narration at the beginning and end) and with the bizarre, really strange, full finale seamlessly integrated back into the film. It’s a wonderful revelation of what Saul Bass originally envisioned, which was way ahead of its time.
The film begins with some sort of solar event which causes ants in Arizona to behave differently, dangerously and aggressively towards humans and other animal predators. (Bass intended to keep the reasons ambiguous but Michael Murphy’s added narration clearly puts the blame on the unexplained solar event). Two scientists (Michael Murphy and Nigel Davenport) hole up in the desert in a geodesic dome to study the strange ant phenomenon. But before long they come under attack from the insects, who quickly adapt to poisonous sprays and invade the electrical systems inside the dome. A young woman from a nearby ranch (Lynne Frederick) is the only survivor when her family is destroyed by the ants and holes up with the scientists fighting for their lives.
The cinematography by Dick Bush is absolutely breathtaking, with astonishing microphotography of the ants by Ken Middleham that really makes you wonder how the hell they did it. The film maintains a steady, quiet mood of dread as the insects begin a concentrated, fiendishly clever effort to attack and kill. The seven strange towers constructed by the ants in the desert are really puzzling and creepy. But the surreal, almost 4-minute ending is a real acid trip. It’s hard to imagine what audiences in 1974 would have thought if it, had it been released uncut. It’s actually in keeping with the rest of the film which is also dreamy and strangely metaphysical. I am just so thrilled to finally see what Saul Bass originally intended. And with today’s various catastrophic effects caused by global warming the film feels all the more prescient.
I had no idea about the history of this movie but I watched it a lot as a kid! Would love to see this version.
Amazing. Can’t wait to see this!