The Annotated Fly
Gregatron
friend's Fly Film Archive website (as well as bloopers for the films).
Annotated Fly 1958, Return of the Fly and Fly 1986 are about done, and
only Curse and Fly II remain. I thought I'd post Fly 1986 here for
commentary/feedback/suggestions from the Cronenberg fans here. I'd
really like to get some opinions and consctructive criticism. Thanks
for your time!
THE FLY (1986)
OVERVIEW:
In 1984, screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue approached producer Stuart
Cornfeld with the idea of remaking and modernizing The Fly (1958).
Pogue threw in some homages to the original film, but completely
revamped the man-fly fusion concept. He wrote a script about a
scientist named Geoff Powell, who accidentally merges with a housefly
during a teleportation experiment and begins to transform into a giant
fly. At the end of the script, after Powell dies, his wife, Barbara,
gives birth to a giant maggot-baby. British director Robert Bierman
was hired to direct, with filming to commence in Great Britain.
However, a personal tragedy caused him to bow out, and the film was
off. In Spring, 1985, Cornfeld contacted writer-director David
Cronenberg (who had been his first choice, originally), and offered
him the film again (Cronenberg had been tied up with Total Recall when
Cornfeld contacted him originally). Cronenberg agreed to direct, but
only if he could perform an extensive overhaul on the script. The
final script featured Cronenberg's characters and dialogue (turning
the happily married, 1950s-esque Powell into two strangers falling in
love, and eliminating a pair of slimy executives who covet the
teleporter), and a heavily altered and steamlined plot. However, many
of the details of the transformation (such as the fingernails falling
out and the insect hairs) remained from Pogue's version. 20th Century
Fox, which held the rights to the franchise, agreed to distribute the
film, while Mel Brooks' Brooksfilms produced it.
The film was shot in Canada (although it ostensibly took place in
America, which is exactly the opposite of the 1958 version), and many
Cronenberg veterans worked on it. Chris Walas and his company, Chris
Walas Inc. (CWI), was hired to provide the makeup and creature
effects. Preview screenings dictated that some controversial scenes
had to be removed, which we'll get to later.
The completed film became an international success, as well as a big
smash with critics and filmgoers. Jeff Goldblum (Seth Brundle) was
often mentioned as an Academy Award contender, but was, unfortunately,
not nominated. However, the film did win a "Best Makeup" Oscar for
Chris Walas and his team. The film's success and open ending
necessitated a sequel, The Fly II (1989).
POSTER:
The Fly's theatrical one-sheet poster featured a simple image of a
telepod, with a human arm and an insect leg coming out of the door
(Although, mistakenly, the door isn't actually open. Rather, the
poster makes it seem as if the door's glass window is absent.). This
art has been used for virtually all international poster, press
materials, and VHS/DVD covers. Also of note is that the logo ("THE
FLY") is surrounded by a greenish glow in all publicity materials, but
the actual title card in the film proper uses a blue glow (this
phenomena continued with the sequel).
TRAILER:
The film's theatrical trailer (which can be seen on the various
international DVD releases) features a cheesy "temp" score (source as
yet unknown), temporary sound effects, and several alternate/unused
bits not seen in the final cut:
A close-up shot of a barely visible Brundle in a telepod, surrounded
by smoke (note that the footage seems to run backwards, with the smoke
moving *down*).
Various green flashes of light can be seen in the trailer, moving
across the screen. These would appear to be segments of an unused main
title sequence for the film (the flash moves in and out of frame,
possibly in-between each cast/crew credit, then finally moves directly
towards camera and pulls back, transforming into the main title. Only
the pullback/transformation seqment is used in the final cut, but the
flashes of light were reused in The Fly II's (1989) main title
sequence). The first time we see the flash turn into the logo (early
on in the trailer), the white outline surrounding the letters glows
brighter and brighter, until the frame is whited out. This animation
was likely created specifically for the trailer.
The shots of Brundle and Veroncia kissing as she discovers the fly
hairs on his back are alternate takes not used in the final cut.
An alternate take of Brundle punching the wooden beam to shards can be
seen.
A track-in shot of a baboon sitting inside Telepod 2 and being
disintegrated actually comes from the infamous, deleted "monkey-cat"
scene. The optical "lightning" effect is missing, and thus the shot is
incomplete. A "crispy chips" bag is on the floor next to the Telepod,
a piece of debris which makes it clear this comes from the monkey-cat
scene.
A shot of Stathis Borans yelling, "I want to know what's going on!" is
a trim from the scene where Veronica confronts him in his office about
the Particle mockup cover (actually, the scene was trimmed down quite
a bit for the final cut).
The audio of Brundle saying, "A fly got into the transmitter pod with
me that first time, when I was alone" is an alternate take.
A close-up shot of the fly inside Telepod 1 is an alternate take
(Here, it's aligned horizontally; in the final cut, it's vertical.
Ironically, the trailer version is more accurate, continuity-wise,
than the final cut, as the fly does not magically change position.).
An alternate angle of Veronica shutting her car door as she arrives to
visit Stage 4 Brundle.
A alternate (close-up) angle of Veronica gasping as she first sees
Brundle on the ceiling of his lab.
A shot of the "lost" Stage 4-b Brundle looking up from his computer
(from the deleted "monkey-cat" scene).
An unused shot of Veronica, trapped inside Telepod 1, reacting as
Stathis fires his shotgun to sever the pod's connection to the
computer.
An alternate shot of Brundlefly smashing out from Telepod 2 (in this
version, the enitre pane of glass falls out).
An alternate (close-up) angle of Brundle smashing into the abortion
clinic.
An alternate audio take of "Help me. Please, help me!"
ANNOTATIONS: (Note: info from official sources, such as the draft of
the script I have, interviews, etc. are included, as well as my own
observations.)
The 20th Century Fox Fanfare music heard at the beginning of the film
is an edited version of the older recording used in the 1950s (which
the 1958 version also used).
The background for the main titles consists of a swirling, optically
distorted mass of colors: this is a representation of the way
biologists believe a fly's vision would appear to humans.
In the opening shot, a sculpture with a blue laser projecting words
onto it can be seen. The words read, "Bartok" and "Art".
The script establishes the party as the "Bartok Science Industries 4th
Annual Meet-the-Press Luncheon".
A theme of Cronenberg's work is the connection between art/creativity
and science, which appears prominently in this film. Note the name of
the scientific company (B-*art*-ok). Thus, many of the partygoers can
be seen carrying booklets that read "Art and Science".
Presumably, Brundle took public transportation to the party.
"I'm working on something that will change the world and human life as
we know it". Indeed, Brundle's invention changes his world, and his
life as he knows it.
The script pegs Seth Brundle as 38, and Veronica Quaife in her late
20s. Jeff Goldblum was 34 at the time (take your pick which is
Brundle's "real" age), and Geena Davis was 28.
It's quite clear that Brundle persuades Veronica to see his invention
because he wants to impress her romantically. This is another example
of Cronenberg's idea about "humanizing" the face of science. Brundle
and his lab are very eccentric (the lab is messy in an organized kind
of way), not at all like the 1958 versions.
It's rather humorous that Brundle's primary reason for building a
teleporter is because he suffers from motion-sickness.
"It's...cleaner on the inside". This statement becomes ironic later
on, as the lab becomes a total mess.
The script states that Brundle's warehouse used to be a packing house
for fish. Presumably, he converted an office into his bedroom, and may
have installed the plumbing in the bathroom himself when he moved in.
The lab also appers to be filled with used furishings, etc. A deleted
scene (which may or may not have been filmed) of Brundle and Veronica
walking up the warehouse stairs established the "fish" idea, and a
line of Veronica's to the out-of-shape Brundle, "Want me to carry
you?" would have contrasted with the "Brundle sprints up the stairs
with Tawny in his arms" scene later on in the final cut.
The sliding-door entrance to Brundle's lab appears to be an homage to
the similar doors in the lab of Andre Delambre in The Fly (1958).
Brundle plays "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" on the piano, yet
another attempt to impress Veronica. Sheet music in the form of
Beethoven and Bach can also be seen sitting on the piano throughout
the film (by the way, in relaity, Jeff Goldblum is an accomplished
piano player).
The Telepods were originally designed to look like high-tech phone
booths (hence Veronica's "designer phone booth" remark"), but
Cronenberg decided it looked wrong. Inspiration struck when he noticed
the cyllinder head of his vintage Ducati motorcycle. When turned
upside down, the cyllinder is pretty much the final design. The art
department added the design of the pod door, which is vaguely
reminiscent of female exterior genitalia (and reinforces the idea of
the pods as artificial wombs, and teleportation as a death/rebirth).
There is a slight structural difference between Telepod 1 and Telepod
2: at the bottom of the pole-like hinge which is attached to the door,
there are several round discs on the pole. Telepod 1 has 8 discs, and
Telepod 2 has 10 (the prototype pod has 8). This is how they can be
told apart.
Presumably, the single prototype telepod was used to both disintegrate
and reintegrate test objects, since building two prototypes before the
design was perfected would have been cost prohibitive (and because a
single pod can perform both functions). The prototype has a solid
metal door in place of the glass window, larger tubing on the sides,
and additional components on either side of the bottom of the pod.
Brundle's small control console is not the computer itself. A massive
bank of computers can be seen lighting up in the corner of the lab as
Brundle turns on the user console.
The computer screens in the film have a lot of detail, such as "ATP
count", CPU activity percentages, and the various encoding/decoding
sequences (" SEQUENCE: ANALYSIS", etc.). The letter/number
combinations that flash on the screen during a teleportion are
presumably designations for the encoded atoms of a given teleportation
subject.
According to Cronenberg, the Telepods work by scanning an object,
disintegrating it, then recreating it from a raw stock of new
molecules (the "plasma pool", as Brundle calls it). This brings up
some interesting philosophical questions, such as whether or not a
teleported person is *killed*, and an exact duplicate takes their
place. Cronenberg does not believe in an afterlife (he can't imagine
the mind and body being separated), and sees the body as the primary
source of personal identity.
On view at various points in the film is Brundle's nervous habit of
biting his fingernails, which comes into focus later on.
The locks on the Telepod doors are a necessity, because we see what
happens when the door is opened during a teleportation sequence at the
end of the film. Judging by the evidence in the film, the locks/doors
can be opened/closed either manually or automatically, by computer
(such as when Brundle goes through the first time). However, there is
no way to open the doors from the inside (presumably to keep the lab
animals from accidentally opening the door), and this proves to be a
problem for Veronica at the film's climax.
There are many references to Brundle being a "magician" in the film.
This may intentionally represent the metaphorical idea that he is like
the shaman of anicient Native American tales who undergoes a
death/rebirth, gains great power and wisdom, and "becomes" an animal.
A nice touch: the computer's analysis of Veronica's stocking indicates
"ORGANIC MATTER: 0.0001%" in the stocking; i.e., the dead skin cells
from her leg.
The idea of a confidant revealing herself to be a professional
journalist recording every word was based on a real incident in
Croenenberg's life.
When Brundle is making coffee for Veronica, he shows off the metal
eagle on top of his Faema coffee machine, a nice touch.
The Bartok people must have a good deal of faith in Brundle to give
him money for a project like this without knowing what it is.
A brief flash of anger can be seen in Brundle (but he catches himself
before it goes to far) as Veronica reveals that she's been taping him.
It is possible that the teleporter accident later on may merely have
unleashed a rage that was always there, beneath the surface.
Particle Magazine is based at Monolith Publishing, an impressive
building which contrasts with Brundle's abandoned warehouse.
The script states that the Bartok party took place two days before
Veronica plays the tape for Stathis. Thus, we can assume the party was
on a Saturday night, and Veronica played the tape on the next business
day for Particle (Monday).
The script also states that Stathis has many honorary and hard-earned
scientific awards hanging in his office (these, as well as Particle
covers, can be seen in his office in the film). Particle Magazine
itself is described as being more like Vanity Fair than a hard-core
science magazine.
Stathis Borans is around 40 years old (since John Getz was roughly the
same age). This raises questions about his relationship with
then-college student Veronica, who was much younger. Stathis goes
through a transformation of his own in the film. At first, he seems to
be an aloof businessman, but we later see that he's (seemingly) the
one-dimensional, jealous type and is practically stalking Veronica.
Although their romantic relationship ended and they now work together
as friends, he can't get over her. In the end, though, he proves to be
an emotional rock for her, a sensitive, caring friend, and he even
becomes a "hero" of sorts when he rescues her from Brundle. Cronenberg
named him after Lou Stathis, late of Heavy Metal magazine, who often
praised Cronenberg's films.
We learn Veronica's first name when Brundle invites her out for
cheeseburgers, but her last name, "Quaife" is never revealed in the
final cut of the film itself (just the end credits).
The sequence of Veronica sneaking up on Stathis in the shower seems an
almost deliberate mocking of the genre convention established in
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960).
The script reveals that Veronica and Stathis lived together for two
years before they split up.
A red and gray folder can be seen on Veronica's table as she argues
with Stathis. She can be seen writing in this same folder after
Brundle teleports the steak.
"I'm still considering the Psychology Today gig". This indicates that
Veronica is more of a freelance journalist and not on staff at
Particle Magazine. It also indicates that she knows Stathis is jealous
of Brundle and she's trying to keep their deal a secret.
The amount of time Brundle and Veronica worked together before they
fell in love is unknown. It's possible that only a few days went by
before they became romantically involved, maybe a few weeks.
Throughout the film, powerful scanning beams can be seen encircling an
object before disintegration, charting the nature and placement of
every atom. These beams are so strong, apparently, that we can see
right through the first baboon before it is teleported.
In a way, like the baboon, Brundle doesn't escape being turned inside
out when he teleports himself later on.
Presumably, the inside-out baboon was "cleaned up" by programming the
computer to disintegrate the remains but not reintegrate them.
According to Cronenberg, Brundle has reached an impass with his work.
Only by learning about flesh and passion can he succeed in teleporting
living objects (another "art and science" reference). However, the
passion that led him to this cognitive leap (and to create the
teleporter in the first place) becomes twisted and megalomanical after
the accident with the fly.
"Computers are dumb. They only know what you tell them". While this is
true, after Brundle programs it to be "creative", the computer begins
doing things it was never programmed to do or intended for.
Brundle's "bed" consists of a fold-out sofa.
Albert Einstein really did buy five sets of exactly the same suit so
as to conserve mental energy by not having to decide what to wear each
day (Dr. Bruce Banner, the alter-ego of Marvel Comics' Incredible
Hulk, has also been established as following this practice. Why else
would he always wear those purple pants?). Still, Brundle's way of
going about it is a bit extreme. He has five tweed jackets and five
identical sets of shoes.
It's hard to say whether or not Veronica deflowered Brundle or not. If
this was indeed his first sexual experience, it would reinforce the
idea of his being "inroduced" to women and passion (i.e, the flesh).
When Brundle rolls onto the circuit board, there are a number of
metaphors at work. First, it foreshadows Brundle being betrayed by his
own technology. Second, it foreshadows his eventual fusion with that
same technology, in the form of Telepod 2 (also reinforcing the theme
of sexuality and technology merging; the board "penetrates" Brundle).
Third, it creates, in a manner of speaking, a technologically-induced
"opening" in his body for the fly to enter (not literally).
After Brundle begins reprogramming the computer to understand the
flesh, a line filmed but deleted from Veroncica goes as such, "What
are you going to do, read it 'Naked Lunch'?" Aside from being deleted
because it was too allusive, it also inadvertantly foreshadows
Cronenberg himself making a film version of Naked Lunch (1991)!
The vanity license plate on Stathis' car reads, "Particle" (also, it
appears to be from Wisconsin, a possible setting for the film, but
it's hard to tell).
The fact that Brundle accepts the new clothes Veronica gets for him
reveals that she's begun to really affect him (although, he wears
these new clothes a few days in a row. Old habits die hard...).
A bit of chronology: The second baboon experiment takes place at 7:50
P.M. (according to Brundle's watch), he teleports himself around 8:30
P.M. (the watch again), Veronica returns from Stathis' office at 10:35
(the bedroom clock), and Veronica gets up the next morning around 7:54
A.M. (the clock again).
The Particle Magazine mockup cover Stathis sends to Veronica (clearly
a jealousy-induced threat: "back off from Brundle or I break the
Telepod story without permission") is dated December, 1986 (a few
months after the date of the film's release, Aug, 1986, which is
presumably around the time the film takes place). The "Telepod" design
is all wrong (Stathis hasn't actually seen the pods yet), and Brundle
is depicted as wearing the leather jacket Veronica bought for him
(which Stathis did see). The mailer has a piece of Particle stationery
attached, which reads "Monolith Publishing", and "From the Desk of
Stathis Borans, Editor, Particle Magazine" (which Brundle makes a fuss
about later). The package is addressed to "Veronica Quaife, c/o Seth
Brundle".
It would seem Brundle is a regular customer of the Chinese restaurant
("Victor? Yeah, Seth Brundle."), presumably because he doesn't get out
much and likes his Chinese carry-out.
Stathis is wrting on a piece of the same type of stationery that was
clipped to the mailer he sent Veronica when she barges into his
office.
Like Stathis before him, Brundle becomes jealous when he thinks
Veronica is still seeing Borans on the side, and he drunkenly decides
to get back at her by teleporting himself without her being present to
see it. Stathis serves as a reminder of the outside world, and reminds
Brundle that Veronica has had romantic entanglements and history prior
to Brundle. Thus, the accident is really Brundle's fault, as he is too
wrapped up in his thoughts to notice the fly. The teleporter works
perfectly; it's Brundle who makes the mistake. The represents
Cronenberg's attempts to rectify the 1958 film's naive, "1950's
America" idea that the teleporter is somehow too "dangerous" and must
be destroyed.
It's not entirely clear HOW the computer merged Brundle and the fly.
Either it took each organism's genetic code and intervove them, or it
selected portions of each (say, 50%) and stuck them together. Some
fans have pointed out that there are millions of bacteria in the human
body, and by all rights Brundle should have merged with them as well,
but it seems likely that Brundle programmed the computer to compensate
for this. He presumably did *not*, however, program it what to do in
the case of two distinctly separate life-forms being in a Telepod at
the same time. The only aspect of the fly to remain intact after the
teleportation was its genetic data. Presumably, the computer replaced
all of the DNA in Brundle's body with the new "Brundlefly"
combination, but still reintegrated his body in the same molecular
configuration it had before he was teleported (since he was the
"primary teleportation subject"). Thus, from the moment he was
reintegrated, Brundle's revised DNA began sending out instructions to
suit the new DNA combination. It takes time for cells in a human body
to die and be replaced with new ones (only in this case, the new cells
would be "Brundlefly" cells), which is why it takes Brundle so long to
mutate.
"Is it live or is it Memorex?" was a slogan used by Memorex to
advertise its audio tape products, referring to the accuracy of the
sound reproduction. Brundle is saying this because he's wondering if
the teleportation really worked, but it also plays into the idea that
a teleported person might just be an exact duplicate of the original
(still, as philosopher John Locke said, if you remember doing
something, then you're the person who did it).
When Veronica returns that evening, the baboon's cage can be seen (a
smaller cage, possibly for the cat used in the deleted "monkey-cat"
scene, is on view later in the film, starting with the "plasma pool"
scene).
A nice touch: After a dazed, sleepy Brundle says he missed Veronica
"last night" and she corrects him ("It's still night. I came back"),
he still claims, "I went through last night".
Since an injury on a human body would more urgently require new cells
to repair the wound (as opposed to the normal routine of producing new
cells), it makes perfect sense that the first sign that something went
wrong would be the insect hairs growing out of the circuit board
puncture wounds on Brundle's back. Thus, the new cells created to heal
the wounds are "Brundlefly" cells created by Brundle's altered DNA.
The fly that Brundle catches in his palm is not the fly (that fly no
longer exists as such), but is another one. This scene also indicates
that, aside from Brundle's improved agility and reflexes, he has a
mild psionic connection with flies (I thought this film was sci-fi,
not "psi-fly"! Heh.). The fact that Brundle wakes up a while before
Veronica implies that he doesn't need much sleep (as he says later, "I
hardly need to sleep anymore and I feel wonderful").
When Veronica wakes up and approaches Brundle, we can see that he has
a sheen of sweat and a look of disbelief. Clearly, he was working out
before Veronica woke up.
A scene that was filmed but deleted (although part of it can be seen
in The Fly II) takes place after Brundle shows off his improved
gymnastic skills. Veronica interviews Brundle on videotape, and he
explains that he feels energized and also theorizes that the process
of teleportation may have "improved" him. His possible explaination
for this is that he told the computer to be "creative". He also asks
Veronica if she wants to try being teleported and she declines. The
scene was clearly deleted because it slowed things down and didn't
explain anything the scenes around it do in a more efficient manner.
The chronology of these and later events must now be called into
question. During Day 1 (as we'll call it)Brundle goes through and
Ronnie comes back. The next morning (Day 2), he exercises (the deleted
interview presumably comes after that). The scenes on the street/in
the cafe and the "plasma pool" scene are harder to place. It's
possible all of these events occurred during Day 2, but there are some
clues (Veronica's change of clothes and Brundle explaining that he
asked the computer if it improved him being prime examples, although
it's possible Veronica went home to freshen up on Day 2 before she and
Brundle went out to the cafe.) that indicate a few days went by before
things started to go downhill.
On the street, Brundle purchases Veronica a necklace with a
heart-shaped charm, evidence that he is now beginning to change her as
they grow closer (before, she claimed, "I don't wear jewlery", just as
Brundle insisted on wearing identical clothes every day). She wears
this necklace in every scene for the rest of the film, as it is a
visual symbol of their relationship.
As Brundle puts the necklace around Veronica's neck, it appears he's
whispering, "Do you love me?" in her ear.
"So I asked the computer if it improved me and it said I didn't know
what I was talking about". This line of Brundle's is a reference to
his theory about the computer "improving" him in the deleted
"interview" scene. It also establishes that the computer did NOT
"improve" or "purify" him. Instead, his newfound power and energy are
early signs of his genetic fusion with the fly (remember, insects can
lift many times their own weight).
The coffee shop scene establishes Brundle's humorous, fly-like craving
for sugary foods. It also establishes that Brundle is quickly becoming
addicted to his new, "Ubermensch"-like powers. This manic state will
soon lead to his aggressive belief that he has risen above the
constraints of "normal" society. Finally, it contrasts with the
earlier scene in the fast-food restaurant ("Wait for me that long?"
vs. "Let's go! Move! Catch me if you can!")
The "plasma pool" scene (beginning with Brundle and Ronnie's
Olympic-length sex session) shows off the "Stage 1" Brundlefly
transformation makeup. It consists of a rash on Brundle's face (and
could be mistaken for the "sex rashes" people sometimes get, which
plays into the "sex-and-corruption-of-the-flesh-from-within" theme
that pervades Cronenberg's work).
This scene also shows that Brundle's new-found energy has led to his
becoming a bit sex-crazed. Often in Cronenberg's films, sex leads to
corruption of the flesh from within, and this is a prime example.
Indeed, although it was not intended to be such by Cronenberg (but
film critics thought it was), Brundle's increased sexual activity
dovetailing into his "disease" provides a strong AIDS metaphor.
From this point on, Brundle's mutation is treated as a metaphor for
diseases like cancer, and, more specifically, old age ("Happens when
you get older", "It's one of the compensations of old age", etc.).
Many details of Brundle's mutation are symptoms of old age (losing
hair, losing teeth, etc.). Indeed, Cronenberg has said of aging: "In
time, we all become monsters".
Brundle's treament of teleportation as a drug kicks off another
metaphor: drug addiction. His ranting about purity of mind and body
also satirizes the "New Age" types who spout the same kind of talk.
However, the reason for his change in attitude is never really
explained. Is it purely biological, a result of changes brought on by
his fusion with the fly? Or does he feel so good, he's decided to just
let go of his inhibitions?
"I said I was scared to do it! What do I have to say? I'M NOT GONNA DO
IT!" These lines of Veronica's refer back to the deleted "interview"
scene, where she refused Brundle's offer to teleport her.
As he storms out, Brundle is wearing only his underwear and the pants,
jacket, and shoes Veronica bought for him.
"You think you woke me up about the flesh, don't you? But you only
know society's straight line about the flesh! You can't penetrate
beyond society's sick, gray fear of the flesh!" This represents
Cronenberg's thoughts about how society tends to ignore the "flesh",
the human body. The average person is uncomfortable talking about the
body and sexuality. Brundle believes that, by undegoing teleportation
("Drink deep, or taste not, the plasma spring!"), he has achieved a
deeper understanding of the flesh than everyone else. But his true
lesson has just begun.
Brundle's subsequent erratic behavior (such as his fling with Tawny)
could be interpreted as a "mid-life crisis" aspect of the old age
theme.
The "Stage 2" makeup (on view from the street/bar scene to Brundle's
learning the truth about his teleportion from the computer) consists
of pimples and warts on his face, as well as small insect hairs
growing on his face. The rest of his body is also becoming discolored,
a la Stage 1.
The song playing in the bar, "Help Me" (written by Nile Rodgers and
Bryan Ferry, performed by Bryan Ferry) is the only "source" song in
the film. Of course, the title is a reference to the famous "Help me,
please help me!" phrase from the 1958 film. The lyrics are also rather
symbolic of Brundle's plight.
Marky is played by George Chuvalo, a former Canadian Heavyweight
boxing champ.
The script makes it clear that Marky and the other man are
arm-wrestling for sexual favors from Tawny. Tawny's line originally
went, "Because the winner wins me, and 'cause I like Marky tonight".
A close-up of Brundle and Marky's hands while wrestling reveals a
pus-like fluid seeping from Brundle's fingernails (the CWI people who
developed it called it "fly juice"). This fluid can be seen coming
from Brundle as various moments later in the film.
After barhopping (All night long!), Brundle and Tawny return to his
warehouse. She's clearly plastered, but he seems completely sober, no
doubt because his body is burning a lot of energy very quickly.
As Brundle and Tawny ascend the stairs, the keys to the padlock on
Brundle's lab door can be heard jangling in his pocket.
As Brundle teleports himself for the second time, the philosphical
question of personal identity is once again raised. Is this entity
made of new atoms still Brundle?
Brundle's sex scene with Tawny is the most blatant in the film yet.
The initial sex scene with Veronica was tender and occurred
off-camera, the second was more revealing and disturbing, and now this
one is near-softcore and very disturbing. Also, the scene combines
many of the film's themes: technology (Brundle's teleportation), sex,
and corruption of the flesh (the prominent insect hairs on Brundle's
back).
Notice that Brundle accepts being called a "magician". Early on, he
might have taken offense to Stathis' remarks about his work being a
nightclub act, but now, in his mania, he's acting like a mad
scientist/magician.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Later that morning, Brundle is clearly
not feeling quite as well as before. He's hunched over, distracted.
He's feeling the lesions on his face with his left hand, and his right
hand is holding his left side as though it aches (more on this later).
Still, he insists on teleporting Tawny, holding on to his "addiction".
"No. Be afraid. Be very afraid". These simple words of Veronica's
became the tagline for the film, and have solidly ingrained themselves
into pop-culture consciousness. They may be even more famous to the
general public than, "Help me! Please, help me!".
Note that Brundle is still holding his left side as Veronica confronts
him (this is where an insect leg will burst out in a deleted scene
later in the film).
"You look bad...you smell bad". "I've never been much of a bather". In
the Pogue script, similar dialogue was also used, but Geoff Powell was
clearly established as having body odor due to a lack of bathing. In
this version, though, it's possible the smell is coming from Brundle's
rotting flesh. Hard to say.
As Veronica confronts Brundle, he picks up an unwrapped chocolate bar
and takes a bite, making a face (as though it tastes bad). This is
likely the first sign that his taste buds (and digestive system) are
beginning to change.
When Brundle forces Veronica out and slams the door behind her, it
neatly contrasts with their first scene in the lab, when she stormed
out and he tried to stop her.
Although Brundle puts on a good show, immediately after he throws
Veronica out, he rushes into the bathroom to inspect his face.
Clearly, he did believe her warning, deep down, but is still in denial
(in fact, he seems to go through all the various stages of acceptance
as the film progresses).
The white robe that Veronica wore in the "plasma pool" scene (and
which Brundle may have worn in the deleted "interview" scene) can be
seen hanging in the bathroom. What appears to be a hair curler can
also be seen (Brundle must use it to style that nifty mullet of his).
Still in denial, Brundle tries to shave off one of the insect hairs on
his face, getting it snagged in the razor. He shows off his superhuman
strength when he angrily casts the razor aside.
Clearly nervous now, Brundle bites on his fingernail, only to watch it
fall out. This is the first step in the stripping away of the
biological things (remember, in Cronenberg's view, biology= identity)
that make him Seth Brundle. Losing his nails shocks Brundle out of his
mania and back to reality.
The fluid that drips and squirts out of Brundle's discolored,
nail-less fingers is more "fly juice".
"Give me a disc. Uhh...I need the first teleportation, S. Brundle".
According to the script, the computer uses laserdiscs to store its
information on. Presumably, the discs are located inside the computer
console, and are accessed by voice commands.
Brundle is now wearing old gloves, presumably in an attempt to keep
his remaining nails on his fingers, and to protect the nail-less ones.
A small dot (the fly) is on view being scanned along with Brundle in
the animated representation of his teleportation.
The teleportation-playback sequence is a bit confusing. First, we see
a graphic of Brundle and the fly being scanned. Then, we see atoms
being charted (presumably), each labeled "BRU 001", "BRU 002", etc.
Then we hear some insistent beeping, and we then see a DNA strand. The
computer pulls back from the stand to reveal that it belongs to a fly.
Presumably, the playback is showing Brundle's atoms being charted, but
the process being stopped when a new life-form is detected and the
computer gets confused.
Of course, he computer's laconic answers to Brundle's deperate
questions are a humorous reminder that "computers are dumb". The
computer is "creative" and "dumb" at exactly the moments opposite that
it should be.
Brundle presumably lets one month go by because he's ashamed of his
behavior towards Veronica. He also seems to have acquired a lot of
junk food during this time, possibly by buying it in gross and having
it delivered to his warehouse.
Chronology must be called into question once again. Veronica visits
Stage 3 Brundle at night. She is seen wearing the same clothes she
wore during this visit when she confers with Stathis (presumably the
next morning). Then, at mid-day, she's still wearing the same clothes
when she visits Brundle again, but he's already progressed to Stage 4.
Could Brundle have mutated that much within 24 hours? It is possible
("And it's been accelerating. Every day, there are...changes".). Or
perhaps Veronica wore the same clothes (not exactly her Sunday best,
mind you) several days in a row.
Stage 3 Brundle makes his first and only appearance when Veronica
visits him after their separation. His skin is now heavily deformed
and discolored, and there are bald spots appearing on his head (an old
age metaphor). He's once again wearing the clothes she bought him (no
doubt to gain her sympathy and "apologize" at the same time), but the
shirt is covered with vomit stains. He's still wearing the gloves (he
probably still has a few fingernails at this point), and is now using
canes (another old age mataphor), likely because his internal body
structure is changing a great deal (which plays into a metaphor cooked
up by Chris Walas, Inc. relating to Brundle's outer body serving as a
"cocoon" of sorts for the final creature). This scene represents the
closest we'll ever again see Brundle acting/looking somewhat like he
did before the accident.
When Veronica visits, we can see that the tarp has been pulled off of
the prototype Telepod, and that the door is open (indicating that
Brundle has been reconditioning it in an attempt to find a cure).
The idea of the disease being contagious also (unintentionally) makes
one think of AIDS.
Although Brundle is very diseased, it's something of a miracle that he
doesn't develop a fatal tumor or such due to genetic malfunction. It's
likely someone else in the same situation would have. Yet, Brundle
survives to become a literal fusion of man and insect (though not a
viable or healthy one).
We can see that Brundle's lab is now cluttered with trash, half-eaten
junk food, etc. As time goes on, this mess will get worse and worse.
It is a physical representation (a metaphor made flesh, so to speak)
of Brundle's mental disintegration. Cronenberg has used this visual
metaphor in several of his films, including Dead Ringers (1988).
"I know an old lady who swallowed a fly. Perhaps she'll die". Brundle
has acquired a "gallows humor" concerning his condition. He must make
nervous, self-deprecating jokes, or he'll go insane (using dark humor
to deal with disaster is a defense mechanism many people have). This
particular joke is based on the popular song "I know an old lady who
swallowed a fly". The full version of the lyric goes like this: "I
know an old lady who swallowed a fly. I don't know why she swallowed
the fly. Perhaps she'll die".
"It mated us, me and the fly. We weren't even properly introduced. My
teleporter turned into a gene-splicier, and a very good one. Now, I'm
not Seth Brundle anymore. I'm the offspring of...Brundle and
housefly". In way (especially if the computer only took half of each
organism's DNA and stuck them together), the computer did artificially
mate Brundle and the fly. In theory, "Brundlefly" would be the result
if a human and a fly could mate. This is another Cronenberg-esque
connection between sexuality, technology, and corruption of the flesh
from within.
"I'm...uh...just gonna disintegrate. In a novel way, no doubt. And
then I'll die. And then it will be over". In a way, Brundle has just
described the rest of the film.
In the script, after Veronica asks Brundle why he called her, he
explains that he wants her to continue taping him because the world
will probably be even more interested in what went wrong than what
went right with his work. These lines presumably fall into the "filmed
but deleted" category (as do many, many other lines and moments in the
script, which may or may not have been filmed).
Since Brundle's "vomit-drop" doesn't melt through the donut (or his
hand), it is apparently not yet as corrosive as it will later become.
The loss of Brundle's ear is yet another step towards his
dehumanization. Note that more "fly juice" leaks out of the ear
cavity.
"Help me...please, please help me!" This is, of course, a slightly
modified version of the famous line from The Fly (1958).
The establishing shot of Monolith Publishing shows off (in close-up) a
portion of the building (the name of the building) seen in the
original establishing shot, when Veronica played her audiotape for
Stathis.
The Stage 4 makeup is seen when Veronica returns to videotape Brundle.
Note that he is no longer using the canes (as his body structure has
re-formed, and he is now in the "hunched" posture of the final stage
creature), he's lost more hair, his face and arms are much more
deformed (the arms also have insect hairs on them), his teeth are
crooked (with receding gums), and he's lost his other ear. Sticky,
cushion-like pads have developed on his hands and feet, allowing him
to cling to walls. Also, he's now wearing only a t-shirt and the pants
Veronica bought him, another visual cue that he's (literally) being
stripped of his humanity, inside and out.
"Stopped biting my nails". Brundle has now lost all of his fingernails
and toenails. Also, the index and middle fingers on his right hand are
webbed together with a flap of skin.
"Oh, look at this. What's this? I don't know". Brundle lifts his shirt
to reveal a bulge on the left side of his torso. This is the area that
he was holding (as if it hurt) during Stage 2, and from which an
insect leg will burst out later in a scene deleted from the film.
Brundle's change in attitude is very telling. Just the day before
(ostensibly), he was "scared and angry and desperate". Now he seems
almost gleeful, in a sarcastic sort of way. Clearly, he's trying to
rationalize the "disease" by studying it and treating it as a
transformation ("a disease with a purpose"), in an attempt to keep
from going totally insane (not that he's perfectly sane at this
point...). This ties into Croneberg's idea of the body-as-identity
(can the body really be altered without the mind being affected, or
vice versa?). As Brundle's body changes, he is also mentally and
emotionally changing into something else.
"Turned into WHAT?", "Whadda ya think, a fly? Am I becoming a 185-lb
fly? No, I'm becoming something that never existed before. I'm
becoming...Brundlefly! Don't you think that's worth a Nobel Prize or
two?" This is an in-joke, as Geoff Powell literally (and illogically)
became a 185-lb fly in Pogue's script. In Cronenberg's version,
Brundle is becoming an organism that never existed before, a real
fusion of an insect and a man that embodies elements of both.
It is unclear if Brundle has developed his proboscis (the "tongue"
that flies use to eat) at this point.
The idea of Veronica's fearful pregnancy brings to mind another
Cronenberg theme: the fear of "alien" life incubating inside a human
body (Brundle is going though the same thing, in a way). It also
brings to mind traditional human fears about any normal pregnancy.
After Veronica tells Stathis she's pregnant, a sequence filmed but
deleted took place. This infamous "monkey-cat" scene was deleted
because a preview audience felt Brundle was being cruel to the animals
involved. It offered the only appearance of Stage 4-b Brundle
(basically the same as Stage 4-a, but without any clothes, revealing
more of Brundle's deformed body and his lack of genitals). It was to
serve as a transitional makeup, bridging Stage 4-a with the much more
radically deformed Stage 5. In the final cut, the film heavy-handedly
jumps from Stage 4 to Stage 5, which is more jarring. In the sequence,
Brundle is desperately seeking a cure. He has installed a
"gene-splicing" program in the computer, and has placed the surviving
baboon in Telepod 2, and a cat in Telepod 1 (the prototype Telepod is
to be the receiver). Attempting to find a way to remove to fly genes
from his body, he merges the baboon and the cat together as an
experiment, hoping to then find a way to separate them. The prototype
pod's (now called "Telepod 3") door opens, and a hideously deformed,
two-headed "monkey-cat" leaps out and attacks Brundle. Realizing the
insanity and cruelty of what he has done, Brundle grabs a steel pipe
and mercifully beats the thing to death. Distraught, he climbs out the
skylight of his lab and onto the roof, where he screams, "NO!", as if
resisting the new insect urges consuming him. Suddenly, he feels a
sharp pain in the bulge on his left side, and falls, sliding down the
wall and landing on a steel awning. A small, undeveloped insect leg
bursts out of the bulge. Unable to cope with this next step toward
real insectness, Brundle proclaims, "No! No, I won't...", bends over
in a very non-human way, and amputates the leg with his teeth. He
spits it out, and it lands in a mud puddle in the alley, where it
twitches for a moment.
The point of the monkey-cat sequence was to show that, although
Brundle was trying to find a cure, he was losing touch with reality.
It was to be a major psychological turning point for him (it also
explains why the baboon is never seen again in the final cut). When
the insect leg amputation was being shot, Director of Photography Mark
Irwin was called away from the set on a personal emergency and could
not return for the last week of filming (Robin Miller, one of Irwin's
former assistant DPs, was called in to shoot the film's remaining
footage, including Brundle's final transformation. He is credited
under "Additional Photography" in the film's end titles.). Since
Goldblum was attached to a prosthetic torso (which took 5 hours to get
him into), the amputation had to be filmed then or not at all. An
elderly cameraman (Kenneth Post, C.S.C., as the "Additional
Photography" credits in the film's end titles indicate) took over for
Irwin, but the finished shot turned out to be too dark and underlit to
"read" in dailies. Presumably, the rough cut of the scene shown at the
preview screening ended after the monkey-cat's death. The leg
amputation would have provided a climax for the "bulge on Brundle's
side" subplot.
Even in Veronica's abortion nightmare, she is stil wearing the
necklace Brundle bought for her. l
The bespectacled obstretician who delivers Veronica's "maggot-baby" is
played by none other than David Cronenberg, in his only major cameo in
one of his own films (to date).
The maggot-baby fx puppet had a "face" that can't really be seen in
the film proper.
When Brundle is working on "The Brundlefly Project", the computer
reads, "GOAL: TO REFINE FUSION PROGRAM". The program in question was
established in the deleted "monkey-cat" scene, and needs refining
because that experiment didn't end well. The baboon and the cat were
merged in a physical way (not in a genetic way, like Brundle and the
fly).
Due to a sound effect editing error, it seems as if Brundle is typing
"SOLUTION: FUSION BY GENE-SPLICING OF BRUNDLEFLY WITH ONE OR MORE PURE
HUMAN SUBJECTS". In fact, this is the *computer's* coldly mathematical
and logical solution (50% human/50% fly + 100% human= 75% human) to
Brundle's plight (you can tell this because the "arrow" which always
precedes the computer's text prefaces the "solution").
Brundle's fingers are losing their human dexterity, so he's using a
pencil to help with his typing.
Stage 5 Brundle is a more radical version of the deleted Stage 4-b.
His pinky fingers on both hands are "dead", the index and middle
fingers on his right hand have fused together, the middle finger on
his left hand has enlarged, he's (apparently) lost a toe on his left
foot (and some other toes are clustering together), he's lost most of
his hair, his head has enlarged, his left eye has enlarged, and his
face is much more deformed. There are also many long insect hairs all
over his body (which plays into Veronica's line early on, "I really
don't think you want a body covered with these!"). A large bulge can
also be seen on his right side now.
Brundle seems surprised by the loss of his teeth (many more worse
things have happened before this), but his lip-smacking reaction is
priceless.
An empty, torn box of "Cap'n Crunch" cereal can be seen in Brundle's
bathroom sink.
Brundle is now treating his dropped-off body parts as relics on his
voyage of discovery. His "Museum of Natural History" consists of (from
left to right): his left ear (in soap tray), a toe (maybe, in jar),
some bits of flesh (or maybe fingernails), part of his penis (or
another toe, perhaps, in medicine bottle), his penis, and his
testicles (maybe, in jar).
"You've missed some good moments. Is that why you're here, to catch
up?" This line of Brundle's is rather ironic, since audiences, like
Veronica, missed out on some of those moments when the monkey-cat
sequence was deleted.
Upon close examination, the burst-open bulge and insect leg stump can
be seen on Brundle's left side for the duration of Stage 5.
Veronica has come to tell Brundle that she's pregnant (and considering
an abortion), but can't go through with it. Throughout the scene, she
fondles the necklace Brundle gave her, as though trying to recall
happier times.
The meaning of the "Insect Politics" speech is (presumably) that
Brundle wants to remain human at heart, but his new biological urges
are destroying his ability to feel compassion and compromise. The idea
of what it means to be human (Genotype? Phenotype? Behavior?) comes
into play, as Brundle essentially says that since he's genetically a
human-fly combo, he's becoming less and less human intellectually and
behaviorally ("the insect is awake"), and that he's becoming
dangerous.
The shot of Brundle peering at Veronica from the roof of the lab (as
well as his sprinting over rooftops with her in his arms later on)
seem a deliberate homage to horror genre conventions (he is deformed
and hunched over like Quasimodo at this point...)
Although Brundle had seemingly severed his ties with Veronica,
learning of the planned abortion is what sends him off the deep end
(he tells her to leave him for good, but then goes after her and
abducts her).
Dr. Brent Cheevers (played by Cronenberg "veteran" Les Carlson) had a
lengthier appearance in the script, which may or may not have been
filmed. It's clear he and Stathis are old friends.
Brundle claims that his unborn baby "...might be...all that's left of
the real me!". This echos his earlier rantings in the coffee shop: "Of
course, interestingly, at the exact same moment when I achieve what'll
probably prove to be my life's work, that's the moment when I start
being the real me, finally".
"Too bad...too bad". When Veronica refuses Brundle's request to have
the baby, he gets an insane gleam in his eyes...time for plan "B".
When Stathis enters Brundle's lab, he makes a face. He's smelling all
the rotten food and garbage that's been accumualting in the lab.
The script establishes Stathis' shotgun as one used for
skeet-shooting, the only one he has access to on such short notice.
The fact that Brundle's vomit looks like semen is surely an
intentional reference. It's also become much more caustic by this
time. When Brundle is vomiting, his lower jaw flexes in a very inhuman
way (as though it's been split in half down the middle, kind of like
Martinfly's jaw in The Fly II).
Some of Brundle's vomit splatters onto Stathis' chest, creating a
bloody wound there. The script states that the wounds were cauterized
by the vomit, and this is why Stathis doesn't bleed to death.
A lengthy shot of Brundle picking up Stathis' severed foot, ejecting a
proboscis from his mouth (the same one seen on the final stage
creature), and sucking up bloody fluids from the foot was filmed but
deleted. The final cut thus keeps Brundle from becoming a cannibal of
sorts, and makes it seem as if he's using his vomit purely as a weapon
(presumably, Brundle's intent for the attack on Stathis was a
combination of revenge and feeding, thanks to his body's new insect
urges). Blood can be seen on Brundle's chin as Veronica calls out to
him and he's licking his lips, as well, which are the only remnants of
the deleted shot.
As Brundle leads Veronica to the computer, she looks off to screen
right and gasps, as she's likely seeing the wounded, semi-conscious
Stathis on the floor.
Brundle's "ultimate family" idea is his last, mad reach for a cure,
and also a Cronenberg-esque "what-if?" concerning sex and personal
identity. This intended fusion would be the ultimate form of sexuality
and intimacy, as a man and a woman share a single body. Thankfully
(for us as well as Veronica), we don't see the result of this plan
(which would have likely have been a hideous, mortally stricken
*thing*, not what Brundle intended).
The shot of Brundle stumbling and knocking over the lamp is the last
shot of Jeff Goldblum in the film. From this point on, it's all
puppetry.
CWI's idea for the final transformation was that Brundle's inner
formation fills itself with air (like many pupatating insects do,
expanding and tearing through its "cocoon" (his outer layer of skin).
Presumably, Brundle's remaining "useless" parts (jaw, dead fingers,
etc.) were held together with loose connective tissue. His optic
nerves presumably were still functional, despite the insect eyes
sitting behind the human ones.
David Cronenberg felt that the film was a bit like a documentary which
depicts the birth, evolution, and death of a new species, called
Brundlefly. Indeed, it's as if teleportation serves as a form of
reproduction (which reinforces the sex/technology motif), with
Brundle's body giving "birth" to the final stage creature.
In a series of close-ups, we see Brundle's right hand shedding its
skin (and some fingers) and sprouting claws, his right leg reversing
its joint (becoming insect-like), his left leg getting an extra joint
below the knee, another, more developed insect leg bursting out of the
bulge on his right side, and his left foot shedding its skin. "Fly
juice" can be seen dripping from Brundle during all of these shots.
In the next shot, as Brundle begins to step backward, we can see his
human jaw on the floor. Also, he "steps out" of his human right foot,
revealing an insect-like hoof.
As Brundle's head bursts open, we can see the final result of his
fusion with the fly, Stage 6 ("Brundlefly"). The creature is vaguely
humanoid, with a deformed human-ish left leg (with 3 deformed toes)
and arm (with 5 stubby fingers on the hand), and a more insect-like
right arm (a long arm, with two clawed, tube-like "fingers" on the
end) and leg (with clawed hoof). A long, useless insect leg hangs from
the right side of his torso. Presumably, the creature can no longer
crawl on walls due to its altered body structure (especially the hands
and feet). The head is insect-like, with antennae, a proboscis, and
large insect eyes (that have functional eyelids). This deformed thing
is the result of the computer's "logical" fusion of Brundle and fly
(their "offspring"). It is Brundlefly (although the crew called it the
"Space Bug" on-set). Although it would seem Brundle's mind is totally
gone at this point, it must be realized that only his body has
changed, and he is probably in terrible pain and confusion.
Note that Stathis' shotgun is covered in blood from Brundle's attack
on him earlier.
Brundlefly's "vocalizations" are presumably the result of its' trying
to speak without a mouth to give shape to words.
Stathis' shotgun severs the connection between Telepod 1 (Veronica's)
and the computer, thus leaving it out of the fusion sequence.
Brundlefly is merged with Telepod 2 (The computer flashes, "FUSION OF
BRUNDLEFLY AND TELEPOD SUCCESSFUL"). The computer surely was never
programmed to included the Telepods themselves in the process, another
example of it being "creative"). Thus, creator (Seth Brundle) becomes
one with his creation (Telepod 2), and creator (Telepod 2) becomes one
with its' own creation (Brundlefly). This also creates a "returning to
the (mechanical) womb" metaphor. The computer screen reads that the
CPU is at 89% when performing this final fusion.
In Cinefex # 28, video graphic designer Lee Wilson states that he
enjoyed a computer split-screen comparing Brundle's bodily components
with similar components built into the Telepod. However, no such thing
appears in the final cut. This likely refers to a computer screen
created for the "Brundle merges with Telepod 2" sequence.
Merged with a chunk of Telepod 2, the "Stage 7"
Brundlething/Brundlebooth (as the crew called it) has "wings" of a
sort.
Veronica's hands are bloody in the end (symbolically) because she was
holding Stathis' bloody shotgun (although it was his blood on the
gun).
When the Brundlething begs for death, we see that Seth Brundle is
still in there, making his death that much more tragic. By asking for
compassion and compromise from Veronica, Brundle, in effect, becomes
the first "Insect Politician" (as he had hoped to be earlier).
It seems appropriate that Veronica is the least "damaged" in the end,
as she is the emotional center of the film and should be the one to
determine her unborn child's fate. Her weakness (according to
Cronenberg) was her habit of molding herself around the men in her
life, and their work. Now, the future is in her hands.
In the draft of the script I have (dated Nov. 1, 1985), the ending is
very different from the final version. Brundlefly knocks Veronica
unconscious and places her in Telepod 1. Events proceed as in the
film, but as the Brundlething is reintegrated in Telepod 3, the pod
"implodes". The Brundlething emerges from the wreckage and moves
toward Stathis, dribbling vomit drop. It is unclear if the
Brundlething is trying to attack him, or if it is just seeking human
contact. Finally, it shudders and dies, and Stathis crawls over to
Telepod 1 to let the semi-conscious Veronica out. This ending was
likely changed because Veronica was almost forgotten, and because it
just didn't have the emotional impact that the filmed version does.
An epilogue was filmed but deleted. In my script, it begins with
Veronica in bed with Stathis, and she is now pregnant with his child
(and having aborted Brundle's). However, a Starlog magazine interview
with Geena David indicates that the filmed version shows her alone in
bed (a Cronenberg interview indicates he may have shot it both ways,
to keep his options open). In both versions, the dream sequence is the
same; Veronica falls asleep, and dreams of a cocoon hanging on a tree
branch (the dream was filmed using stop-motion animation). The cocoon
opens to reveal a human baby with beautiful blue butterfly wings. The
baby flies onto the branch, stretches its wings to full size, then
flies off toward a distant light source. Back in the real world, we
see Veronica smiling as the camera pans down, to reveal that she's
very much pregnant with Brundle's child. The "abortion ending" version
of the dream presumably would have represented Veronica coming to
terms with Brundle's death, and the "she's gonna have it!" version
would have shown an optimistic view of the unborn child. The scene was
deleted for raisng too many questions, and because preview audiences
were too shocked by the climax in the lab to appreciate it. If it had
stayed in, it might have negated the premise of the sequel, The Fly II
(1989).
The end titles have a few interesting tidbits:
"The Fly created and designed by Chris Walas, Inc." may not have been
there during the original theatrical release, but it's hard to say.
The crew consists of many Cronenberg film "regulars" and veterans.
Cronenberg's sister, Denise, was the costume designer.
Under the CWI credits, crew member Guy Hudson is listed as "Sir Guy of
Hudson", and Jim Issac is listed as "Jim Smash Issac".
Gryffindorseeker
Awesome Greg, now when do we see the other ones?
Judi
"Gregatron" <brund...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Ron Hubbard
genitalia?"
Ron
"Gryffindorseeker" <davidcron...@charter.net> wrote in message
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