[Excalibur] Creature from the Black Lagoon

[andy at research.umass.edu]

http://www.dailyhampshiregazette.com/storytmp.cfm?id_no=101400202004

'NOT since the beginning of time has the world beheld a terror like
this'' declared posters for ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' back in
1954. Tomorrow night at the Calvin Theatre, you can see this monster
classic in 3-D with live music by the Jazz Passengers. ''The Creature
from the Black Lagoon'' is a classic '50s science fiction movie directed
by Jack Arnold, who also directed ''It Came from Outer Space'' and ''The
Incredible Shrinking Man.'' 
  
A research team goes to the Amazon where they discover a creature who is
half-man/half-fish. The movie features great underwater photography and
3-D effects, a creepy looking gill-man and a voluptuous woman in peril.

You even get a young Clint Eastwood in his first screen appearance as a
goofy lab assistant. One reviewer called it ''one of the finest fantasy
films ever made,'' while others see it as a camp hoot.

''It's hilarious,'' said Roy Nathanson, leader of the Jazz Passengers.
''Especially for our band, because the movie is these super-white guys
who go down to Brazil and find this weird creature. It's very '50s. It's
all about the 'other' and our group is really multicultural,'' said
Nathanson, on the phone from his home in New York City.

The band has replaced the soundtrack and dialogue with its own creation
that combines the original script and music with the Jazz Passengers'
interpretations and comedic dialogue. Nathanson and vibes player Bill
Ware have done a lot of film scoring recently, including the soundtrack
to ''Raising Victor Vargas.''

At the Calvin' you will hear a combination of a pre-recorded CD and live
performance from the band onstage. Keeping everything synched up with
the action is tricky. The Jazz Passengers have a special soundman who
can speed up or slow down the pre-recorded material and a conductor to
keep the live performance right on cue. The seven-piece Jazz Passengers
first unleashed their ''Creature'' in 1997, doing 20 minutes of the
movie with the female lead performed by Debbie Harry, who had made
several post-Blondie records with the Jazz Passengers. Ilene Weiss, a
guitarist and actress, will portray the damsel-in-distress role at the
Calvin.

Last year, the band was commissioned by Celebrate Brooklyn to work up
the whole movie. They first performed it outdoors for 6,000 people in
Brooklyn's Prospect Park and now they are starting on a 16-date tour
around the country, including Friday's stop at the Calvin. The Halloween
season is starting early with ''Creature from the Black Lagoon''
extravaganza tomorrow. Tickets are $15 and include 3-D glasses.
586-8686.