Frogs (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Sep 11, 2024
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
George McCowanRelease Date(s)
1972 (August 27, 2024)Studio(s)
American International Pictures (Kino Cult #12)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
Frogs was made during a 1970s resurgence of movies about nature gone topsy-turvy—giant insects (Empire of the Ants), people with ray guns fending off gigantic prehistoric beasts (Planet of Dinosaurs), extinct animals doing battle with modern humans (The Land That Time Forgot), and scientific experiments gone terribly wrong (The Island of Dr. Moreau). In Frogs, it’s not just the title creatures but the combined forces of nature that turn on humans.
Freelance wildlife photographer Pickett Smith (Sam Elliott, Lifeguard) is canoeing around an island estate owned by the Crockett family. It’s the July 4th weekend and all the family members are there to celebrate their elderly patriarch’s birthday. As Smith is taking pictures of the local fauna, and the polluted swamp, a speeding boat driven by drunken Clint Crockett (Adam Rourke, Play It As It Lays) upsets the canoe and pitches Smith and his equipment into the water. Apologetic, Clint picks Smith up and invites him back to the house to get into dry clothes and have lunch.
Smith meets the wheelchair-bound Jason Crockett (Ray Milland, The Premature Burial), who’s adamant that his birthday celebration will go as planned. Other members of the family include Clint’s wife Jenny (Lynn Borden, Walking Tall), their two kids, Clint’s sister Karen (Joan Van Ark, TV’s Knots Landing), butterfly enthusiast Iris Martindale (Hollis Irving, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom) and her sons, Michael (David Gilliam, The Eagle Has Landed) and Ken (Nicholas Cortland, The Day of the Locust). Ken has brought along his girlfriend, Bella (Judy Pace, Cotton Comes to Harlem), an African-American beauty who dresses in African-inspired clothes. Periodically, we see groups of frogs—sometimes in full close-up—seeming to watch and bide their time. Every time we see them, there are more, and they’re everywhere.
As the clueless Crocketts look to Pickett to help them understand this sudden infestation of frogs, he becomes the primary source of exposition. Having seen the pollution, he concludes that nature is fighting back. Gradually, we see that there seems to be a conspiracy among frogs, snakes, alligators, lizards, scorpions, tarantulas, leeches, giant turtles, and even birds to take revenge against the perceived polluters. Pickett becomes the by-the-book action hero, explaining the imminent danger to the family and trying to convince the stubborn old man, who insists that nothing will ruin his birthday no matter how bad things get, then becoming their protector. Based only on what he’s seen of the polluted swamp and discovering badly mutilated bodies, Pickett somehow comes up with the theory that this rising up of nature against humankind is a worldwide phenomenon.
In typical monster movie tradition, the cast is large so that, one by one, they can succumb in awful ways to the ravages of angry nature. Director George McCowan tries to build suspense by repeatedly interspersing shots of assorted animals, particularly frogs, with the narrative. Remarkably, most of the characters fail to notice any of these dangerous creatures even when they’re only feet away. It’s also hard to make average frogs look scary. They’re not especially pretty, but their docility makes it difficult to accept that they’re capable of murder. And, of course, once bodies start turning up, characters still foolishly wander off alone to meet their demise.
What comes across quite effectively is the heavy, humid atmosphere of the swamp land. Even when the Crocketts are assembled on the neatly manicured lawn of the estate, the sun beats down and we can imagine how uncomfortable it must be. Can’t the wealthy Crocketts afford air conditioning? Scenes of characters struggling with underbrush, a leech-infested swamp and, of course, creepy crawlies suggest enormous discomfort and encroaching doom.
The frogs don’t actually kill anyone but the film’s poster features a frog with a bloody human hand hanging out of its mouth. This apparently was enough to pack theaters and the film was a hit. With American International’s tried-and-true method of filmmaking—low budget, a star name, and a clever advertising campaign—the film grossed over $2 million domestically.
Ray Milland’s career was well past its peak when he agreed to do Frogs. His acting consists primarily of being grouchy, short-tempered and authoritative as the family patriarch. Milland does add stature to the picture, with plenty of left-over star appeal from his 1940s-1950s heyday. The other performances are serviceable. Elliott is stiff and dull as Pickett and a half-hearted attempt to create romantic sparks between Pickett and Karen never convinces.
Frogs was shot by director of photography Mario Tosi on 35 mm film with Panavision R-200° cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Kino Cult brings the film to Blu-ray for a second time using the same HD master included on Scream Factory’s 2015 Double Feature Blu-ray, which was paired with and shared the same disc as The Food of the Gods, with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Kino’s release corrects this to the original 1.85:1, while also giving the presentation more disc space to breathe at a much higher bitrate. The Florida location, with its low-hanging Spanish moss, thick vegetation, and high grasses suggests unknown dangers. The oppressive humidity can practically be felt. Milland’s Jason Crockett wears a white suit, while other family members are more informally attired. Long hairstyles for men reflect the early 1970s, and one actor wears bell-bottoms. Details such as decor inside the Crockett mansion, a small wooden pier, Bella’s colorful outfit, and snakes hanging from tree branches are well delineated. The Crockett mansion and its wide expanse of lawn contrasts with the nearby swamps. Special effects of spiders entwining a human in a giant web and a character fighting an alligator fail to convince. In between the title credits, freeze frames show the creatures and swamp pollution that Pickett has been photographing.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Dialogue is clear and distinct. Sound effects include the slithering of lizards and snakes, the clicking of Pickett’s camera, croaking of frogs, the outboard motor of Clint’s boat, water gently lapping at Pickett’s canoe, gun shots, glass shattering, and screams of terror. Les Baxter’s score and Joe Sidore’s electronic effects are helpful in establishing a mood of foreboding and impending danger.
Bonus materials on the Region A Blu-ray release from Kino Cult include the following:
- Audio Commentary by David Del Valle and Dan Marino
- Buried in Frogs with Joan Van Ark (10:08)
- Radio Spots (2:46 – 3 in all)
- TV Spots (2:11 – 4 in all)
- Trailer (2:12)
- Empire of the Ants Trailer (2:19)
- The Food of the Gods Trailer (1:01)
- Squirm Trailer (1:56)
- Kingdom of the Spiders Trailer (1:53)
- Number One of the Secret Service Trailer (2:33)
Audio Commentary – Film historian David Del Valle and film historian/producer Dan Marino (son of the NFL Legend) provide a spirited, entertaining commentary about Frogs, a film they both love. Both men recall seeing this “guilty pleasure” as teenagers during the film’s original theatrical run in 1972. American International typically hired actors from earlier decades, such as Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Ida Lupino and Ray Milland. Very often a title and advertising poster preceded the actual script, since the studio depended on savvy marketing. American International was taking a “snapshot” of the times with Frogs, and the film’s success was attributed to the poster. The picture was made around the time of the public’s growing awareness of the need for environmental protection. All the actors play their role straight, without campiness, though Ray Milland tends to be bombastic. The script doesn’t spell out why Jason Crockett is so adamant about not leaving the island. He has been bombarding it with pesticides and poisons for years. Most of the characters are doomed from the beginning. They represent the worst qualities of the upper class and usually come to a dopey end. Capturing a “dime store Tennessee Williams” flavor, Frogs was extremely popular, though it received mixed reviews. Fran Liebowitz called Frogs “the best bad movie I’ve ever seen.” There’s a cleverness to the film and a self-awareness of making a hokey movie about a serious subject. Other films that deal with nature striking back include Night of the Lepus, Mako: The Jaws of Death, Stanley, and the blockbuster Jaws. The photography takes full advantage of the Everglades location, with long, lingering shots of the island’s vegetation dominating. The house representing the Crockett mansion is located in Eden Park, Florida. Inconsistencies in Frogs are pointed out, such as that not all the animals shown are indigenous to the area. Some were brought in to enhance the visuals. In the finale, Jason Crockett is alone in his study, surrounded by the mounted heads of animals he’s hunted and killed, which now haunt him as the frogs close in. Frogs is compared to parts of the ancient Greek tragedy, The Bacchae, by Euripides.
Buried in Frogs – Frogs was actress Joan Van Ark’s first film. George McCowan was an easygoing director who made the cast feel comfortable and supported. He was a calming influence on the set. “It was a grueling shoot” in the Florida swamps. Van Ark’s father was a big fan of Ray Milland, so when she told him that in her first film, Milland would be her co-star, her father was very pleased. Van Ark was eager to be in the same film as Sam Elliott, who was “a class act, supportive both on and off the set.” There were many night shoots, which were physically uncomfortable but as an actor, she had to do what the script called for. On location, she points out, cast and crew become a mini-family for a few weeks.
This release also features reversible artwork and a slipcover. The 2015 Scream Factory Double Feature Blu-ray featured a photo gallery, while the 2016 88 Films Region B Blu-ray included an interview with actor David Gilliam—neither of which have been carried over.
There’s a certain nostalgia in watching Frogs today. It certainly harks back to more innocent times when a studio could make a profit with a silly horror/monster flick. The premise is interesting but the repeated shots of frogs happily hopping about fail to instill any kind of fear and the performances aren’t helpful in selling the simplistic plot. With a film like this, it’s best to not be overly critical. After all, it is not nor did the filmmakers ever imply that it was the next Citizen Kane. It’s a B-grade creature feature that raises early concerns about ecology and man’s capacity to casually ravage nature. The effects are so mild that even younger kids likely could watch without having nightmares afterwards.
- Dennis Seuling