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science fiction films present
to the viewer, suggesting
that 1950s science fiction
films open a window on
the cultural paranoia that
characterised
America
at the time – a cultural
paranoia largely triggered
by the discovery and use
of nuclear weapons during
World War II (Hendershot,
1999, p.I).
Perhaps one of the most
significant sequences in
the film is the moment
in which Dr Pat Medford
(Joan Weldon) - a woman
in a surprising position of
authority - finds the ants’
nest and is confronted by
one of the massive creatures
with what appears to be a
human ribcage in its mouth.
An aerial shot of the nest,
mimicking the supposed
view of the characters
who are in a helicopter, is
proceeded by a long shot
of the ant rising out of the
nest with the ribcage in its
mouth. Following several
cuts between the ant and
the helicopter, the camera
then tracks the ribcage,
using a close up, as it
rolls down the side of the
nest to join a pile of other
bones, including a human
skull, drawing attention to
the death and destruction
caused by the ants. This
sequence has a startling
effect in portraying the clear
danger that humans face
in a world where it seems
that ants have eclipsed
humans as the dominant
species – the humans now
find themselves lower down
the food chain than insects.
The modern technology that
held so much promise for
the protection of humans,
and the continued fight in
the Cold War, has produced
a genetic mutation that
threatens to make another
species the dominant one.
Even with the destruction
of the ants at the end of
the film, Dr Medford has
a stark message for the
others: ‘When man entered
the atomic age, he opened
a door into a new world.
What we eventually find in
that new world, no one can
predict.’ This of course does
not necessarily mean a new
world filled with monsters
such as the fictional giant
ants but, ultimately, it serves
as a very real warning of the
dangers of the new atomic
age, and the threat it poses
to humanity despite its
seemingly helpful attributes
in terms of the previous
fight in World War II and the
looming Cold War.
The narrative choice of
using ants as the monster
in Them! reflects the
fear of communism that
was so prevalent at the
time. As discussed by M.
Keith Brooker in his book
Monsters,
Mushroom
Clouds and the Cold
War, ants were chosen
for a specific reason: “as
communal insects whose
every activity is orchestrated
by
central
planning,
they served as a perfect
metaphor for the 1950s
fear of regimentation, either
communist or capitalist”
(Brooker, 2001, p.143).
Perhaps the first sign of
this clear regimentation in
the film is the use of the
non-diegetic high pitch
sound, meant to be the ants
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communicating with one
another. One of the most
powerful moments using
this non-diegetic sound
is during the scene in the
general store. The very
particular
mise-en-scéne
here creates a severely
unsettled and tense feeling
– the choice of swinging
overhead
lights
within
the frame itself causes
elaborate shadows to dance
across the backgr ound,
creating the illusion that
the
destroyed
general
store is constantly shifting,
enhancing the sense of
danger that is caused by
the discovery of a dead
body. The introduction of
the high pitch non-diegetic
sound towards the end
of the scene only serves
to increase the feeling of
danger. Though earlier in
the film mistaken for wind,
this sound is clearly distinct
from the other non-diegetic
howling sounds associated
with the storm and so from
this point onwards becomes
synonymous
with
the
monstrous ants. The sound
is then heard throughout the
film whenever the ants are
close by, and serves as a
warning of the danger that
is to follow. By showing that
the ants can communicate
in this manner, they are
therefore seemingly more
dangerous:
they
can
organise themselves and
create a plan of attack. And
due to their very specific
matriarchal structure, where
male ants only exist to serve
the queen, there can be no
concern that the people do
not follow their leader. This
use of ants as a monster,
an insect that is considered