The Most Important Quest: A Reaction on Neumann’s The Fly

Christine Darla A. Bautista

                  Kurt Neumann’s The Fly (1958) is a thoroughly intriguing film that palatably combines gore and suspense with a slightly comedic atmosphere to provide a striking scientific commentary beyond sheer entertainment. The film is engaging mainly because of the plot. It kicks off with intriguing questions: Why would a woman crush her husband’s head and arm with a metal press? Could the woman’s fly-triggered paranoia be related to the murder? The flashback further hooks my attention first because of the dramatic idea of a passionate scientist’s unfortunate death due to his own creation; Second, the mutation begins as utterly terrifying but eventually becomes hilarious; Third, the teleporter’s creation process raises more questions: Have similarly scary incidents happened before? Do scientists face consequences for unethical practices? Will the development of a teleporter and such mutations ever be possible?

                  Moreover, the film shows that when scientists attempt to play God, do not exercise prudent zeal, and commit inhumane acts, such as experimenting with animals and even themselves, they will face consequences.  Clearly, it is a morality play because it critiques a scientist’s ethics and his self-control; the moral of the play is that one should never be too engrossed with his pursuits to the point of abusing others and especially himself.

                  Ultimately, the film shows that during the 1950s, science was a noble pursuit, and people viewed it as the ultimate field for gaining knowledge and innovation. A lot of people were enthralled by the sciences and sought to create technology and find answers to their questions. Actually, perhaps they held a solid passion beyond fascination such that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for science. Indeed, as Andre’s brother said in one of the closing lines, to the people in the 1950s, “search for the truth is the most important quest.”