THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1963)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *drama*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *cosmological, sociological*

In my recent review of the source novel for this movie, I noted that author John Wyndham had essentially reversed the pattern used by H.G. Wells in WAR OF THE WORLDS. Wells pictured an Earth radically transformed by the invasion of aliens, but his emphasis was less on the viewpoint protagonist or any other humans and more on the nature of the Martians. Wyndham reverses this template. His story deals with two perils that devastate Earth, independent of one another but implicitly created by Earthmen as bio-weapons to be used against particular opponents. The Triffids, despite getting their name in the title, are not the stars of the narrative, and they're not even as devastating to human culture as the other bio-weapon, a plague that spreads blindness to the majority of the world's population.

DAY, directed by Steve Sekely with additional scenes by Freddie Francis, isn't a classic monster movie. Still, I like the fact that the Triffids get upgraded to be the stars of this show, allowing them to share mental space in my brain with the Martians, the Saucer Men, and others of that ilk. Writer Bernard Gordon, best known in sci-fi circles for his work on 1956's EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, expressly states that his Triffids are spread across the globe by alien spores, and that these invaders have something to do with the phenomenon that caused humanity's blindness. This connection isn't worked out very well, for at no time does Gordon make it seem like the walking plants are operating on anything but killer instinct. 

Gordon borrows various events from Wyndham and juggles them to suit his narrative, which include, for one thing, moving out of the British Isles and into Spain. A large part of the novel deals with viewpoint character Bill Masen-- not blinded like the majority of humans-- taking a young woman under his wing, whom he eventually marries. Gordon instead has Masen succor a girl of middle-school years, with the same name as the novel's character Susan, not encountered until late in said novel. Movie-Masen does not meet a potential romantic interest until late in the movie, and that arc is an exceedingly small one.

The movie has some fine scenes at the start, creating great empathy with the occupants of both a cruise-ship and an airplane, doomed when everyone on board goes blind. However, the narrative too quickly devolves into just another "fight-and-flee-the-monster" conflict, as various minor characters are introduced, only to be quickly knocked off by the rampaging Triffids. Sekely also does a good job making these killer veggies seem imposing despite not having the budget to do more than imply consistent movement. 

According to fan-accounts, Gordon's original idea of a climax for the movie was to have Masen lure a contingent of walking trees into the ocean, which provided a literal "solution" when it was revealed that the monsters dissolved in sea water. From there, one assumes that this information was disseminated to the rest of the world, despite the destruction of international communications. However, for one reason or another, Sekely's climactic footage was unusable, making the movie too short for commercial release. 

Therefore, the producers hired Freddie Francis to insert various scenes of a couple confined to a lighthouse-island, Tom and Karen Goodwin (Kieron Moore and Janette Scott). Marine biologist Tom doesn't have the skills needed to analyze the Triffids on the island, but he eventually stumbles across the Big Solution, allowing for the same Wellsian wrap-up of the alien menace. I like the lighthouse-scenes for the same reason I like Masen traveling outside the British Isles, because one gets a better sense of the worldwide threat. Still, both the humans and their monstrous enemies aren't well developed, so that TRIFFIDS remains just one more basically entertaining alien-monster movie.