Friday, November 11, 2005
Am I My Monster's Keeper?
The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1958) is funny. An old man works as a lighthouse keeper on a lonely stretch of coast. Oddly, he provides food regularly for the local, neighborhood monster. He leaves the food, mainly meat scraps and fish, out on the rocks near the cave where the monster lives. Maybe he’s never actually seen him, but he treats the creature almost like a pet. He doesn’t tell anyone about his rituals, least of all the police. Besides, as long as he’s able to placate the monster, everyone is safe and there’s no cause for alarm. It doesn’t take much reflection to detect some psycho-sexual elements in his situation (Feed the beast, keep it calm, don’t let it go berserk) especially since all this started when his wife died, and he was obviously wracked with guilt over not being able to do more for her during her illness. Also, having something to care for, even a monster, helps him in his loneliness. Isn’t that a little perverse?
The monster is funny too. I guess you can only keep a monster quiet for so long, because eventually this one goes on a killing spree. He decapitates all his victims, but when it comes to the girl Lucy, he is very different. One night she is swimming naked in the ocean. The monster comes over to the rocks where her clothes are, messes with her underwear, and is heard breathing heavily. Much later in the film he encounters Lucy again. This time she faints, so he picks her up and carries her away. We all know what’s on his mind, don’t we?
The lighthouse keeper’s behavior in this film is bizarre. So is the story. A lot of films rely on a sensational title and a few sensational images for their success. This film is one of them. But the message is, don’t keep a monster around, even if he’s not causing any immediate harm. We all know where that can lead.
2001
The monster is funny too. I guess you can only keep a monster quiet for so long, because eventually this one goes on a killing spree. He decapitates all his victims, but when it comes to the girl Lucy, he is very different. One night she is swimming naked in the ocean. The monster comes over to the rocks where her clothes are, messes with her underwear, and is heard breathing heavily. Much later in the film he encounters Lucy again. This time she faints, so he picks her up and carries her away. We all know what’s on his mind, don’t we?
The lighthouse keeper’s behavior in this film is bizarre. So is the story. A lot of films rely on a sensational title and a few sensational images for their success. This film is one of them. But the message is, don’t keep a monster around, even if he’s not causing any immediate harm. We all know where that can lead.
2001
