Despite being created more than 50 years ago, The Fly is still a film that is both entertaining and disturbing at the same time. Campy acting and near-primitive special effects aside, this film managed to sustain my interest, particularly because of the lens it provided on scientific experimentation in the context of the time period in it which it was created. It was surprising to realize that, even if the level of technological development in 1958 was far lower than it is in 2013, the wonder and trepidation that its original audience had towards science’s new frontiers is the same feeling many of us share today.
Through the course of The Fly, scientific discovery is described as a double-edged sword that can be detrimental or beneficial based on its use. As Francois tells Andre’s son in the final scene, the “search for the truth” is at the same time the most important and the most dangerous occupation on Earth. In this case, the quest for progress led Andre to disregard his family, and even his own principles (for example, never hurting animals, which he violated when he experimented on his cat and showed no remorse at its disintegration). The moral lesson the film offers is clear: science can be a powerful force for good, but it must always be approached with caution and a strong sense of ethics.
The idea of caution regarding scientific discovery is a telling remark about the way science and technology were viewed in the 1950s. Helene’s fear that science was “moving too fast” echoes fears in the 1950s about then-recent inventions such as satellites, missiles, and even atomic bombs. Interestingly, we share these fears today about the way technology has changed our lives, especially with the advent of military drones, biological weapons, and so on.
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Marco Del Valle
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