I know Saul Bass from his film posters and opening credits but I never realised he directed a film too. PHASE IV is an unsurprisingly arty little production in which a couple of research scientists in the Arizona desert find themselves battling a colony of super-intelligent ants created thanks to some aberrant cosmic rays. Yep, it's another spin on the old man-vs-nature format and there's even an early nod to THE NAKED JUNGLE along the way. However, the film is more intellectual than most of its genre and feels a little like THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN at times. The performances are assured and things build carefully to a classic abstract format which, unbelievably, was cut by distributors. Check out that "lost" ending on Youtube for the full effect.
Review of Phase IV
