Jeremy Spensser (Martin), the brilliant young scion of a family of scientists and humanitarians, is killed in an automobile accident. His death occurs on the eve of his winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and he leaves behind a wife (Powers) and young son (Herbert). Jeremy's father, noted brain surgeon William Spensser (Kruger), is distressed that his son's gifts will be denied to Mankind. He conceives a plan to give Jeremy's excellent mind another chance to benefit humanity by transplanting the brain (which he has revived and kept on life support) into an artificial, robotic body. William convinces Jeremy's brother, Henry, to assist with the process in secret, but there are unforeseen complications and the huge cyborg they've created is kept in seclusion for nearly a year. The massive metallic creation is superhumanly strong and damage-resistant, a possibly dangerous combination under the control of anything but the gentle Jeremy. However, lacking reliable sensory apparatus and deprived of normal human contact, Jeremy's mind begins to lose its humanity, and his focus changes from simply being a secret laboratory assistant to finding his wife and son at any cost. As Jeremy loses control, the machine develops other powers including the ability to conduct and transform energy, and Jeremy's mental confusion leads to the cyborg conducting a rampage through New York City. Only the presence of Jeremy's son is able to focus Jeremy's self-control, long enough for the cyborg to teach the boy how to destroy the "colossus".
The film is noted for its haunting minimalistic piano score composed by Van Cleave.
THE COLLOSSUS OF NEWYORK
EUGENE LORIE (1958)
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
70 MIN
USA
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