The Illustrated Man

Ray Bradbury's 1951 short story collection The Illustrated Man is built around the tale of a man whose tattoos come to life at night. This 1969 anthology film adapts three of the stories, expands the central character's narrative, and connects them all through casting. Rod Steiger stars as the surly circus worker who wanders Depression-era America with his dog, Claire Bloom is the artist who covers his body in "skin illustrations" (as he calls them), and Robert Drivas is the young drifter to whom he tells his stories. The three actors also play the major characters in "The Veldt," which is about a virtual reality playroom that brings out the feral side of the children of a worried married couple; "The Long Rain," centering on interstellar travelers shipwrecked on an alien planet with constant rain; and "The Last Night of the World," a meditative piece about apocalyptic premonitions. The dusty landscapes of 1930s rural America contrast with the austere home of white surfaces in "The Veldt" (a very ‘60s idea of the future), the dense alien foliage of the claustrophobic "Rain" (the jungle is entirely fabricated in the studio), and the white tents and architecture out of ancient Greece in "Last Night." Steiger's performance is mannered and intense but the film fails to capture the horror inherent in the stories, making it yet another cinematic effort that misses the dark wonder of Bradbury's writing. Extras include an archival featurette. Optional. (S. Axmaker)