The Swarm (1978)

 

The Swarm is quite possibly one of the worst films ever to be nominated for an Oscar (although making that list could be quite entertaining). Granted, this film about a series of attacks on Texas towns by killer bees only received one nomination, Best Costume Design, but even that seems bizarre given that most of the costumes are merely Air Force uniforms, orange or white protective jumpsuits, and the kind of clothes that ordinary people wear each day. Maybe it was the sheer volume of costuming that garnered the nomination. Consider the cast list, including seven former and future Oscar winners: Michael Caine (ostensibly the lead, an entomologist famous enough that one of the President’s key aides knows who he is), Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland (who benefited the most from the costume design by having several matronly, teacher-y dresses throughout the film), Ben Johnson (stuck in a rust-colored leisure suit), Lee Grant, Jose Ferrer, Patty Duke Astin, Slim Pickens, Bradford Dillman (billed late in the credits, but actually playing a very significant role), Fred McMurray, and Henry Fonda (in a small role as an immunologist who tries his own antidote on himself, no doubt unethical behavior among scientists). Unfortunately, with such a large roster of performers, there’s very little time to develop a story for each one of them that allows for viewers to care much about what happens. For example, de Havilland’s teacher is involved in a love triangle with McMurray’s mayor/drug store owner and Johnson’s retiree, but it’s tough to care which one she will pick. They’ll all be dispatched by the killer bees very soon anyway. Sadly, this would be McMurray’s last film and de Havilland’s penultimate film. Everyone involved was probably embarrassed about participating in this disaster film (in multiple meanings of the phrase). A few of the sillier choices suggest just how inept the filmmaking is. One of the worst is that there are no bee stings visible on any of the bodies of those killed by the bees. The bee attacks are always shown in slow-motion so that you can watch the actors suffering from being covered in bees, which must have been very frightening. Those who survive the stings and are suffering from the toxic venom of the bees hallucinate that they are being attacked by enormous bees. The bees keep being described as “African” killer bees, which leads Widmark’s Air Force general to make some incredibly (although probably unconsciously so) racist comments such as calling the attempts to kill the bees a war “against the Africans.” Sigh. However, the end credits provide perhaps one of the most hilarious moments. Apparently, there was some fear that there might be a backlash regarding the portrayal of bees in the film, so the following disclaimer is one of the last things on the screen: “The African killer bee portrayed in this film bears absolutely no relationship to the industrious, hard-working American honey bee to which we are indebted for pollinating vital crops that feed our nation.” That should have kept the bees from filing a lawsuit claiming defamation of character. The Swarm was one of the last of the disaster films made by famed producer-director Irwin Allen, who made two great films in The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, among his many contributions to film and television, but who followed up this film with another stinker, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure.

Oscar Nomination: Best Costume Design