IMDb RATING
4.5/10
8.6K
YOUR RATING
A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people.A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people.A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
José Ferrer
- Dr. Andrews
- (as Jose Ferrer)
Patty Duke
- Rita
- (as Patty Duke Astin)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSir Michael Caine stated in an interview that during filming he thought the little yellow spots left by the bees on his clothing was honey, so he began to eat them, entirely unaware that what he was eating was actually bee feces.
- GoofsIn the background, a paralyzed scientist in a wheelchair kicks a door open.
- Quotes
General Thalius Slater: By tomorrow there will be no more Africans... at least not in the Houston sector.
- Crazy creditsDisclaimer in the closing credits: 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.
- Alternate versionsThe UK "12" certificate video release is the 156m version of this film (also shown on U.S. TV) which was released in theaters at 116m (with a "PG" certificate). Some of the additional footage is as follows:
- more of the three-way courtship between de Havilland, Johnson and MacMurray
- a hilarious scene in which the military inspect the attacked picnic site and Sir Michael Caine comments on the bees' biting abilities
- several additional scenes of Caine and Katharine Ross driving back and forth between the military bunker and the town and chatting about developments as they do
- the death scene of the little boy whose parents were killed and who subsequently firebombed the swarm - in the short version, he is in the hospital and one assumes he has survived; although he is not seen again. he has a relapse and dies in the long version.
- various extra footage of Caine and Ross going to the HQ in Houston
- when Henry Fonda is killed, there is an additional shot of a huge superimposed bee which he sees at the moment of his death
- an additional subplot near the end of the film in which Ross has a relapse and nearly dies from her earlier bee sting. This is why she is lying in a bed when Caine rescues her from the burning building. This subplot has several short scenes, including one when Bradford Dillman and Richard Widmark see Caine praying by her bed - once he sees that Caine believes in God, Widmark knows he is a good man and instructs Dillman to "Close that dossier" (the dossier had been constantly referred to by Widmark, but was left as an unresolved plot hole in the original theatrical version).
- ConnectionsFeatured in Inside 'the Swarm' (1978)
Featured review
The Swarm buzzes along too slowly
This was the last of the disaster films produced by crowd panic expert Irwin Allen, his most famous being The Towering Inferno. When I was watching this again recently I realized the plot was almost identical to Outbreak, the mid nineties disaster film centered around disease control experts dealing with much the same issue; namely how do you contain the risk to public health while gun ho military nuts want to just nuke everything instead? In the end this film splits the difference. I do like how it points out how keenly important bees are to human existence.
The acting is good. Michael Caine is his usual gravelly best, while Katherine Ross is the one weak point although to be fair, she didn't have much of a role to work with. Her character should have been the moral force fighting against military insanity. This subplot is handled by Caine's character. I wonder if his agent forced a change there. Either way it renders Ross' character into being just the walk on love interest, although admittedly this was made in the seventies so what else do you expect for that time period. Speaking of which the swarm of African bees eventually start being called "The Africans" continually. The Africans are coming to get us etc. A tad uncomfortable to hear. Owing to the time it was made too, its pace may be slower for today's taste.
It also includes notable aging stars; Slim Pickens (the yahooing nutcase riding the bomb down in Dr. Strangelove), Henry Ford, Jose Ferrer, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain and legendary centarian Olivia de Havilland.
The acting is good. Michael Caine is his usual gravelly best, while Katherine Ross is the one weak point although to be fair, she didn't have much of a role to work with. Her character should have been the moral force fighting against military insanity. This subplot is handled by Caine's character. I wonder if his agent forced a change there. Either way it renders Ross' character into being just the walk on love interest, although admittedly this was made in the seventies so what else do you expect for that time period. Speaking of which the swarm of African bees eventually start being called "The Africans" continually. The Africans are coming to get us etc. A tad uncomfortable to hear. Owing to the time it was made too, its pace may be slower for today's taste.
It also includes notable aging stars; Slim Pickens (the yahooing nutcase riding the bomb down in Dr. Strangelove), Henry Ford, Jose Ferrer, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain and legendary centarian Olivia de Havilland.
helpful•66
- Marcus-Aurelius90
- Aug 23, 2017
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Der tödliche Schwarm
- Filming locations
- Houston, Texas, USA(Astrodome / Memorial Park / McKinney Street exit ramp)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $21,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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