Animal scenes in Andromeda Strain movie

[Lumpy]

Caught a repeat of Andromeda Strain on TV the other day, still holds up as a great SF flick decades later. I did start to wonder about something though. In the scenes where they expose lab animals (a white rat and a rhesus monkey) to contaminated air, what did they actually do to the animals in real life to get them to act like that? In particular, the monkey first shows signs of agitation, starts convulsing with a look of pure agony on it’s face, then collapes. Did PETA have anything to say about this?

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

Well, PETA wasn’t founded until 1980, and the movie was made in 1971, so…

Just a WAG, I would imagine that they injected the monkey with something to make it do that.

[evilhanz]

Andromeda Strain at IMDB

There is a note somewhere in the titles or the rolling credits that the SPCA monitored the well-being of the animals used in the film. They’ve been working with Hollywood on these issues for about 50 years now. The rhesus monkey used in the film was not physically harmed. Below is an explanation of the “death” scene. Here is a link to video of the scene.

To simulate the death of the monkey in this scene, an airtight set was used; the bottom of it was filled with carbon dioxide, so that when the monkey’s cage was opened, he had to breathe the carbon dioxide. When he was just about to pass out, a waiting veteranarian immediately treated him with oxygen. Of course, no animals were harmed in the making of this film.

Traumatic perhaps, but the monkey suffered no lasting physical effects from the filming. dea

[bashprompt]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but this and the other are pretty much the top links when researching The Andromeda Strain and the fates of the animals depicted suffering on screen. The monkey did suffer, without a doubt, but it is claimed to have survived. On the other hand it appears that the rats didn’t. The cruelty and suffering inflicted on these animals is horrible, although from the 50’s to the 70’s some far worse films did far worse things just for shock footage. The real problem is that there is an audience for that kind of crud out there.

[CalMeacham]

In The Abyss the scenes of the rat breathing the oxygenated perfluorocarbon fluid were for real:

Fluid breathing is a reality. Five rats were used for five different takes, all of whom survived and were given antibiotic shots by a vet. The rat that actually appeared in the film died of natural causes a few weeks before the film opened. According to James Cameron, the scene with the rat had to be edited out of the UK movie version because “the Royal Veterinarian felt that it was painful for the rat”. James Cameron repeatedly assures that the rats used for this take didn’t suffer any harm.

Real oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid was used in the rat fluid breathing scene. Dr. Johannes Kylstra and Dr. Peter Bennett of Duke University pioneered this technique and consulted on the film. The only reason for cutting to the actors’ faces was to avoid showing the rats defecating from momentary panic as they began breathing the fluid.

The Abyss (1989) - Trivia - IMDb

The American Humane Society didn’t take kindly to the rat scene, either:

The American Humane Association rated this film “unacceptable” because of the rat that was submerged in oxygenated liquid in one scene. It wasn’t an effect. The rat really was “subjected to the anxiety of being submerged in this liquid, where it panics and struggles and is then pulled out by its tail as it expels the liquid from its lungs.”

[Kinthalis]

Poor little critters.

I would imagine CGI would be able to handle these types of scenes now a days, right?

[Ethilrist]

@Kinthalis

Poor little critters.

I would imagine CGI would be able to handle these types of scenes now a days, right?

If they can make a raccoon with a machine gun, they can make a rat breathing liquid.

[Colibri]

@bashprompt

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but this and the other are pretty much the top links when researching The Andromeda Strain and the fates of the animals depicted suffering on screen. The monkey did suffer, without a doubt, but it is claimed to have survived. On the other hand it appears that the rats didn’t. The cruelty and suffering inflicted on these animals is horrible, although from the 50’s to the 70’s some far worse films did far worse things just for shock footage. The real problem is that there is an audience for that kind of crud out there.

Moderator Note

bashprompt, note that we don’t allow posting on this board purely to promote an agenda. In view of the fact that you have bumped another thread in Cafe Society on the same subject that is more recent, I’m closing this one. Do not start or bump any more threads about this, but direct all commentary to the other thread.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator