shana-carter

Aside from the central premise of a romance between a human woman and an amphibious humanoid, "The Shape of Water" and "Mrs. Caliban" have nothing in common. Dorothy is a bereaved mother estranged from her husband who meets Larry after he's escaped; Elisa is a mute orphan who finds the Asset while cleaning the lab where he's being held and decides to help him get free. A cursory watching of the trailer for "The Shape of Water" should make it clear it's telling a different story than Ingalls' book.

I'd never heard of this film until I saw it scheduled at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. I'm so glad I saw it -- this movie has everything! Guileless inventors, ruthless pirates, a winsome heroine, hot-air balloons, a villain's lair in a volcano, submarines with duck-foot paddles, roller-skating camels, a giant man-eating octopus, and the most charming production design this side of Edward Gorey's sets for "Dracula." I look forward to the steampunk movement's embrace of this film, assuming they don't already know about it. Even if they have, they should check out this restoration, which is crisp, clear, and gorgeous.