The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Eugène Lourié

Writers:

Ray Bradbury (story)
Fred Freiberger (writer)

Release Date:

13 June 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

It's alive !

Plot:

A ferocious dinosaur awakened by an Arctic atomic test terrorizes the North Atlantic and ultimately New York City.

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Rhedosaurus | Beast | Arctic | Paleontologist

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Paul Hubschmid	...	Professor Tom Nesbitt (as Paul Christian)
Paula Raymond	...	Lee Hunter
Cecil Kellaway	...	Prof. Thurgood Elson
Kenneth Tobey	...	Col. Jack Evans
Donald Woods	...	Capt. Phil Jackson
Lee Van Cleef	...	Cpl. Stone
Steve Brodie	...	Sgt. Loomis
Ross Elliott	...	George Ritchie
Jack Pennick	...	Jacob Bowman
Ray Hyke	...	Sgt. Willistead
Michael Fox	...	ER Doctor
Alvin Greenman	...	1st Radar Man
Frank Ferguson	...	Dr. Morton
King Donovan	...	Dr. Ingersoll
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vera Miles	...	Announcer in trailer (scenes deleted)
Paul Picerni	...	Announcer in trailer (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Monster from Beneath the Sea (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #16143, General Audience) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Jack Dietz Productions

Trivia:

Some film aficionados might recognize Alvin Greenman, the first character to speak after the narrator, and the first to notice the beast on on the radar. Six years earlier he played Alfred, the Macys Janitor in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). TV aficionados though might recognize the second character to speak. Playing the part of Charlie is actor James Best, best remembered for his role as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane from _"The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979)_.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the shot of people fleeing down the subway steps to escape the beast, the monster is shown approaching from behind, but the building next to the steps collapses and rains debris down on the pedestrians before the monster has gotten close enough to destroy the building.

Quotes:

Professor Tom Nesbitt: The world's been here for millions of years. Man's been walking upright for a comparatively shoret time. Mentally we're still crawling.

Movie Connections:

Featured in SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (TV)

One of the All-Time Greats

This film is not only a great science fiction film, but it is also one of the most influential as well. Within a few years of its release, giant monster films began to pop up from every major studio. Everything from giant ants, tarantulas, praying mantises and gila monsters began to pop up all over the place. But, perhaps its biggest influence was felt in Japan. This film is often sighted as being the main inspiration for Gojira (Godzilla). This film is defintely a classic.