Behemoth the Sea Monster (1959)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Directors:

Douglas Hickox
Eugène Lourié

Writers (WGA):

Robert Abel (story) &
Alan J. Adler (story) ...

Release Date:

3 March 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Biggest Thing Since Creation!

Plot:

Marine atomic tests cause changes in the ocean's ecosystem resulting in dangerous blobs of radiation and the resurrection of a dormant dinosaur which threatens London.

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Dinosaur | Radiation | Electric Shock | Radioactive Shell

Cast

Gene Evans	...	Steve Karnes
André Morell	...	Professor James Bickford
John Turner	...	John
Leigh Madison	...	Jean Trevethan
Jack MacGowran	...	Dr. Sampson, the Paleontologist
Maurice Kaufmann	...	Mini Submarine Officer
Henri Vidon	...	Tom Trevethan
Leonard Sachs	...	Scientist

Also Known As:

Behemoth
The Giant Behemoth (USA)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | USA:Unrated | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Artistes Alliance Ltd.

Trivia:

The puppet of the behemoth is owned by Dennis Muren.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the monster attacks the mini-sub, the close-up plainly shows the head of a completely different creature.

Quotes:

[Jean finds her father badly burned]
John: What happened, man? Can - Can you talk to us? Can you hear us, Tom?
Jean Trevethan: Dad? Dad?
Tom Trevethan: From the sea... burning, like fire!
John: What was it?
Tom Trevethan: Behemoth!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monster Mania (1997) (TV)

first rate thriller

Let me quickly begin by putting to rest once and for all a terrible error that is popping up everywhere concerning this film: THE GIANT BEHEMOTH was not, repeat NOT, "co-directed" by Mr Douglas Hickox. He was not an "uncredited" contributor to the film. Period. End of discussion. It was solely directed from start to finish by Eugene Lourie, a director (and production designer) of taste and imagination. How this rumor about Mr Hickox ever got started is beyond me.

If I accomplish nothing else but put this falsehood to rest I will be quite happy.

Now, on to the film. I recommend it highly. It is well-written, well-acted, nicely photographed and edited, and well-scored by Edwin Astley. It is a good example of what can be done on an extremely low budget. The producers were merciless in their budget-cutting which was very hard on master animators Willis O'Brien and Pete Peterson but it is a testament to their skill and integrity that they managed as well as they did. Their animation of the giant creature is of a very high order and is, of course, vastly superior to the work of a second special effects crew which was brought in to do the ferry boat sequence. The less said about that work the better, though the scene played well due to the fine editing and music scoring.

I greatly admire what was accomplished here by these talented people having almost no money to work with. That should be an inspiration to many an aspiring movie-maker.