Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

George Pal

Writers:

Gerald Hargreaves (play)
Daniel Mainwaring (writer)

Release Date:

3 May 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

SIGHTS NEVER BEFORE SEEN - Adventure never before experienced!

Plot:

A Greek Fisherman brings an Atlantean Princess back to her homeland which is the mythical city of Atlantis...

Plot Keywords:

Atlantis | Fisherman | Princess | Crystal | Slave

Cast

Sal Ponti	...	Demetrios (as Anthony Hall)
Joyce Taylor	...	Princess Antillia
John Dall	...	Zaren
William Smith	...	Captain of the Guard (as Bill Smith)
Edward Platt	...	Azor the High Priest
Frank DeKova	...	Sonoy the Astrologer
Berry Kroeger	...	Surgeon
Edgar Stehli	...	King Kronas
Wolfe Barzell	...	Petros, Demetrios' Father
Jay Novello	...	Xandros the Greek Slave
Paul Frees	...	Narrator / multiple voices (voice)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #19705) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company:

George Pal Productions

Trivia:

The initial cut of this film featured men in DaVinci-inspired flying rigs. This sequence was cut due to the poor quality of the special effects and negative responses from preview audiences.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Antillia steals the boat, the background shows the sea with normal waves. When Demetrios swims out to the boat the water is extremely calm. This also gives away the fact that the shot of Hall swimming was done in a studio tank.

Quotes:

Azor the High Priest: Empty! Just as all the others. The bees have deserted us.
Demetrios: Strange.
Azor the High Priest: Each morning of my life I have awakened to the singing of birds. Now only silence greets the day. Perhaps it is instinct, call it what you will, but they *sense* something, something evil. A strange breeze now rises with every outgoing tide, blowing dead leaves out toward the open sea...

Movie Connections:

References The Ten Commandments (1956)

If you hook a princess--throw her back.

Here's a flicker that scared the bejesus out of me as a child. I had trouble understanding the overlapping of modern science with the ancient world. A Vernesque-style atomic submarine blew me away. And that solar laser--which vaporizes enemies of the state--defies logic. I hear there were scenes of men in flying machines that were cut. Why? One scene that was not cut involved a mad scientist experimenting with turning men into swine. Strange and scary stuff. And the costume designer went berserk with HIS creations. Watching the film recently I discovered my utter contempt for the lead female role. I felt sorry for the poor fisherman who saves the ungrateful princess from certain death. He, however, has only himself to blame. The princess whines, schemes and disparages his occupation right from the start AND in front of his father. And that's only the beginning. Later on, she has no problem casting him into slavery. Enough about her. The soundtrack is very rare because it is out of print--and costs a royal fortune. I just touched the surface with this well made and imaginative film. Look for it on cable somewhere--or visit Atlantis on your next vacation.