Die geheimnisvolle Insel

This is a nice, satisfying telling of the Verne story, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen and a good score by Bernard Herrman. Escapees from a Civil War prison camp are blown way off course in a balloon they stole. They find themselves on an apparently deserted island somewhere in the Pacific, are joined by two women who were shipwrecked, and eventually come face-to-face with Captain Nemo and the wrecked Nautilus.

They have to deal with pirates, an erupting volcano and Harryhausen's creature threats. These include very large versions of a hungry red crab, an aggressive chicken (or dodo), a bee and an unhappy squid. Some of the creatures turn out to be very good boiled or roasted.

The movie holds up well because of a strong story, good action, and fairly well-defined characters. It features Herbert Lom, in my view an under-rated actor, and Joan Greenwood. By this time Greenwood was taking character parts and doing a lot of stage work. But from the mid-Forties to the mid-Fifties she was, I think, one of the sexiest, smartest actors Britain has ever produced. Her plummy, smoky voice is inimitable.

Harryhausen crossed Jules Verne with King Kong in his version of Mysterious Island, giving the author's Civil War castaways something really mysterious to look at for a change. The result is a Skull Island-style adventure with a nifty 19th century set-up, and one of the stop-motion maestro's most satisfying films. Harryhausen movies are at their best when Harryhausen is unabashedly the star—-as he is here in Mysterious Island. From this high-water mark in the early Sixties, Harryhausen's films slowly began to shipwreck on two constantly reiterated movie-making clichés. First, writers began to tell Harryhausen that his effects ought to be better integrated into the overall plot, that they ought not to be isolated set pieces sprinkled through the picture like plums in a fruitcake. Secondly, critics continued to repeat the old film music legend that movie scoring is best when it fades unnoticed into the background. Both of these old saws were, in fact, horrible lies. And Mysterious Island is great because Harryhausen and his composer were still refusing to take any notice of them. The effects sequences in Mysterious Island aren't plums in a fruitcake, they're solos in a symphony, they're like the soliloquies in Shakespeare. And Bernard Herrmann's scoring for these episodes is in your face…as it should be. It jumps up and screams "THIS IS A SET-PIECE…AND A GREAT ONE. KICK BACK AND ENJOY IT!" And this, once again, is as it should be. The truth is, that stop-motion isn't an effects technique. It's an art form. If you can't enjoy it for it's own sake, then you can't enjoy it. Every attempt Harryhausen later made to "integrate" his stuff just encouraged people to take it seriously--as a serious attempt, that is, to duplicate reality. Which it isn't. We go to a Harryhausen film for Harryhausen, just as we go to a Chaplin film for Chaplin. If you came in for some other reason, then you picked the wrong movie. That said, Mysterious Island really does work, I think, as a 60s "Jules Verne" picture. The period atmosphere is some of the best in any of those movies and the interesting Nautilus variation we see here is fun to look at in its own right. The acting is quite good also, and Cy Endfield is one of the better Harryhausen directors. But the Verne elements are really just the frame around the picture. Like I said, go for Ray's monsters--then go out and tell the world.

Forget the Harryhausen special effects. What really makes this movie great is the dress the main female character wears. It's incredible! We are introduced to the dress like this: our heroes (escaped POWs) are stranded on a desert island filled with gigantic animals. At some point, two women (aunt and niece if I recall) wash onto shore, after surving a ship accident. The aunt decides to make her niece a new dress, because her old one is all torn up. So she constructs a dress out of leather, and HOLY &@$%#!* what a dress! I don't fully understand why she would make a dress like that, being from the conservative 1860's Midwest and all, but it is the most erotic dress I have ever seen. It's so tiny and skintight, it looks like she can't bend over or it would explode into a million pieces. I spent the entire movie leaning forward in rapt attention, because it honestly looks like it is going to tear apart at any moment. Wow!

The rest of the movie is pretty good, too. The special effects are wonderfully fun. The only really annoying thing is the stupidity of the characters. Case in point: after encountering a giant crab and a giant chicken, a guy and the girl (still looking great in that dress!) wander into a cave, and see giant honeycomb. "Hmm, interesting," they say. Then they hear this buzzing sound, and wonder what it is. "What's that buzzing noise?? It's getting closer..." I don't believe it is humanly possible to be that stupid. It's GIANT BEES, you idiots! Get out of there! Oops, too late. Now a colossal bee is cornering you. Didn't see that one coming, huh?

Worth watching for the FX and the dress.

8/10 stars.

This film starts off with adventure and rarely ever lets up. Starting off with a daring hot air balloon escape by Union prisoners from a Confederate prison camp through a treacherous storm which blows them off course until eventually they land on a mysterious island full of strange giant creatures such as a giant crab, a giant bird and giant bees. These creatures are magnificently brought to life by stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen. This one will appeal mostly to those young in heart and spirit. Herbert Lom is quite good in his role as Captain Nemo, a man trying to find a means of destroying the causes of war. Also has a wonderful score by Bernard Herrmann. Great fun.

While most critics, and fans alike, consider Harryhausen's "Jason and the Argonauts" (released two years later) to be the apex of the special effects master's career, "Mysterious Island" stands as one of his best, also. Loosely based on the Jules Verne 19th century novel, the film boasts some memorable special effects wizardry: an awesome escape from a Confederate prison via balloon, the giant crab, the prehistoric "chicken," the bees, and a cool Nautilus - closely resembling Disney's version from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." The cast is good, beginning with Michael Craig as the leader of the band of island dwellers. Gary Merrill, who at once was the husband of legend Bette Davis, as well as her co-star in "All About Eve," is effective as the war correspondent that serves as the voice of reason among the band, along with being the group's cook. Herbert Lom does a great "Nemo," significantly different from James Mason's interpretation in the Disney classic. English actress Joan Greenwood is appropriately aristocratic as "Lady Fairchild." But, it is Harryhausen's effects, along with Bernard Herrmann's brilliant score, that elevate this to one of the best fantasies of the 60's.

Filmed at a brisk pace, the story never lets up, keeping the viewer captivated until the thrilling conclusion.