Atlántida el continente perdido

I remember seeing this film as a 14 year old in 1961 at a Saturday afternoon matinée...my brother and I were supposed to go to a Detroit Tiger baseball game but it was rained out...what to do? We went to see this movie and I have always remembered it and loved it. Back in the late 50s, early 60s Hollywood was putting out a lot of science fiction fantasy films, like "Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", "Jack the Giant Killer", "Mysterious Island" and all of the sword and sandal Hercules movies with Steve Reeves and other musclemen. What could you not like about this film as a kid? A beautiful princess, a submarine in the shape of a fish, giant monsters fighting our hero in a fire/water pit, animal men with bull heads and horns, a giant sea monster Neptune showing our hero and his princess through the pillars of Hercules on their way to Atlantis and plenty of evil sorcerers and villains. A good love story to boot with our hero Demetrious winning the love of his lady Antillia and getting out of Atlantis just before the submerging and destruction of the mythical land. Edward Platt who was on the TV show "Get Smart" as the chief in a role as a minister/prophet who foretells the doom of the fabled continent. I fell in love with Joyce Taylor, the princess Antillia way back then....only problem is that our hero, played by Anthony Hall looked like he could have used some time in the gym training with Steve Reeves. On the very thin side for a hero to fight giants and evil rulers. Great science fiction stuff for the 60s.

Every since I was a boy, the works of George Pal has always been an inspiration. I can recall as a child, waiting patiently for his TV programs involving his enormously popular Puppet-toons. His films always touch the core of movie fans' imagination with such classics as, 'The Naked Jungle', 'The War of the Worlds' and my all time favorite, 'The Time Machine'. In this film, Pal reaches deep into the human Psyche and selects a fabulous story which originates in the ancient scrolls of Plato. Here a Greek Fisherman, Demetrios (Anthony Hall) nets a strange woman who claims to be from the mythical island of Atlantis. Unable to prevent her, she returns home where the Fisherman becomes a prisoner of the mightiest kingdom of all time. Promising himself, he will yet escape his chains, Demetrios meet Xandros (Jay Novello) an aging slave who made that claim years before. During his stay, he is not only permitted to witness the great wonders of Atlantis, such as a submarine and a powerful solar Laser, but is informed of it's impending doom by a sincere and penitent scientist/priest named Azor (Edward Platt). His stay is precarious and subject to change at the whim of Sonoy the Astrologer (Frank De Kova) and Zaren (John Dall) the chief adviser. The movie is entertaining and enjoyable, if slightly hampered by the personal ideology of the director who injects it into his work. Nevertheless, the films of George Pal, continue to fascinate audiences of all ages. Due to his expertise, this film serves to strengthen our continuous belief in the Legend of Atlantis. ****

I thought this film would be a bit of a turkey but it turned out to be very entertaining. There are echoes of the same director's The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds in it. It combines sci-fi with Greek mythology very well. Although it is very much a fantasy film the pre-title sequence where the narrator talks about the things in the Old World and the New whose similarity which must be more than coincidental is quite thought provoking and you wonder what the real reason was for there being cave paintings of elephants in America and paintings of witches being similar on both sides of the Atlantic. It was made in the early sixties and it seems also to be making a statement about nuclear power with one crystal being used for lighting and heat and another being used for destruction. That scene seems to be a veiled warning about controlling our technology and not letting it run away. The rulers of Atlantis seem also to be a metaphor for the Nazis with their ideas of racial superiority and their desire to conquer the world together with their use of slave labour. A good film for all the family.

I remember seeing this when it was first released many years ago & when George Pal was a household name. I recently had a chance to see it again on TCM and considering the time that has elapsed, some of the special effects still look OK.

Being much older I now realize the acting skills of some of the players leave a lot to be desired but all in all it is still an enjoyable film despite the "steals" from Quo Vadis & elsewhere.

When I was a kid the final destruction scene gripped me and I never forgot the "laser" gun frying the bad egg on the steps and the smiling skeleton dropping down. Funny now how I now notice the saw line around the head & thinking how is it the bones survived the blast on that occasion but when Zaran was picking off the boats it was complete disintegration. One can't be too picky though he must have had real good eyesight to catch sight of the hero & damsel in the teeming crowds, smoke and flames.

I first saw this film when I was a child. My friends and I were enamored of it, and played "Atlantis" for weeks after. Watching the movie with adult eyes, however, reveals that it is not George Pal's best work. Even so, it continues to have sentimental value for me and I do watch it occasionally. I still believe it to be a "fun" movie, real Saturday Matinee, popcorn and juju beads, sticky floor fun. Just turn off the brain, drop your expectations, and enjoy.