20.000 leghe sotto la Terra

When you consider that this movie is directed by the great Jacques Tourneur, stars the legendary Vincent Price and is based on a poem by the master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe; it's a huge disappointment. Considering the quality of the talent involved, this film really should have been a lot better. However, despite the fact that it's a long way from brilliant, the film isn't bad either and fans of any combination of the three major players will no doubt find something to like about it. The film begins in familiar Poe and Price territory, with the great actor reading the beginning of the poem on which the film is based against a backdrop of the ocean hitting the sandy shores. The story follows two men that follow a group of fish-men down a back passage of an old in house in search of the girl that the monsters have kidnapped. The men follow them to a lost city that has been engulfed by the sea, and discover a world of intrigue as they learn about the society of never ageing smugglers that they have stumbled upon.

It's the story telling aspect of the story that makes the film struggle. It's very uneven, and huge chunks are spent on rather boring elements such as an extremely overlong underwater chase sequence. However, when the film is good, it's very good. Vincent Price delivers a great performance as the ruler of the underwater kingdom. Price is an absolutely great actor who has to prove nothing to nobody and one reason for that is because no matter how bad the film is, Vincent Price always gives you a reason to watch. The effects are a little silly, especially when you get to see the half-fish, half-men up close, but things like that add to the charm of classic B-movies, and so it's easy to let it go. The story itself is very good, and despite the fact that it's only a poem, Poe manages to inject all the malevolence that has made him immortal in the eyes of everyone that knows anything about literature. The film also includes a tribute to the great author by way of a section which includes a first edition of his works. This film certainly isn't brilliant, but it's not bad either. I certainly recommend it to fans of Price, Poe or Tourneur.

As I watched this film I kept imagining kids in the year 1965 watching this at Saturday afternoon matinees and thinking this was the coolest thing they had ever seen in their lives. What more could you ask for: a handsome and likable hero in Tab Hunter, a stunningly beautiful leading lady, the delightful David Tomlinson as comic relief, the masterfully sinister Vincent Price as the villain, an undersea world filled with mysterious and treacherous caverns, monstrous mer-men, and a nearby volcano threatening destruction at any moment. That's a pretty good Saturday afternoon if you ask me. And if you can approach this film in that way, allowing for the time and place in which it was made to inform your judgment, I think you'll find this a very enjoyable picture. For the most part it looks great (especially when one considers how tightly AIP held their purse strings in those days) if a bit dated by today's standards, but that too can be part of the fun.

If I could talk like Vincent Price could I would talk to myself all the time, out loud and I would probably get an MC Job or be a radio announcer. That guys voice was like audio gold. War Gods of the deep began with the narration that only Vincent Price could manage to deliver. He was a treasure and he is missed. The movie fits a model of the time period this was created. Do not expect any more than that and you will have an enjoyable time. I enjoyed the nostalgic vibe and the somewhat campy and predictable presentation. Not the worlds most advanced movie or soundtrack but it was fun if you let it be what it is and go with it a little bit. It did not try to be pretentious, it allowed Vincent to be who he is and do what he did best. The "Hen" was named Herbert...soooo...you see where this is going. But, A good time can be had, we enjoyed this.

City Under the Sea is one of several movies based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem and starring Vincent Price.

A lost undersea city is discovered off the Cornish coast after a local woman goes missing. She was kidnapped by one of the smugglers who have made it their home. None of the people there seem to age, this is due to the air. Gill men are used as slaves. After several adventures, a volcano erupts and the two men who went to look for the woman rescue her and they all make it back safe, after fighting the gill men off. The woman reminded the leader of the city, Sir Hugh of his late wife. When Sir Hugh escapes from the city at the end, he ages suddenly due to the change of atmosphere.

Sir Hugh is played brilliantly by Vincent Price and the movie also stars Susan Hart, Tab Hunter, David Tomlinson and John Le Mesurier (Dad's Army). Also in the cast is Tomlinson's pet hen, Herbert.

I have seen this movie several times and found it enjoyable. A treat.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

WAR GODS OF DEEP contains fantastic adventures full of sea-monsters in a lost continent placed underwater . Set on the Cornish coast in 1903 , the film starts when a body is washed ashore on a remote seacoast nearly a little town , it causes an investigation by an American young named Ben Harris (Tab Hunter). He goes to a house where the dead had been an advocate and encounters tracks that indicate the gorgeous Jill (Susan Hart) may be in deadly risk . Establishing menace and seeing off a suspicious strange monster like a gill-man that he trapped in the act of robbing a portrait of Jill , but he gets escaped . In the overnight Jill is abducted and Ben and Harold (David Tomlinson ) chase him . Finding a tunnel system going under the sea , as they walk across a dangerous rout . The duo discovering an underwater band of smugglers who never age residing in a lost underwater city along with their gill-man slaves . The group of people find inhabitants of the lost world that are ruled by one megalomaniac named Sir Hugh (Vincent Price) who's discovered the secret of eternal life but is desperate to avoid his world being destroyed by an eruption caused by a relentless volcano . Sir Hugh governs over the gill-men as slaves and wishes to rule the human beings and the creation a totalitarian state .

Based on Edgar Allan Poe writings with interesting screenplay by Charles Bennett . This fantasy picture displays thrills , weird sea monsters , lively pace and fantastic scenarios located undersea . Vincent Price is the real star of this production and its chief attribute , similar to his role as ¨Robur the conquer¨ . The tale is silly and laughable , but the effects and undersea scenes are quite well . Among the most spectacular of its visuals there are deeply shrouded caverns full giant sculptures in Persyian style . Some illogical parts in the plot are more than compensated for the excitement provided by Vincent Price acting and the sea-monsters appearance , though they are sometimes a little bit shoddy . Vincent Price is well accompanied by a decent main cast as David Tomlinson , Tab Hunter , Susan Hart and notorius secondaries as Henry Oscar and John Le Mesurier.

It packs a cheesy underwater city with mediocre matte painting . Filmed in glimmer and colorful cinematography by cameraman Stephen Dade on location in Cornwall Coast , Cornwall, England , Pinewood Studios , Iver Heath , Buckinghamshire , England, UK (studio). Thrilling and stirring musical score by Stanley Black . The motion picture was produced by American International (James H Nicholson , Samuel Z. Arkoff) in average budget and middlingly directed by the classic director Jacques Tourneur in his final feature movie . He was an expert on terror cinema (Cat people , Curse of the demon, I walked with a Zombie) and adventures (Flame and the arrow) . ¨City under the sea¨ will appeal to youngsters who will swallow it whole and they'll feel convulsed in their armchair and of course Vincent Price fans.