Transatlantic

This science fiction drama from Gaumont had previously been filmed three times in France and Germany. American engineer Richard "Mac" McAllan (Richard Dix) proposes an audacious undertaking: the construction of an underground tunnel beneath the sea bed that will connect London to New York. The massive undertaking involves multiple investors and years of construction time. Mac neglects his wife Ruth (Madge Evans) who seeks comfort with Mac's best friend Frederick (Leslie Banks), while chief investor Lloyd (C. Aubrey Smith) struggles to secure the funds necessary to keep going, while his own daughter Varlia (Helen Vinson) falls in love with Mac.

The science fiction elements are largely kept in the background via set design, the "futuristic" appearance of automobiles, the use of video phones, etc. I would have liked the film more if it had concentrated on the engineering aspects of the construction, or even more on the backroom dealing and politicking of keeping the undertaking afloat. But unfortunately more time is spent on the emotional toil caused by Mac's overwork, and the weak and tedious love triangle. The performances are perfunctory, with the wild-eyed yet still wooden Dix contrasting with Banks, whose facial paralysis often makes it hard to tell what his expression is supposed to convey from scene to scene. I wanted to like this more than I did, but there's still some worthwhile moments among the cliches.