Unknown World

Let's face it, if you're bothering to read reviews of this film, you are probably going to see it out of a sense of obligation if nothing else. So, it really doesn't matter what I say, now does it?

This is a fairly typical early 1950s not-very-scientific attempt to use the genre as a means for moralizing. The morality of this film is certainly worth listening to for its anti-war, anti-pollution, etc, messages, but the film lacks depth, science of any kind, and, basically, a compelling plot.

Being a fan of 50s sci if, I thought this film started off pretty well. Although there is no obvious crisis looming on the horizon, a scientist and a group of anti-nuke colleagues obtain grant money to explore deep within the earth for the possibility of habitable subterranean environments. Since the film was made in 1950-51, the level of concern regarding nuclear warheads is certainly understandable (too bad some have forgotten about this, eh?).

Much is made about the vehicle which they will use for this journey. The vehicle looks like a suped-up bullet nose Studebaker with a large drill bit attached to it. This vehicle is apparently capable of drilling through several hundred miles of solid rock, without any visible cooling system. As the scientists explore deeper and deeper into the earth, they are not surprised (though I was) to find that most of the crust and upper mantle (my terms, not theirs) are in fact hollow, and have not only gorgeous stalagmites and stalactites, but flat floors graded properly for people to take walks on. Harassed by noxious gasses, magma and pretty poor acting, the cast dwindles as the story devolves into a simple adventure tale.

The acting is generally uneven, and is hampered by the occasionally absurd script. I really don't want to single anybody out, but Marilyn Nash and Bruce Kellogg are particularly off-pace in this one.

The director, Terry Morse, went on to make a few good films (such as the List of Adrian Messenger), and also a lot of other films (the American version of Godzilla, and the timeless classic - not - Love Slaves of the Amazon). And this is sort of below-standard fare in the context of his filmography.

Well, OK then, go see it... You know you want to, and I am not going to stop you... But don't say you didn't have fair warning.

Cheapjack Lippert Pictures had an unexpected success with Rocketship XM (1950). I expect this little slice of sci-fi was intended as a follow-up (check out the similar opening scenes). However, instead of burrowing into outer space in a rocketship, these adventurers burrow into inner earth in what looks like a fat submarine with a drill for a nose.

They're playing mole because staying on top like everyone else looks like sure death thanks to nuclear weapons. So six hardy Adams and one Eve set out in their big drill to found a new world and refuge for humanity. Naturally, things don't go entirely as expected, otherwise there'd be no movie. And, of course, not all seven survive.

Actually, the special effects aren't bad considering the challenges of a fantastic inner earth. Then too, I'm surprised Lippert popped for location shooting all the way to New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns. However, it's also a no-name cast that unfortunately performs like one, except for Killian and Nash who manage a few sparks of life. All in all, it's an interestingly offbeat slice of 50's sci-fi despite the big cheese factor.

(In passing—thanks IMDb for the info on Killian's billing or I should say lack of billing. Killian was one of those distinctive supporting players who could make any movie better.)

A group of scientists tunnel to the center of the Earth to find a refuge from the dangers of the atomic world. As the team of the scientific people : Bruce Kellogg, Otto Waldis, Jim Bannon... , among them one woman : Marilyn Walsh , use a gigantic drilling for a risked expidition. The scientific compatriots descend into deep caverns filled with stalactites and stalagmites and looking for a tunnel system leading to the center . All of them drilling into the forbidden depths of the Earth resulting in surprising as well as fateful consequences. A thousand miles down...Ten-thousand Thrills Deep! A Journey to the Center of the Earth . Shocking drama of a woman who's lost life's most precious gifts! . Daring scenes of the forbidden depths at the heart of the world! Adventure into the unknown! Drilling into the forbidding depths of the earth!

A shocking and fantastic drama with daring scenes of the forbidden depth at the heart of the world. It blends usual issue in the Fifties about the risks of the nuclear war along the classic story of Jules Verne's Voyage to the Center of the Earth. The highlights of the movie are the numerous risks and dangers they have to deal with . Big start winds down fast and being nicely shot by Terry Morse, sometimes credited Terrell O. Morse. Stars a lot of B and mostly unknown actors giving passable interpretations, such as : Bruce Kellogg, Jim Bannon, Otto Waldis, Marilyn Walsh, uncredited Victor Killan, among others.

Produced by expert producer Robert Lippert who financed various fantasy movies and two FX expert professionals : Irving Block and Jack Rabin, both of provide tradicional and primitive especial effects, but really effective, adding abundant matte-painting . It contains a thrilling and evocative musical score by Ernest Gold to be continued a successful career with excellent soundtracks as a great composer. The motion picture was regular y professionally directed by Terry O Morse. He was a good craftsman and an expert editor. He shot various films about all kinds of genres with penchant for fantasy and Sci-Fi. As Terry directed films as Godzilla, Taffy, Fog Island, Godzilla King of the Monsters, Tear Gas Squad, Waterfront, On the Trail, Don Ricardo returns, Dillinger, Danny Boy, British Inteligence, among others. Rating : 5.5/10. In spite of not being a notable, neither extraordinary film, it results an acceptable and decent entry in the Fiffties, a period in which the Science Fiction genre got great splendor and success.

This is not as bad a picture as some of the other reviews suggest.

I'm not saying it's a great movie, but it IS surprisingly well done for being made with no money.

It's an odd movie in that it's not really the kind of sci fi you'd expect. There are no monsters or other creatures.

It a straightforward story about finding a alternative place to live in case of nuclear war.

It does drag a bit, but it's worth a watch.

The plot.

Dr. Jerimiah Morley becomes convinced that the world is headed to an inevitable worldwide nuclear war.

He organizes an expedition made up of a team of expert scientists and an atomic-powered rock-boring vehicle called a "cyclotram" to find a subterranean environment where holocaust survivors could live indefinitely.

When funding falls through, independently rich adventurer Wright Thompson underwrites the project under the condition that he be allowed to go.

As the group goes deeper beneath the Earth's crust, personalities clash, tempers flare, and the dangerous journey claims the lives of several expedition members.

When they come upon an enormous underground expanse with its own ocean and phosphorescent light, it appears that their goal has been achieved.

I thought that this would be a typical "lost world" type movie. A bunch of people set out on an adventure to find a hide away from the threat of nuclear war by drilling deep into the earth...sounds similar to a lot of other story lines. Problem is that with effects of this style (not too bad for the time), and acting this bad, I thought at least we would get a cave man or a cheap dinosaur. No, they just keep going deeper and deeper, losing members of the team as they go. It also ends so abruptly that you think the writer just gave up.