War-Gods of the Deep

Despite some beautiful technicolor photography and decent performances, the script and pacing make it almost impossible to keep your attention on the action of this film. Even Vincent Price and Tab Hunter in their heydays can't save things when all they're given to do is prattle at each other. This flick is set-bound and talky, but if you like movies with this "look," watch it with the sound turned down or fall asleep on the couch while it plays--the weird imagery and score will work their way into your dreams.

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.

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.

From what I know about screen writing the more credited writers a film has the worse the narrative is supposed to be . I genuinely think this is nonsense and perhaps CITY UNDER THE SEA is proof of this . It's a movie that has three people involved in he screenplay but is far more entertaining and involving than a great number of films I've seen that have only one screenwriter

First of all let's get the bad points out of the way . You don't need a University degree to know that there's no volcanoes off the coast of Cornwall which seems to be included to set up the ending and the back story of the gillmen are conspicuous by its absence . Also if you're a fan of Poe and you watched this movie expecting it to be an accurate adaptation of one of his works then you'll almost certainly feel cheated . The casting of two American characters in two lead roles to appeal to an American market does seem forced , especially when you've already got a well known American actor as the film's villain . Hammer films didn't bow to this type of casting so I've no idea why it's done here

In fact CITY UNDER THE SEA plays very much like one of the better Hammer productions concentrating on atmosphere rather than gore . When the film concentrates on this aspect it is genuinely frightening as early in the film when one of the gillmen prowls around the house . I must have been about seven years old when I saw this scene and remember being terrified by it . I saw this scene again earlier today and was not disappointed which is a great compliment coming from me . It's a film that is not Oscar worthy but is great entertainment nonetheless

City Under the Sea is directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Charles Bennett and Louis M. Heyward. It stars Vincent Price, Tab Hunter, Susan Hart, David Tomlinson and John Le Mesurier. Filmed in Pathecolor it features music by Stanley Black and cinematography by Stephen Dade.

Inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe/Roger Corman/Vincent Price series of films, with some Jules Verne flavourings, City Under the Sea turns out to be a disappointment and a far from fitting farewell to cinema for Tourneur. A shame because visually it's a treat for the eyes with its striking set designs and character clobber.

Derived as an idea from Poe's poem The City in the Sea, the story just isn't interesting enough. It's based in olde Cornwall, England, and finds Hunter (dull) and Tomlinson (out acted by his chicken companion) discovering an underwater city when Hart (err, she is just there!) disappears from her room via a secret passage. Turns out the city is presided over by an unhinged Price (on auto-pilot but still engaging enough) who believes Hart to be the reincarnation of his long dead wife. There's some gill men ancients, a smuggling back story, ageless oxygen and a volcano just waiting to explode in the finale. What transpires is a load of talking and nothing much happens until the expected chase and explosive ending that really isn't worth the wait.

Price and the visuals ensure it's not a total wash out, but all told its pretty ordinary. 5/10