Ombres sous la mer

Ah, yes! Who can forget that image of Sophia, climbing aboard a small fishing vessel, her peasant blouse opulently revealing why she first became a movie star? 20th-Century Fox wisely featured a snippet of that scene in "Previews of Coming Attractions" for this film when it was first being distributed. The production itself benefits hugely from the gorgeous locations of its story and the Hollywood professionalism of everyone assigned to it. All that, plus Julie London lending her breathy vocalizing to the lovely title song.

One of the things I recall about it was Sophia's retort when asked how much would be sufficient compensation for the ancient treasure she'd found under the Aegean. "For me, plenty of money is enough!" How convincingly she delivered that line and how lucky we've been ever since that her stardom led to many better displays of her talents.

Where, oh! where is the DVD (CinemaScope ratio preserved, s'il vous plait!) of this sunken treasure?

There are two good reasons to see this movie: Sophia Loren. This, if anything, was her breakthrough role and she almost did.

Loren is a sponge diver. Okay. Sponges must come from somewhere I guess. She's Greek. Fine. If Anthony Quinn and Jose Ferrer (neither in this movie) can play every nationality under the sun, and play them well, why not the ladies?

On the Aegen floor (I think It's the Aegean; when Loren climbs into her boat all my senses shut down for a while) she finds a lost artifact of great value: the eponymous boy on a dolphin, so forget any fantasies you may have of an seagoing Roy Rogers (who also isn't in this movie).

Now comes her dilemma, and It's very modern: does she donate it to a museum and see that it's kept where it belongs where, being in a museum, no one will ever know it's there? Or does she sell it to an appreciative collector and live happily ever after on the proceeds? And maybe snag a rich husband in the bargain?

It would take me about two seconds to make up my mind (all but the husband part), but her situation is complicated by her growing affection for the side of good and decency and right, represented by Alan Ladd.

Ladd was an actor of limited range, but he parlayed that into being able to play tough good guys and tough bad guys. And he was a bona fide movie star, which meant he can hold a screen. Unfortunately, in his later years Ladd didn't appear at all well. It's only been a few years since he made what some consider his masterpiece, "Shane," and he's clearly going to seed.

On the other horn of Loren's dilemma is the always delicious Clifton Webb, who also with great facility played good guys and bad guys without changing a note or turning a hair in his performances.

Webb had greater range as an actor but in the movies way back then stardom meant typecasting. People going to the theaters, I suppose, were like diners who wanted their burgers to taste the same whenever they went to their favorite joints. Who doesn't? If they go to a Clifton Webb movie they want to see Clifton Webb. And here he is.

One big mistake in this movie is an almost preternaturally lame title song. I suspect it's one they piped into Soviet gulags during Happy Hour. I nearly switched off. I'm glad I wasn't holding the remote.

Whether you like this movie depends your tolerance for Greek scenery and the freshly-hatched Sophia. She'd grow into a much better actress in English. But even at that stage, she exuded a sense that would come to haunt her when she begged her producer-husband to cast her as Lara in "Dr. Zhivago": she lacks nothing, they said, except inexperience.

One of those movies from childhood you remember as an adult, if for nothing else then for the brilliant colors and underwater scenes. Although this may not be available on DVD as yet, it's a good candidate because of the Technocolor beauty of it all.

This film was one of 1957's top grossers mainly due to the fact that in those years the public wanted exotic European location shooting and the film certainly does a good job of showing Greece and Sophia Loren who is ravishing.The story is a thriller.Alan Ladd plays a archaeologist ,Sophia a poor sponge diver and Clifton Webb an unscrupulous collector of art.The plot is not really that important.What counts is the scenery and Sophia.Alan Ladd whom I have always considered as a very good actor, but underrated by critics does a good job,like always(he always tried his best), all the more so that his partner was really very much taller than him and he suffered from that.I don't understand why everybody made so much fuss about Alan Ladd's size.He was just as short or tall as Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney or even George Raft.The film is very enjoyable.

I saw this film on network TV sometime in the late 1960s. It seems to NEVER be shown. I found it very involving and suspenseful (even with many commercial interruptions). Sophia Loren never looked better, Alan Ladd makes a good foil for Clifton Webb's dry wit. Beautiful location photography. Worth waiting for; a highly watchable film.