L'oasis des tempêtes

Today's kids, raised on computer-generated graphics, will probably sneer at it, but by 1957 standards THE LAND UNKNOWN was pretty hard to beat. Drawing inspiration from 1920s silent classic THE LOST WORLD and using film shot by Byrd during his polar expedition, THE LAND UNKNOWN presents the story of a helicopter forced down at a warm-water oasis in Antartica--where the crew discovers a prehistoric world where everything seems determined to gobble them up.

The special effects are a mixed bag, ranging from live-action shots of lizards-in-combat to Godzilla-style rubber suits to full size mechanics. While I wouldn't describe it as greatly sophisticated or even consistently executed, it is all a tremendous amount of fun. The script is more intelligent than you might expect--and the story takes an unexpected turn that tempers the action-heavy plot with a certain depth. The cast is no-name, but every one plays expertly, and THE LAND UNKNOWN moves at a cracking pace. This will never compete with the likes of Harryhausen's stop-motion classics, nor will it go down in the history of film as an equal to the truly great science-fiction and fantasy films of its day. But THE LAND UNKNOWN is a fun flick, and I recommend it to fans of 1950s creature features.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT Amazon Reviewer

Okay, I love lost world films. I'm a sucker for them. It has to do more with the monsters more than anything else. Here we a bunch of reasonably okay dinosaurs running amok.

The plot is simple, a helicopter crashes into what had, until then, been a hidden tropical jungle in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. It then becomes a race to repair the helicopter before the dinosaurs eat the entire party.

This is a reasonably well done movie with some reasonably well done dinosaurs that get points for NOT being lizards enlarged with trick photography. No they aren't the best monsters in the world and nowhere near as good as what they do today, but what monster is, aside from King Kong? Frankly its the dinosaurs in both the relative quality of what was done and the variety of what we see that makes this movie for me.

I'm hoping that the film will get a restored DVD release soon. This film was shot widescreen however the release on videotape is pan and scan so much of the composition appears to have been lost. I've seen a widescreen trailer and the dinosaur scenes looked better un-pan and scanned.

If you love old black and white, monster or dinosaur films see this film. Yes its been done before but there is something about the way its done here that lifts it up from the rest of the pack.

8 out of 10 for dinosaur/monster lovers.

This rip-roaring sci-fi adventure scores high marks in several categories. The story concerns four people whose helicopter lands in an unknown prehistoric valley, a freak temperate zone located thousands of feet below sea level in the Antarctic, kept warm by volcanically-heated water and a permanent cloud layer that traps the warm air.

The special effects are by Universal's FX wizard Clifford Stine, and even though the dinosaurs are not animated, they aren't badly done. The Tyrannosaurus Rex is a man in a suit, the flippered dinosaur is fairly convincing puppet, and the rest are enlarged lizards. All the dinosaurs are skillfully integrated with live action shots.

Stine loaded the film with wonderful scenes of the fog-shrouded prehistoric landscape, using marvelous matt shots and impressive sets, creating a Skull Island atmosphere.

In some ways, this is the perfect 1950's sci-fi film, because it proudly presents a wealth of facts about the Antarctic before it begins its fanciful story.

The music by Joseph Gershenson is extremely effective. Director Virgil Vogel ("The Mole People") keeps the action moving right along. Hero Jock Mahoney (who later played Tarzan) is a stalwart hero, and Shawn Smith (the stern lady astronaut in "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" and the luscious babe in a mini-skirt in "World Without End") makes a gorgeous heroine. Henry Brandon does a commendable job as a half-crazed survivor from a previous expedition -- and I read somewhere that he was actually a member of the 1947 Bird Expedition to the North Pole. Don't remember where I read it, so I might be misinformed.

While in a military expedition to Antarctica by ship, helicopter pilot Lt. Jack Carmen (William Reynolds), mechanic Steve Miller (Phil Harvey) and civilian journalist Margaret "Maggie" Hathaway (Shawn Smith) travel to investigate a mysterious oasis with hot water under the command of Commander Harold Roberts (Jock Mahoney). However a pterodactyl hits the helicopter and they are forced to land below the sea level on a foggy land with dinosaurs and other pre-historical animals and plants. Soon they stumble upon the lonely Dr. Carl Hunter (Henry Brandon), lost in another expedition twelve years ago. He offers a way out to the three military provided they leave Maggie with him. What will they do?

"The Land Unknown" is a dated black-and-white adventure with a group stranded in a pre-historical land with carnivorous plants, dinosaurs and pterodactyls. The film is entertaining and it seems that in 1947 was discovered warm water in Antarctica. The good guys are military, still a reflex of the WWII, and the lead actress has the usual female attitudes of the 50´s, fainting and screaming when in danger. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "No Mundo dos Monstros Pré-Históricos" ("In the World of Pre-Historical Monsters")

A rip-roaring sci-fi adventure that has quite a lot going for it: a novel premise, a square-jawed hero, a lovely blond heroine, and several dinosaurs presented in a bizarre landscape.

Universal's ace effects artist Clifford Stine did a terrific job. The sets are also remarkable. The film's explanation for the presences of a tropical prehistoric world in the frozen Antarctic is intelligent and plausible. The character don't act like stereo-types, so the plot avoids being predictable. Be kind when you view the dinosaurs; they serve the story well, despite the fact that they're puppets, men in suits, and enlarged lizards.

If at all possible, see the wide-screen version. There's nothing worse than watching a dinosaur's mid-section attack somebody off-screen because the dino's head and tail have been cut