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| IT
CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA
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| Italian
Title: IL
MOSTRO DEI MARI |
| Production:
1955
- USA, Columbia, b/n, 80 min.
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| Director:
Robert
Gordon
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| Producer:
Charles
H. Schneer
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| Screenwriter:
George
Worthing Yates and Hal Smith
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| Special
Effects: Ray
Harryhausen
and Jack Erickson |
| Music:
Mischa
Bakaleinikoff
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| Cast:
Kenneth
Tobey,
Faith
Domergue,
Donald Curtis, Harry Lauter, Ian Keith, Dean Maddox Jr., Chuck Griffiths,
Harry Lauter, Richard W. Peterson, Del Courtney
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The
nuclear submarine commanded by Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) runs into [encounters]
a mysterious presence that moves through the waters of the Pacific, close
to the coast of California. Two scientists, Doctor Leslie Joyce (Faith Domergue)
and Doctor John Carter (Donald Curtis), discover what turns out to be a
species of giant octopus that emerged from the ocean depths, and filled
with radioactivity, most surely an after-effect of nuclear tests. Studying
the movement of the creature, the two scientists hasten to sound the alarm:
The animal, in fact, in search of food, is heading directly for San Francisco!
The creature knows no obstacles and nears the large cities, undetected.
Destroying a good part of the port with his spreading tentacles, clinging
to the picturesque Golden Gate Bridge with his distructive grip, and showing
every intention of carrying on his advance against the homes and mansions
along the shoreline.
Just when science and the armed forces appear to admit defeat, the courageous
Commander Mathews (who, in the meantime has spun a love story with Doctor
Leslie Joyce) intervenes in the nick of time, to defeat the sea monster
- he believes - with a good salvo of torpedoes. . . and his submarine does
not hesitate to get into action. |
| The
Special Effects wizard Harryhausen - here in his second movie and his first
time with producer Charles H. Schneer - is part of a story which, at least
on paper, has the basics for suprising the public. The film, nevertheless,
did not achieve the hoped-for success. Blame for this was placed from the
anonymous direction of Gordon to the tightness of the budget (it is said
that Harryhausen for economic reasons was forced to create an octopus with
four tentacles, rather than six) and, for some reason, to the lack of cooperation
on the part of the San Fransisco government that presumably considered the
bad publicity generated by a film that ends with the destruction of the
Golden Gate, shortly opened with a great ceremony. |
| © |
English
version by Vince Mattaliano |
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