It
Came From Beneath The Sea (1955)
Sony
Cast:
Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis.
Rating:
NR.
Run
time: 79 mins
Genre:
Science Fiction.
Verdict:
Beautiful
(see rating
system)
Despite
being made on a budget of just $200,000, this is a gem of
a movie from sci-fi special effects wizzard Ray Harryhausen.
If
anything, the print is in even better condition than Earth
vs. The Flying Saucers and the newly colorized version
from Legend Films looks terrific.
Familiar
movie and TV character actor Kenneth Tobey plays Capt. Pete
Matthews, commander of a U.S. Navy submarine on a routine
assignment in the Pacific Ocean. However, when sonar picks
up a target following them, Matthews and his crew encounter
a mysterious underwater creature that almost cripples the
sub.
Once
safely back to port in San Francisco, scientists, including
the stunning Prof. Lesley Joyce (Faith Domergue), test some
of the creature's tissue snagged by the sub . . . and come
to a startling conclusion.
Using
the "less is more" principal, Harryhausen created
a believable sea monster and the footage of it attacking a
ship and other targets still looks impressive. Equally good
is the crisp direction of Robert Gordon and a nice screenplay
from George Worthing Yates and Hal Smith.
There
are several exciting scenes and a rising sense of tension
as Matthews and his superiors figure out how to deal with
a growing menace.
I
really like Tobey's work in this flick. He had a long career
in movies, often in minor roles alongside stars like Cary
Grant (I Was A Male War Bride, 1949) and John Wayne (Wings
Of Eagles,1957) plus Gremlins (1984). He also appeared in
some solid sci-fi movies, including The Thing From Another
World (1951). His TV work included Perry Mason, Gunsmoke,
Bonanza, The Rockford
Files and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Gorgeous
co-star Faith Domergue, who starred in the cult-sci-fi classic
This Island Earth (1955), also appeared in many TV shows,
including Perry Mason and Bonanza.
As
well as the superb colorized version - sanctioned by Harryhausen
himself - this 2-disc set also includes the black and white
original, Tim Burton's recent interview with Harryhausen and
other extras.
