The Incredible Petrified World (1957)

Four adventurers descend to the depths of the ocean when the cable on their underwater diving bell snaps. The rest of their expedition, believing them to be lost, abandons hope of finding ... See full summary »

Director:

Jerry Warren

Writer:

John W. Steiner (original screenplay)

Stars:

John Carradine, Robert Clarke, Phyllis Coates

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Carradine	...	Prof. Millard Wyman
Robert Clarke	...	Craig Randall
Phyllis Coates	...	Dale Marshall
Allen Windsor	...	Paul Whitmore
Sheila Noonan	...	Lauri Talbott
George Skaff	...	Dr. J.R. Matheny
Maurice Bernard	...	Old Man in the Caverns
Joe Maierhouser	...	Jim Wyman
Lloyd Nelson	...	Wilson, Sonar Man
Harry Raven	...	The Captain
Milt Collion	...	Hank
Robert Carroll	...	Narrator
Lowell Hopkins	...	Reporter
Jack Haffner	...	Jimmy, Reporter

Storyline

Four adventurers descend to the depths of the ocean when the cable on their underwater diving bell snaps. The rest of their expedition, believing them to be lost, abandons hope of finding them. Exiting the diving bell, the party finds themselves in a network of underwater caverns. They encounter a shipwreck survivor. He tells them he has been there for 14 years and that there is no way out. The two men in the exploring party believe him only after a hike to a volcanic vent that supplies the caverns with oxygen. On the surface, Prof. Millard Wyman, the elder scientist who designed the original diving bell, decides to try again to explore the depths of the ocean. He finds out that there is another diving bell in existence that is identical to the one that was lost...

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Plot Keywords:

bathysphere | volcano | low budget film | komodo dragon | friendly rival | 

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Taglines:

See! The terror of a skindive to the center of the Earth! Caverns of Forgotten Men! Boiling Volcanos! Tidal Earthquakes! Horror of Undead Monsters!

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Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

El mundo increíble

Filming Locations:

Colossal Cave Mountain Park, Vail, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

GBM Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min 64 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in 1957, not released until 1959.

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Goofs

When the characters are trapped undersea in the diving bell, they simply leave by climbing up to a hatch, supposedly at the top of the bell. Such an action underwater would immediately flood the bell. Yet, not even a drop of water enters the bell when they exit.

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Quotes

Dale Marshall: [to Lauri] You just listen to me, Miss Innocent. There's nothing friendly between two females. There never was. There never will be.
Lauri Talbott: Sorry you feel that way. I was hoping we could help each other.
Dale Marshall: You don't need help - neither do I. Not as long as we have two men around us.

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Connections

Featured in Shiver & Shudder Show (2002)

User Reviews

Petrify me, please!

The title of this simply begs for ridicule; especially as it has absolutely nothing to do with the film---other than the puns furnished by other reviewers.

I actually fell asleep twice during this happy horsesh*t and had to go back in case I missed something interesting---I should have stayed asleep as nothing remotely resembling the word "interesting" ever became evident. Now this isn't the worst movie I've even seen. (That honour belongs to Eegah.) But it comes amazingly close.

There were so many technical flaws in this movie, even someone like me noticed em (I try very hard not to pay attention to the technical aspects of a movie so as not to spoil my enjoyment). Maybe it's cause there was no story to occupy me that I was forced to notice other things. How many 1000s of feet were they down with no pressure problems? What kind of diving bell lets divers in and out without any water getting in? (I guess you could pump enough compressed air in to equalise the pressure---but then what would you need the bell for?) How do they pop up to the surface at the end so quickly without nitrogen poisoning (bends)? Also, what kind of volcano produces breathable oxygen? And glowing caves complete with caveman and dumb iguana? **sound of eyes rolling**.

Was there a story somewhere? If so, I've forgotten. Oh yeah. Now I remember: 4 dopes descend in bell, which breaks loose. They tour glowing caves. Caveman tries to go for girl. Volcano (or whatever lame excuse they had for a volcano) intervenes---was there more?---I'm getting sleepy just thinking about this movie.

People don't torture yourselves with this bs---zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz