Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

George Pal

Writers:

Gerald Hargreaves (play)
Daniel Mainwaring (writer)

Release Date:

3 May 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

SIGHTS NEVER BEFORE SEEN - Adventure never before experienced!

Plot:

A Greek Fisherman brings an Atlantean Princess back to her homeland which is the mythical city of Atlantis...

Plot Keywords:

Atlantis | Fisherman | Princess | Crystal | Slave

Cast

Sal Ponti	...	Demetrios (as Anthony Hall)
Joyce Taylor	...	Princess Antillia
John Dall	...	Zaren
William Smith	...	Captain of the Guard (as Bill Smith)
Edward Platt	...	Azor the High Priest
Frank DeKova	...	Sonoy the Astrologer
Berry Kroeger	...	Surgeon
Edgar Stehli	...	King Kronas
Wolfe Barzell	...	Petros, Demetrios' Father
Jay Novello	...	Xandros the Greek Slave
Paul Frees	...	Narrator / multiple voices (voice)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #19705) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company:

George Pal Productions

Trivia:

The initial cut of this film featured men in DaVinci-inspired flying rigs. This sequence was cut due to the poor quality of the special effects and negative responses from preview audiences.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Antillia steals the boat, the background shows the sea with normal waves. When Demetrios swims out to the boat the water is extremely calm. This also gives away the fact that the shot of Hall swimming was done in a studio tank.

Quotes:

Azor the High Priest: Empty! Just as all the others. The bees have deserted us.
Demetrios: Strange.
Azor the High Priest: Each morning of my life I have awakened to the singing of birds. Now only silence greets the day. Perhaps it is instinct, call it what you will, but they *sense* something, something evil. A strange breeze now rises with every outgoing tide, blowing dead leaves out toward the open sea...

Movie Connections:

References The Ten Commandments (1956)

"There is nothing beyond the Pillars, the World Ends there"

Every since I was a boy, the works of George Pal has always been an inspiration. I can recall as a child, waiting patiently for his TV programs involving his enormously popular Puppet-toons. His films always touch the core of movie fans' imagination with such classics as, 'The Naked Jungle', 'The War of the Worlds' and my all time favorite, 'The Time Machine'. In this film, Pal reaches deep into the human Psyche and selects a fabulous story which originates in the ancient scrolls of Plato. Here a Greek Fisherman, Demetrios (Anthony Hall) nets a strange woman who claims to be from the mythical island of Atlantis. Unable to prevent her, she returns home where the Fisherman becomes a prisoner of the mightiest kingdom of all time. Promising himself, he will yet escape his chains, Demetrios meet Xandros (Jay Novello) an aging slave who made that claim years before. During his stay, he is not only permitted to witness the great wonders of Atlantis, such as a submarine and a powerful solar Laser, but is informed of it's impending doom by a sincere and penitent ant scientist/priest named Azor (Edward Platt). His stay is precarious and subject to change at the whim of Sonoy the Astrologer (Frank De Kova) and Zaren (John Dall) the chief adviser. The movie is entertaining and enjoyable, if slightly hampered by the personal ideology of the director who injects it into his work. Nevertheless, the films of George Pal, continue to fascinate audiences of all ages. Due to his expertise, this film serves to strengthen our continuous belief in the Legend of Atlantis. ****