Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961)

A Greek Fisherman brings an Atlantean Princess back to her homeland which is the mythical city of Atlantis. He is enslaved for his trouble. The King is being manipulated by an evil sorcerer... See full summary »

Director:

George Pal

Writers:

Gerald Hargreaves (play), Daniel Mainwaring

Stars:

Sal Ponti, Joyce Taylor, John Dall

Cast

Complete credited 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)

Storyline

A Greek Fisherman brings an Atlantean Princess back to her homeland which is the mythical city of Atlantis. He is enslaved for his trouble. The King is being manipulated by an evil sorcerer who is bent on using a natural resource of Atlantis to take over the world. The Atlanteans, or rather the slaves of Atlantis, are forced to mine a crystalline material which absorbs the suns rays. These crystals can then be used for warmth. The misuse of science has created weapons out of the crystals that can fire a heat ray to destroy whatever it touches.

---

Plot Keywords:

atlantis | crystal | princess | fisherman | slave | 

---

Taglines:

SIGHTS NEVER BEFORE SEEN - Adventure never before experienced!

---

Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Atlantide continente perduto

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Pal Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When a preview of this film was shown, a questionnaire was distributed among the viewers asking what scene they liked. One person answered, "The scene where Robert Taylor saved Deborah Kerr from the fire." This was in reference to the fact that much of the stock footage used in the film came from Quo Vadis.

---

Goofs

Demetrious's fishing boat with the triangular sail and stern rudder was a type of craft that didn't appear until the Byzantine era, ca 1100 AD.

---

Quotes

Demetrios: The end has come.

---

Crazy Credits

For once in his life, Paul Frees gets an on-screen credit for a voice-over job, the narration in the opening and closing sequences. Strangely, he is billed not in the cast list, but in the technical credits.

---

Connections

Edited from The Naked Jungle (1954)

User Reviews

Overlooked, hard to find and not too bad.

I agree that this is not one of George Pal's stronger efforts, but it does have merit. The sinking of Atlantis at the conclusion still looks good today even though some of the shots of the burning city were taken from "Quo Vadis."

Near the end of the film Russell Garcia's music repeats an easily remembered motif from his "Time Machine" score.

Edward Platt's performance as High Priest Azor is one of the best in the film although I kept expecting someone to call him "Chief."

The writing is a little stiff as it always seems to be in these ancient times epics. The only real awkward moment is the bizarre chant the slaves recite as they twist the giant drill in order to speed the eruption of the volcano.

Very colorful sets and costumes along with the usual amount of special effects mayhem you would anticipate from George Pal. The lead f/x man was A. Arnold Gillespie who worked on "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone With the Wind." The miniature sets and explosions are especially good.

An overlooked, above average spectacle from one of the best showmen working in Hollywood at the time.