Mysterious Island (1961)

During the US Civil War, Union POWs escape in a balloon and end up stranded on a South Pacific island, inhabited by giant plants and animals. They must use their ingenuity to survive the ... See full summary »

Director:

Cy Endfield

Writers:

John Prebble (screenplay), Daniel B. Ullman (screenplay),

Stars:

Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood, Michael Callan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Michael Craig	...	Capt. Cyrus Harding
Joan Greenwood	...	Lady Mary Fairchild
Michael Callan	...	Herbert Brown
Gary Merrill	...	Gideon Spilitt
Herbert Lom	...	Captain Nemo
Beth Rogan	...	Elena Fairchild
Percy Herbert	...	Sgt. Pencroft
Dan Jackson	...	Cpl. Neb Nugent

Storyline

During the US Civil War, Union POWs escape in a balloon and end up stranded on a South Pacific island, inhabited by giant plants and animals. They must use their ingenuity to survive the dangers, and to devise a way to return home. Sequel to '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' .

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Plot Keywords:

island | escape | pirate | submarine | volcano | 

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Taglines:

A world beyond imagination! Adventure beyond belief!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'île mystérieuse

Filming Locations:

Benidorm, Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ameran Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original concept for the film was that it was going to be shot as a straight survival story without the giant animals. However, the producers felt that concept was too boring and decided to include the giant monsters.

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Goofs

When two men are chopping down a tree with stone axes, large flat cuts in the tree trunk are seen which could only have been made by a saw that the men didn't have.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Confederate soldier: All right, now get down.

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Connections

Featured in The Harryhausen Chronicles (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Toccata and Fugue"
in D Minor, BWV 565
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Played on organ by Captain Nemo

User Reviews

Consistently Entertaining

This film starts off with adventure and rarely ever lets up. Starting off with a daring hot air balloon escape by Union prisoners from a Confederate prison camp through a treacherous storm which blows them off course until eventually they land on a mysterious island full of strange giant creatures such as a giant crab, a giant bird and giant bees. These creatures are magnificently brought to life by stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen. This one will appeal mostly to those young in heart and spirit. Herbert Lom is quite good in his role as Captain Nemo, a man trying to find a means of destroying the causes of war. Also has a wonderful score by Bernard Herrmann. Great fun.