6.8/10
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Mysterious Island (1961)

Approved | | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi | 20 December 1961 (USA)
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During the Civil War a group of Union soldiers and two Confederates escape the stockade using a hot air balloon and end up on a strange Pacific island.

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(screenplay), (screenplay) (as Daniel Ullman) | 2 more credits »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
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Lady Mary Fairchild
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Elena Fairchild
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Sgt. Pencroft
Dan Jackson ...
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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'. Written by Stewart M. Clamen <clamen@cs.cmu.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

plunging into adventure beyond imagination ...a world beyond belief! See more »


Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

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Language:

Release Date:

20 December 1961 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Jules Verne's Mysterious Island  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The original novel does not contain any reference to giant or extinct animals or plants. Film makers decided to include this to make the movie more exciting, becoming ever since into the most recognizable and persistent aspect of every subsequent adaptation of this Jules Verne's work. Interestingly, extinct fauna features predominantly in another Verne's novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth. See more »

Goofs

In the first 22 minutes of the film during the narrative, a sulfur-crested cockatoo is to be seen. This is an indigenous bird found only in Australia. See more »

Quotes

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

Opening credits prologue: THE SIEGE OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 1865 See more »

Connections

Version of Mysterious Island (2005) See more »

Soundtracks

Toccata and Fugue
in D Minor, BWV 565 (uncredited)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Played on organ by Captain Nemo
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

Highly Enjoyable
2 August 2004 | by (San Antonio, Texas) – See all my reviews

This is a nice, satisfying telling of the Verne story, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen and a good score by Bernard Herrman. Escapees from a Civil War prison camp are blown way off course in a balloon they stole. They find themselves on an apparently deserted island somewhere in the Pacific, are joined by two women who were shipwrecked, and eventually come face-to-face with Captain Nemo and the wrecked Nautilus.

They have to deal with pirates, an erupting volcano and Harryhausen's creature threats. These include very large versions of a hungry red crab, an aggressive chicken (or dodo), a bee and an unhappy squid. Some of the creatures turn out to be very good boiled or roasted.

The movie holds up well because of a strong story, good action, and fairly well-defined characters. It features Herbert Lom, in my view an under-rated actor, and Joan Greenwood. By this time Greenwood was taking character parts and doing a lot of stage work. But from the mid-Forties to the mid-Fifties she was, I think, one of the sexiest, smartest actors Britain has ever produced. Her plummy, smoky voice is inimitable.


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