The Bermuda Depths (1978) (TV)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Shusei Kotani

Writers:

William Overgard (writer)
Arthur Rankin Jr. (story)

Release Date:

27 January 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

It Came Up, Up, Up from the Bermuda Depths

Plot:

Scientists investigating the briny deep are threatened by a giant turtle and the spirit of a young brunette swimmer in the Bermuda Triangle.

Plot Keywords:

Bermuda | Turtle | Bermuda Triangle | Creature | Prehistoric

Cast

Leigh McCloskey	...	Magnus Dens
Carl Weathers	...	Eric
Connie Sellecca	...	Jennie Haniver
Julie Woodson	...	Doshan
Ruth Attaway	...	Delia
Burl Ives	...	Dr. Paulis
Elise Frick
Nicholas Ingham
Kevin Petty
Nicole Marsh
George Richards
John Instone
Jonathan Ingham
Patricia Rego
Doris Riley

Also Known As:

Bamyuda no nazo (Japan)
It Came Up from the Depths

Runtime:

Japan:90 min | USA:98 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Bermuda

Company:

Rankin/Bass Productions

Quotes:

Magnus Dens: [Magnus and Paulis are discussing the night Lionel died] What happened to the body?
Dr. Paulis: They said it was likely consumed by marine life.
Magnus Dens: You mean he was eaten.
Dr. Paulis: [shaking with rage] Yes, he was eaten!

Soundtrack:

Jennie

An odd chapter for Rankin/Bass

Not many people know that animation studio Rankin/Bass made a few stabs into live-action productions. This may be their best known, if only because (especially evident in these user comments) so many people remember it from their childhoods! I can see why, since there are some haunting images and scenes (like the long opening where hardly a word is spoken), skillful use of classical music, themes of loss and despair, and a decidingly un-Hollywood ending. Though watching the movie with the eyes of an adult, its flaws become clear - unbelievably cheesy special effects, plot elements that are murky or underbaked, and characters doing/saying things that are laughable at times. All the same, the movie still has some magic to it, and when you watch it you can see the makings of a truly enchanting buried under mediocre production. It probably deserves a DVD release - I'm certain a lot of people would buy it to relive their childhoods! - but since the majority of the Rankin/Bass catalog today seems to be under the control of Warner Brothers (who are clueless about releasing older movies on DVD), it will probably never happen.