Note: Spoilers abound herein, in all versions of this story, but "L'Atlantide" is not really about plot, so it doesn't much matter. Read on if you're interested...
As far as I know,"Journey Beneath the Desert" is the first color version of "L'Atlantide," a story first filmed in the silent era. The plot is very basic, and has similarities to H. Rider Haggard's "She," also filmed many times. "L'Atlantide" follows the story of Captain St. Avit, of the French Foreign Legion, who along with his best friend, Captain Morhange, come upon the lost city of Atlantis, which has ended up in the middle of the Sahara Desert when the ocean receded over centuries. Like a preying mantis, the ruthless but passionate and beautiful Queen of Atlantis, Antinea, has the habit of killing all her lovers off and encasing them in gold. She has quite a collection of gilded men. Ultimately, she pits St. Avit against Morhange (who has rebuffed the queen's advances of romance) and St. Avit kills his best friend out of jealousy. One of Antinea's handmaidens, Tanit Zerka, helps St. Avit escape from Atlantis, but she dies in the desert helping him. St. Avit arrives back at the outpost to tell his story, then crazed for the love of Antnea, returns to the Sahara in search of Atlantis, only to die in a sandstorm. That's it in a nutshell. Not much of a story, really, and the original French novel by Pierre Benoit isn't any better. Somehow, though, I am drawn to the atmosphere and lyrical quality of the films.
The first filmed version of 1920 by Jacques Feyder (called "Missing Husbands" on IMDb, but originally "L'Atlantide") is slow and ponderous, but even so, is rich with visual splendor. It's main drawback is Stacia Napierkowska as Antinea. She is too old for the part and hasn't the physical appeal to seduce the men who are supposed to be entranced by her mesmerizing charms. The first sound version "L'Atlantida," was directed by G. W. Pabst ("Pandora's Box") and starring Brigitte Helm (Maria in "Metropolis") as Antinea, is a big improvement on the silent film. Good use is made of Antinea's beautiful spotted leopard that St. Avit finds sitting by her side when he first lays eyes on her. In the next filmed version, 1949's "Siren of Atlantis," the leopard has become a black panther and Antinea is played by Maria Montez. This version is even more visually sumptuous than the Pabst film, and in spite of what some have said about how bad Montez is in the role, I beg to differ. Her Spanish accent doesn't make much sense, but she come across as a lot more dangerous and manipulative than Helm did previously. Color would have helped this production, but it still is beautifully lit with many striking sets.
Then in 1961, low budget director Edgar J. Ulmer and Giuseppe Masini, filmed the first color version in Italy with an international cast. Even Frank Borzage had a hand in directing, his final effort, apparently. Actress Haya Harareet, who two years before played Esther in "Ben-Hur," is Antinea. The other characters have name changes, but they function pretty much the same. St. Avit has been changed to Pierre, and is played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. There are quite a few other differences in "Journey Beneath the Desert." The handmaiden who saves St. Avit (Pierre) does not die, but Atlantis, Antinea and her people are destroyed by nuclear bomb testing. Yeah, modernized.
This version is probably the campiest of the four I've seen, not helped by bad dubbing, but in spite of that it is the most beautiful visually. Being in Technicolor, it's richly atmospheric, and the costumes, particularly Harareet's many exotic headdresses are really something to behold. Harareet is also quite sexy. There is a bath scene that is far more seductive and erotic than a similar scene in the Liz Taylor "Cleopatra" of two years later.
The spotted leopard is used more inventively here. In a sequence where the Morhange character (here called Robert) finds that a friend of his has been killed and encased in gold, his outburst causes Antinea's leopard to attack him. There is a wild fight (a real leopard, not a fake) and the man throttles the beast. In the other versions the leopard is just used as a threat that never happens, and the animal even leads St. Avit through the maze of Atlantis to Antinea's quarters. Color adds a lot to this story, and director Ulmer knew how to get the most out of little money. "Journey Beneath the Desert" is more an adventure film for young boys than the earlier films, but even so the psychological sexual tension the other versions put to good use is certainly on display here.
One of the film's biggest assets is the score by Carlo Rustichelli. It's really a fully realized fantasy mood piece, full of seductive rhythms and colorful orchestration, making good use of an appealing female chorus. In fact, both earlier sound versions have great soundtracks as well, with Wolfgang Zellar ("Vampyr") providing a primitive but flavorful score for the 1932 version, and Michel Michelet composing a wonderfully melody score that includes exotic dances and choral arrangements for the 1949 film.
The story of "L'Atlantide" is no great shakes. The appeal is just simply the exotic atmosphere and the visuals. If this sounds appealing, check them out. Both the 1932 and 1949 versions are available on DVD. Unfortunately, the 1961 film is harder to find, but worth some detective work to track down. There are also 1972 and 1992 versions, both of which I have not seen and are not available on DVD, but the soundtrack for the 1992 version by Richard Horowitz is wonderfully atmospheric and available.
As far as I know,"Journey Beneath the Desert" is the first color version of "L'Atlantide," a story first filmed in the silent era. The plot is very basic, and has similarities to H. Rider Haggard's "She," also filmed many times. "L'Atlantide" follows the story of Captain St. Avit, of the French Foreign Legion, who along with his best friend, Captain Morhange, come upon the lost city of Atlantis, which has ended up in the middle of the Sahara Desert when the ocean receded over centuries. Like a preying mantis, the ruthless but passionate and beautiful Queen of Atlantis, Antinea, has the habit of killing all her lovers off and encasing them in gold. She has quite a collection of gilded men. Ultimately, she pits St. Avit against Morhange (who has rebuffed the queen's advances of romance) and St. Avit kills his best friend out of jealousy. One of Antinea's handmaidens, Tanit Zerka, helps St. Avit escape from Atlantis, but she dies in the desert helping him. St. Avit arrives back at the outpost to tell his story, then crazed for the love of Antnea, returns to the Sahara in search of Atlantis, only to die in a sandstorm. That's it in a nutshell. Not much of a story, really, and the original French novel by Pierre Benoit isn't any better. Somehow, though, I am drawn to the atmosphere and lyrical quality of the films.
The first filmed version of 1920 by Jacques Feyder (called "Missing Husbands" on IMDb, but originally "L'Atlantide") is slow and ponderous, but even so, is rich with visual splendor. It's main drawback is Stacia Napierkowska as Antinea. She is too old for the part and hasn't the physical appeal to seduce the men who are supposed to be entranced by her mesmerizing charms. The first sound version "L'Atlantida," was directed by G. W. Pabst ("Pandora's Box") and starring Brigitte Helm (Maria in "Metropolis") as Antinea, is a big improvement on the silent film. Good use is made of Antinea's beautiful spotted leopard that St. Avit finds sitting by her side when he first lays eyes on her. In the next filmed version, 1949's "Siren of Atlantis," the leopard has become a black panther and Antinea is played by Maria Montez. This version is even more visually sumptuous than the Pabst film, and in spite of what some have said about how bad Montez is in the role, I beg to differ. Her Spanish accent doesn't make much sense, but she come across as a lot more dangerous and manipulative than Helm did previously. Color would have helped this production, but it still is beautifully lit with many striking sets.
Then in 1961, low budget director Edgar J. Ulmer and Giuseppe Masini, filmed the first color version in Italy with an international cast. Even Frank Borzage had a hand in directing, his final effort, apparently. Actress Haya Harareet, who two years before played Esther in "Ben-Hur," is Antinea. The other characters have name changes, but they function pretty much the same. St. Avit has been changed to Pierre, and is played by Jean-Louis Trintignant. There are quite a few other differences in "Journey Beneath the Desert." The handmaiden who saves St. Avit (Pierre) does not die, but Atlantis, Antinea and her people are destroyed by nuclear bomb testing. Yeah, modernized.
This version is probably the campiest of the four I've seen, not helped by bad dubbing, but in spite of that it is the most beautiful visually. Being in Technicolor, it's richly atmospheric, and the costumes, particularly Harareet's many exotic headdresses are really something to behold. Harareet is also quite sexy. There is a bath scene that is far more seductive and erotic than a similar scene in the Liz Taylor "Cleopatra" of two years later.
The spotted leopard is used more inventively here. In a sequence where the Morhange character (here called Robert) finds that a friend of his has been killed and encased in gold, his outburst causes Antinea's leopard to attack him. There is a wild fight (a real leopard, not a fake) and the man throttles the beast. In the other versions the leopard is just used as a threat that never happens, and the animal even leads St. Avit through the maze of Atlantis to Antinea's quarters. Color adds a lot to this story, and director Ulmer knew how to get the most out of little money. "Journey Beneath the Desert" is more an adventure film for young boys than the earlier films, but even so the psychological sexual tension the other versions put to good use is certainly on display here.
One of the film's biggest assets is the score by Carlo Rustichelli. It's really a fully realized fantasy mood piece, full of seductive rhythms and colorful orchestration, making good use of an appealing female chorus. In fact, both earlier sound versions have great soundtracks as well, with Wolfgang Zellar ("Vampyr") providing a primitive but flavorful score for the 1932 version, and Michel Michelet composing a wonderfully melody score that includes exotic dances and choral arrangements for the 1949 film.
The story of "L'Atlantide" is no great shakes. The appeal is just simply the exotic atmosphere and the visuals. If this sounds appealing, check them out. Both the 1932 and 1949 versions are available on DVD. Unfortunately, the 1961 film is harder to find, but worth some detective work to track down. There are also 1972 and 1992 versions, both of which I have not seen and are not available on DVD, but the soundtrack for the 1992 version by Richard Horowitz is wonderfully atmospheric and available.