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Invention for Destruction

Original title: Vynález zkázy
  • 19581958
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Vynález zkázy (1958)
  • Animation
  • Adventure
  • Fantasy
An evil millionaire named Artigas plans to use a super-explosive device to conquer the world from his headquarters inside an enormous volcano.An evil millionaire named Artigas plans to use a super-explosive device to conquer the world from his headquarters inside an enormous volcano.An evil millionaire named Artigas plans to use a super-explosive device to conquer the world from his headquarters inside an enormous volcano.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Karel Zeman
  • Writers
    • Frantisek Hrubín(scenario)
    • Jules Verne(novel "Face au Drapeau/A Deadly Invention")
    • Milan Vácha(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Lubor Tokos
    • Arnost Navrátil
    • Miroslav Holub
Top credits
  • Director
    • Karel Zeman
  • Writers
    • Frantisek Hrubín(scenario)
    • Jules Verne(novel "Face au Drapeau/A Deadly Invention")
    • Milan Vácha(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Lubor Tokos
    • Arnost Navrátil
    • Miroslav Holub
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 23User reviews
    • 40Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos62

    Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Arnost Navrátil and Lubor Tokos in Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Václav Kyzlink and Lubor Tokos in Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Miroslav Holub and Arnost Navrátil in Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Lubor Tokos in Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Hugh Downs in Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Hugh Downs in Vynález zkázy (1958)
    Hugh Downs in Vynález zkázy (1958)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lubor Tokos
    Lubor Tokos
    • Simon Hartas Simon Hart
    Arnost Navrátil
    • Prof. Rochas Prof. Roch
    Miroslav Holub
    Miroslav Holub
    • Artigasas Artigas
    Frantisek Slégr
    • Kapitán pirátuas Kapitán pirátu
    Václav Kyzlink
    • Ing. Serkeas Ing. Serke
    Jana Zatloukalová
    • Janaas Jana
    Hugh Downs
    Hugh Downs
    • Self - Announceras Self - Announcer
    • (English version)
    • (voice)
    Frantisek Cerný
    Frantisek Cerný
    • Capt. Spadeas Capt. Spade
    • (uncredited)
    Otto Simánek
    Otto Simánek
    • Muz ve vlakuas Muz ve vlaku
    • (uncredited)
    Václav Trégl
    Václav Trégl
      • Director
        • Karel Zeman
      • Writers
        • Frantisek Hrubín(scenario)
        • Jules Verne(novel "Face au Drapeau/A Deadly Invention")
        • Milan Vácha(dialogue)
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
      • All cast & crew

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      Storyline

      Edit
      An evil millionaire named Artigas plans to use a super-explosive device to conquer the world from his headquarters inside an enormous volcano.
      • based on novel
      • czech science fiction
      • scientific discovery
      • 1950s
      • millionaire
      • 79 more
      • Plot summary
      • Add synopsis
      • Taglines
        • Never before seen! Like nothing on this planet! Like no other screen adventure ever seen in America!
      • Genres
        • Animation
        • Adventure
        • Fantasy
        • Sci-Fi
      • Certificate
        • Unrated
      • Parents guide
        • Add content advisory

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        The animation and production design are intended to evoke the woodcut illustrations of the original Jules Verne novels.
      • Goofs
        This movie is obviously set in the late 19th century - the 1890s. The steamship Savannah in the opening of the film crossed the Atlantic in 1819 - a good 70 years before the story takes place.
      • Quotes

        Himself - Announcer: [This first part is live and only in the original English release version that is sometimes cut out of television viewings] Hello! I'm Hugh Downs! This is a model of one of our newest submarines! A submarine similar to this recently sailed around the world without refueling and without once coming to the surface! Amazing isn't it! And this... a new jet passenger plane! Los Angeles to New York in less than five hours! Flies from New York to Paris in seven! It took Lindberg thirty-three hours to make that same trip! In the last hundred years the world has come astounding! The miracles of yesterday are now common everyday occurrences, and our frontiers, underwater, outer space are limitless! But of all the genius that walked this earth in the last hundred years, none is more remarkable then one man, with a magic pen! Of the many story tellers who have thrilled young and old a special ora will always surround the name Jules Verne! Verne's imagination has captured the minds and hearts of all of us! With him we have adventured to the center of the Earth! We have traveled twenty-thousand leagues under the sea! And we have soured in a balloon around the world in eighty days!

        [from this point the following is Hugh Downs voice only, translating what was said in the original version]

        Himself - Announcer: A hundred years ago in the confines of this small room, the unconfined imagination of Jules Verne created the fabulous shape of things to come! In these century old books lies the prophecy of our own era of atomic energy of the guided missile! The fantastic accuracy of Verne's predictions is demonstrated in the story you will now see on this screen! A story Verne wrote when the newest creations of science were the steamship and the primitive balloon! Our story is told in the words of his hero, Simon Hart! Just as Verne wrote it! Simon Hart was a man of the nineteen century! But these illustrations from the original book indicate that he saw the twentieth century sharp and clear! Now the droll delightful fabulous world of Jules Verne! Brought to life from these hundred year old illustrations by the miracle of "Misti-Mation"!

      • Crazy credits
        "In the new motion picture technique Mysti-Mation" [US dubbed release]
      • Alternate versions
        Some of the 16mm U.S. television syndication prints have Joseph E. Levine's opening credit, and the end title, replaced with a title card that reads "An Illusion Maker's Presentation."
      • Connections
        Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)

      User reviews23

      Review
      Top review
      8/10
      A wonderful adventure movie with a unique look
      The movie is based on a Jules Verne book I actually have read once, about ten years ago. I remember I liked the book a lot, and this movie does a good job in telling the story. The most important thing in this movie isn't the story, however, but the highly original visual look it has.

      The visuals are absolutely beautiful, and they are apparently achieved by a clever combination of animated drawings combined with live actors, stop-motion animation and sets that are painted so that they look much like from an animated movie. Combined by Jules Verne's own unique versions of airplanes and submarines and Karel Zeman's good directing results in a very well done and convincing visual style that manages to effectively hold one's attention until the end of the movie.

      There are some problems as well, one of the underwater scenes at the end takes maybe needlessly lot of time for example, as the story in the first part of the movie is rushed through quite quickly. None of this matters much though since the movie is always highly enjoyable. A gem that deserves to be more well known for today's audiences as well. A recommended movie for the whole family.
      helpful•18
      0
      • Man_With_a_Harmonica
      • Feb 10, 2006

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • August 1958 (Czechoslovakia)
      • Country of origin
        • Czechoslovakia
      • Language
        • Czech
      • Also known as
        • The Fabulous World of Jules Verne
      • Production companies
        • Ceskoslovenský Státní Film
        • Filmové Studio Gottwaldov
        • Muzeum Karla Zemana
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 23 minutes
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.37 : 1

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