Mysterious Island (1961)

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.

Director:

Cy Endfield

Writers:

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

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:

19th century | pacific ocean | based on the works of jules verne | psychotronic film | geyser | 

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Taglines:

descending into adventure beyond imagination ...a world beyond belief!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Using the sextant the survivors found, Captain Cyrus Harding (Michael Craig) establishes the Mysterious Island is 1,800 miles from New Zealand at 36 degrees South latitude / 153 degrees West longitude. That point (36 S / 153 W) is approximately 7,000 miles from Richmond, Virginia where the story starts in a Civil War prison. Which means the first five traveled 7,000 miles in the hot air balloon.

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Goofs

The Union soldiers agree to bring along the Confederate officer to fly the balloon. In reality, the only control a balloonist has is when to release the tether, and after that, only up or down depending on how much hot air is provided to the envelope of the balloon. A balloon cannot be steered to go in a particular direction.

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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

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Connections

Referenced in Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Surf n' Turf on Skull Island...what a magnificent gem!

Schneer and Harryhausen team up to create a film that has all the allure and adventure of Kong's Skull Island. It's a war story, an adventure and a fantasy all in one.

Each scene is gripping and doesn't really slow down for me until the introduction of Capain Nemo. I wish the film had taken a different direction at that point, but I realize that it was a necessary part of the story to include him.

If only the contestants on "Survivor" had it so good! With the boiled crab, fresh oysters and BBQ chicken, who needs take-out? And the girl's outfit is just as skimpy; several years ahead of Raquel Welch in "One Million Years BC." This movie is everything that "The First Men in the Moon" is not. It has mood and atmosphere that is lacking in the fore-mentioned movie. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It succeeds on the strength of its story and is only enhanced by the wonderful Harryhausen creations, wisely spaced evenly throughout the movie.

I only offer one word of advice: climbing to the rim of an active volcano is never a good idea. But, what the heck, the climb was worth the goat's milk!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jules Verne's Mysterious Island

Filming Locations:

Estudios Sevilla Films, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ameran Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1