The Bermuda Depths (1978)

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

Director:

Tsugunobu Kotani (as Tom Kotani)

Writers:

Arthur Rankin Jr. (story by), William Overgard (screenplay by)

Stars:

Leigh McCloskey, Carl Weathers, Connie Sellecca

Cast

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

Storyline

Traumatized, orphaned college dropout Magnus Dens returns to Bermuda to find the cause of his father's mysterious death years before. At the Bermuda Biological Station, he finds Eric and Dr. Paulis, friends and colleagues of his late father, and joins them on a quest for gigantic sea creatures. He also meets Jennie Haniver, a mysterious young woman who was once his only childhood friend. Dr. Paulis' housekeeper, an island local, warns Magnus that Jennie is dangerous. The beautiful but vain young woman had sold her soul with the Devil centuries before and lives forever young deep in the waters of the Devil's Triangle (a.k.a. Bermuda Triangle). Nobody heeds the folklore and the researchers trap the giant sea turtle, setting the stage for a deadly confrontation with both minions of the Devil.

---

Plot Keywords:

platonic love | hatching egg | bermuda | devil | bermuda triangle | 

---

Taglines:

It Came Up, Up, Up from the Bermuda Depths

---

Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

It Came Up from the Depths

Filming Locations:

Bermuda

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rankin/Bass Productions, Tsuburaya Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Co-writer / producer Arthur Rankin Jr. actually moved to Bermuda after making the film, and lived there for the rest of his life.

---

Goofs

A turtles shell scales grow larger as it ages. So the heart with the initials J+M that Magnus carves into one of the turtles scales should have stayed in that one scale. But when we see a close up of the giant turtle at the end, the heart and initials are now covering parts of four different scales.

---

Quotes

Magnus Dens: [Magnus has almost drowned trying to swim after Jennie... she resuscitates him on the shore] You pulled me out?
Jennie Haniver: I was near... and you were struggling. It's very beautiful, swimming at night.
Magnus Dens: [as he attempts to get up] Yes, it is. I'd forgotten just how beautiful. I was born here... lived here as a little kid. That was a long, long time ago.

---

Alternate Versions

There are 11 differences between the TV prints (that the majority of people have) and the very rare official VHS release (CK entertainment, 1992). The Tv print runs longer (96-98 minutes, VHS runs 90 minutes) and contains the following 10 scenes not on the VHS version. However the VHS has one scene not on the TV prints. 1. extended scene of Magnus and Eric coming off the fishing boat and meeting Doshan (Eric's wife) on the dock. VHS cuts most of this scene down 2.slightly longer head shot of Eric on the stairs arguing with Doshan. After they argue the camera stays on Eric for about 3 seconds. VHS does not keep the longer head shot and cuts right to the next scene 3. Delia's story of Jennie Haniver to Magnus is extended. VHS print cuts out most of the middle of her story 4. when Magnus, Eric and Dr. Paulis are on the boat, something grabs their fishing line. Dr. Paulis starts counting down how much line is left. The line of 4000 feet is cut from the VHS 5. right after the fishing line scene (above) you get an extended shot of them walking towards the front of the boat. VHS cuts this short 6. The infamous grotto scene (where Magnus goes into an underground cave with Jenny and it is alluded to that they made love), is cut entirely from the VHS print. This scene runs roughly 6-7 minutes 7. roughly 56-60 minutes into the film Eric on the boat comments "they pretty much stay to it". TV gives us 1 second following this of a head shot. The VHS cuts this out 8. After Eric shoots the turtle with the harpoon and they show the shot of the turtle swimming towards the TV screen (so speak), you get a very slight extended scene showing Magnus fully putting the boat in drive. This scene IS NOT on the TV print (tv just shows his hand on it when it is already driving) and appears only on the VHS edition 9. When Jennie confronts Magnus on the boat "hold me close", most of the kissing and dialogue are missing from the VHS version 10. After Eric screams for Magnus (upon seeing the helicopter explode) we get a few extra seconds of Eric running through the boat trying to find Magnus. VHS cuts some of this out. 11. after the boat is sunk, we get extended footage showing Magnus climb into the life raft. Vhs cuts this and he is already in the raft.

---

Connections

References Moby Dick (1956)

---

Soundtracks

Jennie
Music by Maury Laws
Lyrics by Jules Bass
Sung by Claude Carmichael

User Reviews

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.