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Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Well, I have to admit that Errol played a fine ship's captain in both The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood, but of course the appeal of those performances is based partly on the way the characters were written to be charming and witty (as well as brave and dashing, of course).

So, those roles wouldn't be good examples of his ability to play a somber genius with a tortured soul.

But that's sort of the problem, isn't it? Even though he could play a role like that, the audience would miss the charming and witty moments that Errol was so good at. So, they would have felt a bit cheated.

Naturally that's not Errol's fault, but it does have to be considered when casting the role of Nemo.

Another important consideration is that by 1954 Errol looked a bit too old to play Nemo in his prime. The two pictures below are from The Master of Ballantrae (1953) — a year before 20,000 Leagues — and even though Flynn's charm still shines through, even the one in which he looks angry just doesn't project the "somber genius with a tortured soul".

But hey, that's just my two-cents worth, sir. Guess we'll just have to continue to respectfully disagree.
Very Happy




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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Zackuth
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This has been a favorite of mine since childhood. I remember seeing it first on Family Classics (WGN in Chicago) when I was 6 or 7 and I'd watch it every time it was on. I was able to get the full version of the movie on tape and later disc. This is a wonderful film and the first book of Verne's I read.
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
...Tyrone Power...had just the right sort of inner anger and calm intelligence to portray Nemo.

That inner anger was the result of hanging out in bars where his calm intelligence fell short of allowing him to read the signs lettered in reverse.


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 10:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Well gosh, I couldn't very well stick Tyrone's head onto Nemo's body . . . facing the wrong way, could I?

That would have REALLY made him angry! Shocked

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

____________
____________

Of all the film adaptations of a sci-fi Jules Verne tale, this came closest to matching the success of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Around the World in 80 Days in 1956 was also a great success but was not really sci-fi.

James Mason also returns from his stint as Capt. Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to portray the character of Prof. Lindenbrook, the one who drives the tale.

The story takes place in 1863 Edinburgh, where Lindenbrook is the premiere geologist and university lecturer. His student (Pat Boone) gifts him with a rock he bought in a curio shop, and this rock turns out to contain evidence of a journey into the Earth taken by the famous Arne Saknussem, 300 years earlier.

Lindenbrook and his pupil journey to Iceland to retrace Saknussem's steps. However, once there they find competition, intrigue, and murder. They finally begin their descent with the wife (Arlene Dahl) of their competitor and a tall local Icelander (Peter Ronson) and his duck.



The film becomes a kind of unique travelogue. The audience waits to see what next interesting or astounding thing the explorers will encounter.

The film benefits from some good humor — mostly from Mason's irascible, impatient, and stuffy professor, but also from the other characters. Boone's young man is afraid of heights, for example.

Boone was at the height of his singing career here but didn't have a long film career, and the real star is Mason. Dahl also does well as the female member. Diane Baker plays the young lady waiting for her uncle and fiancee to return.

There's also a sense of constant danger, of this underground world constantly throwing another obstacle or threat against the group. The foursome eventually encounter another kind of threat, a 5th explorer — a descendant of Saknussem (Thayer David), a count who practices deceit and eats the duck. By the end, there are large lizards and a volcanic upheaval.

BoG's Score: 8 out of 10



BoG
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 25, 2020 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

IMDB has 21 trivia items for this movie, some of which I posted on page one of this thread but didn't include any "notes from me". Here’s a few of the other ones I found the most interesting, in the blue text. Very Happy
________________________________

~ Gertrude the duck won a PATSY Award

Note from me:And just what IS a Patsy Award? I looked it up.

"The PATSY Award was originated by the Hollywood office of the American Humane Association in 1939. They decided to honor animal performers after a horse was killed in an on-set accident during the filming of the Tyrone Power film Jesse James"

~ Many of the people in the crowd scenes were students ofc.

Note from me: Interviewer: So, young man, where do you go to school?

Young Man: I'm a student at Edinburgh University.

Interviewer: And what role did you play in this movie?

Young Man: A student at Edinburgh University. I graduate this year.

Interviewer: Aren't you afraid you'll be type cast?

Young Man: Oh, no sir. Next year I'm appearing in another movie.

Interviewer: Wonderful! What role will you be playing?

Young Man: A graduate of Edinburgh University.

~ The "Dimetrodons" in the movie were played by a large type of lizard called a rhinoceros iguana. It is about 3-6 ft. long and is kept as a pet in many places. Dimetrodon in real life was a type of Synapsid reptile. It reached about 12 feet in size, and lived in Western North America.

Note from me: Interesting. Dimetrodons were only six feet longer than rhinoceros iguana. That means two of them working together could win a fight with a dimetrodon! Shocked

~ Each animal star needs several doubles, so there were a total of four "Gertrudes".

Note from me: Fascinating! So, there was "Gertrude the actor", "Gertrude the stand-in", "Gertrude the stunt double", and finally . . . "Gertrude, the one the cast ate at the wrap party." Shocked

~ Gertrude was supposed to be an Eider duck from Canada but Ralph Helfer couldn't get one into the United States because the USDA insisted that a permit be issued before one could enter so he decided to make his own Eider duck.

Note from me: Ah-ha. The old Hollywood adage: It's not WHAT you know that gets you into the movies, it's WHO you know. But even with connections, if the critics don't eat you alive . . . the characters will. Rolling Eyes

~ While Alec is lost, he travels through awesome studio sets, well lit for dramatic effect. In reality, Alec's attempt to find his way back by the light of a single coil lamp would have been a deadly, nightmarish experience.

Note from me: As an experienced spelunking myself, I can verify that statement. But of course, if they'd tried to shoot the scene that way it would have been an unpleasant experience . . . for the audience. Confused

~ The skeleton hand of 'The Great Arnie Sacmussen' points the explorers to the escape tunnel using his middle finger. Everybody else would have used their first finger. Possibly a subtle reminder that Arnie had the last laugh.

Note from me: Perhaps Arnie was not saying, "I'm dying, but I can help you escape." He was actually saying, "I'm dying. Screw you, cruel world!"

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Krel
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 25, 2020 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pat Boone was almost killed in the salt slide scene (the salt was really sand) where he disappears down the hidden hole. He had to roll into a ball after going though the hole, and he was completely buried under the sand. He almost suffocated before they could dig him out.

Bud, I have seen people use there middle finger to point in old movies and TV shows. Decades ago, I asked my Dad about that. He said that at one time, it was common to point that way.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Let's Create a Sequel!
________________________________

~ A Question for the Members: If the subterranean world which was explored by our heroes in the movie had an ocean with a shoreline populated by dimetrodons, what other creatures might have been in the vast caverns beneath the Earth's surface.

~ My Theory: In this case, I don't have to come up with an answer, because Verne did it for us! Here's a few excerpts from the Wikidedia plot synopsis,to which I added a few gorgeous illustrations I found, some of which fit well with the description.
________________________________________________

The explorers descend many miles and reach a cavern of colossal size.






It's a genuine underground world that's lit by electrically charged gas near its ceiling and filled by a deep subterranean ocean —





— which is surrounded by a rocky coastline covered with petrified tree trunks, the fossils of prehistoric mammals, and gigantic living mushrooms.





The travelers build a raft out of semipetrified wood and set sail.

While at sea they encounter a prehistoric fish (Pterichthys) from the Devonian Period, and giant marine reptiles from the age of dinosaurs — including an Ichthyosaurus which battles and defeats a Plesiosaurus.






[A section of the coast] is the site of an enormous fossil graveyard, including bones from the pterodactyl, Megatherium, and mastodon

The nephew and uncle venture into a forest featuring primitive vegetation from the Tertiary Period. In its depths they are stunned to find a prehistoric humanoid more than twelve feet in height, watching over a herd of mastodons.




________________________________________________

With all these wonderful precedents established by Verne himself, a sequel to this movie would be fully justified in presenting countless wonders from a subterranean "Lost World" that equaled the one created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!

Not only is this lost world larger than Doyle's plateau in South America, it's environment is much better protected from the rest of planet, sheltered deep within the Earth.

I was surprised by Verne's solution to the problem of illuminating the underground environment. The idea of "electrically charged gas near its ceiling" might not be scientifically sound, but it beats the movie version's somewhat implausible phosphorescent lichen on the cave walls!

We should note that the novel contains a description of violent lightning storm which threatened to destroy the explorers' raft. I admire Verne for suggesting that the electrical energy in those gases near the cavern's ceiling weren't always benign and convenient. Very Happy

I challenge the members of All Sci-Fi to come up some exciting story elements for a sequel we could call —


Journey Back to the Center of the Earth!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pat Boone was reluctant to appear in the movie because it was science fiction. Even after 20th Century Fox studio promised to add songs for Pat to sing he still remained unconvinced to join the production.

Boone finally took the offer when he was offered 15% of the profits from the film.

~ Unfortunately Pat's not being enthusiastic about signing on to the film due to it being of the science fiction genre showed how many people at that time held science fiction in low esteem. Even if the production was based upon acclaimed author Jules Verne!

Pat did say later that he ended up enjoying shooting the film and felt that of all the movies he did that this one would be the one he will be most remembered for. It being a big hit was also nice for his Cooga Mooga Film Production Company profit participation deal.

Pat wrote and recorded a theme song for the movie that was never used.

~ I'd like to see if that's available somewhere and listen to it.

Producer Daryl F. Zanuck felt that the 3 or 4 songs Boone did in the movie slowed down its pace and had most of them edited out.

The incredible composer Bernard Herrmann created the awesome score and music for the movie.

Filming locations were Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Amboy Crater and Seaquit Point, California, and Edinburgh,Scotland.

Life magazine editor & science writer Lincoln Barnett was to have written the screenplay. He did end up as one of the technical advisers.

The scene where the raft that the travelers are on is caught in a giant whirlpool caused Arlene Dahl to become hysterical. The raft was mounted on top of a revolving platform that could be tilted when needed. On top of that, the actors had hundreds of gallons of water dumped on them to simulate the violent storm.

Dahl begin to scream to the director to get her off this thing because she was going to pass out. An annoyed James Mason told her to shut up or they were going to have to shoot this scene over and over due to her screams.

Dahl did pass out and was unconscious for half an hour.

~ Look, she may have been the preening prima donna that greatly irritated Mason, but I'm not sure how any of us might have fared on a spinning, tilting raft with tons of water being poured down upon us.

The movie was released on December 16, 1959 and was a big hit. The budget was $3.44 million dollars and made $10,000,000 at the box office.

Dell Comics adapted the movie to their comic.

The film was nominated for an Academy Awards in Best Art Direction, Best Set Direction, Best Sound, and Special Effects.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Actually he recorded two songs! Very Happy

One was the title theme you mentioned above — which I'd never heard until today — and another song which is called "Twice As Tall", with romantic lyrics. It uses the melody of the song the explorers sing as they're strolling through the cavern at the beginning of their journey.

Actually, Pat just plays a small according while Arlene Dahl sings la-la-la's, not the words to the romantic tune.

However, the soundtrack album does include "Twice As Tall". It's a very appealing piece of music. Notice the clever use of echoed lyric, just to remind us that the move takes place in a cavern. Laughing


_________ Pat Boone - To the center of the Earth


__________



_ Journey To The Center Of The Earth - Twice As Tall


__________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 4:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ben Hur was the movie that won the Best Special Effects Academy Award over JTTCOTE.

Sidebar. In 1973 no Academy Award was presented to any movie for Best Special Effects.

Worst Academy decision regarding awarding Special Effects in my opinion was Marooned over Krakatoa, East of Java.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Went back to see what movies came out in 1972 that might have been nominated for the March 1973 Academy Award for Best Special Effects.

Disney's Now You See Him, Now You Don't, The Poseidon Adventure, and what surely should have been the winner, Silent Running!

I cannot recall why no award was given out in the field of Best Special Effects that year. Clearly they had at least three notable special effects heavy films to select from.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2021 1:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
Went back to see what movies came out in 1972 that might have been nominated for the March 1973 Academy Award for Best Special Effects.

Disney's Now You See Him, Now You Don't, The Poseidon Adventure, and what surely should have been the winner, Silent Running!

Wow, that IS surprising. Shocked

I'm sure the producers of the big budget film The Poseidon Adventure were upset about that. And Douglas Trumbull did a masterful job with Silent Running. There's no question that he deserved an Oscar.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2021 4:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud, your marvelous photos and ideas for a sequel make me want one NOW!

Funny that Jules Verne wrote Mysterious Island as a sequel to his Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. So why not a Journey to the Center of the Earth sequel novel Mr. Verne?

Seems like it would be ripe with story possibilities.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 05, 2021 1:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Author Gene Warren : "But it is still basically a good movie with an admirable approach to the material, a good script, some above-average special effects, a superlative score by Bernard Herrmann."

"Oddly, however, two of the most visually-interesting concepts were deleted: in the novel, they saw a giant man driving a herd of mastodons in a jungle, and prehistoric monsters battled around the raft as it rode against the underground sea."

~ Perfect sequences for the phenomenal talents of Mr. Harryhausen.

"Thayer David is a thoroughly rotten villain, never clownish. He's so arrogant he's not even blithe about it---he's imperious."

~ David was a marvelous performer and I wish we had seen him more often in films and television.

"However, once the journey is begun, the sets begin to seem unreal. The scenes actually shot in Carlsbad Caverns simply don't match the studio's plaster rocks and carefully planned pathways and trails."

~ And still I enjoyed it.

"As a result, there's an aura of fantasy to the underground scenes, as if the cast is traipsing through fairyland; this feeling, which may have been intentional, is increased by their not needing much gear or food."

"The matte paintings of the volcano crater and later the stone sky over the underground sea are acceptable, and the miniature of the city of Atlantis is reasonably well done, but the lava that covers up the chameleon looks like what it probably was: red-dyed oatmeal."

~ Wasn't that the same effect used for lava in George Pal's The Time Machine?

"Aside from the story, the one element that probably contributes the most to the overall success of the film is the great score by Bernard Herrmann. It is thunderous and majestic"

~ Amen! Bernie hit it out of the park on this one---as he usually did---the music was epic and sweeping to match the movie. Herrmann"s score for Mysterious Island is equally memorable.

"It is a decent and entertaining movie." Yes, yes it is.
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