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Mysterious Island (1961)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
Concepts dropped from "Mysterious Island" }

The island was to have been a type of Atlantis where temples would have been discovered throughout the jungle. It was to have been a mixture of great former civilizations including Egyptian, Greek, Minoan as well as others.

Given the budget and creative talent necessary, this sounds wonderful!

Naturally we'd need to modify our cast of characters a bit to include a scientist who would understand and appreciate all these wonders, kind of a "Professor Oliver Lindenbrook" from Journey to Center of the Earth".


Pow wrote:
Not only visually would this have been fun, but it would also give the active volcano as the reason for portions of the island being destroyed previously.

Tops of enormous statues that still remained above sea level would have been discovered by the castaways.

Some of the matte shots in the Mysterious Island are a bit flawed, so I'd hope that in this version those things would be done a bit better.

Pow wrote:
One scene would have had the island going through a series of earthquakes that created enormous fissures in the ground. Prehistoric monsters would have emerged from these fissures.

Okay, I have to nix this idea for the obvious reason that prehistoric monsters do NOT get swallowed up during ancient upheavals and then wait patiently underground to be suddenly released.

Nope, sorry, uh-uh . . . that's a dumb idea. Sad


Pow wrote:
A giant prehistoric mole creature would come out of the wall of the volcano. The mole creature would then battled a huge snake with the two of 'em eventually crashing through the volcano and plunging into a lake of molten lava.

A giant prehistoric mole creature living inside the wall of a volcano would be one bad-ass mole! But if he can live in the wall of a volcano, he could probably survive in molten lava! (Either way, this is not a good idea.)

Pow wrote:
Thomas Ayrton was to have had green skin color due to his eating the giant mushrooms.

Umm . . . nope . . . this idea sucks. Period. Rolling Eyes
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 28, 2019 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Was the question ever answered in this film as to what happened to Captain Nemo's Nautilus crew?

Love MI but I would consider that a key plot point.

Perhaps there was a scene explaining the absence of the entire Nautilus crew except for the good captain, but it was edited out.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 02, 2020 3:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Guys, I'm delighted to report that the Bluy-ray I received a few days ago is a dream come true for Harryhausen fans like me! Very Happy



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Unlike the unwatchable DVD I've owned for years — whose picture quality is ruined by a constant pulsating of the brightness — this Blu-ray is absolutely perfect!

My daughter, All Sci-Fi member Ticket2theMoon, told me during her recent visit last week that the pulsating was probably caused by a faulty conversion from a Region 2 version to Region 1.

The Blu-ray also includes several special features which I absolutely loved!

I strongly recommend that Harryhausen fans — and especially fans of this movie — buy this amazing Blu-ray! It confirms my long-held belief that Mysterious Island stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Ray Harryhausen's other movies, including Jason and the Argonauts! Cool

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Eadie
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PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fan made model:






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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Thinking Outside the "Plot"!
________________________________

~ A Question for the Members: Even though the volcano on the island experienced a serious eruption and caused portions of the cave ceiling to fall on Captain Nemo and the Nautilus, we can't really say for certain that the island's ecology was seriously disrupted.

Therefore, would this unusual ecosystem survive and expand to included even more giant versions of the clams, crabs, ostrich-like birds, nautilus-like cephalopods, and others which Nemo might have created?

~ My Theory: To quote Jeff Goldblum, "Life finds a way."

We never saw anything that resembled a laboratory aboard the Nautilus, but that was just because the budget didn't allow it and the story didn't require it.

We don't know what sort of procedures Nemo used to alter the biology of the giant creatures, but it would have to be something fairly easy to apply — perhaps a genetically altered virus that modified DNA to make the animals and insects exceed their normal size at maturity.

(Fancy science talk, eh? "I'm not a real doctor, but I played doctor when I was young . . . with a girl down the street.") Very Happy

Anyway, a virus like that would be a quick-and-easy way to cause organisms grow larger, but it's so easy that it could actually start affecting too many animals!

Perhaps Nemo had a counter-virus he designed to neutralize the one that created the giants, thereby controlling his experiment. But with Nemo gone, the experiment would run wild. The island's ecosystem might not be able support a high number of oversized creatures.

Naturally the omnivores and carnivores will be fine because they can gobble up those tasty giant-sized herbivores . . . as well as each other. But if the island is overrun by giant herbivorous insects, things could get ugly!

After all, the terrain of the island has large areas among the vegetation that are just solid rock! A swarm of giant locust, for example, might just strip the island bare! Shocked










So, I think the island would look very different if people came back to it in a year or two! Confused

(Okay, guys! I’ve asked a question and suggested some answers. Now it’s YOUR turn. Very Happy)

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Pow
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Intriguing ideas there, Bud, I like 'em.

I was thinking after reading your theories here that perhaps the gigantic bees were able to survive by flying away from the "Mysterious Island."

They then could return to what's left of it or they could seek out someplace else to live.

The enormous nautiloid cephalopod (my favorite creature in the film that didn't have nearly enough screen time) dwells on the bottom of the ocean.

Therefore, it might have been able to feel the volcanic tremors and able to get a safe distance away from any mayhem resulting from the eruption.

I was also thinking just how dangerous these enlarged creatures were to our castaways.

Wouldn't Captain Nemo have planned to create some method to control or destroy them for his own safety?

After all, as the scientist who created these incredible creatures he'd want to be able to continue to study and observe them even as they grew.

He would not assume that increasing these creatures would be without side effects; possibly detrimental ones.

So how would he get close enough to them in order to continue his research?

I suppose his electrical guns might be the answer. Like the Phasers on Star Trek the electrical rifles we see used just might have a stun setting as well as a kill setting.

If the Nautilus could never "Take to the sea again'' as Nemo states to the marooned islanders, then what plan did he have to return to civilization (prior to our castaways arriving in their balloon) in order to share his discoveries to end war as he had hoped?

Assuming that a pirate ship would stop by the MI and he could sink it seems like it would be a gamble.

Even if that did happen could Nemo re-float such a large vessel and sail it all by himself?

I would also make the assumption that the nations at large would hardly welcome him as a hero. The Nautilus under Nemo's command had sunk a number of ships sending their entire crews to Davey Jones Locker.

I don't really see a sequel to MI with all this but it is indeed fun to pose questions about this wonderful film.
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Krel
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
Assuming that a pirate ship would stop by the MI and he could sink it seems like it would be a gamble.

Even if that did happen could Nemo re-float such a large vessel and sail it all by himself?

It seems from the remains of the poor castaway, that the pirates made regular use of the island. Nemo could have sunk it at anytime, but had no need to.

With the island becoming unstable and with the new castaways, Nemo now had a reason to sink the pirate ship. He now had the help, and crew he would need to raise the ship and operate it.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2020 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Bravo, gentlemen! Your comments are exactly what I've been hoping for with these Thinking Outside the "Plot"! posts I've been doing.

In the past I've often pitched ideas for sequels that could have been made, but weren't.

However, with my post above (and the others like it) the intent is to sort of take it all seriously and speculate on the basis of "if that were true, then this might also be true".

Both your fine comments are definitely in that spirit. Cool

I'm really hoping you guys will do me the honor of sharing your thoughts on the other Thinking Outside the "Plot"! posts. Here's a list of them.
Enjoy! _

Donavan's Brain

Invasion of the Body Snathers

The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)

The Cyclops (1957)

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)

Devil Girl from Mars (1954 England)

Invaders from Mars (1953)

The Monolith Monsters (1957)

Phantom from Space (1953)

Kronos (1957)

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

Earth vs the Flying Saucers (1956)

It Came from Outer Space (1953)

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

When Worlds Collide (1951)

Destination Moon (1950)

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Maurice
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can Bud fix the typo-ed topic title? It's been making me crazy. Smile
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

All fixed. Thanks.

With 12,247 posts (and counting) to my credit, not to mention all the work it takes to create and maintain the board, I guess it's no surprise that I make plenty of mistakes. Embarassed

To be fair, however, you'd be surprised how often I fix typos in everybody else's posts and never mention it. I figure there's no point in embarrassing folks . . .

Please feel free to send me PMs anytime you spot a goof. Several members (like Eadie) do that from time to time, and I greatly appreciate their courtesy in doing so.

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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2021 3:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties" author Bill Warren wrote in his book that he felt MI was a better film than Ray's "Jason & the Argonauts."

What are your thoughts?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2021 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Mike, you have become the King of Great Questions on All Sci-Fi.

My posts on ASF have repeatedly described my 28 year love affair with Jason and the Argonauts, beginning with more than 20 viewings of it the year it came out.

Those viewings included a trip to the South Expressway Drive-in in Atlanta with two friends in the dead of winter —



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— after we were dropped off at the entrance by a parent and then we walked into the theater (we were 15 years old) to view it from inside the snack bar.

We also spent three days repeatedly watching a rented 16mm print which my friend Jimmy Harmon acquired and shared with his friends several times during the weekend he had the print! Jimmy used a special camera which was designed to take pictures right from 16mm frames.

He made hundreds of photographs! Shocked

I did love Mysterious Island, too, and I saw it several times with my boyhood friends, Jimmy and Chuck — the guys who accompanied me on our Polar Bear Evening to watch Jason at the drive-in.

During one of our visits to theaters to watch Mysterious Island, Jimmy put his 8mm camera inside a cardboard box which had flaps cut into it so he could reach inside and operate it to film the animation scenes off the screen without the theater manager finding out!

My friends and I were desperate to see Harryhausen's animation, so Jimmy's imaginative effort to capture parts of this great movie were exciting!

However, back on October 2nd, 2014 (less than a year after this current version of All Sci-Fi was created from scratch when the seven-year former-version crashed) I decided to create an epic post for this movie to kick off a fine new thread.

I spent several days making numerous screen shots from my DVD — boosting the sharpness and color — and then I went to work writing a very personal and (I hope) enjoyable description of why I love this movie.

I'm very proud of the post and all it's lovely pictures. Very Happy

The bottom line here is that now I consider Jason and the Argonauts and Mysterious Island to be equal, two of Harryhausen's greatest movies!

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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: Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

WOW! Going to a drive-in in the dead of winter in order to see a Ray Harryhausen film tells me you're one dedicated devotee of the stop~motion wizard.

And I'm right there with you.

I realize that most fans & critics consider "Jason & the Argonauts" as the pinnacle film of Ray's career. The numero uno of all his movies.

I can understand that as it is a magnificent piece of work.

In any documentaries or salutes to Ray, it is always the epic skeleton battle with Jason and his crew that is featured as one of the finest moments ever created by Ray.

I get that too.

Like you, Bud, I also think Ray's "Mysterious Island" is a splendid film right alongside JATA.

One of my reasons being that both films are terrific examples of where Ray's stunning stop~motion works beautifully in tandem with the story line.

A number of Ray's movies are fun and entertaining.

They are also simply showcases for his awesome visuals supported by modest plots.

But in both MI & JATA we have the perfect blending of story and FX where both are truly equally important.

That just wasn't always the case with Ray's other films.

I would also add Ray's wonderful "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" to the list of MI & JATA as an outstanding movie by Ray and his team of producers.

The story may not equal MI or JATA, but somehow this movie captures all the right elements of a film that make it magical and enduring. Lightning in a bottle.

While I liked "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" and "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" with their top rate production values; neither of those movies grabbed me the same way as Ray's first Sinbad film.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love both M.I. and Jason, but I think that Jason has the edge, with it's characters, situations, locations and creatures.

But my favorite Harryhausen film is "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad". Back in the 60s, my Mom took me to see it at the show, so that may have something to do with it. Laughing I didn't see another Harryhausen movie at the show until "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad", which I also love.

I read once that what made the 7th Voyage different from the other Sinbad movies, was that it had giant creatures, where the others didn't.

David.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2021 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

While watching an interview with Ray Harryhausen where he talked about the production of Mysterious Island, he discussed various real life locations that were considered for shooting the film.

He mentioned Tobago, which rang a bell for me.

After some research on good ole' IMDB I found out why Tobago seemed familiar.

Tobago (an island within the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, and located off the northeast coast of Venezuela), was the filming location for the classic Walt Disney movie Swiss Family Robinson.

The director of that film said that the shooting was constantly hampered by rain. Perhaps that's why Ray decided it would not be a good place to film for MI.

I noticed that IMDB also listed Tobago as only having ever had one production film there, and that was SFR.
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