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The Lost Continent (1968 England)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 10:16 am    Post subject: The Lost Continent (1968 England) Reply with quote



A story called Uncharted Seas by Dennis Wheatley inspired this strange little mish-mash of fantasy, adventure, and science fiction by the prolific filmmakers at Hammer Studios.

A tramp steamer carrying a group of bickering, misfit passengers and a cargo of high explosives is ensnared by a giant, floating web of mobile seaweed. The seaweed hauls the ship to an even bigger mass of seaweed (a flat, floating island) which contains dozens of captured ships, some of which date back hundreds of years.

Unable to escape, the crews of these vessels have formed a micro society, with Spanish conquistadors as the dominant members, ruled by a sadistic boy-king; anyone who displeases him is sacrificed to a hungry, captive octopus-monster.

When the tramp steamer joins this weird environment, they are attacked by Spaniards who wear oversized inflatable footwear that enable them to walk across the undulating seaweed terrain.

If all this sounds pretty wild and far-fetched, you're right. The Lost Continent may be short on credibility but it's long on imagination. The film is, in a sense, Hammer studios' answer to Monty Python's famous line: "And now for something completely different."

Produced and directed by Michael Carreras.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Pow
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PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 10:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Saw this one eons ago,recall it as a scary movie with the nasty creatures roaming around.

Unique setting also made it intriguing.
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 11:07 am    Post subject: Re: The Lost Continent (1968 England) Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
. . . If all this sounds pretty wild and far-fetched, your right. "The Lost Continent" may be short on credibility but it's long on imagination. The film is, in a sense, Hammer studios' answer to Monty Python's famous line: "And now for something completely different."

The last third of the film calls to mind another famous Monty Python quote: "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Wink


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Rocky Jones
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PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2015 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I seem to recall catching this one at the Mid-Cities Drive in as the second feature with The Green Slime. As was often the case with double features, I liked this one better. The wacky footwear is what retained in my memory the best. This is a good oddball flick for late night when you've got insomnia or something.
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2015 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also memorable (at least for male viewers) was pneumatic-bosomed Dana Gillespie and her, uh, balloons.



Although I personally prefer Suzanna Leigh.




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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2015 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah-ha! So Dana was the inventor of the uplift bra! Well, she's certainly succeeding in making it less obtrusive nowadays, eh?

As for that stunning blond, all I can say is, "Oh, Suzanna!"

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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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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 2:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[size=30] __________________________________

I think the premise for this ambitious film is first rate, but all those full-sized monsters being wiggled around by hidden stage hands weren't even impressive in 1968, much less today when quality CGI special effects can make fantasy look as real as the actors themselves.

But this trailer is fun, with its classic announcer telling us things like "SEE! Monster weeds attack helpless beauties!"

Boy, do I miss the good old days when trailers were done like this one. Very Happy
__________________________________ [/size]

___ The Lost Continent - Original Trailer (1968)


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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: Mon Apr 08, 2019 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

____________
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________________ The Lost Continent Trailer


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I didn't really understand the structure of the story in this first half of the film - the lifeboat soon makes its way back to the same ship and it's as if the story was going nowhere for about 15 minutes, or at least in circles. The seaweed continues to be a problem, there are other creatures, and then there's another memorable image - a woman (Dana Gillespie) walking on the sea of seaweed (she wears special shoes and air balloons). Finally, the stranded people encounter Spanish soldiers who behave as if they're from an earlier century. Passengers are played by Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley and Nigel Stock. Much of the film is on the slow side, but there are some eye-opening scenes, including a very grotesque creature to which various victims are tossed to on the orders of a sadistic child ruler.

BoG's Score: 6.5 out of 10


______________ THE LOST CONTINENT - 1968


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BoG
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production. Very Happy
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~ Producer Michael Carreras fired original director Leslie Norman and took over as director. When he went over budget and schedule, his father, Hammer Films chief James Carreras, and the studio's solicitors arrived on set to shut the production down.

Note from me: Gee, I guess Daddy just couldn't fix junior's screw up with a simple phone call.

~ In the first interior boat scene, the Doctor is reading "Uncharted Seas" by Dennis Wheatley, the book on which the film is based. However, when asked about the book, Wheatley reportedly couldn't even remember his 1938 novel on which the film was based. Shocked

Note from me: Either Mr. Wheatley was a prolific writer, or he had a bad memory. Sad

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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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