| Mysterious Island | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Cy Endfield |
| Screenplay by | John Prebble Daniel B. Ullman Crane Wilbur |
| Based on | L'Île mystérieuse 1874 novel byJules Verne |
| Produced by | Charles H. Schneer |
| Starring | Michael Craig Joan Greenwood Herbert Lom Michael Callan Gary Merrill Dan Jackson |
| Cinematography | Wilkie Cooper |
| Edited by | Frederick Wilson |
| Music by | Bernard Herrmann |
Production company | Ameran Films |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Countries | United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | ~$5,000,000 |
Mysterious Island (UK:Jules Verne's Mysterious Island) is a 1961science fictionadventure film about prisoners in theAmerican Civil War who escape in a balloon and then find themselves stranded on a remote island populated by giant animals.
Loosely based upon the 1874 novelThe Mysterious Island (L'Île mystérieuse) byJules Verne (which was the sequel to two other novels by Verne, 1867'sIn Search of the Castaways and 1870'sTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas), the film was produced byCharles H. Schneer and directed byCy Endfield.[1][2]
Shot inCatalonia,Spain, and atShepperton Studios,Shepperton,England, the film serves as a showcase forRay Harryhausen'sstop motion animation effects. Like several of Harryhausen's classic productions, the musical score was composed byBernard Herrmann.[3]
During theAmerican Civil War, Union soldiersCyrus Harding, Herbert Brown, and Neb Nugent, along with war correspondent Gideon Spillet, escapeLibby Military Prison inRichmond, Virginia. They abscond with a gas balloon and a Rebel guard, Pencroft, who can pilot it. The balloon carries them west over the Pacific Ocean, where a storm forces them to crash land on an unknown island of tropical jungles, harsh plains, and active volcanoes. While exploring it, the men are attacked by a giantcrab which seizes Neb. The others save him, working together to push the beast into a boiling geyser, and have crab for dinner. Afterwards, they find two unconscious English ladies, Lady Mary Fairchild and her niece Elena, shipwrecked by the same storm. Eventually, the castaways make home in a cave formerly inhabited byanother castaway. Later, a chest washes ashore. It contains rifles, nautical charts, and a copy ofRobinson Crusoe. Markings on the rifles indicate it came from the submarineNautilus.
Spillet tells Lady Fairchild of theNautilus, its creatorCaptain Nemo, and its supposed destruction offMexico eight years earlier. Using one of the charts, the castaways plot their location and begin constructing a boat. One day, Mary, Elena, and Spillet encounter agiant flightless bird. As it tries to eat Elena, Herbert arrives and knifes the creature. Later, as they consume the bird, they discover it was actually killed by a bullet none of them had fired. Weeks later, Herbert and Elena come across a hive of giantbees. They escape into a large flooded cave, where they spot theNautilus. They enter the vessel to investigate before swimming out of the cave. Meantime, the others spy an approaching pirate ship, and a fight ensues. The castaways prevail only after an explosion mysteriously sinks the ship with all hands aboard.
The castaways finally meetCaptain Nemo, who has been watching the castaways, secretly assisting them by sending the chest, shooting the giant bird, and sinking the pirate ship. He invites them to dinner aboard theNautilus. There, they find the giant creatures are results of Nemo's genetic experiments to enlarge the world's food resources, eliminating hunger. Further, he has selected the castaways to make his achievements known to the world. One of them is an air-filled raising system which can refloat the pirate ship, the only readily seaworthy vessel on the island. Nemo teaches them to breathe underwater using his "shell" air tanks, and they raise the ship despite interference from a giantAmmonite. But as the castaways set sail, the island's central volcano erupts, killing Nemo and destroying theNautilus. The rest begin the journey home, vowing to continue Nemo's dream of achieving lasting peace throughout the world.
In May 1959, Columbia announced it had signed a deal with Charles Schneer to distribute nine of his films over three years. The films would includeBattle of the Coral Sea,Gulliver's Travels,The Werner Von Braun Story,Mystery Island,Gentleman of China, andAir Force Academy.[4]
Mysterious Island would be the sixth collaboration between Schneer and Ray Harryhausen, beginning withIt Came From Beneath the Sea, and the third in color, followingThe 7th Voyage of Sinbad andThe 3 Worlds of Gulliver. LikeSinbad andGulliver, it would be shot in Spain.[5]
The novel on which the film is based is a sequel to two other novels by Jules Verne,In Search of the Castaways (1867) andTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870). The first book featured the island, the pirates and a characterTom Ayrton who was marooned on a nearby island. The second book featuredCaptain Nemo and theNautilus presumed lost in the maelstrom at the end of that novel.
InThe Mysterious Island (1874) after the escapees' balloon landed on the island, among many adventures, they encountered Ayrton alive, fought the pirates and discovered that Captain Nemo was their benefactor and the island the base for theNautilus.
The film was mostly cast with British actors. Michael Craig was under contract to Rank. Michael Callan was under contract to Columbia at the time.[6] Percy Herbert was originally rejected for his role due to his British accent, but got the part after practising a southern accent by watchingSuddenly Last Summer several times.[7]
Filming started 21 June 1960.[8] The beach scenes inMysterious Island were shot on location at Sa Conca Bay,Castell-Platja d'Aro inCatalonia,Spain. The escape from the Confederate prison - using an observation balloon - was filmed in Church Square,Shepperton,England.
Interiors were completed atShepperton Studios.
Thestop motion animation effects were created byRay Harryhausen. All the model creatures except the giant bird (which was re-purposed for use as theOrnithomimus inThe Valley of Gwangi in 1969) still exist.[citation needed]
Michael Craig called Endfield "a dismal arsehole of an ex-pat American" and Schneer "a real Hollywood suit... the epitome of 'the son in law also rises".[9]
The film's music was composed byBernard Herrmann who had already scored two previous Harryhausen and Schneer productions (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad andThe 3 Worlds of Gulliver).[3] The score was performed by theLondon Symphony Orchestra.[10]
In their review,The New York Times noted "the impressive white-haired person of Herbert Lom," "Cy Endfield's spirited direction," and that Joan Greenwood "gurgles and croaks in a pleasantly distracting style";[11] and in 1978, theirTV critic called the film a "Dandy fantasy-adventure, done with skill and imagination, keyed by fine Bernard Herrmann score. A pip of this kind."Time Magazine said, "It should thrill the geewillikers out of anyone!"[12] The film's rentals brought in $5 million worldwide.
Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes gives the film an 81% "Fresh" score with an average rating of 6.4/10, based on 16 reviews.[13]
Blu-ray
ALL America - Twilight Time - The Limited Edition Series[14]
DVD
R1 America - Columbia/Tri-star Home Entertainment[15]
Columbia Tri-Star Video[16]
Pioneer Special Edition[17]
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