Atlantis: The Lost Continent
                              
Director: George Pal
Year: 1961
Rating: 5.0
Well, I am nearly convinced. The forward to the main film explains to us that the similarities between the civilizations on the different continents such as pyramids, elephants and corn was no coincidence. It was due to the existence of a continent in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean - called Atlantis. Atlantis was far advanced and their technology spread when it said goodbye to the world. Of course, now we know it was aliens that did this. Warlords of Atlantis in 1978 posits that the people of Atlantis were aliens from Mars, so who knows what the truth is.

 

This comes from the mind of George Pal who kept those wonderful fantasy films coming in the 1950s and 60s with - for the time - terrific special effects. The ones here are fairly good and the designs and costumes are great fun. I think Star Trek was inspired by the outfits. Then I read that there was footage inserted from other films - Quo Vadis being the main culprit - and lots of the cool costumes and statues were borrowed from previous films. But does it matter really? Not many of us while watching would say, "hey, that is from Quo Vadis" - though clearly the huge crowd sizes were far beyond the ability and budget of this film to create. But the money shot was the ending when the volcano explodes and Atlantis goes down in flames. Some fine miniature work there.

 

Demetrios, a Greek fisherman, is minding his own business when he spots a damsel in distress in a small boat and rescues her and changes her clothes when she is unconscious. She is a Princess, she tells him. Sure, honey. From a secret kingdom and if you take me there, I will shower you with gold. You have any more stories? But then she goes on a full-frontal female flirtation campaign and the next thing he knows is that they are in his tiny boat going west where he thinks the end of the world is. Well, he did see her naked body. They get a little cozy on the boat, but he wants to turn back to make her a fisherman's wife though she hates the smell of fish - but she gets even cozier and they go on.



Eventually, a submarine shows up right out of Captain Nemo and they take the two of them to Atlantis which is a combination of Greek and Roman styles. And like the Romans did, they put him into slavery. To become a free man, he has to go through the Fire and Water Challenge. Sounds scary right? Not really. They put him into a pit where the stones are hot and out comes an enormous man with a sword to kill him - but they give him a sword too - and he keeps hitting the big man's shield. No, not the shield you idiot - go for the legs. I could have taken him.


 
His only friend is the Priest (Edward Platt - yup Get Smart) who has forsaken their Gods and become a monotheist - and says something that Lincoln was to borrow later about slavery bringing their destruction. They have built a giant laser that they plan to conquer the world with - but then thankfully the volcano explodes or we would all be speaking Atlantean today. Oh, and for reasons I could not figure out, they take a few pages out of Well's The Island of Dr. Moreau and are turning these men into beasts with plastic horns glued to their heads. It is just kind of thrown in there. It is pretty bad but it looks great, the colors are sparkling and the finale is pretty cool. Still too much talk and too little of anything else. Demetrius is played by Sal Ponti credited as Anthony Hall. The most interesting thing about him is that he wrote songs for Fabian. The Princess is Joyce Taylor who always looks too smart to be in this film. And look for William Smith as one of the guards.