Friday, December 13, 2013

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Henry Levin
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Shock DVD (Australia))

A scientist in Scotland stumbles on a clue which leads him to explore a vast cave system at the bottom of a volcano in Iceland. He takes along a student, the wife of a deceased colleague, a local Icelander and a goose. They walk, yes walk, thousands of miles for nearly a year, constantly descending towards the center of the Earth. They overcome various obstacles, including giant lizards, a mushroom forest and an evil competing scientist to reach a vast ocean and, eventually, the lost city of Atlantis. Here the find a way out and ride a giant clam shell through an erupting volcano. Despite the mounting improbabilities, bad science, Pat Boone's singing, comedy relief with the goose and cliche-ridden, politically incorrect dialogue, it manages to entertain in an escapist, old-fashioned way. Bernard Herrmann's bass-heavy score is impressive, especially during the title sequence.

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