It Came from Beneath the Sea
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| It Came from Beneath the Sea | |
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 film poster of It Came from Beneath the Sea |
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| Directed by | Robert Gordon |
| Produced by | Charles H. Schneer |
| Written by | Hal Smith George Worthing Yates |
| Starring | Kenneth Tobey Faith Domergue |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July, 1955 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 79 min. |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
It Came from Beneath the Sea is an American black and white 1955 science fiction film produced by Sam Katzman and Charles Schneer for Columbia Pictures, from a script by George Worthing Yates designed to showcase the special model-animated effects of Ray Harryhausen. It was directed by Robert Gordon and stars Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue and Donald Curtis. Much of the filming was done at the San Francisco Naval Yard, including scenes aboard a submarine, and several naval personnel were given supporting roles, including Lt. Chuck Griffiths as the sub's second in command. Columbia distributed as well as produced, making available their Creature with the Atom Brain as a second feature for double bill bookings.
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[edit] Synopsis
A nuclear-powered submarine out on maneuvers in the Pacific ocean comes into contact with something massive, according to sonar. The ship is disabled but manages to free itself and dock at Pearl Harbor, where it is discovered some kind of animal tissue of great proportions has jammed in its propellors. A man-and-woman team of marine biologists are called in, and identify the tissue as part of an octopus, estimated to be of gigantic proportions. The military authorities scoff at this explanation, but are finally persuaded to investigate when reports of missing bathers and ships pulled under the water by some living thing begin to arrive on their desks. The scientists conclude the octopus is from the Mindanao trench and has been forced out of its natural habitat due to hydrogen bomb testing in the area. The testing has rendered the octopus radioactive, and this radioactivity drives off its natural food supply. As a torpedo is developed which can penetrate the octopus's thick hide and reach its brain to kill it, it increases its forays onto land, first attacking the Golden Gate Bridge and then coming ashore at the Embarcadero, where it kills panicking crowds and destroys buildings. The sub commander and the scientists take on the creature underwater. The torpedo penetrates its skin but fails to explode, so two divers must go out and detonate the torpedo at close range. All survive, except the octopus, which is destroyed.
[edit] Trivia
Ever budget-conscious, producer Katzman allowed Ray Harryhausen only enough money to construct an octopus with six tentacles.
