Mysterious Island (1951 film)
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Mysterious Island | |
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Directed by | Spencer Gordon Bennet |
Produced by | Sam Katzman |
Written by | Jules Verne (novel), Lewis Clay, Royal K. Cole, George H. Plympton |
Starring | Richard Crane, Marshall Reed, Karen Randle, Ralph Hodges |
Cinematography | Fayte M. Browne |
Editing by | Earl Turner |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures, Western Trails Video (VHS) |
Release date(s) | August 23, 1951 May 16, 1952 |
Country | USA |
Language | English |
Allmovie profile | |
IMDb profile |
Mysterious Island is a 1951 science fiction film. It is an adaptation of the 1874 novel by Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island (L'Île mystérieuse). The story is a follow-up to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
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[edit] Plot summary
During the siege of Richmond, Virginia, in the American Civil War, five northern prisoners of war decide to escape in a rather unusual way – by hijacking a balloon.
The group eventually crash-lands on a cliff-bound, volcanic, unknown (and fictitious) island, located in the South Pacific. They name it "Lincoln Island" in honour of American President Abraham Lincoln. With the knowledge of the brilliant engineer, the five are able to sustain themselves on the island, producing fire, pottery, bricks, nitroglycerine, iron, a simple electric telegraph, and even a sea-worthy ship. They also manage to find their geographical location.
The mystery of the island seems to come from periodic and inexplicable deus ex machinas: the unexplainable survival of Smith from his fall from the balloon, the mysterious rescue of his dog Top from a wild manatee, a box full of equipment (guns and ammunition, tools, etc...), the finding of a message in the sea calling for help, and so on.
This version is notable because, in addition to Captain Nemo appearing on the scene (as in the novel), space travelers from the planet Mercury also show up to complicate the plot.
[edit] Cast
Richard Crane .... Capt. Cyrus Harding
Marshall Reed .... Jack Pencroft
Karen Randle .... Rulu of Mercury
Ralph Hodges .... Herbert 'Bert' Brown
Gene Roth .... Pirate Capt. Shard
Hugh Prosser .... Gideon Spillett
Leonard Penn .... Capt. Nemo
Terry Frost .... Ayrton, (the wild man)
Rusty Wescoatt .... Moley
Bernie Hamilton .... Neb (as Bernard Hamilton)
William Fawcett .... Mr. Jackson
George Robotham .... Mercurian
Anthony Ross .... Confederate lieutenant
Sid Ross .... Mercurian
Pierre Watkin .... Southern officer
[edit] Crew
Spencer Gordon Bennett (director)
Lewis Clay, Royal K. Cole, George H. Plympton (screenplay)