It Came from Beneath the Sea

Starring:Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis, Ian Keith, Dean Maddox Jr., Chuck Griffiths, Harry Lauter, Richard W. Peterson, Tol Avery, Jack Littlefield, Roy Engel, Ed Fisher, Rudy Puteska, Del Courtney, Sam Hayes, Ray Storey, Jules Irving, Leonard Nimoy, Ray Bradbury, Charles H. Schneer
Director: Robert Gordon, Richard Schickel
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Description

Five classic movies from Ray Harryhausen in a stunning collector's box. JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS: Nancy Kovack, Todd Armstrong, Gary Raymond, Honor Blackman; SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, THE: Kathryn Grant, Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher; GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, THE: Caroline Munro, John Phillip Law, Tom Baker, John Garfield; SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER: Taryn Power, Patrick Wayne, Jane Seymour; 3 WORLDS OF GULLIVER, THE: Jo Morrow, Kerwin Mathews, June Thorburn, Lee Patterson

Customer Reviews:

Another Classic's; Worthy to be in your shelves........2007-05-19

Just as I enjoy the Legendary Monster Series Collection of Harryhausen, I have this one as well, not as great as the Legendary Monster Series, but just as enjoyable.

Can't beat the old camera tricks on these movies, for any avid fan of old movies, don't forget to have this one as well.

fun older scifi of high quality and quirky twists.......2006-06-16

I greatly enjoyed these films as a kid, which would come on every so once in a while and were a wonderful treat. The scripts of these are pretty good, though when seen from the standpoint of our era of relativism, they can seem a bit one-dimensional.

I would say they fall into categories. First, there are shoot-em-up monster flicks. These (It came..., Earth v...) are not complex or very sophisticated films, but they do strive to have some interesting characters. Earth v., I admit, has rather flat acting, but I did like the scientist-hero guy.

Second, there are really good scifi films, Mysterious and 20 Million: these have good characters and actors set in pretty complex plots. Mysterious is the best of the lot in my view, and I throughly enjoyed it as did my kids. 20 is also good, as the viewer does feel some for the monster. They are both scary and keep the viewer wondering what and why the whole time.

Third, there is the zany First Men, which features a silly genius type and a subtly bizarre civilization on the Moon. Alas, it was too much of a kids' film for my taste, but then my kids liked it while I could exercise my imagination with the elaborate insect culture.

Of course, what binds them all is the masterful special effects of Harryhausen, which are crude by today's digital standards but really fun and vivid.

Warmly recommended. This is a set I can share with my kids for years, which I will enjoy too.

FAKE "widescreen" ruins several titles!.......2006-04-28

Although I am a fan of all the films in this collection, and the quality of reproduction is good, I wound-up trading away three of these five films in anger! "It Came from Beneath the Sea", "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers," and "Mysterious Island" (none of which were originally filmed in a widescreen process) are all presented in a FAKE "widescreen" which does nothing more than essentially cut-off the tops and bottoms of the films as originally presented. Thus--watching them is like watching the originals through a mail-slot! As a purist, I consider this to be sacrilege, and my purchase of this collection essentially a complete waste of money! (Fortunately--though wearing out--I still have my VHS copies of these films, which are much closer to the original film ratio.)

The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Science Fiction Series .......2006-03-17

Truely Classic SF - Who needs SiFi Channel, Ray Harryhausen at his very best.

wowie,zowie!.......2006-01-30

wonderful stuff for film fans of all ages,a superb collection,especially to those of us who are tired of cgi.the real standout is mysterious island with striking visualsand a splendid bernard hermann score. the real treat is herbert lom as captain nemo.

Average customer rating:

SO IT ONLY HAD SIX TENTACLES IT IS STILL A CLASSIC!
Uh Oh! It's a Giant. . .Sixtopus?
What an octopus!
Harryhausen's Octopus
sensational sextapoid! tantalizing test tube!

It Came from Beneath the Sea
Starring: Kenneth Tobey , Faith Domergue , Donald Curtis , Ian Keith , and Dean Maddox Jr.
Director: Robert Gordon , and Richard Schickel
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms
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Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
The Thing from Another World

ASIN: B00008OM1X
Release Date: 2003-05-06

Amazon.com

Two years after unleashing The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms upon New York City, master special-effects creator Ray Harryhausen turned loose a giant (albeit six-armed) octopus on San Francisco, and the result is another enjoyable atom-age adventure that should please fans of vintage science fiction. Kenneth Tobey, who battled The Thing (From Another World) in 1951, stars as a Navy captain who pursues a monstrous octopoid (sextapoid?) after it attacks his atomic sub. After it wreaks havoc with shipping lanes, he tracks the creature to San Francisco for a final showdown. Scripting by George Worthing Yates (Them!) and Hal Smith and direction by Robert Gordon are perfunctory at best, which gives the always-reliable Tobey and co-star Faith Domergue little to do, but this is Harryhausen's show, and his monster, though budgetarily restrained, is still impressive. Younger audiences weaned on digital FX may find this creaky, but nostalgic viewers will enjoy its simple thrills. --Paul Gaita

Description

A giant stop-motion-animated octopus (with six arms) attacks San Francisco. A pair of scientists and a nuclear sub captain try to stop it before it tears down the Golden Gate Bridge. Stunning special effects by Ray Harryhausen.

Customer Reviews:

SO IT ONLY HAD SIX TENTACLES IT IS STILL A CLASSIC!.......2007-03-08

If Ray Harryhausen had the buget they have for FX today,who knows what he would have been able to do! The story from what I've read was that the producers of the movie didn't have enough funds to make a 8 armed Octopus. You would never really know this unless told,as the Master Harryhausen was very clever in hiding the beast's missing tentacles. One of my favorites as a kid and it still holds up. The DVD transfer is good with some very cool extras.

Uh Oh! It's a Giant. . .Sixtopus?.......2007-02-05

Ray Harryhausen is back again in this nifty and fun Fifties monster movie. Okay, so Columbia Pictures kept slashing the budget until the only way Ray could do the beast justice was to animate SIX arms (take a look at JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS' Hydra sequence and that'll give you a good idea of how much more time, and in Hollywood that means how much more money, it would have taken to keep EIGHT arms constantly moving and in character!) Well, whether there are six or eight arms, this big ol' beastie still manages to wreak havoc on San Fransisco and the Golden Gate Bridge (classic sequence!).

The great Kenneth Tobey is in the lead, Faith Domergue and Donald Curtis bring up the rear for the main cast, cuz ya gotta have some story to keep everyone still until the Sixtopus arrives. They all handle the lines well, keeping this admittedly preposterous tale anchored on terra firma.

And the DVD has some keen bonuses, too! THIS IS DYNAMATION is a promo film made to hype THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (and if you haven't, you know you gotta see this one, too!); THE HARRYHAUSEN CHRONICLES is a loving overview of the great man's career, narrated by Leonard Nimoy. There are also three trailers for Harryhausen films, and one for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.

The Grand Master of stop-motion animation does it again! Get yourself some popcorn and a big soft drink and check out (ooooh! scary!) IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA! BIG fun!

What an octopus!.......2007-01-09

A giant octopus coming out of the ocean depths to crush ships and eat their sailors! Wow, what a concept. Fun classic movie -- typical black and white classic monster movie that is entertaining, although corny by todays' standards. I think they are the best though - no matter what the movie industry can do today with special effects -- these old black and white classic monster movies are the best!

Harryhausen's Octopus.......2006-12-21

"It Came From Beneath the Sea" is a black & white sci-fi film from 1955, featuring a little bit of stop motion animation from Ray Harryhausen. It's not my favorite film that his animation has featured in, but it has some interesting moments.

Thanks to H-Bomb radiation, a giant octopus has been forced out of its Pacific Ocean home, looking for fresh food to eat. Fish, according to the marine biologists of the film, have an internal geiger counter. Since the octopus had been exposed to H-Bomb radiation, the fish can sense it right away, and swim off before it can eat them. The octopus' hunger has sent it further and further into the ocean, and it is now causing trouble all over the Pacific. The US Navy are soon out investigating. Will they find the beast? Will they stop it before it causes any trouble?

Its not the most interesting film, but its okay. There's a lot of dialogue and wandering about, and when there are some special effects, its mostly tentacles. There's also a love triangle of sorts between a marine biology teacher, a navy officer and a scientist, which is kind of an odd dynamic.

Special features include the great documentary "The Harryhausen Chronicles", which crops up as a special feature on quite a few Harryhausen related DVDs. It's narrated by Leonard Nimoy, features interviews with Ray Harryhausen, along with George Lucas, Ray Bradbury and others, and covers Ray Harryhausen's life from when he was first inspired by King Kong all the way to his winning of an academy award in the early 1990s for his work. There's a bit of rare animated footage from various unfinished projects too, which was interesting.

It's okay, all up, probably not the first Harryhausen related picture to check out though.

sensational sextapoid! tantalizing test tube!.......2006-08-22

this is a terrific example of harryhausen magic. missing appendages notwithstanding (and, let's face it, who would honestly notice if they hadn't been told?), the creature is a wonderful piece of animated model work.

i'm surprise that noone else has caught (or mentioned, at least) the blatant sexual innuendo! the initial flirtation scene, when the captain corners the female scientist in the lab, is a riot -- check out how she's handling that test tube! then he proceeds to light up a cigarette (despite the "no smoking" sign right behind him)... hrmm...

Average customer rating:

Popcorn anyone?
Calamari with cheerios attached - a San Francisco treat
not as good as beast
My Favorite Movie
Classic 1950's Monster Epic With Ray Harryhausen Effects

It Came from Beneath the Sea [Region 2]
Starring: Kenneth Tobey , Faith Domergue , Donald Curtis , Ian Keith , and Dean Maddox Jr.
Director: Robert Gordon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000096KJG

Customer Reviews:

Popcorn anyone?.......2007-05-04

Normally I write out a medium to lenghty review about these movies, this time such things are not required. It certainly is a popcorn movie. So here is the short list.

PROS.

1. Neat story line-monster on the move from the bottom of the ocean because of H-bomb explosions. (A side note here: yea know in all these movies everybody says the words H-bomb or A-bomb and that brings into mind a nuclear device dropped from a plane. I believe most of them are 'craned' into position and set off from a distance. Even though that is a bomb--because it explodes--wouldn't you actually call it Hydrogen Device or Atomic Device or Nuclear Device...well, like I usually say at a time like this, "Beats me."
2. A three sided love interest with the cutie.
3. There is a monster involved in the movie, stop and go animation by one of the best special effects man out there.
4. Interesting to a point in how they figure out what the monster is before they have a witness. At least they went throught motions of trying to figure it out like they did in the movie THEM. I perfer that kind of jumping to conclusions rather than some body saying "Hey! That's an alien from the south polar dimension and you can tell by its' three eyes in a straight line it can see into this dimension!" That's bad writing.
5. Ok written. A few small mistakes: such as they want to take this thing with one big shot just to make sure they get it, yet they wire up the bay area with mines and explode them one at a time before the submarine (carrying the device to kill it) arrives. Mines count as weapons and explosions...don't they? These little mistakes mean nothing to people like us who watch these old black and white popcorn movies--we only expect better when it gets into the Maltese Falcon or the movie is trying hard to be real good. So a 'few' little mistakes mean little.

CONS:

1. There is no down side for this movie, it's just a popcorn movie and it does entertain us. Were it on the same level of art as THEM or THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL I would have given it a zero star. But it is not pretentious. It is a popcorn movie--that is all it was ever made to be and should be judged according to 'those' standards--not judged according to the best of all movies made. No. It is a solid 4 star popcorn movie and I recommend it to all of us who watch them.

Never rent an old movie, always buy. Rent only modern movies--they are not worth any more. Bye!

Calamari with cheerios attached - a San Francisco treat.......2006-07-23

"For centuries the mind of man has learned comparative little of the mysteries of the heavens above - or the seas below"

"Since the coming of the atomic age, man's knowledge has so increased that an upheaval of nature would not be beyond his belief."

It is 1955 and the atom sub looks just like a ww2 diesel (at least it does not look like a cardboard mockup.) The latest sub is being chased by thing or things unknown; let's just say that "It Came from Beneath the Sea".

Standard sci-fi for the time we have the obligatory romance between the captain, Cmdr. Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) from "The Thing From Another World" (1951), and Prof. Lesleyl Joyce (Faith Domergue) from "This Island Earth" (1955). What a ménage à trios and Prof. John Carter (Donald Curtis) from several "Science Fiction Theater" (1955-1957) TV episodes.

I just love sci-fi from this time because they inevitably depend of flame throwers to do the trick as in "The deadly Mantis" and "Them!"

Naturally no one believes them until they get eaten. Others think they have the situation in hand. Will we be able to handle "IT"? And will there be a next time?

Six tentacle monster by Ray Harryhausen; "Clash of the Titans" (1981).
Screen play by Hal Smith, and George Worthing Yates.
Faith Domergue, by God.

not as good as beast.......2005-10-03

I have seen better movies but this one is still good especially when it was attacking the scientists on the beach. Watch it and decide yourself!

My Favorite Movie.......2004-12-31

My Dad was a young and handsome Naval submarine officer stationed in San Francisco at the time the movie was being made, and he was asked to play the part of the executive officer, Lt. Griff. It was his one and only movie. My family and I got to visit the set and meet the stars, including the real octopus. (Very small).
Dad was presented with an electric dishwasher as a gift for his part in the film since the Navy would not let him accept money and my mother felt we really needed a dishwasher. My brother and I were in elementary school when the movie finally made it to the local theater in Kailua, Oahu two years later and we got to see out dad's name up on the big screen. None of the other children sitting in the audience for that Saturday matinee believed us. The movie is still a hit at Griffiths family reunions. Dad is now 82, and retired from the Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral.

Classic 1950's Monster Epic With Ray Harryhausen Effects .......2004-10-11

The 1950's decade saw an explosion in cinemas of every kind of tentacled, or oversized creature taking out its vengeance on mankind for its thoughtless handling of atomic testing and the environment. In the process of creating these fantastic creatures the legendary career of special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen came into its own. Long before computers dominated the special effects industry and worked their miracles with the press of a button this gifted craftsman created some of the most stunning special effects and creatures that have ever been seen in science fiction. Even today most of his work holds up well with some of his more memorable creations being his splendid creatures in such classics as "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", and "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms". In "It Came From Beneath the Sea" this genius tackles another sort of sea creature on the rampage in the form of a giant Octopus which has been dislodged from its habitat in the depths of the Pacific Ocean by H-Bomb testing. While "It Came From Beneath the Sea", suffered from a smaller budget than Harryhausen was used to and is today considered one of his lesser efforts there is still much classic animation work and drama to admire. Certainly for all science fiction buffs like myself it is easy to see that the creatures attack on the Golden Gate Bridge and the port area of San Francisco in the stories thrilling climax contains some of the most memorable sci fi imagery from the entire decade and these scenes have rightly gone down into science fiction folklore.

The action starts ona seemingly routine submarine mission headed by Commander Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey), in the Pacific which encounters a strange blip on the sonar which ends up colliding with the submarine. Unsure of what it was the mission heads home for repairs and then a strange rubbery substance is found attached to the submarine's rudder. Taking the mysterious substance to the Naval Research lab Pete encounters marine biologists Lesley Joyce (Faith Domergue) and Prof. John Carter (Donald Curtis), who after exhaustive research discover that the material is part of a potentially huge Octopus. Prof Joyce works out a theory that this beast is an inhabitant of the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean where Octopus and other sea creatures can grow to fantastic size, and that it has become radioactive from the H-bomb testing in the area. Rising to the surface in search of non contaminated food the warning signs are there that trouble along the coastal areas could be only a short time away. Meanwhile reports begin to come in of coastal damage and missing persons and when a cargo vessel is destroyed at sea with only a handful of crew rescued the alarm goes out. Interviewed by both Pete and Lesley the men tell of a terrifying creature with huge tentacled arms which came out of the ocean to attack their ship. Confirming that the creature does exist a coastal alert is put into place and the San Francisco Bay area appears to be the next point of contact with the creature as it searches for food. The navy create a warhead that can be fired from a submarine that will puncture the huge creature and explode inwardly and Pete prepares his crew for action. Despite the best efforts of the military the octopus manages to infiltrate San Francisco harbour and begins to climb the Golden Gate Bridge causing a great deal of damage to the structure. Prof. Carter manages a narrow escape on the bridge thanks to Pete's intervention and when all the power on the Bridge is turned off the giant octopus submerges itself in the bay and later surfaces at the dock region. Causing mass panic and destruction the military, with the use of flame throwers, eventually drive the creature out into the bay. Pete's men then prepare to fire the missile into the creature which requires some tricky aqua diving and its only after Pete is badly injured and John goes out to finish the job that the explosion manages to kill the creature. Believing that both Pete and John are lost after the blast there is a general relief when both men safely surface out in the bay.

Classic 1950's science fiction is how I would describe "It Came From Beneath the Sea". We certainly do see too little of the creature of the title and indeed the giant octopus does lack a bit of the character of some of Harryhausen's other creations however the action scenes here are top rate, in particular the creatures assault on San Francisco. Kenneth Tobey playing Commander Pete Mathews has the sort of masculine, square jawed presense that is ideally suited to this type of action story and he had already well handled the suspense in another earlier science fiction classic in the unforgettable "The Thing From Another World",in 1951. Faith Domergue plays an interesting character here as the educated professor who develops the theory of where the creature has come from. Part independant woman and part scream queen of the fifties her character does come across for the most part as a refreshing change from many of the typical sci fi roles handed to women in this decade. Particulary memorable is her scene where she extracts information from the rescued sailor by removing her wrap and asking him for a cigarette while leaving the intercom open for the navy brass to listen in. It never fails to make me laugh and is an interesting snap shot of "another time", so foreign to how it would be played nowadays. First and foremost however the chief attraction in this movie is of course the often superb stop motion effects of Ray Harryhausen. "It Came From Beneath the Sea", marked the first of his legendary collaborations with producer Charles H. Schneer that took the pair through many films together right up to the impressive "Clash of the Titians" in 1981. The sight of the creature demolishing a section of the Golden Gate Bridge or attacking a cargo ship at sea are still breathtaking in their visual impact and the vivid sound effects employed in particular when the creature is being driven back through the streets of San Francisco by flame throwers is outstanding. Typically for this type of film there is the standard romance between the characters played by Kenneth Tobey and Faith Domergue however luckily here it really doesn't get in the way of the action. The slowness in parts of "It Came From Beneath the Sea", is due more in fact to director Robert Gordon's frequent dallying with naval and submarine activities than with anything else but even then is not too distracting.

Solid "Saturday Afternoon Matinee" material is how many see this creature feature and while certainly it has that nostalgic appeal I really appreciate it for the at times superb stop motion special effects created on a limited budget by Ray Harryhausen. A similiar effort to this filmed nowadays would cost countless millions but here we have the real genius of our film pioneers in special effects on display. "It Came From Beneath the Sea", has it all for sci fi lovers like myself, namely an angry creature disturbed from its habitat that goes on a rampage which always makes for a good story. Certainly there have been better "monster on the loose", efforts from the 1950's but this film is well worth the time in particular for a journey back to a simpler time in filmmaking without the huge budgets one expects nowadays. Enjoy!

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