This was one of the first Cinemascope movies I saw as a kid, and I loved it. I was already a fan of underwater photography and diving, and when you throw in a fight with a giant octopus, all in glorious Technicolor, well, you can't go wrong. Or I can't. The photography in this one is great, by the way, and it's worth watching the movie for that alone. But if that's not enough, you also have Gilbert Roland, Robert Wagner, Terry Moore, J. Carroll Naish, Peter Graves, and Richard Boone. Admittedly the story they're in doesn't give them a lot to work with, but they're all great to look at, especially Terry Moore. Or, if you're more into beefcake, Robert Wagner.
The story isn't all that great, even though the screenplay is by A. I. Bezzerides. It's the Hatfields and McCoys in Florida, with sponge divers. Don't worry about that part. Enjoy those underwater sequences and the great color.
A DVD of this movie was available everywhere for a buck a few years ago. I'd recommend watching it in a better version if you can find one.
5 comments:
IMHO Robert Wagner only had one great role-A Kiss Before Dying. Other than that, he was a stiff and unconvincing actor.
He's not terrible in this one, and he looks good with his shirt off.
Famous among film score buffs for Bernard Herrmann's use of NINE harps in the orchestration.
Art Scott
Famous among film score buffs for the NINE harps used by Bernard Herrmann in the orchestration.
Art Scott
Glad the comment got posted, Art. The first one landed in the spam file for some reason. Cap'n Bob's comments often land there, too.
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