poe-48833
WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP (CITY IN THE SEA) has one thing going for it: director Jacques Tourneur. Unfortunately, even one of the finest Fright Film makers to ever shiver me timbers can't overcome this script. There ARE a couple of shots near the beginning of the movie that promise more than the final film ever delivers: beautifully-composed shots of a darkened den that even COLOR can't ruin. And then there's the first assault of the "gill-men." They attack at night and are gone in an instant. This brief glimpse is so tantalizing that later scenes in which we see them fully exposed (and lit) are painfully disappointing (and by no means in keeping with Tourneur's lifelong assertion that "less is more" when it comes to Monsters on screen). I'd be interested in reading up on the making of this one, because the departure from his Standard Operating Procedure needs some explaining. Maybe McFarland Publishing has a book on the subject... (If not, perhaps FILMFAX has run an article about the making of...)
Rainey Dawn
Been years since I've seen this gem and recently watched it again. I find this one a fun and nice science fiction fantasy. Not true to the writings of Edgar Allan Poe - just loosely based on his work - but it is a neat film. There are a couple of references to Poe and his name is mentioned specifically but that's about the only connection.Vincent Price is always great to watch - this film is no exception. The character Captain Sir Hugh is a mysterious man who runs "the city in the sea". He has plenty of help along with gill-men guards that patrol the waters. He has found the key to long life - the "fountain of youth" in a way - under the sea.This one is a worthwhile watch if you are into Vincent Price, sci-fi, fantasy and films with underwater themes.8/10
AaronCapenBanner
Vincent Price stars in this very loose adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe poem as the Captain, a seemingly ageless man who rules an undersea city inhabited by smugglers and gill-men(!) who raid the nearby surface Cornish coast, and kidnap a young woman(played by Susan Hart) who is believed by the Captain to be the reincarnation of his late wife. Coming to her rescue through an underwater cavern are her friends(played by Tab Hunter and David Tomlinson) who are shocked by what they find, and are determined to defeat the Captain, and escape back to the surface.Starts off fine, with moody atmosphere by director Jacques Tourneur, but goes down the drain before long, with a silly plot and unfunny comedy relief with a rooster that shares a diving suit with Tomlinson...it's that kind of film; a sad waste of potential, given Price and Tourneur's reputations.
Woodyanders
1903: The Cornish coast. Dashing mining engineer Ben Harris (likable Tab Hunter) and jolly artist Harold Tufnell-Jones (an amusing David Tomlinson) discover a crumbling underwater society ruled by the ruthless Sir Hugh (the always terrific Vincent Price) while poking around a cave in search of sweet fair damsel Jill Tregillis (fetching Susan Hart). The former smuggler inhabitants never age and exploit gill-men creatures as slave labor. Moreover, there's an active volcano which threatens to erupt at any moment. Director Jacques Touneur, working from a fanciful and eventful script by Charles Bennett and Louis M. Heyward that's loosely based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, evokes a pleasingly eerie and mysterious atmosphere in the opening third, elicits sound acting from a game cast, and stages the lively and exciting last twenty-five minutes depicting the inevitable climactic eruption of the volcano and our protagonists being chased underwater by Sir Hugh and his flunkies with considerable brio. Moreover, there's a nice sense of imagination evident throughout, the amphibious seaweed-covered humanoid fishmen are pretty gnarly looking, the sets are fairly lavish, and the special effects might be crude by today's more sophisticated standards, but still possess a certain funky charm just the same. Stephen Dade's sumptuous widescreen cinematography gives the picture an impressively expansive and picturesque look. Stanley Black's moody and robust score likewise hits the bull's eye. A fun flick.
AD
