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Post by stareater on Feb 28, 2005 7:06:50 GMT -8
This one's a weird departure for Hammer, yet still a very cool film filled with killer seaweed and a shipload of degenerates. I always remembered this one as a regular in the Creature Double Feature rotation (probably paired with Maneater of Hydra for a doubleshot of deadly flora)
I could never really understand how the balloons & snowshoes kept the killer sargassum at bay (couldn't it still just grab the people anyway?), but it's a fun movie and more than worth seeing for an incredibly voluptuous and buxom 19-year old Dana Gillespie. Anyway, the cast is very competent and some of the special effects were nice, especially the minature scenes of the ship graveyard.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Feb 28, 2005 9:38:23 GMT -8
i have the Anchor Bay DVD, and it includes some extra minutes that were taken out of the US release, plus trailers and an Hammer tv show episode (narrated by Oliver Reed, i think). great DVD.
movie is very interesting as well- it was based on a Dennis Wheatley story (Mei Mei in INFRA-MAN reads one of his books). i saw it in the theater as a kiddie matinee, a bit of an odd choice but it was good (i must have been older as i remembered the title to it).
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Post by stareater on Feb 28, 2005 11:17:41 GMT -8
Yes, from what I remember reading, some of the "racier" scenes on the steamer tramp were cut from the U.S. TV version, along with a few other scenes which amounted to something around 8 minutes being lost. Hammer studios also worked with a Mr. Wheatley story again in The Devil Rides Out. It's a well-done film, but it seems they spent a little too much time dealing with the passengers on the steamer, as the plot seems to come to more of a car crash resolution than a natural one. It didn't take very long for the engineer to convince the Child King that El Diablo was full of it. It seemed as if they got near the end of the film and said, "Whoa, we're running out of time. Okay, let's end it NOW!". Minor complaint, however. It's an enjoyable film I watch about twice a year. Most of the characters are interesting, there are enough monsters about, plenty of action, and the ample charms of a young Dana Gillespie certainly add to the scenery.   |
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Feb 28, 2005 15:18:05 GMT -8
you might have mentioned her already! ;D
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Post by Mattster on Feb 28, 2005 19:15:19 GMT -8
What creatures are included in this film?
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Feb 28, 2005 20:21:51 GMT -8
a giant crab and giant scorpion battle it out in one part, the kraken weed attacks people, and i think there is an octopus, or some kind of tentacled thing. been a few years since i've watched it though.
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Post by stareater on Mar 1, 2005 5:17:16 GMT -8
Yep, the octopus is a one-eyed version. Oh, and Dana Gillespie brings along two monsters as well. Have I mentioned her already?  |
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Post by BaronVonMacheimer on Mar 2, 2005 21:17:54 GMT -8
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Mar 2, 2005 22:21:40 GMT -8
now i'm gonna have to watch the movie.
ever notice how BOTH movies with this title have nothing to do with continent of any kind?
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Post by BaronVonMacheimer on Mar 2, 2005 22:32:44 GMT -8
now, Ward----don't be so hard on the Beaver!! and stop climbling that cliff for half a movie!!  |
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Post by stareater on Mar 3, 2005 6:45:06 GMT -8
It is an odd title change. I guess the title of the Wheatley story this film was based on, Uncharted Seas, doesn't exactly have a horror or Hammer-esque ring to it (unlike The Devil Rides Out). I read a review that mentions 1968 as being ripe with a lot of hubbub about the Bermuda Triangle, and since the setting of the film places it dead smack in the Triangle, I think the title is a refernce to somewhat of a remains of Atlantis. The Sargasso Sea lies between the Azores on its east end, and the West Indies on the western side, and extends into a portion of the Bermuda Triangle. I recall many theories about Atlantis being in this area, so it makes a little more sense now. I also discovered that Christopher Columbus had thought he'd discovered a coastline when approaching the Sargasso Sea, mistaking the floating weed for land. His sailors feared the weed would entangle their ship and strand them to their doom, which of course it could never do. This sheds quite a bit of light on the plot of the film, which I've seen described as "absolutely ridiculous" and "beyond belief" in several reviews (it must be a prerequisite to completely lose one's imagination when becoming any kind of reviewer  ). It's funny how, if you do just a tad of research, you can discover that some things aren't as silly as some would have you think. There's no reason to disbelieve that one or more of Columbus' mates came back with stories of killer seaweed that tried to drag the ship to its doom, only to be fended off by the brave crew. This is how legends of sea serpents, the kraken, and other giant monsters came about. This is why I generally don't rely on the opinions of critics of any note. If we paid any attention to them, we'd never watch a Godzilla movie and would spend our hard-earned cash being put to sleep by pretentious borefests like Sideways, Cider House Rules, and The Hours. If I wanted to watch a boring drunk going through a mid-life crisis, I'd go talk to my uncle. ;D |
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Mar 3, 2005 9:22:22 GMT -8
that is a great point about imagination and it's loss when becoming a critic.
and about SIDEWAYS- i read a point/counterpoint about it in the paper and the 'con' side said they were a couple of jerks and what is the point of watching them taste wine? but i do have a good friend who liked it, so perhaps i should try watching the DVD some day.
bet it won't be as fun as either Lost Continents!
so, there aren't ships stranded in the Sargasso Sea? what about the pilot to Jonny Quest that takes place there then? it could never happen? oh no!
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Post by Shonokin on Mar 3, 2005 10:41:29 GMT -8
The reason I liked the Wheately LOST CONTINENT is because it reminds me a bit of a silly version of William Hope Hodgson's Sargasso Sea mythos stories. AFAIK it is Hodgson who came up with the weed-covered stranded ship iconology that is associated with a lot of contemporary Sargasso fiction (such as the wonderful Jonny Quest episode). Also some weird tale scholars say that Wheately was inspired by Hodgson when writing UNCHARTED SEAS. I wouldn't doubt it since Wheately was not only a fan but edited together one of the better Hodgson sea stories anthologies. If you are into occult/horror/scooby doo/jonny quest style sea stories, then I'd highly suggest these new Hodgson collections: nightshadebooks.com/book.aspx?bookid=92(includes "A Voice In The Night" which is the basis of Matango) nightshadebooks.com/book.aspx?bookid=90THE BOATS OF GLEN CARRIG I can't recommend enough, it is a truly excellent tale of adventure, horror and giant monsters on the high seas. If you're too broke but still would like to read his stuff, Boats of Glen Carrig is here eserver.org/fiction/glen-carrig/ and The Ghost Pirates is here eserver.org/fiction/gpirates/ |
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Mar 3, 2005 16:14:59 GMT -8
oh thanks a lot! one more set of books i want to read now!
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Post by stareater on Mar 4, 2005 4:22:25 GMT -8
That sounds very interesting, I'll have to check those stories out. Oh, and one other note I forgot to mention: Robert Mattey, who worked on special effects for The Lost Continent, built the mechanical shark for Jaws.
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