Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Sameer Callahan
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Quiet Muffin
This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
happipuppi13
This is a film that I saw, among many, at a special summer-long 'film festival' for children at my local theater....in 1981. Now, I would have reviewed this title long before today but in all honesty...I had not seen it since then (until this week) and couldn't recall the story or what it was about. Same is true not long after I saw it at the movies.Well, fate has stepped in and I finally bought a (reasonably) priced DVD from Ebay. (Some sellers acting like this is SO rare, it's within their right to charge $50.00 or more.) I watched the film and now I can say this much about it. Special effects, sets and wardrobe & basically making all look appropriate (circa 1969) are first rate here. True, some actresses look 1960s in what is supposed to be the early '1860s' but given this is a fantasy, it doesn't really matter. In Nemo's undersea city, nothing of the world above has much meaning there. Robert Ryan's Nemo is a far cry from the one most know in Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea". In fact while his views are made clear to us, his Nemo is not as seemingly insane as 'that' Captain Nemo. He's (somehow) with all others under his rule/following, made a paradise for people to (on the one hand) live freely in...but on the other hand, under 'his' laws. I'll say this much, while the swimming pools looked like a lot of fun...was there nothing else fun for these people to do there? The survivors of the shipwreck at the start are saved by him and crew but the only reason the Captain gives for saving them is 'the only other option was to let you drown.' (??) Makes you wonder why he bothered at all, as now he's going to hold them there the rest of their lives, so they can't go home and tell everyone about his Mecca beneath the waves. (Now really...who in 1860-1865 would believe them?) Chuck Conners (TV's "The Rifleman") as Senator Robert Fraser, gives Nemo his honest, gentleman's word that if he let's them all go, his secret is safe. Nemo's jaded trust in his fellow man & politicians will not let him believe this. So as will happen, the plotting starts. The character Lomax wants out the most and makes 2 attempts. His second attempt almost wrecks the place.The brothers Barnaby & Swallow Bath (yes..his name really is 'swallow') make efforts to not only get out but steal a great amount of gold & treasures as well. Conners & the brothers finally come up with an idea to get out. Of course, I'll leave off there, as not to ruin the rest of it. Now, I'll validate my reason for only giving a 4 star rating. The acting. With the minor exception of Robert Ryan's Nemo, which was convincing enough, the rest of the actors, for me, all seem flat. Yes...even Chuck Conners.They give the indications of emotion but overall, I just didn't feel from them, the true urgency of their situation. These people are being held hostage. Which should make them scared and angry at their captor (or should we say kidnapper?). The rest of them could at least try harder to escape. It seems more like, "Well were here now and gee, isn't this an amusing little underwater city?" Bland also (which goes hand in hand with acting) is the direction. The more serious acting needed should have prompted the director to ask more from the actors than what we finally are given here. Only Lomax and the two brothers & Nemo were memorable. Of course, being a G rated film from 1969, I guess it's not surprising. Despite Conners one 'damn' and 3 acts of violence plus 3 characters actually meeting their end, the film while good enough to watch, when you feel like watching a movie ...overall just could have been so much better. Four stars. Not 'all' movies from child-hood are as good as we remember but since I didn't recall much of this for a long time, I recalled it just right. (END)
Wizard-8
"Captain Nemo and the Underwater City" was quickly forgotten after its theatrical release, and remained somewhat hard to find until a quiet DVD release a few years ago. Watching the movie today, it's pretty easy why the movie hasn't managed to build a large loyal following. It is certainly not a terrible movie - there are some lavish sets, some good underwater photography, and the various members of the cast are enthusiastic. Also, the core story, sort of a cross between Jules Verne and the movie "Lost Horizon" did have possibilities, some of which are realized. But the movie does have some significant problems. Though it certainly starts off swiftly, getting to the underwater city in the first ten minutes of the movie, the remaining 95 or so minutes have some slow spots where little to nothing of importance is happening. Some of the characters are written thinly - I never quite got a handle on Captain Nemo, for one thing. Also, there are some naive touches to the movie that are kind of laughable in these more cynical times. Still, kids might warm up to this movie, and their parents may find it an okay way to spend 105 minutes during a slow afternoon.
ma-cortes
Exciting and thrilling submarine movie dealing with the Nautilus captained by Nemo well played by Robert Ryan who along with his crew save some survivors of a drowning from a shipwrecked . When a ship is sunk , some passengers (Chuck Connors , Nanette Newman , Luciana Paluzzi , Alan Cuthbertson..) are rescued by a submarine and they are taken and get thoroughly involved with power-hungry captain Nemo (Robert Ryan) and take an extraordinary adventure underseas in an advanced city ; however they may be trapped for the rest of their lives. Prisoners at first, they are now treated as guests to view the underwater world and to hunt under the waves. Nemo will also tells them about the riveting underwater city of the future .Silly but agreeable adventure with action , thrills , love story , full of fun and amusement , including some spectacular sets . Surprise-filled entertainment and with plenty of action on middling scale with acceptable though Naif special effects and some submarines by maquette or scale model . The underwater scenes , pyrotechnics, flood , flamboyant FX to make large-size Squid seem like horrible monster , all of them are spectacular and the film is another acceptable British product . Edge-of-the seat thrilling scenes as when happens an exciting pursuit among two submarines : Nautilus 1 and Nautilus 2 . Director James Hill renewed his acquaintance for little boys with this enjoyable and amusing movie . Our heroes incarnated by a throughly believable casting of the first-rate character players get stuck in the underwater city and Nautilus , undergoing numerous adventures and suffering innumerable perils . Memorable and great cast as Robert Ryan , Chuck Connors as a senator , both of whom have to grit their teeth and play it for real . English's Kenneth Connor and Bill Fraser provide light and brief relief and some laughters as a couple of not-too-intelligent greedy men . They were a pair who worked as a comical duo in various films . Gaudy camera work by excellent cameraman Alan Hume , the cinematography results to be clear and glimmer . Atmospheric and vivid score by Walter Stott . The motion picture made at Metro Goldwyn Mayer British studios was middling directed by James Hill . He was an expert on children films and serials for showing at schoolboy cinema . Hill designed his acquaintance with amusements for the young generation and costume adventures blending with Lions (Born free , The lions are free , The lion at world's end) , Horses (Black Beauty) , Foxes (The Belstone Fox) , Elephants ( An Elephant called Slowly) and sea animals as Sharks and Squid like this ¨Captain Nemo and underwater city¨. ¨Born Free¨ remains his triumph in which the way the protagonists romp with three lionesses who play Elsa at several stages of growth is near-miraculous . Forever in search of a similar movie to equal this hit , he never quite found it . James Hill best movie turned out to be ¨Studio in terror¨ a Sherlock versus Jack Ripper terror thriller with lurid killings . Other films dealing with Jules Verne's Captain Nemo and his Nautilus are the following : the vintage story are an old mute (1916) by Stuart Paton . The classic movie marvelously directed by Richard Fleischer starred by Kirk Douglas , James Mason , Peter Lorre , Paul Lukas . And for TV directed by Rod Hardy with Michael Caine , Mia Sara and Patrick Dempsey ; and directed by Michael Anderson with Ben Cross and Richard Crenna ; furthermore a cartoon movie directed by Arthur Rankin. The motion picture will appeal to fantasy-adventure buffs and it's a wonderful popcorn story . Rating : 5, 5 . Acceptable and passable .
bkoganbing
This prequel to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea takes place during the American Civil War and before Jules Verne's Captain Nemo embarked on a policy of aggression against warmaking sea power nations. The Nautilus is just doing scouting expeditions and comes across some survivors of a sea wreck and takes them to Nemo's undersea domain of Temple Meer.Robert Ryan plays a dedicated and fanatical Nemo who has built an underwater Shangri-La which is surviving a whole lot of water pressure from the ocean. Among the survivors are a US Senator played by Chuck Connors, and British people Allan Cuthberson who has claustrophobia and doesn't deal well with the atmosphere, two brothers who are petty crooks, Bill Fraser and Kenneth Connor from the Carry On series and Nannette Newman and her young son Christopher Hartshorne.As the High Lama of Shangri-La was, Ryan is looking for good people to help with his underwater paradise. He marks Connors as talent, but Connor who is on a mission from Abe Lincoln to European powers does not want to be the Robert Conway of Temple Meer. He's resolved to escape and all the men want out, each for their own reasons.Among other things Temple Meer has is electric lights before Edison and alchemy. For water and electricity they have a machine which produces gold as a waste product. That really interests Fraser and Connor. In fact gold has no monetary value in Temple Meer. It's used for various drinking cups etc. because it is the most malleable of metals and doesn't corrode. Of course it's a got of value where Connor and Fraser hail from.There are some nice underwater action sequences when the Nautilus tangles with a giant stingray all in the Jules Verne tradition. Captain Nemo And The Underwater City combines the best of both Verne and Hilton, two of the most popular authors around.