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The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms [DVD] [1953]

Paul Hubschmid , Paula Raymond , Eugene Lourie    Parental Guidance   DVD
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey, Donald Woods
  • Directors: Eugene Lourie
  • Producers: Jack Dietz
  • Format: PAL
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Warner Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: 26 Jan 2004
  • Run Time: 77 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0000Z0HNA
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 43,843 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

Product Description

An atomic bomb tested in the Arctic frees a gigantic dinosaur from the icy tomb that has encased it for 100 million years. An ice fall kills all witnesses except one, Professor Tom Nesbitt (Paul Hubschmid) who returns to New York with the fantastic story. No one will believe his tale, but the truth is revealed when the beast emerges from the oceans and lays waste to Manhattan. Can the Professor come up with a plan to save the city before it’s too late?

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms marked the beginning of a ground-breaking special effects career that would belatedly earn Ray Harryhausen a honorary Oscar in 1992. Required to produce convincing effects on a budget of just $200,000, Harryhausen experimented with a new technique for inserting mythical creatures into real-world backgrounds called split-screen. Over the next thirty years, Harryhausen would use his pioneering production style in films that are still considered classics of their genre, including Jason and the Argonauts, One Million Years BC and Clash of the Titans. The origins of split-screen, a system of rear projection onto overlapping screens, lay in the stop-motion photography invented by movie pioneer Willis O’Brien, used most famously in King Kong. The degree of realism achieved in The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms made the film one of the most influential sci-fi productions of the 1950s.



Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic family fun 29 Jan 2006
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
An absolute Harryhausen classic.

When you consider the age of this film, the special effects are still great, and a testament to Harryhausens work.

The film is far better than similar films of today, mainly because it does not rely on using actors for their ability to look good rather than act, some bint with more mamory glands than talent, or C-G-bloody-I!

The whole family can watch this and enjoy it, and the extras are a must for any Harryhausen fan, though if you already own a Harryhausen DVD the chances are you already own the extras as they all seem to have them.

The

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Victor HALL OF FAME TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an important film in the history of the medium. Honest! The first film in which the great Ray Harryhausen had full control over special effects, the first proper `creature feature', the first to use man's messing with the nuclear bomb as the cause of the problems. As well as these notable firsts, it is also a great romp, with classic effects from the Master.

Paul Hubschmid (here credited as Paul Christian) and Kenneth Tobey are in the arctic (a setting that would serve Tobey well in his most memorable film `The Thing') testing out a nuclear bomb. The blast melts some ice and releases a mezozoic dinosaur which is soon on the rampage. Hubschmid has seen the creature, but as usual no one believes him and he is soon on a psychiatric ward. The creature starts to make its presence felt, suddenly people believe him and the hunt is on. The creature is heading towards New York, where its old mating grounds were (hilariously overlooking the continental drift that would have occurred in the last 100 million years, after going to so much trouble to give scientifically plausible explanations for the existence of the beast!) and for reasons best known to itself it goes on the rampage, destroying everything in sight. It is up to nuclear physicist Hubschmid to come up with a plan to kill the beast, in a thrilling conclusion.

With all the standard creature feature fare of the time - a scientist in the middle of it all who just happens to have all the answers, a dotty old professor who dispenses wisdom before dying dramatically, the most implausible of dialogue, screaming hordes of citizens running down the street, military types unwilling (at first) to listen, and most importantly a well realised monster of epic proportions this is a classic of the genre. A must see for anyone who enjoys a decent bit of exciting hokum.

This release is a decent affair. The film is presented in the original black and white with a good clean transfer. It is a pity it hasn't been recolourised, as with Harryhausen's other three B&W features (Ray Harryhausen Collection : 20 Million Miles to Earth / Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers / It Came From Beneath The Sea [1955] [DVD]). Some interesting extras in the form of a making of feature and a short documentary about Harryhausen and author Ray Bradbury round out the set. All in all excellent, 5 stars.
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5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT 4 April 2013
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
no problems here arrived in time great classical film of its time worth a look would recomend to any one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars You couldn't make this up!
Nuclear test melts frozen dinosaur which then attacks New York City. A black & white science-out-of-control classic. Only for the hardcore amongst us. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Qarumba
5.0 out of 5 stars A favourite monster movie!
Those crack-pot scientists have gone and done it again.

This time releasing a dinosaur onto the earth. (Oops! Read more
Published 15 months ago by S. Ligg
4.0 out of 5 stars Saint Michael
Oh my they dont make em like they used to do! This film must have scared the pants off those 1950's kid's, and adult's! Read more
Published 18 months ago by saint michael
4.0 out of 5 stars Ray Harryhausen at his not quite best but still terribly good
The film is Ray Harryhausen's first film in which he did all the creature effects by himself. It his a very good film, but can lag behind in some parts. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2011 by The Flapjack Master
5.0 out of 5 stars Top film
I bought this film as I remember it from when I was a child - it was great fun, although sadly my wife didn't share in it. Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2010 by Mr. H. E. Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars The Beast is a beauty !
Great classic with great special features. A must have for moviegoers and fans of monsters.
Published on 1 Nov 2010 by zehmour christophe
5.0 out of 5 stars Never disturb a monster from its nap
During a nuclear test in the Arctic, a long dormant prehistoric monster is awoken. Whilst the beast gradually makes its way towards New York, a survivor of an encounter with the... Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2010 by Mr. Jonathon T. Beckett
4.0 out of 5 stars Big Beastie!
When I was young we saw this movie at my gran's house, who received Grampian TV and shortly after it was on STV at our house. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2010 by Numinous Ugo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie!
PLEASE NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS FOR 'THEM' ONLY:

This is an outstanding movie - if only for the great little actress that opens the film. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2010 by FAMOUS NAME
5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute Harryhausen classic
The Beast From 20000 Fathoms aka in Italy "The awakening of the dinosaur" despite being a film made in economy with great success. Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2010 by Massimo Santilli
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