When it comes to Science Fiction and Fantasy films of the 1950’s, one thing was almost always unmistakably clear: we were, societally, well on the way to our collective doom!
You see, mankind had dabbled with the unthinkable – namely, atomic power – and now we were paying the consequences. Alien civilizations had seen our dalliance with such dangerous science, and now they were heading here from far, all with aspirations at taking over our little blue planet. Scientists – often depicted as both heroes and occasionally villains in such pictures – were front-and-center when the action was taking place; and these surprisingly morally-minded men would only do what they thought best for mankind, even if their decisions flew in the face of logic. But because the United States had the bomb, that meant every nation around the world could also have one; and such a development clearly put us well down the path toward planetary annihilation.
As one can imagine, a great many of these ideas inspired storytellers to spin tales across a variety of perspectives; and yet very few of them actually investigated possible solutions to avoid our extermination. Oh, a good number of these pictures tacked on a scene near their end credits, warning those folks watching that mankind had better change their ways or else something dark could transpire. But because these were still movies after all the producers felt compelled to entertain far more than they could educate, instead using SciFi and Fantasy more as the inspiration to make money off our fears while only mildly cautioning patrons to do better in their private affairs. Life has no sequel … well, at least none that we all agree upon.
That’s mostly the stomping ground staked out by 1951’s Unknown World, an independent movie directed by Terry O. Morse and conceived by Millard Kaufman and Dalton Trumbo. Its lean-and-mean nine person cast included such names as Bruce Kellogg, Otto Waldis, Jim Bannon, Tom Handley, Marilyn Nash, and others. Together, the cast and crew explored the ‘what if’ idea of where man might be able to go if (and when) he destroyed the surface of Earth in the inevitable nuclear exchange. Their solution? Why, “Go deep, young man!” These brave movie scientists postulated that there was a whole new world lying in the space between the crust and the core; and they set out on a mission to find this ultimate bomb shelter before it was all too late.
You see, mankind had dabbled with the unthinkable – namely, atomic power – and now we were paying the consequences. Alien civilizations had seen our dalliance with such dangerous science, and now they were heading here from far, all with aspirations at taking over our little blue planet. Scientists – often depicted as both heroes and occasionally villains in such pictures – were front-and-center when the action was taking place; and these surprisingly morally-minded men would only do what they thought best for mankind, even if their decisions flew in the face of logic. But because the United States had the bomb, that meant every nation around the world could also have one; and such a development clearly put us well down the path toward planetary annihilation.
As one can imagine, a great many of these ideas inspired storytellers to spin tales across a variety of perspectives; and yet very few of them actually investigated possible solutions to avoid our extermination. Oh, a good number of these pictures tacked on a scene near their end credits, warning those folks watching that mankind had better change their ways or else something dark could transpire. But because these were still movies after all the producers felt compelled to entertain far more than they could educate, instead using SciFi and Fantasy more as the inspiration to make money off our fears while only mildly cautioning patrons to do better in their private affairs. Life has no sequel … well, at least none that we all agree upon.
That’s mostly the stomping ground staked out by 1951’s Unknown World, an independent movie directed by Terry O. Morse and conceived by Millard Kaufman and Dalton Trumbo. Its lean-and-mean nine person cast included such names as Bruce Kellogg, Otto Waldis, Jim Bannon, Tom Handley, Marilyn Nash, and others. Together, the cast and crew explored the ‘what if’ idea of where man might be able to go if (and when) he destroyed the surface of Earth in the inevitable nuclear exchange. Their solution? Why, “Go deep, young man!” These brave movie scientists postulated that there was a whole new world lying in the space between the crust and the core; and they set out on a mission to find this ultimate bomb shelter before it was all too late.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Scientists use a gigantic drilling machine for an expedition to the center of the earth.”
Once again, I find it necessary to remind readers of the reason why I gravitate toward older flicks. Simply put, older films generally put more thought into their foundational ideas and less into things like character development, action sequences, and even cinematography. Especially when it comes to Science Fiction and Fantasy entries, these storytellers were practically inventing techniques which allowed them to even explore such concepts; and – what can I say? – I like witnessing not only how they interpreted them visually as well as critically examining the good, bad, and ugly of that whole process and the outcome. Sometimes, you find a winner. Sometimes … well, you find not so much.
Unknown World is one of those oddities from the latter category. Unlike many of its 1950’s counterparts, World never quite had anything going for it beyond its central conceit, that being the premise of there being some provincial ‘Shangri-La’ waiting for mankind’s inevitable occupancy deep beneath the surface. Though the whole ‘Hollow Earth’ theory has been disproven on multiple occasions, it still persisted with authors and mythmakers to the point wherein several fairly prominent names in publishing threw even more light on it, so its evolution to the talkies – the movies – was equally unavoidable. Special effects pioneers Irving A. Block and Jack Rabin accomplished what they could in the constraints of the day (and budget); yet even those results weren’t much different than those achieved a decade and one-half earlier with the theatrical serials of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.
Scientist and doomsayer Dr. Jeremiah Morley (played by Victor Kilian) believes the advent of the Atomic Age has put mankind on the road to extinction. In order to promote ideas to avoid such a catastrophe, he founds the Society To Save Civilization and enlists a hand-picked group of specialists he believes can seek out and find the world beneath our world that can serve as a safe haven for all once bombs begin dropping. When Morley realizes he cannot get the financial backing necessary to construct the Cyclotram – the precursor to the industrial subterrene – he’s lost all hope … and that’s when Wright Thompson (Bruce Kellogg) – the millionaire playboy/son of a media mogul – shows up ready, willing, and able to singlehandedly finance the mission beneath the ground.
His only requirement: he gets to tag along.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Scientists use a gigantic drilling machine for an expedition to the center of the earth.”
Once again, I find it necessary to remind readers of the reason why I gravitate toward older flicks. Simply put, older films generally put more thought into their foundational ideas and less into things like character development, action sequences, and even cinematography. Especially when it comes to Science Fiction and Fantasy entries, these storytellers were practically inventing techniques which allowed them to even explore such concepts; and – what can I say? – I like witnessing not only how they interpreted them visually as well as critically examining the good, bad, and ugly of that whole process and the outcome. Sometimes, you find a winner. Sometimes … well, you find not so much.
Unknown World is one of those oddities from the latter category. Unlike many of its 1950’s counterparts, World never quite had anything going for it beyond its central conceit, that being the premise of there being some provincial ‘Shangri-La’ waiting for mankind’s inevitable occupancy deep beneath the surface. Though the whole ‘Hollow Earth’ theory has been disproven on multiple occasions, it still persisted with authors and mythmakers to the point wherein several fairly prominent names in publishing threw even more light on it, so its evolution to the talkies – the movies – was equally unavoidable. Special effects pioneers Irving A. Block and Jack Rabin accomplished what they could in the constraints of the day (and budget); yet even those results weren’t much different than those achieved a decade and one-half earlier with the theatrical serials of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.
Scientist and doomsayer Dr. Jeremiah Morley (played by Victor Kilian) believes the advent of the Atomic Age has put mankind on the road to extinction. In order to promote ideas to avoid such a catastrophe, he founds the Society To Save Civilization and enlists a hand-picked group of specialists he believes can seek out and find the world beneath our world that can serve as a safe haven for all once bombs begin dropping. When Morley realizes he cannot get the financial backing necessary to construct the Cyclotram – the precursor to the industrial subterrene – he’s lost all hope … and that’s when Wright Thompson (Bruce Kellogg) – the millionaire playboy/son of a media mogul – shows up ready, willing, and able to singlehandedly finance the mission beneath the ground.
His only requirement: he gets to tag along.
Whereas like-minded pictures of the 1950’s invested serious time and effort into the construction of their respective vessels (and benefited greatly by allowing audiences to get to know the concepts and the people dealing with them), World completely ignores that technique, mostly because this independent production likely had no financial wherewithal to show it. Instead, audiences are treated to a simple dissolve, and voila! The Cyclotram is ready to rumble into the catacombs below! The craft is delivered by sea to an island wherein a dead volcano will serve as the crew’s jumping off point; and the adventure begins unceremoniously.
It’s this same dry artistry that sadly propels the rest of the film from Point A to Point B to Point C and so forth. Of course, there’s a bit of drama beneath our world – noxious gases kill a few unfortunate souls, and their water supply gets contaminated as a result, a development that causes a few to suspect their mission in expendable – but such is the case with any good flick. The script even toys here and there with a budding romantic affair between Thompson and the crew’s ‘ardent feminist’ Dr. Joan Lindsay (Marilyn Nash) in the same way many 50’s melodramas found love more out of convenience than they did authentic relationship-building. Eventually, the surviving members of the crew do stumble into a Hollow Earth, but their elation is cut short when utopia turns out to be an even greater curse than the threat of nuclear annihilation they believed they were leaving behind.
Whereas others might find fault with World’s inability to really establish any narrative momentum, I’d argue that it more likely achieves what producers set out to do: namely, state a fictional premise and then see it through to fruition. The film shares of great deal of DNA with like-minded fare which never intended to be particularly memorable, instead serving that noble goal of making the audiences pack up their troubles for the duration of the running time – here a trim 75 minutes – and enjoy. While I’ll concede that it offers up no signature scenery other than one more clever use of the oft-photographed Carlsbad Caverns – filling in for an otherwise unavailable Hollow Earth – it’s perfect adequate (but nothing more) as a diversion that only scratches the surface (snicker snicker) of what was possible with more time, effort, money, and talent.
Thankfully, Hollywood’s fascination with the possibility of life underground survived; and it continues even to this day. There were several that followed in the 1960’s and 1970’s which were quite good – with better effects, of course – and the concept pops its head out of its hole to show that some ideas never die. Even the most recent pictures in the Godzilla and Kong universe has flirted with it, so – if nothing else – credit is owed to World for being there at the front of the line when no one else believed such a thing was possible.
It’s this same dry artistry that sadly propels the rest of the film from Point A to Point B to Point C and so forth. Of course, there’s a bit of drama beneath our world – noxious gases kill a few unfortunate souls, and their water supply gets contaminated as a result, a development that causes a few to suspect their mission in expendable – but such is the case with any good flick. The script even toys here and there with a budding romantic affair between Thompson and the crew’s ‘ardent feminist’ Dr. Joan Lindsay (Marilyn Nash) in the same way many 50’s melodramas found love more out of convenience than they did authentic relationship-building. Eventually, the surviving members of the crew do stumble into a Hollow Earth, but their elation is cut short when utopia turns out to be an even greater curse than the threat of nuclear annihilation they believed they were leaving behind.
Whereas others might find fault with World’s inability to really establish any narrative momentum, I’d argue that it more likely achieves what producers set out to do: namely, state a fictional premise and then see it through to fruition. The film shares of great deal of DNA with like-minded fare which never intended to be particularly memorable, instead serving that noble goal of making the audiences pack up their troubles for the duration of the running time – here a trim 75 minutes – and enjoy. While I’ll concede that it offers up no signature scenery other than one more clever use of the oft-photographed Carlsbad Caverns – filling in for an otherwise unavailable Hollow Earth – it’s perfect adequate (but nothing more) as a diversion that only scratches the surface (snicker snicker) of what was possible with more time, effort, money, and talent.
Thankfully, Hollywood’s fascination with the possibility of life underground survived; and it continues even to this day. There were several that followed in the 1960’s and 1970’s which were quite good – with better effects, of course – and the concept pops its head out of its hole to show that some ideas never die. Even the most recent pictures in the Godzilla and Kong universe has flirted with it, so – if nothing else – credit is owed to World for being there at the front of the line when no one else believed such a thing was possible.
Unknown World (1951) was produced by Lippert Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Severin Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, this 4K scan from the protection internegative looks reasonable good: there’s a great amount of grain in several sequences which is likely owed to flaws of the source material, but it’s still a solid experience with respectable sights and sounds. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? Film writer Stephen R. Bissette provides an interesting commentary track – one that explores the picture’s ideas and themes as much as it does its cast and crew – along with some shorts and a video essay. Frankly, it’s a very good collection – more than I thought probable – so hats off to Severin for a job well done.
Mildly Recommended.
The sad truth is that a film like Unknown World (1951) likely has about as limited appeal today as it had with audiences back in its day. Without a big budget to back its meatiest ideas – i.e. subterranean civilizations, the technological capabilities of exploring a Hollow Earth, etc. – this was only going to find modest success. I have read that the film is regarded as ‘the first of its kind’ to explore life beneath the surface, so it’s easy to agree that purists should give it a spin if for no reason other than the meager historical value. Beyond that, however, World just never does enough with those ideas – and certainly less with its fairly stock team of brainiacs – so its meager appeal still has limits.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Severin Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Unknown World (1951) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Mildly Recommended.
The sad truth is that a film like Unknown World (1951) likely has about as limited appeal today as it had with audiences back in its day. Without a big budget to back its meatiest ideas – i.e. subterranean civilizations, the technological capabilities of exploring a Hollow Earth, etc. – this was only going to find modest success. I have read that the film is regarded as ‘the first of its kind’ to explore life beneath the surface, so it’s easy to agree that purists should give it a spin if for no reason other than the meager historical value. Beyond that, however, World just never does enough with those ideas – and certainly less with its fairly stock team of brainiacs – so its meager appeal still has limits.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Severin Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Unknown World (1951) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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