In junior high school they would show us a movie on the last day of school before Christmas and summer vacation. This was the film they showed in December 1969, and I fell in love with it at first sight. It is still one of my favorites, a fun combination of adventure, fantasy, and humor. Even as a teenager, I enjoyed the buildup to the adventure in Scotland and Iceland which established the main characters, and yes, some of the SFX looks a bit phony now (especially the lizards dressed up in fins), but the film is more about the personalities on the adventure rather than the backgrounds. On the other hand, Carlsbad Caverns are shown off to great effect, and some of the scenes, like the jeweled cave and the salt regions, are still quite effective. Pat Boone sings, yes, but that is a very small part in the movie and we have to remember that he was a well-known singer in those days and would have been expected by swooning teen girls to sing. Even the magnificent 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA has that silly "Whale of a Tale" tune. (Count yourselves lucky--Boone was supposed to sing another song; check the credits! It was called "Twice as Tall" and you can hear the melody as they start on the expedition.) I was actually a bit disappointed by reading the book afterwards, as the strong female lead played by Arlene Dahl is not in the story, and "Jenny" (I think she's "Gretl" or something like that in the book) is pretty much of a cipher. My favorite character in the movie is James Mason's crusty, rude Oliver Lindenbrook, who never really loses his rough exterior but softens a bit internally due to his adventures with his companions. I also love the Victorian touches, like Lindenbrook taking Carla aside to ask her about the stays...a scandalous request in an era when "legs" were supposed to be called "limbs" and nice women were supposed to be attractive but not enjoy sex. The new restored DVD is a treat, but I would love a special edition with commentary by Boone and Dahl and perhaps some film historian or someone knowledgeable of the SFX.
Incidentally, at school they started the movie so late that they ran too close to the last bell, so they fast-forwarded the movie from when they are thrown on the beach to the volcano eruption! I didn't find out what happened to Gertrude and didn't see the Atlantis set until many years later when it showed up on TV.
Incidentally, at school they started the movie so late that they ran too close to the last bell, so they fast-forwarded the movie from when they are thrown on the beach to the volcano eruption! I didn't find out what happened to Gertrude and didn't see the Atlantis set until many years later when it showed up on TV.