Thanks to the vagaries of the international postage system, the film I planned to review hasn’t arrived yet; as a consequence, the little history lesson I had in mind is now emerging out of order. However, I figured any posting was better than none…literally none, since everyone else seems to be suffering from PBFLD (Post-B-Fest Letdown Disorder). I, alas, haven’t that excuse. So—
THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES (1955)
Even as early as 1955, even before there was such a thing as AIP, its progenitor company was churning out films with what would soon be recognisible as its trademarks: outrageously inaccurate advertising, threadbare production values, a half-baked screenplay and a crappy, crappy monster. Just how crappy? Let me put it this way: this one was evidently arrested and charged with impersonating a sea-serpent.
#1 by Brett Wood on February 8, 2009 - 8:05 am
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I’d complain you showed the monster in the preview pick, but considering how long the movie waited… I have always felt sad that I didn’t have a good monster movie host show on tv when I grew up so I could see movies like this. Sigh. Thank god for cheap DVDs.
#2 by lyzard on February 8, 2009 - 3:49 pm
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Yes, I don’t usually do that sort of thing, but there’s not much use in playing coy with this one!
#3 by Blake Matthews on February 8, 2009 - 5:37 pm
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Man, when I saw the cover to the DVD that Alpha had released, I got pretty darn excited. I guess there’s not much use in excitement anymore.
#4 by Tom Meade on February 8, 2009 - 7:27 pm
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Sea-monsters, spies, death rays and spear guns – and yet it still turned-out dull… At least the monster is pretty neat looking, even if not “good” per se.
#5 by lyzard on February 8, 2009 - 9:01 pm
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What this film needed was a director that knew how to direct. The elements are there, but everything is just so lethargic and flat. And I’m inclined to think that a less goofy-looking monster would have made things worse, rather than better (see also “The Giant Claw Hypothesis”).
#6 by Blake Matthews on February 9, 2009 - 5:12 am
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I like how mentioning that this was the second movie on a double-bill wit The Day the World Ended really just sums it all up perfectly.
#7 by MatthewF on February 9, 2009 - 8:01 am
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I have watched so many of these cheapo 50s monster flicks that I literally have no idea whether I’ve seen this or not. I think so, I think it’s on one of those 50 movie dvd packs in glorious VHS-transfer-o-vision. It’s one of those films that you start off with enthusiam, which quickly drains away when you realise it’s going to be 70 odd minutes of men in suits and women in pointy bras standing around cheap office sets declaiming at eachother, and only about 10 minutes of anything that could be described as ‘action’
#8 by The Rev. D.D. on February 9, 2009 - 8:18 am
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This movie would make a good double bill with Blood Tide.
If by “good” you mean “soul-searingly dull.” Both feature craptastic sea monsters to boot.
#9 by KeithA on February 9, 2009 - 9:56 am
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But Lyz, imagine if the Phantom from 10,000 Leagues was riding atop the Giant Claw…
In support of my point, please see this image of the Phantom from 10,000 Leagues mounted on the Giant Claw, which happens to be eating Joseph Stalin.
#10 by lyzard on February 9, 2009 - 3:43 pm
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Ah, it is to dream…but somehow I doubt the budget would have stretched to that. Stalin was cooperative enough, but that Giant Claw was a real tight-wad.
What, you don’t like HOT ROW-BOAT ACTION! ACTION!! ACTION!!! – ?
I think the pointy bras had something to do with that ‘FREEZING HORROR’ they were talking about.
#11 by supersonic on February 9, 2009 - 8:36 pm
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In the Stalin picture, the phantom looks like Gojira crossed with the Cowardly Lion.
Do Jehovah’s Witnesses have a strong door-to-door presence in Oz?
(btw sorry to hear about the awful fires.)
#12 by The Rev. D.D. on February 9, 2009 - 9:47 pm
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I echo supersonic’s sentiments, and I hope you and yours are not near those fires, Ms. Kingsley.
“What, you don’t like HOT ROW-BOAT ACTION! ACTION!! ACTION!!! – ?”
I bow to no one in my love and appreciation for hot row-boating action, but even I have my limits…
#13 by lyzard on February 10, 2009 - 3:43 am
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Thank you both. No, I’m in Sydney, midway between the fires in Victoria and the floods in Queensland, keeping my head down and my big mouth shut.
Not a strong presence, SS, but they’re out there. I don’t usually make cracks like that, but I did recently have an encounter at an extraordinarily bad moment and the rankle is still there, I guess.
#14 by PCachu on February 10, 2009 - 10:28 am
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It’s my understanding that the rowboat got points on the back end and followed up its tour-de-force here with a highly lucrative multi-picture deal, quickly cementing its role as one of the hottest, most in-demand watercraft in showbiz. By year’s end, the Official Rowboat Fan Club boasted a membership over 500,000 strong, and the product endorsement deals were rolling in by the truckload.
#15 by El Santo on February 10, 2009 - 11:58 am
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Unfortunately, a highly publicized sex scandal involving it and the jeep from The Monster of Piedras Blancas brought a premature end to both vehicles’ careers in 1960.
#16 by lyzard on February 10, 2009 - 1:15 pm
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And you don’t even want to know the stories that were floating around involving the dune-buggy from Eegah. Word to the wise: water in the tyres.
#17 by The Fishin' Mortician on February 10, 2009 - 2:01 pm
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Kinda makes you appreciate the work of Paul Blaisdell a little more if anything else. But in all honesty, the true, unsung heroes of American International were Al Kallis and Reynolds Brown. And if you don’t know who they are then get yourself to Google post haste.
#18 by Blake on February 10, 2009 - 5:31 pm
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I read El Santo’s comment and saw “Monster from Piedras Blancas” and “sex scandal” and the first thing that came to my mind was something involving the monster from that movie and the one from “She Creature.”
#19 by supersonic on February 10, 2009 - 5:58 pm
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(gah, beaten to the punchline — I was gonna mention the Eegah dunebuggy.)
#20 by MatthewF on February 11, 2009 - 5:35 am
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It was all just rumours, spread by the KIlldozer
#21 by Elizabeth the Ferret on February 11, 2009 - 11:33 am
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Possible reason that King doesn’t fire George and Ethel: Their replacements might actually be competent at the whole spying thing.
#22 by Cabal on February 11, 2009 - 11:40 am
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Unfortunately, Killdozer failed to parlay the media furor into a potential comeback, when he lost a crucial role to a hot young star named Megaweapon…
#23 by Brett Wood on February 11, 2009 - 7:04 pm
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You know that monster looks better from the front than in profile in that picture. His good side is more in shadow in the frontview. That’s why it’s his good side.
The really poor looking monsters can stick with you as much as the good ones can’t they?