Perhaps the strangest film to come out of Hammer Studios, The Lost Continent is literally like watching two movies in one. Similar in format to Tarantino's From Dusk 'til Dawn, the film shifts from a taut "mutiny on the bounty" type nautical drama play (with a little funky late sixties weirdness thrown in) to a whacked out sci-fi freak show complete with corny monsters, strange & hostile plants, an unnaturally large breasted woman, a child King, an oddball religious cult, and balloon-type thingies to keep the characters afloat on the marshy alien wetlands! Whew! Talk about your shift in gears! A must see for fans of oddball cinema. And to think it came out of Great Britain . . .
70 Reviews
Odd & Unusual Hammer Voyage
Coventry26 September 2007
You know what a typical Hammer production looks like, and "The Lost Continent" definitely doesn't fit that picture. It doesn't feature any old Gothic castles or torture dungeons, any cloaked vampires or mad Barons and it doesn't even star Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing. Surely Hammer also produced other mythologist films and stories revolving on time warps, but "The Lost Continent" is an entire league on its own and the complete opposite to what you expect. Right after watching this movie, you can't even properly determine for yourself whether it's good or bad
just plain weird. "The Lost Continent" is an outrageously plotted but awkwardly coherent film with two entirely different main story lines rolled into one. The titular continent (although it's merely just a small island) actually doesn't get reached until the twenty last minutes and, before that, it is just a suspenseful thriller set on a boat. The ambiance on the ancient and leaky cargo ship is rather tense and sinister. The captain ignores safety warnings and advice from his personnel and the passengers prefer facing a terrible sea storm rather than to return to the coast, even though they have been informed about the potentially explosive cargo. Suffice to say these aren't normal tourists, but people with dark secrets or even fugitive criminals. There are a lot of intrigues going on-board, but the sea is mightier. The captain and his passengers have to abandon ship, but they recover another one slowly drift towards uncharted regions. There they encounter ravenous seaweed and a lot of other things that don't make the least bit of sense, like gigantic crab-creatures, a native tribe under the impression that the Spanish Inquisition isn't finished yet and a local girl with the most gorgeous pair of breasts in the universe. In order to set food on land, they have to put watery pillows on their feet and attach balloons on their shoulders, which forms another very ludicrous sight to behold. "The Lost Continent" is an incredibly silly film, but all cast members perform their roles with a poker straight face, like as if they were starring in the greatest & most budgeted epic adventure in the history of cinema. The effects and monsters designs are extremely dodgy and laughable, but also somewhat charming. The film hasn't got a real ending, but (fortunately?) Hammer never bothered to make a sequel. Crazy little Brit-film, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to open-minded fans of cult cinema.
An Excellent Rainy Day Movie
Terrell-46 August 2004
One of my favorite rainy weekend movies, The Lost Continent also is one of the best ripe Hammer films of the Sixties.
A freighter is blown off course and finds itself in a fog-shrouded part of the ocean where the seaweed enjoys flesh and mutated creatures with claws scamper about. It's a mild horror version of the Sargasso Sea and Bermuda Triangle. Eventually the surviving crew and passengers encounter humans who scitter around the seaweed with paddle-like shoes and balloons. The ship these people are from is a Spanish galleon several hundred years old, the crew of which survived and bred into the generations, evolving an Inquisition-like culture on board.
It's really pretty good, thanks to the interesting ideas of seaweed that bites back and the evolved life on the Spanish ship, plus the skill of the two lead actors. And it has a great look. Eric Porter and Hildegard Knef were both heavyweights in the acting department. I'm not sure why they agreed to this film, but I assume the money was good. Porter is one of my favorite actors. He wasn't handsome enough to make a career as a movie leading man, but if anyone doubts his abilities to command watch him as Soames in the original BBC Forsyte Saga. Knef had a so-so career as a lead actress in a handful of American and British films, but returned to Germany for better stuff. She was sexy and self-confident.
A freighter is blown off course and finds itself in a fog-shrouded part of the ocean where the seaweed enjoys flesh and mutated creatures with claws scamper about. It's a mild horror version of the Sargasso Sea and Bermuda Triangle. Eventually the surviving crew and passengers encounter humans who scitter around the seaweed with paddle-like shoes and balloons. The ship these people are from is a Spanish galleon several hundred years old, the crew of which survived and bred into the generations, evolving an Inquisition-like culture on board.
It's really pretty good, thanks to the interesting ideas of seaweed that bites back and the evolved life on the Spanish ship, plus the skill of the two lead actors. And it has a great look. Eric Porter and Hildegard Knef were both heavyweights in the acting department. I'm not sure why they agreed to this film, but I assume the money was good. Porter is one of my favorite actors. He wasn't handsome enough to make a career as a movie leading man, but if anyone doubts his abilities to command watch him as Soames in the original BBC Forsyte Saga. Knef had a so-so career as a lead actress in a handful of American and British films, but returned to Germany for better stuff. She was sexy and self-confident.
Bizarrely superb - but where's missing scene?
lucy-1911 October 1999
First time I saw it, there was a scene where Porter hears Neff's life story (she was mistress of a banana republic dictator and has a son somewhere). He (I think) says he'll impound her passport unless she sleeps with him. He goes to her cabin to find Ricaldi (played by Benito Carruthers and whatever happened to him?) emerging and buttoning his jacket in a lewd way. Porter opens Neff's door to find her naked on the bunk. He throws her passport at her and exits. I watch this movie every time it's screened and have never seen this scene again. In a scene that's still present, Neff agreed to give Carruthers sexual favours if he'll let her keep the securities she's stolen from the dictator. But the absence of this key scene makes nonsense of the conversation between the three of them in the lifeboat... See this film anyway, it's a gem. xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx
Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition!
utgard142 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Watchable late Hammer flick with a so-so cast. First half deals with dramatics on board a cargo ship with various and sundry characters, leading up to the mutiny of the crew. This is all rather ho-hum and forgettable. Business picks up after the ship becomes lost in the Sargasso Sea and the passengers must deal with killer seaweed and giant mutant crabs & scorpions. Oh did I forget that there's also an island of conquistadors who don't realize the Spanish Inquisition is over? It's all pretty cheesy with poor special effects and no scares are to be had but it's fun to watch at times. Neil McCallum has his hair dyed Twinkie yellow for some reason. Ben Carruthers (who?) is supposed to be playing some kind of suave character but it's a poor fit. Suzanna Leigh and front-heavy Dana Gillespie provide the required amount of babe to fill Hammer's quota. Love the cheesy title song. I believe this movie also inspired an episode of DuckTales.
The Guiltiest of Pleasures.
chrismartonuk-124 May 2009
Michael Carreras often attempted to broaden Hammer's repertoire during his terms there and most of the company's artistic triumphs, and interesting misfires, can be laid at his feet. THE TWO FACES OF DR JEKYLL was a serious attempt to move the Gothics beyond the traditional limits expected of Hammer that failed due to the gap between intention and execution. Having pioneered SHE and ONE MILLIONS YEARS BC and put Hammer into the Summer family crowd pleaser market - and anticipating the modern Hollywood blockbuster - Carreras took advantage of hammer's relationship with Dennis Wheatley not to churn out another Black magic Chiller but a curious mish-mash of soap-opera, disaster movie, nautical adventure and sci-fantasy.
Eric Porter was hotter than a murder weapon at the time with his portrayal of the tormented, cuckolded Soames Forsyth on the BBC (and had become something of a sex symbol in the process - despite, or because of, his rough treatment of his capricious wife, Irene) so Hammer thought it worth taking a chance on him as leading man material - as they had Peter Cushing - instead of Christopher Lee or a fading American star. Porter was a top drawer classical actor - I had the good fortune to see his Malvolio in TWELFTH NIGHT at Stratford - and he has a convincingly craggy sea-faring face and a natural authority, and ain't half-bad as a man of action at the climax. His captain could give Cushing's Baron Frankenstein a few lessons in monomania - he fails to tell his crew (including, inevitably, Michael Ripper) about the dangerous cargo of Phophor B they carry. Having been beaten to the punch by Benito Carruther's sleazy character to sleep with Hildegard Knef, he cares very little when the man is carried off by an octopus. I doubt whether Porter lingered too long over the film on his CV but he's a first-rate lead and although he made an excellent Moriarity in the Granada series, might have been an intriguing Holmes. The women characters are unusually complex for Hammer. Hildegard Knef looked every inch a MILF and conveys the weary melancholy of a beaten-down woman who's had to compromise herself in the name of survival. Suzanne Leigh is one of Hammer's finest and most underrated bitches - look at the smirk she gives her hated father Nigel Stock when Porter berates him - and opens her thighs for anything with a pulse including the Sparks, Benito, and on-the-wagon Harry. Sadly, both fade from centre-stage at the climax - but there is compensation in the form of Dana Gillespie. We've suffered enough childish double-entendres with those gas balloons she wears for now, but she is a striking beauty and, as Hammer weren't overly concerned with the thespian ability of their ladies, it seems strange she never made another one for them - Christopher Lee could have sunk his fangs into her certainly. I suspect she's dubbed, but she certainly takes Harry's mind off the booze.
The plot structure is oddly similar to FROM DUSK TIL DAWN with the plot starting off as one genre and taking an unexpected detour in fantasy-land. Nonetheless, it remains a curio in Hammer's output (and an indication of what ZEPPELINS VS PTEROCATYLS might have looked like had it been made) and remains the guiltiest of pleasures.
Eric Porter was hotter than a murder weapon at the time with his portrayal of the tormented, cuckolded Soames Forsyth on the BBC (and had become something of a sex symbol in the process - despite, or because of, his rough treatment of his capricious wife, Irene) so Hammer thought it worth taking a chance on him as leading man material - as they had Peter Cushing - instead of Christopher Lee or a fading American star. Porter was a top drawer classical actor - I had the good fortune to see his Malvolio in TWELFTH NIGHT at Stratford - and he has a convincingly craggy sea-faring face and a natural authority, and ain't half-bad as a man of action at the climax. His captain could give Cushing's Baron Frankenstein a few lessons in monomania - he fails to tell his crew (including, inevitably, Michael Ripper) about the dangerous cargo of Phophor B they carry. Having been beaten to the punch by Benito Carruther's sleazy character to sleep with Hildegard Knef, he cares very little when the man is carried off by an octopus. I doubt whether Porter lingered too long over the film on his CV but he's a first-rate lead and although he made an excellent Moriarity in the Granada series, might have been an intriguing Holmes. The women characters are unusually complex for Hammer. Hildegard Knef looked every inch a MILF and conveys the weary melancholy of a beaten-down woman who's had to compromise herself in the name of survival. Suzanne Leigh is one of Hammer's finest and most underrated bitches - look at the smirk she gives her hated father Nigel Stock when Porter berates him - and opens her thighs for anything with a pulse including the Sparks, Benito, and on-the-wagon Harry. Sadly, both fade from centre-stage at the climax - but there is compensation in the form of Dana Gillespie. We've suffered enough childish double-entendres with those gas balloons she wears for now, but she is a striking beauty and, as Hammer weren't overly concerned with the thespian ability of their ladies, it seems strange she never made another one for them - Christopher Lee could have sunk his fangs into her certainly. I suspect she's dubbed, but she certainly takes Harry's mind off the booze.
The plot structure is oddly similar to FROM DUSK TIL DAWN with the plot starting off as one genre and taking an unexpected detour in fantasy-land. Nonetheless, it remains a curio in Hammer's output (and an indication of what ZEPPELINS VS PTEROCATYLS might have looked like had it been made) and remains the guiltiest of pleasures.
Wonderful Visuals
Space_Mafune24 September 2002
In terms of plot, this movie is often ventures into territory at times strange and bizarre, at times silly and outrageous and at times (especially in the opening half)-suspenseful! The whole sequence where they wind up lost at sea keeps the viewer glued to the screen.
The second half however ventures into the outrageous and bizarre territory. Complete with crazy FX scenes featuring giant monsters which are done on the cheap but aren't soon forgotten. The actors/actresses continually play their roles straight throughout the film and are quite competent which helps slightly. But overall the second half proves a disappointing mess of a movie.
At the same time, the main reason to watch this film however is its haunting visuals of the "lost continent" seen in the second half-Paul Beeson is credited for the cinematography.
The second half however ventures into the outrageous and bizarre territory. Complete with crazy FX scenes featuring giant monsters which are done on the cheap but aren't soon forgotten. The actors/actresses continually play their roles straight throughout the film and are quite competent which helps slightly. But overall the second half proves a disappointing mess of a movie.
At the same time, the main reason to watch this film however is its haunting visuals of the "lost continent" seen in the second half-Paul Beeson is credited for the cinematography.
Garish, comic book-style adventure
Leofwine_draca18 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A Hammer adventure yarn mixing plodding characterisation with rousing action in a half-successful combination. This is best seen as a precursor to the later Amicus movies like THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT, and shares many common similarities with those movies, from the diverse group of people on a vessel discovering an unknown world to the giant fake-looking monsters that inevitably dominate said world. The main fault is with the slow pacing and the fact that most of the action is consigned to the last thirty minutes instead of being evenly distributed throughout the film. It takes the ship a full hour to reach the uncharted seas and there's too much talk and not enough excitement before then, but this is only a minor flaw.
Based on a story by Dennis Wheatley called Uncharted Seas, this is an unashamed B-movie lifted only by an above-average cast. The monsters are terrible and of a cheap-looking DR WHO standard but for me, this can only be a highlight (I have a soft spot for poor special effects, no matter how bad they may be!). Bizarrely, the film bypasses the child audience by including some graphic violence of a man getting strangled and his neck broken, plus people bleeding profusely when being attacked by the various dangers on their voyage. The crooning music which pops up occasionally merely complements the utterly bizarre and unpredictable atmosphere that this movie possesses! Eric Porter is the initially unlikable Captain Lansen who comes through in the end; it's a wonder what this high-class actor was doing in a movie of this calibre at this time! Ageing Hildegard Knef lends some foreign glamour, while the ample charms of Dana Gillespie are on show for the last twenty minutes. Suzanne Leigh (LUST FOR A VAMPIRE) is the irritating screaming heroine who sleeps with any man she can find, and Nigel Stock (famous for his role as Watson to Cushing's Holmes in the BBC series) her father who gets eaten by a cardboard shark! Many familiar British character actors fill out supporting roles, many of them having appeared in previous British horror like Neil McCallum and Victor Maddern. Norman Eshley, Michael Ripper (sporting a hideous scar), Donald Sumptor, Tony Beckley, and Jimmy Hanley round out the main cast. The budget was actually one of the biggest that Hammer had for a film, and it shows in the ship set and the convincing-looking backgrounds; especially impressive is the "ship's graveyard", a mournful scene that the opening credits play over.
The action, when it comes, is actually very good and exciting. There's a battle between modern sailors and armoured Spanish soldiers (whose swords are still no match for guns!), a violent tropical storm, a mutiny, an attack by the sentient seaweed (which makes the same noise as a dozen movie monsters of the 1950s) which leaves the victims bleeding and scarred, a hilarious attack by a giant octopus with a glowing green eye (my personal favourite), a battle between a green-eyed giant crab and a giant scorpion (here the movie turns into surreal GODZILLA-like monster action, except not even as convincing - the giant crab has to be one of the worst and most unintentionally funny creatures that I've ever seen!) plus the expected (but impressive) explosive finale.
A member of the Spanish Inquisition (complete with Ku Klux Klan hat!) is included in the interests of completeness, along with an obnoxious boy king and a blubbery monster in a pit that was ripped off in RETURN OF THE JEDI. The sheer wealth of funny monsters and well-staged action keeps THE LOST CONTINENT from becoming boring; in the end it comes off as a hugely entertaining and tacky B-movie romp to be seen by those who do not judge their films too harshly and take merit in the simple pleasures of the movies.
Based on a story by Dennis Wheatley called Uncharted Seas, this is an unashamed B-movie lifted only by an above-average cast. The monsters are terrible and of a cheap-looking DR WHO standard but for me, this can only be a highlight (I have a soft spot for poor special effects, no matter how bad they may be!). Bizarrely, the film bypasses the child audience by including some graphic violence of a man getting strangled and his neck broken, plus people bleeding profusely when being attacked by the various dangers on their voyage. The crooning music which pops up occasionally merely complements the utterly bizarre and unpredictable atmosphere that this movie possesses! Eric Porter is the initially unlikable Captain Lansen who comes through in the end; it's a wonder what this high-class actor was doing in a movie of this calibre at this time! Ageing Hildegard Knef lends some foreign glamour, while the ample charms of Dana Gillespie are on show for the last twenty minutes. Suzanne Leigh (LUST FOR A VAMPIRE) is the irritating screaming heroine who sleeps with any man she can find, and Nigel Stock (famous for his role as Watson to Cushing's Holmes in the BBC series) her father who gets eaten by a cardboard shark! Many familiar British character actors fill out supporting roles, many of them having appeared in previous British horror like Neil McCallum and Victor Maddern. Norman Eshley, Michael Ripper (sporting a hideous scar), Donald Sumptor, Tony Beckley, and Jimmy Hanley round out the main cast. The budget was actually one of the biggest that Hammer had for a film, and it shows in the ship set and the convincing-looking backgrounds; especially impressive is the "ship's graveyard", a mournful scene that the opening credits play over.
The action, when it comes, is actually very good and exciting. There's a battle between modern sailors and armoured Spanish soldiers (whose swords are still no match for guns!), a violent tropical storm, a mutiny, an attack by the sentient seaweed (which makes the same noise as a dozen movie monsters of the 1950s) which leaves the victims bleeding and scarred, a hilarious attack by a giant octopus with a glowing green eye (my personal favourite), a battle between a green-eyed giant crab and a giant scorpion (here the movie turns into surreal GODZILLA-like monster action, except not even as convincing - the giant crab has to be one of the worst and most unintentionally funny creatures that I've ever seen!) plus the expected (but impressive) explosive finale.
A member of the Spanish Inquisition (complete with Ku Klux Klan hat!) is included in the interests of completeness, along with an obnoxious boy king and a blubbery monster in a pit that was ripped off in RETURN OF THE JEDI. The sheer wealth of funny monsters and well-staged action keeps THE LOST CONTINENT from becoming boring; in the end it comes off as a hugely entertaining and tacky B-movie romp to be seen by those who do not judge their films too harshly and take merit in the simple pleasures of the movies.
A wonderfully self indulgent curio for Hammer fans
Colbridge18 July 2021
This is one of Hammer Films least known fantasy pictures of the late 1960's and it has to be one of their most bizarre. From it's out of place opening title pop song by The Peddlers to the hokey special effects, weird ideas and preposterous premise this is a guilty pleasure on every level.
Laughably given an X rating on it's release (now rated 12 by the BBFC) this is essentially a kids adventure film with a few moments of violence and gore but well acted by all involved, especially Eric Porter, who earnestly tries to bring Denis Wheatley's source material to life.
There are plenty of rubber tentacles, giant sea creatures, killer seaweed and a long lost colony of inbreds from the Spanish Inquisition to get your head around and like a lot of Hammer productions the action is often plodding, talky and studio bound for the most part, however it was more ambitious than most Hammer films of the time and consequently went over budget.
Nicely photographed with an eerie quality by Paul Beeson it's left to director Michael Carreras, son of Hammer Studios founder James Carreras and it's long time producer, to stitch things together after firing original director Leslie Norman (The Cruel Sea). We are left with an uneven fantasy that changes in tone at a moments notice as the scale and ambition of the production couldn't be realised due to budget constraints. The film subsequently made a loss.
Familiar faces like Michael Ripper, Nigel Stock and Victor Maddern are on hand to ham things up and it's a wonderfully self indulgent curio for Hammer fans that has become a cult classic.
Laughably given an X rating on it's release (now rated 12 by the BBFC) this is essentially a kids adventure film with a few moments of violence and gore but well acted by all involved, especially Eric Porter, who earnestly tries to bring Denis Wheatley's source material to life.
There are plenty of rubber tentacles, giant sea creatures, killer seaweed and a long lost colony of inbreds from the Spanish Inquisition to get your head around and like a lot of Hammer productions the action is often plodding, talky and studio bound for the most part, however it was more ambitious than most Hammer films of the time and consequently went over budget.
Nicely photographed with an eerie quality by Paul Beeson it's left to director Michael Carreras, son of Hammer Studios founder James Carreras and it's long time producer, to stitch things together after firing original director Leslie Norman (The Cruel Sea). We are left with an uneven fantasy that changes in tone at a moments notice as the scale and ambition of the production couldn't be realised due to budget constraints. The film subsequently made a loss.
Familiar faces like Michael Ripper, Nigel Stock and Victor Maddern are on hand to ham things up and it's a wonderfully self indulgent curio for Hammer fans that has become a cult classic.
"What kind of a circus is this, anyway?"
Hey_Sweden13 April 2016
An interesting gallery of characters take a sea voyage on a tramp steamer led by Captain Lansen (Eric Porter). Some of them have their own sordid stories, like the Captain himself, who's in a hurry to unload some dangerous cargo in order to make a quick buck and retire rich. One hurricane and one mutiny later, and they end up stranded somewhere in the Sargasso Sea, where the water is infested by a particularly hideous, man eating variety of seaweed. There they come upon an island civilization, not to mention a crazed mollusk or two.
The primitive special effects (Robert A. Mattey, who later supervised the creation of "Bruce" for the 1975 classic "Jaws", was in charge) add a great deal of schlocky charm to this Hammer production, certainly one of the oddest things that they ever made. Based on the novel "Uncharted Seas" by Dennis Wheatley (which you can actually see the character of Dr. Webster reading at one point!), it tells a fairly original yarn with a singularly weird atmosphere. The somewhat askew colour photography in the later parts plays a big part in this atmosphere, as well as some memorable images. The music score by Gerard Schurmann is supplemented by tunes crooned by a 60s group called The Peddlers. And the creatures on display are quite fun to watch.
The actors are able to give incredibly straight faced performances in light of how nutty the story eventually gets. Porter is an interesting guy in that he's not quite the conventional "hero". Hildegard Knef, the lovely Suzanna Leigh, and Tony Beckley have the meatiest roles among the supporting actors. Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Jimmy Hanley, James Cossins, Dana Gillespie (whose breasts threaten to pop out of her costume at times), Victor Maddern, Norman Eshley, the always delightful Hammer good luck charm Michael Ripper, and Donald Sumpter all deliver enjoyable performances.
Definitely a curiosity for fans of this great British studio.
Producer Michael Carreras reportedly fired original director Leslie Norman, and took over in that capacity, also writing the screenplay himself using the pseudonym "Michael Nash" (the name of his gardener).
Seven out of 10.
The primitive special effects (Robert A. Mattey, who later supervised the creation of "Bruce" for the 1975 classic "Jaws", was in charge) add a great deal of schlocky charm to this Hammer production, certainly one of the oddest things that they ever made. Based on the novel "Uncharted Seas" by Dennis Wheatley (which you can actually see the character of Dr. Webster reading at one point!), it tells a fairly original yarn with a singularly weird atmosphere. The somewhat askew colour photography in the later parts plays a big part in this atmosphere, as well as some memorable images. The music score by Gerard Schurmann is supplemented by tunes crooned by a 60s group called The Peddlers. And the creatures on display are quite fun to watch.
The actors are able to give incredibly straight faced performances in light of how nutty the story eventually gets. Porter is an interesting guy in that he's not quite the conventional "hero". Hildegard Knef, the lovely Suzanna Leigh, and Tony Beckley have the meatiest roles among the supporting actors. Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Jimmy Hanley, James Cossins, Dana Gillespie (whose breasts threaten to pop out of her costume at times), Victor Maddern, Norman Eshley, the always delightful Hammer good luck charm Michael Ripper, and Donald Sumpter all deliver enjoyable performances.
Definitely a curiosity for fans of this great British studio.
Producer Michael Carreras reportedly fired original director Leslie Norman, and took over in that capacity, also writing the screenplay himself using the pseudonym "Michael Nash" (the name of his gardener).
Seven out of 10.
Fabulous set design, slow to get there
Scott-4214 May 1999
Things start off nicely with a cheezy theme song, then a brief scene that is full of people in all sorts of period costumes, some weird orange mist, and a bizarre funeral.
Then the movie starts. The next hour is spent explaining why these people are doing what they are doing, and it takes a long time in getting there. Once they actually get to the so-called "Lost Continent", you can marvel at excellent model work, fabulous set design, rubber monsters, and wonderful costuming.
Worth a look for the payoff, but it takes some time to get there.
Then the movie starts. The next hour is spent explaining why these people are doing what they are doing, and it takes a long time in getting there. Once they actually get to the so-called "Lost Continent", you can marvel at excellent model work, fabulous set design, rubber monsters, and wonderful costuming.
Worth a look for the payoff, but it takes some time to get there.
Alternate Versions...
morpheusatloppers13 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I've given this film 9/10 based on its ENJOYMENT FACTOR - not its quality. Undoubtedly, the piece is laughably inept. The stationary backdrop to the scenes on the bridge - with a harbour marker being obviously wheeled past by a grip! The battle of the rubber monsters. Those balloons, which would barely have given lift to a copy of Denis Wheatley's "Uncharted Seas", which Nigel Stock is seen reading in the lounge, early on - and which should have helped his character, given it was the source novel for the movie!
But we don't care about any of that. Despite his fame as a writer of Black Magic books, Denis Wheatley had started in the Thirties with novels of enormous scope (how come no-one EVER made "Sixty Days To Live"?) of which Uncharted Seas was just one. And it is this great YARN that gives The Lost Continent its outrageous style.
And everyone just WENT for it. Heavyweight actors, Eric Porter and Hildegard Knef. The reliable Tony Beckley. And of course, Hammer's "lucky charm" - the pop-eyed Michael Ripper (did they originally hire him for his surname?) Then there's the music. The original score was DUMPED (unique for micro-budget Hammer) being replaced by a minimal score, enhanced with songs from British "cool group", The Peddlers.
And while the trails trumpeted the movie as being a conventional action-adventure, the reality was it was a superior fantasy/mood-piece.
However, the curiosity of this film is its "alternate versions". There are at least two that I know of. The British version emerged with an "X" certificate and ran for about 95 minutes, while the US version had a "softer" rating and ran for just 89. The US version lacks eight minutes which the British version had - but the British version lacks an extended scene which the US version had.
The reason given for the US pruning is that it enabled the softer rating. But since the missing footage includes little to offend, this reason seems spurious. And why were about forty seconds pruned from the British version? I suspect the REAL reason for the pruning was LENGTH. The Lost Continent was made as an "A" movie, but most of Hammer's output was released as double-bills in The States.
The British version was released in theatres, then an analogue VT transfer was made for TV showings, which ran - uncut - for about ten years (presumably until the contract ran out).
But during this time, the British negative was allowed to deteriorate (Hammer had a rough late-Seventies and were careless with their archive).
Thus, when the film was shown on British TV in the Nineties, the digital VT transfer was taken from the US version - America had preserved their print better.
Which now leaves us with a DVD restoration based on said US version - with the missing eight minutes culled from the inferior British print. This DVD is available from IMDb's sister - Amazon - and is well worth the money. It also includes a version of The Peddlers' title song - in its entirety - on one of the menus. Plus a second, contemporaneous film - "The Reptile" - with the delectable Jacqueline Pearce and the afore-mentioned Mr Ripper, in the biggest role he ever had at Hammer.
But returning to The Lost Continent, SOMEWHERE there may be yet ANOTHER edit. Traditionally, Hammer made "continental versions" of their films for Europe, containing extra naughtiness. Perhaps THAT edit EXTENDS the "love scene" featuring Ms Leigh and INCLUDES one between Ms Knef and the super-suave but unlikely-named Ben(ito) Carruthers?
Two footnotes - apparently Ben Carruthers was a mate of Bob Dylan (he introduced Nico to Bob) and was musically inclined. But his acting career ran from '57 (when he was 21) and ended in '71 (when he was 35) and he died at just 47. What's HIS story? His contribution to The Lost Continent is certainly significant.
And Jimmy Hanley (who died not long after this film was released) was Britain's "nice guy". His role is also worthy of mention, but one can't help wondering how HE interpreted his line - "If you'll pardon me for saying so - that's not what she wants." In the context of the film, it certainly has two meanings...
But we don't care about any of that. Despite his fame as a writer of Black Magic books, Denis Wheatley had started in the Thirties with novels of enormous scope (how come no-one EVER made "Sixty Days To Live"?) of which Uncharted Seas was just one. And it is this great YARN that gives The Lost Continent its outrageous style.
And everyone just WENT for it. Heavyweight actors, Eric Porter and Hildegard Knef. The reliable Tony Beckley. And of course, Hammer's "lucky charm" - the pop-eyed Michael Ripper (did they originally hire him for his surname?) Then there's the music. The original score was DUMPED (unique for micro-budget Hammer) being replaced by a minimal score, enhanced with songs from British "cool group", The Peddlers.
And while the trails trumpeted the movie as being a conventional action-adventure, the reality was it was a superior fantasy/mood-piece.
However, the curiosity of this film is its "alternate versions". There are at least two that I know of. The British version emerged with an "X" certificate and ran for about 95 minutes, while the US version had a "softer" rating and ran for just 89. The US version lacks eight minutes which the British version had - but the British version lacks an extended scene which the US version had.
The reason given for the US pruning is that it enabled the softer rating. But since the missing footage includes little to offend, this reason seems spurious. And why were about forty seconds pruned from the British version? I suspect the REAL reason for the pruning was LENGTH. The Lost Continent was made as an "A" movie, but most of Hammer's output was released as double-bills in The States.
The British version was released in theatres, then an analogue VT transfer was made for TV showings, which ran - uncut - for about ten years (presumably until the contract ran out).
But during this time, the British negative was allowed to deteriorate (Hammer had a rough late-Seventies and were careless with their archive).
Thus, when the film was shown on British TV in the Nineties, the digital VT transfer was taken from the US version - America had preserved their print better.
Which now leaves us with a DVD restoration based on said US version - with the missing eight minutes culled from the inferior British print. This DVD is available from IMDb's sister - Amazon - and is well worth the money. It also includes a version of The Peddlers' title song - in its entirety - on one of the menus. Plus a second, contemporaneous film - "The Reptile" - with the delectable Jacqueline Pearce and the afore-mentioned Mr Ripper, in the biggest role he ever had at Hammer.
But returning to The Lost Continent, SOMEWHERE there may be yet ANOTHER edit. Traditionally, Hammer made "continental versions" of their films for Europe, containing extra naughtiness. Perhaps THAT edit EXTENDS the "love scene" featuring Ms Leigh and INCLUDES one between Ms Knef and the super-suave but unlikely-named Ben(ito) Carruthers?
Two footnotes - apparently Ben Carruthers was a mate of Bob Dylan (he introduced Nico to Bob) and was musically inclined. But his acting career ran from '57 (when he was 21) and ended in '71 (when he was 35) and he died at just 47. What's HIS story? His contribution to The Lost Continent is certainly significant.
And Jimmy Hanley (who died not long after this film was released) was Britain's "nice guy". His role is also worthy of mention, but one can't help wondering how HE interpreted his line - "If you'll pardon me for saying so - that's not what she wants." In the context of the film, it certainly has two meanings...
A Boring Film Welded To An Insane One
Theo Robertson24 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Suggestive Spoilers This is one of these movies you can remember watching on television one Friday night many years ago and thinking was a great movie . When you see it again after a period of a couple of decades you spend much of the running time on the rewatch thinking " How the heck did I find this enjoyable in any way ? " but then a couple of scenes appear and you can see why you found it enjoyable when you were young enough to have not developed overly critical abilities . In short the memory has cheated making you forget all the dire bits and bigging up the fun moments . Certainly THE LOST CONTINENT is a fun film but only intermittently
To say there's something uneven with the screenplay is an understatement . The first half manages to combine contrivance , banality and boredom all together which is no small feat . If you've got a cargo of yellow oil drums that have " DANGER HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL DON'T GET IT WET UNDER ANY CIRUMSTANCES " warning signs splashed all over them you can just imagine this might some baring on some plot turn later on in the film , especially if the film spends five minutes explaining through its one dimensional ship's crew just how dangerous this stuff might be . Especially if a hurricane is coming . Just when you think it might be a disaster movie featuring shipwrecked survivors struggling to stay alive on a lifeboat the film mutates in to something entirely different so much so you'd be left thinking why this aspect wasn't developed earlier since the first half is entirely boring in comparison
I'm not saying the second half is good from an artistic point out of view but it is thoroughly entertaining as long as manage to suspend disbelief which is very difficult when the film throws everything including the kitchen sink at the audience . There's enough plastic monsters and ideas here to fuel an entire season of DOCTOR WHO . Perhaps the most striking thing is some of the design work where people can walk on weed infested water because they're wearing giant balloons strapped to their backs . Don't bother to ask where these survivors of a 16th Century Spanish fleet managed to acquire them or what they've been eating for several Centuries because it's not that type of movie
To give the cast credit they do try and make the most of their painfully underwritten clichéd roles of woman with a secret past , hip black dude , slutty blonde bimbo , tough level headed sea captain etc . The stand out performance is probably by Tony Beckley best known for his flamboyant larger than life roles and is especially best known by this reviewer for his show stopping role as Harrison Chase in the DOCTOR WHO story The Seeds Of Doom and it's strange watching him as a macho square jawed hero come alcoholic piano player . Also worth pointing out is Dana Gillespie as Sarah though possibly not for her acting talent and when one of the characters mentioned " Sarah is playing her with her balloon things " all sorts of images flashed through my mind
THE LOST CONTINENT is a very uneven film . As many people have said - and it's impossible not to notice it - it feels like two different films welded together by the same cast . . It's silly and entertaining but probably not as entertaining as you might have remembered it . That said it could very well do with a remake involving a more disciplined story structure while keeping the more horror and action based elements of the original
To say there's something uneven with the screenplay is an understatement . The first half manages to combine contrivance , banality and boredom all together which is no small feat . If you've got a cargo of yellow oil drums that have " DANGER HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL DON'T GET IT WET UNDER ANY CIRUMSTANCES " warning signs splashed all over them you can just imagine this might some baring on some plot turn later on in the film , especially if the film spends five minutes explaining through its one dimensional ship's crew just how dangerous this stuff might be . Especially if a hurricane is coming . Just when you think it might be a disaster movie featuring shipwrecked survivors struggling to stay alive on a lifeboat the film mutates in to something entirely different so much so you'd be left thinking why this aspect wasn't developed earlier since the first half is entirely boring in comparison
I'm not saying the second half is good from an artistic point out of view but it is thoroughly entertaining as long as manage to suspend disbelief which is very difficult when the film throws everything including the kitchen sink at the audience . There's enough plastic monsters and ideas here to fuel an entire season of DOCTOR WHO . Perhaps the most striking thing is some of the design work where people can walk on weed infested water because they're wearing giant balloons strapped to their backs . Don't bother to ask where these survivors of a 16th Century Spanish fleet managed to acquire them or what they've been eating for several Centuries because it's not that type of movie
To give the cast credit they do try and make the most of their painfully underwritten clichéd roles of woman with a secret past , hip black dude , slutty blonde bimbo , tough level headed sea captain etc . The stand out performance is probably by Tony Beckley best known for his flamboyant larger than life roles and is especially best known by this reviewer for his show stopping role as Harrison Chase in the DOCTOR WHO story The Seeds Of Doom and it's strange watching him as a macho square jawed hero come alcoholic piano player . Also worth pointing out is Dana Gillespie as Sarah though possibly not for her acting talent and when one of the characters mentioned " Sarah is playing her with her balloon things " all sorts of images flashed through my mind
THE LOST CONTINENT is a very uneven film . As many people have said - and it's impossible not to notice it - it feels like two different films welded together by the same cast . . It's silly and entertaining but probably not as entertaining as you might have remembered it . That said it could very well do with a remake involving a more disciplined story structure while keeping the more horror and action based elements of the original
Of Its Time.
AaronCapenBanner24 November 2013
Michael Carreras directed this most bizarre science fiction/adventure tale on the high seas, where a disparate group of people(played by Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Tony Beckley, Susanna Leigh, Nigel Stock, among others) set sail on an old liner that has an illegal cargo of explosives that wanders into uncharted seas after a fierce storm. They then come upon a lost continent filled with prehistoric monsters and descendants of Spanish shipwreck survivors who have become a murderous cult! How can the survivors defeat this cult, and find their way home? Plot is unoriginal, but the style and approach is so rooted to its time(the swinging sixties, complete with lounge music title song!) and strange imagery(the people supported by balloons strapped to their waists) that it remains a fascinating failure. Dana Gillespie costars.
Man, the sea, mutiny, hurricane, seaweed, monsters, girls, Inquisitors...fun!
jim-25119 November 1998
THE LOST CONTINENT might be typified by the music that accompanies its credits (a kind of languid 60s house band crooning intro) and perhaps that's not entirely a bad thing, because the movie is an initially-languid action fantasy that eventually includes plenty of angst, violence, heavy weather, man-eating plants, top-heavy Christian girls, oversized arthropods, bloodthirsty Inquisitorial Spaniards and a very explosive substance in yellow barrels...
The overall effect is that of medium-budget comic-strip, but with this much action and so much violence and all these yummy females and heroic guys...it's a fun movie from end to end...a great tonic if you're marooned in the Sargasso Sea...or stranded in your living room of a Sunday afternoon
The overall effect is that of medium-budget comic-strip, but with this much action and so much violence and all these yummy females and heroic guys...it's a fun movie from end to end...a great tonic if you're marooned in the Sargasso Sea...or stranded in your living room of a Sunday afternoon
Truly Bizarre Hammer Entry
BaronBl00d13 June 2006
While not nearly as smitten with this sixties Hammer entry as many others seem to be, I will vouch for its undeniable uniqueness and bizarre story. Whether that makes for a good movie or not, I will leave up to you. This Hammer film, based on Dennis Wheatley's Unchartered Seas, tells a very un-simple story about a freighter going to Venezuela carrying illegal explosives and five passengers with equally suspect backgrounds. The captain of the ship is a man willing to look one way for extra cash and deals in cargo that will also benefit his wallet. Bad weather and some other unfortunate circumstances cause the crew to mutiny the ship and all the remaining passengers and crew get on a lifeboat hoping to survive the expected fate of the vessel that they left. Well, later they miraculously find the ship - in tact pretty much - board again while a strangling(and carnivorous) seaweed drags them into a ship graveyard where they meet some strange inhabitants from other ships as well as fantastical monsters such as huge man-eating mollusks. While the film has all the qualities that made Hammer the Horror studio of the sixties, this one just did not do it for me. The acting is solid with the likes of Eric Porter giving a very credible turn as the captain, Suzanna Leigh as a pretty(easy)passenger, Nigel Stock as her dubious father, Michael Ripper in again another well-played small role as a shipmate, and Hildegard Knef as the atypical lead actress(having just fled a volatile Caribbean country). Director Michael Carreras keeps the convoluted storyline in tact as best he can, but the story for this film is a major, major flaw. The first part of the film is about these personalities going to South America and then be stranded in a small boat ala Lifeboat, but then we get the bizarre creatures, the seaweed, and some religious cult that has apparently lived in the ship graveyard for centuries(whether it is populated by the actual inhabitants of the ship or their progeny was never explained sufficiently to me). But even with all of this going on, the movie just ends with nothing resolved. I was saying at the end, "What's the point?" The strange creatures are never explained nor are they in the least bit realistic - looking like something having been left in the garbage bin of a Syd and Marty Kroft production. And how about the title? What continent? All wee see are a bunch of derelict ships and a rock of an island. That does not a continent make. The film would have been better off using Wheatley's original title. So it is a lukewarm reception I must leave for this Hammer outing. The first half is really the much stronger half. The second half is too bizarre and broad for me with only the buxom(and I mean BUXOM) presence of Dana Gillepsie to give it any saving grace at all as some island girl being chased by the religious cult with balloons and paddle feet. Very original in some ways and yet oh so ludicrous as well.
Weird "Ship of Fools" meets Jules Verne adventure
Wuchakk27 January 2014
Hammer's psychotronic "The Lost Continent" (1968) was based on Dennis Wheatley's 1938 book "Uncharted Seas," his second of three "Lost World" novels. The story concerns the mostly disagreeable passengers & crew of an old freighter traveling from a port in Liberia, Africa, to Caracas, Venezuela, with a volatile illegal cargo. The protagonists eventually become stuck in a mysterious area of the Sargasso Sea where they discover several intriguing things.
The first time I saw this on TV it kept my interest for the first hour and twenty minutes, right up to when two colossal creatures appear; they were so laughable I stopped watching. My mistake, because this is actually a gritty ship-oriented adventure capped off by a moody, surreal climax. Repeated viewings are necessary to appreciate its quirky charm.
The dramatic set-up is realistic and there are thrills interspersed throughout. Eric Porter as Captain Lansen is strong and his growing relationship with Eva (Hildegard Knef) adds some honest maturity. The carnivorous seaweed is interesting while the surreal sets for the orangey Sargasso Sea of shipwrecks are fantastic for a low-budget flick made in 1967. In the female department, voluptuous Dana Gillespie is breathtaking and Suzanna Leigh is entertaining as a man-hungry lass.
Meanwhile, the balloon shoes & harnesses are creative (which were inspired by a novelty craze at the time Wheatley wrote the original story, balloon jumping). The story keeps your interest with three distinctive acts, despite the dubiousness of some of the characters. Lastly, the distinctive 60's theme song is a bizarre highlight.
The biggest flaw is that cheesy scene with the fighting oversized creatures. It should've been omitted or, at least, modified. As done, it only mars the movie. The other creature effects are actually done well considering the budget and the era, like the giant octopus that attacks the couple on the ship.
The theme is reflected in the opening quote by the Captain of Job 14:1: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble" (from the 1789 U. S. Book of Common Prayer). Within that context the morally compromised characters might or might not find love, redemption and hope. The key is not giving-in to a spirit of fatalism, like those on the old Spanish galleon, because it hamstrings life.
Quite a few reviewers state that there is no lost continent in the picture; this is not true. When the cast are in the Sargasso Sea area you can clearly see mountainous land in the background; in fact, a character proclaims at one point, "Look - land!" Some of the cast even end up walking on the "lost continent" (actually an island) which is where they run into the laughable giant crab and scorpion.
While "The Lost Continent" is not hailed as one of Hammer's masterpieces, it scores well for high seas adventure and undeniable mood. If you have a taste for "lost continent"-type adventures, gritty drama and strangeness you should appreciate it, just bear with the relatively short fighting monsters sequence. Of course Dana Gillespie doesn't hurt.
The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot at Elstree Studios, just north of London, England.
GRADE: B
The first time I saw this on TV it kept my interest for the first hour and twenty minutes, right up to when two colossal creatures appear; they were so laughable I stopped watching. My mistake, because this is actually a gritty ship-oriented adventure capped off by a moody, surreal climax. Repeated viewings are necessary to appreciate its quirky charm.
The dramatic set-up is realistic and there are thrills interspersed throughout. Eric Porter as Captain Lansen is strong and his growing relationship with Eva (Hildegard Knef) adds some honest maturity. The carnivorous seaweed is interesting while the surreal sets for the orangey Sargasso Sea of shipwrecks are fantastic for a low-budget flick made in 1967. In the female department, voluptuous Dana Gillespie is breathtaking and Suzanna Leigh is entertaining as a man-hungry lass.
Meanwhile, the balloon shoes & harnesses are creative (which were inspired by a novelty craze at the time Wheatley wrote the original story, balloon jumping). The story keeps your interest with three distinctive acts, despite the dubiousness of some of the characters. Lastly, the distinctive 60's theme song is a bizarre highlight.
The biggest flaw is that cheesy scene with the fighting oversized creatures. It should've been omitted or, at least, modified. As done, it only mars the movie. The other creature effects are actually done well considering the budget and the era, like the giant octopus that attacks the couple on the ship.
The theme is reflected in the opening quote by the Captain of Job 14:1: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble" (from the 1789 U. S. Book of Common Prayer). Within that context the morally compromised characters might or might not find love, redemption and hope. The key is not giving-in to a spirit of fatalism, like those on the old Spanish galleon, because it hamstrings life.
Quite a few reviewers state that there is no lost continent in the picture; this is not true. When the cast are in the Sargasso Sea area you can clearly see mountainous land in the background; in fact, a character proclaims at one point, "Look - land!" Some of the cast even end up walking on the "lost continent" (actually an island) which is where they run into the laughable giant crab and scorpion.
While "The Lost Continent" is not hailed as one of Hammer's masterpieces, it scores well for high seas adventure and undeniable mood. If you have a taste for "lost continent"-type adventures, gritty drama and strangeness you should appreciate it, just bear with the relatively short fighting monsters sequence. Of course Dana Gillespie doesn't hurt.
The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot at Elstree Studios, just north of London, England.
GRADE: B
Castaways vs Monsters vs The Spanish Inquisition
a_chinn4 August 2017
Oddball Hammer Studios picture about a proverbial ship of the dammed, a group of disparate passengers on a dilapidated cruise liner on their way to South America are struck by a storm that leaves them stranded on a dangerous uncharted island containing all sorts of dangers. Those dangers include various prehistoric monsters and even some remnants/descendants from the Spanish Inquisition who think that's still a thing (OMG, that's so 1478!). It's not terrible, but it is entertaining enough if you're in the mood for prehistoric monster, pirates, and Jules Verne/Rudyard Kipling- like adventures.
The-Lossssst- Connnn-Tinn-Eannnt
heywood20014 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this romp was somewhat in the vane or spirit of those Doug McClure movies where the U-Boat ends up in a pre-historic lost area of the globe and the crew has to deal with cave people, Dinosaurs etc.
I certainly don't hold the feet of this film to any super critical standard since it dosen't seem to take itself seriously anyway. I agree with the one reviewer of the postings on this page that if you just suspend your disbelief somewhat that it's a quite entertaining film since it is quite imaginative in the visuals and the situation (albeit quite ridiculous) such as the Conquistadors stuck there for several centuries. The buxom balloon girl was most pleasant to look at and took to speaking English quite quickly (They have Berlitz books out there).
I think a story like this would be a bit more easier to swallow if it had taken place in the 20's or 30's, but again, the movie does not seem to take itself seriously so who cares(Giant crabs are not to beyond the pale, but giant scorpians!).
The cast plays it straight despite the absurdity, and that helps to suspend disbelief.
The weird factor is very high which is the most appealing factor of this flick.
I think there was a bit of 60's political angle of questioning of authority as the ship crew incited the lord kid to question his own blind obedience to the hooded inquisitor. There was a rapprochement between the crew of the ship and the conquistadors both standing in respect for the kid ruler in his burial at sea. So I suppose this could also be kind of a 60's version of 'can we all just get along' type decade influenced feature in this film.
Yes! A beer and pizza film.
I certainly don't hold the feet of this film to any super critical standard since it dosen't seem to take itself seriously anyway. I agree with the one reviewer of the postings on this page that if you just suspend your disbelief somewhat that it's a quite entertaining film since it is quite imaginative in the visuals and the situation (albeit quite ridiculous) such as the Conquistadors stuck there for several centuries. The buxom balloon girl was most pleasant to look at and took to speaking English quite quickly (They have Berlitz books out there).
I think a story like this would be a bit more easier to swallow if it had taken place in the 20's or 30's, but again, the movie does not seem to take itself seriously so who cares(Giant crabs are not to beyond the pale, but giant scorpians!).
The cast plays it straight despite the absurdity, and that helps to suspend disbelief.
The weird factor is very high which is the most appealing factor of this flick.
I think there was a bit of 60's political angle of questioning of authority as the ship crew incited the lord kid to question his own blind obedience to the hooded inquisitor. There was a rapprochement between the crew of the ship and the conquistadors both standing in respect for the kid ruler in his burial at sea. So I suppose this could also be kind of a 60's version of 'can we all just get along' type decade influenced feature in this film.
Yes! A beer and pizza film.
Some deadly seaweed
bkoganbing15 December 2018
For a small select group of the cast that survive all that goes on in The Lost Continent they will have one bizarre tale to tell if they ever get home.
Eric Porter captains a tramp cargo vessel which has a few passengers on it and those kind of folks who travel with him usually want to be discreet about it. Even though some of them have the idea this is the Love Boat.
It's a bit more than the S.S. Minow and in the hold Porter is carrying some dangerous explosives which are illegal, but the money will give him an easy street retirement.
That is if he can get home with cargo because this bunch gets to deal with sharks, giant crabs, some deadly seaweed and to top it all off stuck in that same seaweed are a bunch living on an old Spanish galleon who still think the Inquisition is still going on. These are the descendants of some of Spain's conquistadors and they're brand of Catholicism has taken some interesting turns.
The whole film is nonsense, but entertaining nonsense from Hammer Films in Great Britain.
Eric Porter captains a tramp cargo vessel which has a few passengers on it and those kind of folks who travel with him usually want to be discreet about it. Even though some of them have the idea this is the Love Boat.
It's a bit more than the S.S. Minow and in the hold Porter is carrying some dangerous explosives which are illegal, but the money will give him an easy street retirement.
That is if he can get home with cargo because this bunch gets to deal with sharks, giant crabs, some deadly seaweed and to top it all off stuck in that same seaweed are a bunch living on an old Spanish galleon who still think the Inquisition is still going on. These are the descendants of some of Spain's conquistadors and they're brand of Catholicism has taken some interesting turns.
The whole film is nonsense, but entertaining nonsense from Hammer Films in Great Britain.
Then we'll go on trying, and the day we stop trying we stop living!
hitchcockthelegend6 December 2015
It is one of the major oddities out of Hammer Films, a nutty slice of fantasy adventure sci-fi, resplendent with rubbery effects work, an incoherent screenplay, auto-cue hammy acting and obligatory humongous cleavage!
Plot, for what it is worth, finds a potentially explosive cargo ship and passengers, piloted by an uber serious Eric Portman, become victim of a mutiny and then find themselves lost in the Sargasso Sea. But wait! There is an island offering salvation, only it's a bit of a time warp populated by despotic Spanish conquistadors. Oh and the landscape is filled with man-eating beasties, including rampaging seaweed.
Based on Dennis Wheatley's novel Uncharted Seas, it's a film where adults have to double check to see if they have had some bad liquor, while the kids delight in the garish colours and rubber monsters. It's all very surreal, and daft, and not quite a masterpiece of "Z" grade cinema, but it is fun, even if for those of us who like a drink, we will never ever be drunk enough to embrace its madness fully. 7/10
Plot, for what it is worth, finds a potentially explosive cargo ship and passengers, piloted by an uber serious Eric Portman, become victim of a mutiny and then find themselves lost in the Sargasso Sea. But wait! There is an island offering salvation, only it's a bit of a time warp populated by despotic Spanish conquistadors. Oh and the landscape is filled with man-eating beasties, including rampaging seaweed.
Based on Dennis Wheatley's novel Uncharted Seas, it's a film where adults have to double check to see if they have had some bad liquor, while the kids delight in the garish colours and rubber monsters. It's all very surreal, and daft, and not quite a masterpiece of "Z" grade cinema, but it is fun, even if for those of us who like a drink, we will never ever be drunk enough to embrace its madness fully. 7/10
What on earth have I just watched?!
ErinW1423522 September 2020
I don't even know where to start. I thought this was going to be a serious adventure film but once the crew and passengers had abandoned ship it all started to get a bit surreal.
The monsters were hilarious. I particularly enjoyed the giant scorpion that looked like it had escaped from the Robot Wars studio. To give the actors their due, they treated all this 100% seriously.
It's all quite watchable, in a fantasy sort of way, and there was a reasonable plot. But having seen the film through to the end, I'm still not sure what kind of audience it was aimed at or what genre of film I would place it in.
Do watch it if you like stuff that isn't run of the mill.
The monsters were hilarious. I particularly enjoyed the giant scorpion that looked like it had escaped from the Robot Wars studio. To give the actors their due, they treated all this 100% seriously.
It's all quite watchable, in a fantasy sort of way, and there was a reasonable plot. But having seen the film through to the end, I'm still not sure what kind of audience it was aimed at or what genre of film I would place it in.
Do watch it if you like stuff that isn't run of the mill.
The Love Boat On Acid?
ClassixFan29 June 2007
OK, I have actually heard this Hammer film described in the summary line I gave this comment. This was the first Hammer film I ever saw, although I was 6 or 7 at the time, so I had no clue who put out this little gem. My cousins and I watched it on late-night TV on Thanksgiving night and we sat there, mouths wide open and totally entranced in what was going on in the film. Sure, this isn't the best film ever released by Hammer Studios, but I'll go to my grave fighting that while it may not be a classic in the usual terms, it is most entertaining.
How can you not enjoy man-eating seaweed, descendants of the Spanish Inquistion, the strangest sea-beasties you've ever laid eyes on and an opening tune that you can't get out of your head, days after viewing it! While this isn't a film I'd recommend to most classic fantasy film fans or even Hammer film fans to go out and purchase, blindly, I would recommend at least giving it a view, it certainly isn't a kind of film where you'll want to pluck your eyes out, after viewing and who knows, if you watch it in the right frame of mind, you may end up enjoying it.
How can you not enjoy man-eating seaweed, descendants of the Spanish Inquistion, the strangest sea-beasties you've ever laid eyes on and an opening tune that you can't get out of your head, days after viewing it! While this isn't a film I'd recommend to most classic fantasy film fans or even Hammer film fans to go out and purchase, blindly, I would recommend at least giving it a view, it certainly isn't a kind of film where you'll want to pluck your eyes out, after viewing and who knows, if you watch it in the right frame of mind, you may end up enjoying it.
BIZARRE! Scared me to death when I was seven.
Horror Fan6 February 1999
This is a piece of weird garbage from British vaults. I don't watch very many British films, but this one really appealed to me because it's so bizarre just like a Japanese film. This begins strange enough with a silly postmodern song (I have discovered....The Lost Continent!) that really doesn't go along with the movie. Then this is like Titanic on drugs. Alchoholic jerk of a captain is taking his rundown ship with explosives on board that will go off when it gets wet (what a safe thing to take on a sea voyage) along with disfuntional passengers with horrible lives and mutinous crew to South America. The captian tears up a hurricane warning and the ship runs into a hurricane. The ship springs a leak and the crew mutinies. This man eating seaweed attaches itself to the ship and drags it into the swamp covered bay of a lost island in the Sargasso sea where the ships of previous people who have been stranded are. Soon the inhabinates attack. Jimmy Hanley gets strangled by a giant crab, Suzzana Leigh gets attacked by a slimy octopus until a man takes a shot a freeing her and he's the one who gets dragged overboard, and the passengers are attacked by Spaniards who have been stranded there for thousands of years. As I said this film is just wacky, and it's really worth a look.
Did I see the same movie?
littlenemo31 March 2000
After reading the reviews here, I thought I would spend
the 16 dollars and check it out. Are we talking the same movie here guys?? What action?
What gore? One big breasted woman in the last 15 to 20
minutes of this feature does nothing to help save this
poor excuse of a movie!! I'm a big fan of old sci-fi/horror B movies, but 75 minutes into this 97 minute movie and all I've seen is
seaweed that burns the captains hand. The back of the box reads "the terrified travelers encounter unspeakable monsters, man-eating seaweed, vicious mutant pirates and stupendously endowed woman." It should say "the one dimensional crew encounter a giant
rubber octopus and crab, acid-like seaweed, one bad pirate
with a scar, and one buxom pirate. All in the last 20 minutes of this great adventure!!"
the 16 dollars and check it out. Are we talking the same movie here guys?? What action?
What gore? One big breasted woman in the last 15 to 20
minutes of this feature does nothing to help save this
poor excuse of a movie!! I'm a big fan of old sci-fi/horror B movies, but 75 minutes into this 97 minute movie and all I've seen is
seaweed that burns the captains hand. The back of the box reads "the terrified travelers encounter unspeakable monsters, man-eating seaweed, vicious mutant pirates and stupendously endowed woman." It should say "the one dimensional crew encounter a giant
rubber octopus and crab, acid-like seaweed, one bad pirate
with a scar, and one buxom pirate. All in the last 20 minutes of this great adventure!!"
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