Other than that irritant the video portion of this release looks pretty good. Three men and a woman crash land in a deep crater in antarctica, where they find a prehistoric world. But those who are fans of 1950s scifi, especially the subgenre known as lost world films, will still get a kick out of it, as will all aficionados of bad movies. It looks much better than the 2007 dvd, simply because the added resolution gives us a better look at the special effects. Read the the land unknown movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. Practically every other shot is a complicated optical. It was also the first time i got to compare the pan and scan process against the letterbox, as they ran that version for prime time and the letterboxed version reran overnight. By comparison, the maninsuitasaur godzilla looks as if it were sculpted by michelangelo, and gorgo is a firstclass work of art.
The picture is plagued with excess noise caused, i am guessing, by kinos transfer techs dialing up the image sharpness. There isnt much good to say about the land unknown. The film, produced by joel silver, leonard goldberg and andrew rona, is based on the 2003 french novel by didier van cauwelaert published in english as out of my head which was adapted as the films screenplay by oliver. Generous portions of, the 1948 documentary on the byrd antarctic expedition, were worked into the action of the land unknown. But at least theres some romantic aspect to this film that makes it a product of its time. There, they encounter steamy tropical forest, dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and human footprints, as maggies clothes become more.
Unknown is a 2011 actionthriller film directed by jaume colletserra and starring liam neeson, diane kruger, january jones, aidan quinn, bruno ganz, and frank langella. His helicopter and its small party, including beautiful reporter maggie hathaway, is forced down into a volcanic crater. While not the best of the lot, it was not the worst either. The story was allegedly inspired by the discovery of unusually warm water in antarctica in 1947.
Yes, the maninthesuit tyrannosaurus rex is laughably bad but not without a certain charm. Make no mistake about it, the land unknown is one bad film. Vogel and starring jock mahoney, william reynolds, henry brandon, douglas kennedy, phil. It and the incredible shrinking man must have been expensive films for universal in 1957. Audio commentary with film historians tom weaver and david schecter. It was yet another iteration of the lost world subgenre.
Perhaps not coincidentally, it shares a disc with another film, the deadly mantis, with which it has much in common. As with the others, some undiscovered spot on the earth. It has a b movie cast but does include jock mahoney who was the star of the old tv western the range rider. A few years back i snagged the vhs the day it was released, and i still love it as much as i did as a kid. With jock mahoney, shirley patterson, william reynolds, henry brandon. Oct 05, 2019 the land unknown movie trailer 1957plot synopsis. The land unknown 1957 a navy scientist jock mahoney, a newswoman shawn smith and a helicopter pilot william reynolds find dinosaurs and humidity at the south pole. Large, elaborate jungle sets dominate, including one vast miniature set for its dinosaurs to clomp around in. Rent the land unknown the deadly mantis 1957 on dvd. The lost world scifiadventure movie the land unknown is available today on dvd as part of universal studios classic scifi ultimate collection, just one of 10 films in this impressive box set.
Generous portions of the secret land, the 1948 documentary on the byrd antarctic expedition, were worked into the action of the land unknown. The sets are fantastic, the compositing is really good for a movie of. They find themselves trapped in a lush tropical environment that has. An antarctic expedition uncovers a subterranean world of prehistoric beasts and maneating plants. Navy commander hal roberts is assigned to lead an expedition to little america in antartica to investigate reports of a mysterious warm water inland lake discov. His helicopter and its small party, including beautiful reporter maggie hathaway, is forced down into a volcanic crater by a fierce storm. The land unknown is a 1957 film about three men and a woman who crash land in a deep crater in antarctica, where they find a prehistoric world directed by virgil w. The land unknown is not particularly well remembered, but its a film everyone wants to see. But in the 50s, any movie about dinosaurs without ray harryhaysens golden stop motion effects had severe limits. If you like 50s scifi, this is a good one for its time. Three men and a woman crashland in a deep crater in antarctica, where they find a.
I still think the land unknown has one of the greatest movie posters of all. The land unknown does manage to cleverly incorporate the historical incident of the plane lost in the byrd expedition of 1946. Former stuntman jock mahoney stars and does his own stunts. But those who are fans of 1950s scifi, especially the subgenre known as lost world films, will still get a. Gallery of 22 movie poster and cover images for the land unknown 1957. Its based on the story by charles palmer and is written by laszlo gorog and william n. On a naval expedition to antarctica, three men and reporter maggie hathaway crash land in a crater m below sea level. However, the compositing is nearly seamless, so if it were possible.
The land unknown is a 1957 science fiction cinemascope adventure film about a naval expedition trapped in an antarctic jungle. Sure, some flaws come through but just as many things look better. There, they encounter steamy tropical forest, dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and human footprints, as maggies clothes become more and more abbreviated. Navy commander hal roberts is assigned to lead an expedition to little america in antartica to investigate reports of a mysterious warm water inland lake discovered a.
Kino lorber, as usual, has delivered a pristine version of the movie in both audio and video. When a fierce storm drives them into a cloud bank, their helicopter is disabled and they encounter a hot, tropical landscape. The land unknown fairly good movie, nice special effects. The land unknowns rubbersaurus is in full view, where it all too painfully looks like something for a gradeschool play, albeit with a better finishing job. The movie employs the two worst methods of portraying dinosaurs, and doesnt even do it well. Universals bwing produced a rather major effort for a b movie, with the land unknown lu. The dinosaurs are a mix of puppetsprops, men in suits, and live action footage of monitor lizards. Along for the ride is girl reporter maggie shawn smith, over whose affections hal and jack constantly. Really, i would expect nothing less from a movie where a tyrannosaurus rex is kept at bay with a helicopter blade. It ran as part of amcs monsterfest for halloween in 1995.
Along for the ride is girl reporter maggie shawn smith, over whose affections hal and jack constantly battle making a forced landing in the antarctic. View the land unknown, 1957, directed by virgil vogel, with jock mahoney, shawn smith, william reynolds, in its original aspect ratio. Oct 21, 2010 i saw land unknown sometime in the 1960s, probably around 8 or 9 years old. Navy commander hal roberts is assigned to lead an expedition to little america in antartica to investigate reports of a mysterious warm water inland lake discovered a decade earlier.
Giant carnivorous creatures threaten innocent humans in these two classic sci fi actioners. A navy expedition led by commander hal roberts jock mahoney is sent to explore a mysterious warmwater region shrouded in the ice of antarctica. The land unknown is helmed by longtime tv director virgil w. May 12, 2019 if you can look beyond the cheesy, bargain basement special effects, the land unknown is a fine little adventure film. The land unknown i first saw at my cousins house in suffern, ny along with curse of the cat people when i was very young in the 1970s. The land unknown 1957 page 12 classic horror film board. Land unknown is a lost world type movie, this one from the 1950s. It is odd that such a film was released in 1957, when science fiction seemed to be changing somewhat the land unknown seems like a film that might have been produced ten years earlier.
Just about every movie of this type made up until the 80s ends this way. Overview of the land unknown, 1957, directed by virgil vogel, with jock mahoney, shawn smith, william reynolds, at turner classic movies. A navy expedition sent to explore a mysterious warmwater region shrouded in the ice of antarctica, crashlands in a crater m below sea level and. Practically every other shot is a complicated optical, filmed in cinemascope. The land unknown was one of the very first times i saw a letterboxed movie on tv. It being a movie from the 50s, there are little scenes of scientific briefings at the beginning of the film, and even a little science film within the film. Navy commander hal roberts is assigned to lead an expedition to little america in antartica to investigate.
Trust the 1950s scifi movies to educate the viewer. Featuring unbelievable special effects, the land unknown is a frightening adventure from the golden age of science fiction. It may have been made with good intentions and had a place on tv and at driveins around the country, but its aged horribly and. The sets are fantastic, the compositing is really good for a movie of this era, and the blackandwhite cinemascope looks amazing. It starred jock mahoney and shirley patterson and was directed by. It wasnt the lousy dinosaur effects that frustrated me so much as their infrequency. Would like to see more movies like this from that time period. It starred jock mahoney and shirley patterson and was directed by virgil w. Jock mahoney and william reynolds play hal and jack, leaders of an expedition to the south pole. The land unknown 1957 cast and crew a navy scientist jock mahoney, a newswoman shawn smith and a helicopter pilot william reynolds find dinosaurs and humidity at the south pole.
Sep 11, 2012 really, i would expect nothing less from a movie where a tyrannosaurus rex is kept at bay with a helicopter blade. Honesty, i had never heard of this movie before and up to this point, i thought i had covered all the unknown islandcontinentworld fantasy movies. I would imagine that to a kid in 1957 that it was probably pretty darn cool. Rent the land unknown the deadly mantis 1957 on dvd and. The land unknown to start off this digression week, we return to 1957. Three men and a woman crashland in a deep crater in antarctica, where they find a prehistoric world. Back then, and now, i dont watch a movie like this for ponderous profundities on mans place in the universe or chauvinistic romancemush. In the land unknown, a team of explorers forced to land at the south pole find themselves in an uncharted region full of vicious prehistoric animals. In the incident of the lost antarctic plane in 1947, six men survived and were rescued days later. Along for the ride is girl reporter maggie shawn smith, over whose affections hal and jack constantly battle.