La ciudad bajo el agua

OK adventure story about two soused divers who latch onto the whereabouts of a bunch of gold buried somewhere under the ocean.

Bob Ryan and Tony Quinn go through the paces with their respective love interests, Mala Powers and Suzan Ball. Not bad for this kind of Saturday afternoon entertainment. Suzan Ball passed away at a very young age. When Suzan fell deathly ill, her husband at the time, actor Richard Long ('Jarod' on The Big Valley TV show), reportedly stayed at her bedside for long hours until, in her delirium right before she died, Suzan uttered "Tony!".... (Quinn). This upset Long to no end... (how awkward).

Good 1950's treasure-hunting film. Suzan sings in a nightclub followed by a big bar fight. Mala is hot in her swimsuit.

CITY BENEATH THE SEA lacks the complexity of Budd Boetticher's "best" work (his later "Ranown" westerns, the earlier THE BULLFIGHTER AND THE LADY), but it's highly sweet-smelling trash, with great wise guy performances by Robert Ryan and Anthony Quinn. Filled with almost as many double entendres as the most eyebrow-raising Sam Fuller works of the same period, it succeeds as pure entertainment even if you don't care a whit about the so-called plot (a race to discover sunken treasure amidst voodoo spells, wild dames and Technicolor Jamaican scenery). Good supporting performances by Mala Powers and Karel Stepanek, crackling dialogue and bizarre underwater scenes (part matte, part miniature, part studio tank). Don't expect RIDE LONESOME or SEVEN MEN FROM NOW and you'll find plenty to enjoy.

This movie is pretty run of the mill under water sea adventure stuff , very typical of the era .The best scene however is in the tropical bar.Who ever chose or built the set did a great job.The bamboo theme, national geographic erotica style is unfortunately a thing of the past.Why the hell can't we have really cool bars like this to go to .At least a half decent joint where you can throw on a pair of old service chinos and a cool hawaiian shirt, drink rum colas and check out the dames!If anybody knows places like this let me know!

Two deep-sea salvage divers, Brad Carlton and Tony Bartlett, arrive in Jamaica for a job. They are contracted to recover gold from a cargo ship that has just gone down with all it's hands. They search the co-ordinates they have been given but find nothing. Taking time off from the job, Brad begins to fall for the captain of the ship they contracted and dreams of a quieter life, while Tony is approached by the (supposedly dead) captain of the sunken ship with the real co-ordinates and an offer of a cut of the gold if he salvages it without telling the ship's owners.

The exotic location, the beat of voodoo drums, beautiful women, comradeship, sinister villains, what else could this be but a B-movie! Even the gaudy colours from the very start reveal this to be what it is. The plot is pure B but is still reasonably enjoyable. It is strongest at the start where Brad and Tony are together, whereas for the middle section they follow separate stories and the film sags a little bit. The ending is OK but seems to lack real excitement or tension. The central relationship between the two men is interesting when it is tested and I wish that the film had explored this more – as it is, it appears to break and be mended in a matter of minutes without much detail.

The direction is on a par with the quality of the film. The underwater scenes are quite flat and are clearly as near to being in a real sea as I am right now. The limitations of whatever soundstage or tank they filmed them in means that the scenes all occur in small areas, which again takes the edge off a little too much. The setting of the film calls for an exotic feel but the majority of the cast are American (white) actors. Even in a scene where voodoo dancers dance round a fire it is clear that the skin of those involved is very pale, this is maybe to be expected from the period and in shows in the fact that the non-white support cast are credited with names like `half-caste woman'. It makes no difference to the quality but does make it feel a little fake.

The main drawing point for the film is the strength of the two leads, although this is diminished by their separation in the middle section. Quinn is larger than life and a fiery character, he hogs the attention and the only weakness is that he fails to bring out the complexity that he suggests in his character when it is needed (the final third). Ryan is a talented actor and underplays next to Quinn. His presence alone kept me watching although it is undeniable that this is below the quality of his most memorable work. The support cast are OK and fit the B movie billing much better. So in place of characters we get `feisty girl' `bloated villain' `pathetic crooked businessman' etc. They all do OK and never forget their station.

Overall this is a watchable B movie that has all the little touches that make it such. The plot could have been used a lot more effectively in regards the friendship of the two divers but it is watchable nonetheless – mainly due to good performances by both Quinn and Ryan.

There's a certain class of film, it seems above all among those hailing from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, that any well-rounded viewer will surely recognize. They're not bad, and in fact are mildly enjoyable, but are definitely nothing special, and one can usually "watch" without especial active engagement. Such films may be overly casual about exposition, and plot development generally (including in the direction, and subsequently the acting), to the point that some information is imparted so indifferently or outright poorly that it's easy to miss - but it doesn't particularly matter anyway, because the storytelling is on the lighter and less robust side of things. In case it's not already clear, 'City beneath the sea' counts among such films. As one expects we also get some ham-handedness, intended humor that may or may not elicit a real reaction, tiresomely old-fashioned dynamics between men and women, and variable levels of quality. I admire Charles P. Boyle's smart cinematography, for example, including the underwater sequences; in contrast, the sound design is imbalanced and unreliable. The cabaret sequence where we first meet Venita is fun and well done, and Suzan Ball makes a stunning first impression; on the other hand, part of why this scene stands out is because meaningful care and energy was put into it, whereas many other scenes are handled so blithely, often with a happy-go-lucky frivolousness and frivolity, that ensure they come and go as unremarkably as that one square foot of sidewalk you walked over that one day. Don't remember any patch of sidewalk? Yes, that's the point.

The sets are pretty terrific, and the costume design, hair, and makeup are easy on the eyes. Those stunts and effects that are employed are rather splendid. While Ball makes a great first impression, and there are some noteworthy names and faces starring alongside her, the cast don't necessarily stand out otherwise. In addition to meek treatment of the material the picture also struggles with pacing, not least in scenes that take place underwater (remember the dull climax of 'Thunderball?'). There are some swell ideas here, both in terms of scenes and the overall narrative; incidentally, it seems to me that some of the best writing is reserved for moments that include Ball. But too often the plot development, sequencing, and storytelling at large feel scattered, and less than fully committed or convincing. Why, it almost comes across that no one involved was specifically interested in the movie they were making. I don't mean that no effort was made, because that's not true, and there are some definite sparks in the acting. Those sparks are erratic and irregular, however, and no matter how well done the various bits and bobs are, there's a considerable lack of vitality in the feature as a whole. What traits 'City beneath the sea' carries with it at its best - attentiveness, energy, discernible skill and intelligence - needed to be more present and consistent throughout the entire length, in every regard. Had they been, the title would be remembered as more than a footnote in the careers of those who participated in its creation, and one of the few credits to Ball's name. In fairness, the climax is well done, and that quality carries through to the end.

I do like this, but it's something to watch on a quiet, lazy day, and nothing that one needs to go out of their way to see. Moreover, it's recommended most for those who are diehard fans of those on hand; for general audiences, take it or leave it. Granted, not every film needs to be a revelation, and it's enough for some to be gently entertaining. And that's kind of true here. Would that it weren't also so easy to see how the end result might have been improved. 'City beneath the sea' is passably decent if you happen to come across it, and maybe we should just leave it at that.