User reviews

A group of scientists tunnel to the center of the Earth to find a refuge from the dangers of the atomic world. As the team of the scientific people : Bruce Kellogg, Otto Waldis, Jim Bannon... , among them one woman : Marilyn Walsh , use a gigantic drilling for a risked expidition. The scientific compatriots descend into deep caverns filled with stalactites and stalagmites and looking for a tunnel system leading to the center . All of them drilling into the forbidden depths of the Earth resulting in surprising as well as fateful consequences. A thousand miles down...Ten-thousand Thrills Deep! A Journey to the Center of the Earth . Shocking drama of a woman who's lost life's most precious gifts! . Daring scenes of the forbidden depths at the heart of the world! Adventure into the unknown! Drilling into the forbidding depths of the earth!

A shocking and fantastic drama with daring scenes of the forbidden depth at the heart of the world. It blends usual issue in the Fifties about the risks of the nuclear war along the classic story of Jules Verne's Voyage to the Center of the Earth. The highlights of the movie are the numerous risks and dangers they have to deal with . Big start winds down fast and being nicely shot by Terry Morse, sometimes credited Terrell O. Morse. Stars a lot of B and mostly unknown actors giving passable interpretations, such as : Bruce Kellogg, Jim Bannon, Otto Waldis, Marilyn Walsh, uncredited Victor Killan, among others.

Produced by expert producer Robert Lippert who financed various fantasy movies and two FX expert professionals : Irving Block and Jack Rabin, both of provide tradicional and primitive especial effects, but really effective, adding abundant matte-painting . It contains a thrilling and evocative musical score by Ernest Gold to be continued a successful career with excellent soundtracks as a great composer. The motion picture was regular y professionally directed by Terry O Morse. He was a good craftsman and an expert editor. He shot various films about all kinds of genres with penchant for fantasy and Sci-Fi. As Terry directed films as Godzilla, Taffy, Fog Island, Godzilla King of the Monsters, Tear Gas Squad, Waterfront, On the Trail, Don Ricardo returns, Dillinger, Danny Boy, British Inteligence, among others. Rating : 5.5/10. In spite of not being a notable, neither extraordinary film, it results an acceptable and decent entry in the Fiffties, a period in which the Science Fiction genre got great splendor and success.

Let's face it, if you're bothering to read reviews of this film, you are probably going to see it out of a sense of obligation if nothing else. So, it really doesn't matter what I say, now does it?

This is a fairly typical early 1950s not-very-scientific attempt to use the genre as a means for moralizing. The morality of this film is certainly worth listening to for its anti-war, anti-pollution, etc, messages, but the film lacks depth, science of any kind, and, basically, a compelling plot.

Being a fan of 50s sci if, I thought this film started off pretty well. Although there is no obvious crisis looming on the horizon, a scientist and a group of anti-nuke colleagues obtain grant money to explore deep within the earth for the possibility of habitable subterranean environments. Since the film was made in 1950-51, the level of concern regarding nuclear warheads is certainly understandable (too bad some have forgotten about this, eh?).

Much is made about the vehicle which they will use for this journey. The vehicle looks like a suped-up bullet nose Studebaker with a large drill bit attached to it. This vehicle is apparently capable of drilling through several hundred miles of solid rock, without any visible cooling system. As the scientists explore deeper and deeper into the earth, they are not surprised (though I was) to find that most of the crust and upper mantle (my terms, not theirs) are in fact hollow, and have not only gorgeous stalagmites and stalactites, but flat floors graded properly for people to take walks on. Harassed by noxious gasses, magma and pretty poor acting, the cast dwindles as the story devolves into a simple adventure tale.

The acting is generally uneven, and is hampered by the occasionally absurd script. I really don't want to single anybody out, but Marilyn Nash and Bruce Kellogg are particularly off-pace in this one.

The director, Terry Morse, went on to make a few good films (such as the List of Adrian Messenger), and also a lot of other films (the American version of Godzilla, and the timeless classic - not - Love Slaves of the Amazon). And this is sort of below-standard fare in the context of his filmography.

Well, OK then, go see it... You know you want to, and I am not going to stop you... But don't say you didn't have fair warning.

I thought that this would be a typical "lost world" type movie. A bunch of people set out on an adventure to find a hide away from the threat of nuclear war by drilling deep into the earth...sounds similar to a lot of other story lines. Problem is that with effects of this style (not too bad for the time), and acting this bad, I thought at least we would get a cave man or a cheap dinosaur. No, they just keep going deeper and deeper, losing members of the team as they go. It also ends so abruptly that you think the writer just gave up.

This is a bit tedious. Because of the prospect of nuclear annihilation, a group of scientists and zealots decide we had better have a plan, just in case we cannot stay on the surface. Let's explore under the crust. They are all very dull people, but they must have some expertise because they have developed this burrowing device. No one explains how it runs but it seems to have an endless supply of fuel. It is like a mole (it even looks like a mole) as it burrows through solid rock. Some of the film involves their nutty plan being presented to various corporations and, of course, being turned down. Finally, the playboy son of a financier decides it would be a cool adventure and funds the whole thing. They set out, working their ways through boring scenery and endless dropping into the depths of the earth. There is a device like an EEG that indicates how many miles they are going down. At one point, they leave the water cooler on and all their water drains out (hey Culligan man). Anyway, they come to realize that you can't spend your lives running away (unless you are a knight in Spamalot) and the old earth with its palm trees and oceans and sunlight and fertility ain't so bad after all. It is awfully preachy. Every so often they stop and make uninterrupted speeches about their roles in the world and their abject loneliness. It doesn't work very well.

UNKNOWN WORLD isn't so much a badly made film as it is a very boring one.

The story is essentially a riff on Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH with a 1951 spin: a group of scientists become convinced that nuclear holocaust is inevitable and seek to locate a safe haven for mankind inside the earth itself. They develop a machine they call a "cyclotram," which might be described as a strangely art deco-styled drill bit with seating for six, descend into an extinct volcano, and work hard to put you to sleep within the first twenty minutes of the film.

Considering that you still have fifty-four minutes to go, it might be just as well if you did doze off at that point, for the film doesn't get any better. If you stay awake for the rest of it, you will find that they don't do much actual drilling; apparently the interior of the earth is riddled with dandy tubes ideal for cyclotram travel. Now and then they pause to argue needlessly, kill off a character or two, argue needlessly, look for water, and then argue needlessly some more. Eventually they do reach a space that might be used as a sanctuary from nuclear war; when they do, they all argue needlessly some more.

The cast is not actually bad enough to make fun of but neither are they actually adequate, so there's no joy to be had in either direction; the visual effects are much the same. The Millard Kaufman script is a clunker if ever there was one, but director Terry Morse--a Hollywood workhorse if ever there was one--manages to give the thing enough cohesion to keep it going, so once again it's not quite bad enough to laugh at nor is it entertaining on its own merits.

The absolute best that can be said for UNKNOWN WORLD is that it is tiresome, and indeed I had to play this DVD no less than four times before I could get through it without falling asleep. If that sounds like a joke, I assure you that it is not. The movie is so dull that you will feel you are settling to the bottom of a subterranean sea. Bon Voyage.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Don'tcha just yearn for those simpler days? Well...it overflows in this film: simple plot; simple effects; simpleton acting. Some preachy dialogue. Inferiority, typical of low-budget, 50s, b & w, sci-fi; concluding with a happy ray of hope, after a quintet decides to board a drilling capsule and escape contemporary threats (i. e., the nuclear bomb) by boring into inner space. Perhaps too much boring for a majority of viewers: the blandness will be overly-intense. By the way, it's a trio at movie's end, but not because of any ferocious animal-life: the most violent beasts here are rabbits. P. S...If the sun doesn't penetrate under ground, why was there any light down there? (So bright, in fact, that, in one place, there were shadows.) Only YOU can determine if it justifies any of your time and/or money to watch; but, in my opinion, it ain't worth much.

The film begins with some stock footage about nuclear war and is part of a presentation scientists are making in order to drum up support for an ark, of sorts, to be sent deep within the planet. This way, in case we have a nuclear war, the species can survive deep inside mother Earth. The story, at times, is highly reminiscent of Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.

When I rented this film, I assumed based on the box cover that it was a typical low-budget 1950s sci-fi/horror film. However, to my surprise, there were no bug-eyed monsters, alligators or lizards with cheap fins pasted on or silly masked ghouls. While it certainly did not have a huge budget, the film made a genuine effort to entertain, have SOME basis in scientific facts of the day and say something about mankind. While some might find this all pretty dull, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought and in hindsight I am glad the usual silly and schlocky monsters and such were missing. Now this isn't to say this is a masterpiece. Occasionally, the characters behave a bit silly--such as their needlessly bickering (which makes no sense for such an expedition) and the science behind all this is suspect (such as the lack of differences in air pressure, the presence of drinkable water as well as breathable air over a thousand miles inside the Earth and their ability to ascend at an incredible rate without exploding!). Still, it is oddly compelling and the acting (while they weren't arguing) was pretty good. Plus, unlike JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, it's nice NOT to see dinosaurs and other creatures waiting to greet our heroes.

Final verdict--well worth a look and a decent time-passer despite some limitations.

PS--This film is from Alpha Video--one of the worst producers of DVDs out there. Fortunately, unlike many of their films which are scratchy public domain prints, this one is a very good copy and is very watchable.

First Incredible Petrified World (See my review), and now Unknown World. It's safe to say that after watching both of these flicks, not a whole lot happens under the earth's crust. After about 6 or 7 tries and a couple chapter skips I was finally able to make it through this movie. There are a few scientists who are members of the Society To Save Mankind (or something similar) that invent a machine to go 1,000 miles into the earths interior to escape the inevitable doomsday brought on by nuclear weapons.

First off there is a corkscrew on the front of this machine, one would assume for boring into the earth, however, the corkscrew is about 1/8 the size of the rest of the vehicle behind it, so other than making neat little holes here and there, I dunno what good it would do someone trying to bore through the earth. As luck would have it, there is pretty much a 1,000 mile flat road from the surface of the earth down. Seems it's inside an inactive volcano. (Why these folks didn't just take a pickup truck instead of a vehicle that goes like 3 miles an hour, I dunno) So the scientists and a young chiseled chinned rich boy who funded the mission for his own kicks, start their slow decent.

The majority of the movie shows the vehicle driving on a downward slope at an extremely slow rate. Kinda like the movie. Every now and again something very exciting happens, like the group gets thirsty and don't have water and has to find some. Other exciting bits include climbing down a rock. I don't want to give away the ending, but the CORE looks a lot like the surface, except you can't procreate down there for some reason, so every decides to head back up. I think the moral was the grass isn't always greener? Or maybe it's that doesn't matter what we do now that we have nuclear weapons we're all screwed.

I would recommend this movie if you are suffering from insomnia. It put me to sleep within 10 minutes more than once and is prefect for those nights when you just can't seem to get any sleep. Zzzzzz

I have probably watched this science-fiction movie more than any other over the years, principally because it continues to bring back a happy childhood memory of mine--playing "cyclotram" in my parent's San Fernando Valley laundry room, using our washing machine as my control panel!

The movie, which actually stars Victor Kilian--but whose name has been eliminated for some reason from all extant prints (by his choice?)--is the improbable (and highly unscientific) tale of a journey undertaken by a group of scientists into the Earth, via an amphibious machine called a "cyclotram", in order to find a possible "safe haven for mankind." It isn't really a very exciting movie, it isn't really a very good movie, but I LOVE IT!

Side note: although portions of this movie were "filmed in Carlsbad Caverns" (all second-unit work, it would appear), the majority of the "underground" scenes were filmed in Los Angeles' Griffith Park's famed Bronson Caves!

A group of scientists drive an enclosed vehicle into an extinct volcano and then bore more than a thousand miles into the earth. They're searching for underground sanctuaries in case the surface of the earth becomes uninhabitable due to nuclear warfare. This is one of those low-budget, black-and-white films from the 50's that you want to laugh at it, and while it does have its share of bad dialog and cheesy special effects, there's an earnest, committed quality here which eventually overcomes most of the obvious faults. Viewers looking for cheap thrills will be disappointed.

Cheapjack Lippert Pictures had an unexpected success with Rocketship XM (1950). I expect this little slice of sci-fi was intended as a follow-up (check out the similar opening scenes). However, instead of burrowing into outer space in a rocketship, these adventurers burrow into inner earth in what looks like a fat submarine with a drill for a nose.

They're playing mole because staying on top like everyone else looks like sure death thanks to nuclear weapons. So six hardy Adams and one Eve set out in their big drill to found a new world and refuge for humanity. Naturally, things don't go entirely as expected, otherwise there'd be no movie. And, of course, not all seven survive.

Actually, the special effects aren't bad considering the challenges of a fantastic inner earth. Then too, I'm surprised Lippert popped for location shooting all the way to New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns. However, it's also a no-name cast that unfortunately performs like one, except for Killian and Nash who manage a few sparks of life. All in all, it's an interestingly offbeat slice of 50's sci-fi despite the big cheese factor.

(In passing—thanks IMDb for the info on Killian's billing or I should say lack of billing. Killian was one of those distinctive supporting players who could make any movie better.)

Well, to be fair, in 1951, there was still a great deal of conjecture about the Earth's inner structure; not only was the theory of "plate tectonics" completely unknown (it's no longer considered a theory), that the core was a viscous super-heated liquid with a solid center (outer core and inner core) was merely a conjecture (today it too is considered fact). This picture strikes me as a sort of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959) meets "The Core" (2003), with perhaps a little more emphasis on the latter.

What was surprising was to see that the credit for music went to Ernest Gold (who appears to have scored a number of forgettable pictures earlier in his career). Gold would go on to score "The Young Philadelphians " (1959), "On the Beach" (1959), "Inherit the Wind" (1960), "Exodus" (1960) and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963); he won an Oscar for the score to "Exodus." Words were added in 1961 by Pat Boone(!) as "This Land Is Mine." Various versions charted in 1961, including by the piano duo Ferrante & Teicher and Montavani. It still can be heard today on radio stations that program older popular music.

With Unknown World I think we got an idea what Journey To The Center Of The Earth would have been like had it been shot on G string budget. It has everything in it, but the prehistoric Dimetrodons. We have to be content with fossil remains of prehistoric creature. Of course there's a good reason that the creatures don't survive which you will discover if you watch the film.

Despite that the film is a lot better than what usually came out of Lippert films. Scientist Victor Kilian is convinced that mankind is going to blow itself up and he thinks our survival might depend on finding an underground refuge deep in the earth. He assembles a team of scientists for an expedition and they are a lot better equipped than James Mason and his team were.

That is due to the generosity of millionaire/adventurer Bruce Kellogg whose persona suggests Howard Hughes. There's also a female zoologist aboard in the person of Marilyn Nash. Kellogg and another scientist Jim Bannon are in heat over her.

The message about universal disarmament delivered by Kilian is a sincere one and makes this B film quite relevant for today. Would that Lippert could have given them a bit more in production values.

Scientists and passengers travel deep underground to find a safe haven from nuclear war. The acting is good enough, complete with hysterical women. Scenery is interesting but the dinosaur looks like a man in a dinosaur costume. The characters do way too much bickering. They are more in danger from themselves than they are are from the creatures in the cavern.

Yikes, but this is a rotten film. The premiss is that in the face of impending nuclear doom we are all to take shelter under the surface of the planet. Luckily for us, the ground beneath our feet is only skin deep; thereafter it is full of beautiful features, cool clear water and an astonishing degree of natural light (emanating from an inexhaustible source of phosphorescent boulders, of course). It's bunkum! The trio of adventurers are as out of their depth as their submarine. Many think that Victor Killan's lack of a credit was due to a blacklist. I'd be inclined to think it was about his seeing this film afterwards and doing some career damage limitation. The effects are pretty low-budget and there is absolutely no chemistry at all between the cast.

First off, this story is loaded with scientific inaccuracies, the acting is somewhat inconsistent and the premise itself is rather preposterous. However, I found this film addictive and have watched it on a reasonably regular basis. You have a group of people, who decide that the threat of human annihilation is SO likely, it's worth the expense and risk to seek refuge deep in the bowels of the earth. This is all explained in detail in a rather convincing faux newsreel that immediately follows the opening credits. Soon, our less than harmonious crew of seven is locked together in the confines of a tunneling vehicle (called a Cyclotram) headed deep into the earth's interior completely cut off from civilization. There was animosity among some members to begin with, and now stuck together in the not–so-roomy vehicle, patience is predictably thin. Although, the science is off, the crew encounters adversities that are more realistic then most movies of this type. Such things as water shortages, UN-breathable pockets of gas, falling, boiling hot steam and indeed separation from humanity are the enemies they face. This isn't "action adventure" type science fiction, it's more drama based. Don't look for giant lizards or monsters. What makes this movie work for me is its overall dark mood. The dim photography, the music, the character's overall moods and the almost complete lack of any indigenous animal life creates a very melancholy atmosphere. I think the film does an excellent job of conveying the crew's loneliness and uncertainty. It's low budget only intensifies the somber feel. The crew even has a conversation about how their moods are changing (apparently from isolation). Because of all this, when they do discover something that seems to bring a little hope, you almost share their sense of invigoration. I wish this film would get a remastering and a decent release. Ironically the VHS version is far superior to the present DVD. For instance, the DVD is missing the first 12 seconds of the opening credits, including the entire "Lippert Pictures, Inc. Presents" and a bit of the title shot. Also the film is so poorly cropped that Marilyn Nash's name lies almost out of sight hidden the the bottom of the frame. Letters are also cropped off at the right. The newsreel has so many breaks that quite a few of the announcer's words are cut out. If you still own a VCR, it's actually worth picking up a VHS copy. You'd notice that on VHS the credits and newsreel are very much intact and the whole movie is a much better viewing experience.

This is how to make a science fiction film.

Seven people make a journey into the Earth's interior. Unlike James Mason and Pat Boone, they do so with the premise of finding a new habitat for humanity in what they think is an impending nuclear horror that awaits the surface.

And unlike the Mason film, the caves of the interior are more "geoligcal" in appearance. It isn't the splendor of cinematography here, but the cinematography of "atmosphere".

The atmosphere here is a "geological" one, full of rocks and darkness.

The characters are what makes this a great film. It sounds like a "critic" view, but in actuality, most people want great characters, whether they know it or not. If a character can't hold your interest, or isn't worth caring about, you aren't going to enjoy what happens. It's why "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" is still enjoyed by some, while "Enemy Mine" has gone into Oblivion, even though "Enemy Mine" is a modern movie.

Six of the characters are scientists, and one is a wealthy playboy who has bought his ticket.

The characters go through changes, and by that, I mean credible changes. We can actually buy into them, even the one who goes over the edge. It is a world that they explore which could easily make one go over the edge.

The themes here are multiple. The science of boring through rock so deep is far fetched, but that's the "sci if" aspect of this. It's "credible characters" in an "incredible situation", and that is what makes classic science fiction.

This is not as bad a picture as some of the other reviews suggest.

I'm not saying it's a great movie, but it IS surprisingly well done for being made with no money.

It's an odd movie in that it's not really the kind of sci fi you'd expect. There are no monsters or other creatures.

It a straightforward story about finding a alternative place to live in case of nuclear war.

It does drag a bit, but it's worth a watch.

The plot.

Dr. Jerimiah Morley becomes convinced that the world is headed to an inevitable worldwide nuclear war.

He organizes an expedition made up of a team of expert scientists and an atomic-powered rock-boring vehicle called a "cyclotram" to find a subterranean environment where holocaust survivors could live indefinitely.

When funding falls through, independently rich adventurer Wright Thompson underwrites the project under the condition that he be allowed to go.

As the group goes deeper beneath the Earth's crust, personalities clash, tempers flare, and the dangerous journey claims the lives of several expedition members.

When they come upon an enormous underground expanse with its own ocean and phosphorescent light, it appears that their goal has been achieved.

What should have been an interesting trip ends up as a rather dreary and none too exciting (despite filming in New Mexico's famed Carlsbad Caverns) slice of modest sci-fi. The main problem is not the cheap special effects (some are actually not too bad at all), but the characters. Without exception, they are a most unengaging lot. The heroine and Mr Kellogg are the only players that connect at all, though Miss Nash is often unflatteringly photographed and Mr Kellogg tends to out-stay his welcome. Otto Waldis, as usual, tries to hog the camera, managing to deduct at least two points from the film's appeal in the process. The other players just don't register at all. Blame Millard Kaufman's lackluster screenplay. This is certainly no Raintree County, let alone Bad Day at Black Rock.

Despite his second-string cast, Terry Morse's direction manages two or three moments of real effectiveness, but in a 74-minute movie, that's far from an acceptable figure.