The Land Unknown

Okay, I love lost world films. I'm a sucker for them. It has to do more with the monsters more than anything else. Here we a bunch of reasonably okay dinosaurs running amok.

The plot is simple, a helicopter crashes into what had, until then, been a hidden tropical jungle in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. It then becomes a race to repair the helicopter before the dinosaurs eat the entire party.

This is a reasonably well done movie with some reasonably well done dinosaurs that get points for NOT being lizards enlarged with trick photography. No they aren't the best monsters in the world and nowhere near as good as what they do today, but what monster is, aside from King Kong? Frankly its the dinosaurs in both the relative quality of what was done and the variety of what we see that makes this movie for me.

I'm hoping that the film will get a restored DVD release soon. This film was shot widescreen however the release on videotape is pan and scan so much of the composition appears to have been lost. I've seen a widescreen trailer and the dinosaur scenes looked better un-pan and scanned.

If you love old black and white, monster or dinosaur films see this film. Yes its been done before but there is something about the way its done here that lifts it up from the rest of the pack.

8 out of 10 for dinosaur/monster lovers.

This rip-roaring sci-fi adventure scores high marks in several categories. The story concerns four people whose helicopter lands in an unknown prehistoric valley, a freak temperate zone located thousands of feet below sea level in the Antarctic, kept warm by volcanically-heated water and a permanent cloud layer that traps the warm air.

The special effects are by Universal's FX wizard Clifford Stine, and even though the dinosaurs are not animated, they aren't badly done. The Tyrannosaurus Rex is a man in a suit, the flippered dinosaur is fairly convincing puppet, and the rest are enlarged lizards. All the dinosaurs are skillfully integrated with live action shots.

Stine loaded the film with wonderful scenes of the fog-shrouded prehistoric landscape, using marvelous matt shots and impressive sets, creating a Skull Island atmosphere.

In some ways, this is the perfect 1950's sci-fi film, because it proudly presents a wealth of facts about the Antarctic before it begins its fanciful story.

The music by Joseph Gershenson is extremely effective. Director Virgil Vogel ("The Mole People") keeps the action moving right along. Hero Jock Mahoney (who later played Tarzan) is a stalwart hero, and Shawn Smith (the stern lady astronaut in "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" and the luscious babe in a mini-skirt in "World Without End") makes a gorgeous heroine. Henry Brandon does a commendable job as a half-crazed survivor from a previous expedition -- and I read somewhere that he was actually a member of the 1947 Bird Expedition to the North Pole. Don't remember where I read it, so I might be misinformed.

While in a military expedition to Antarctica by ship, helicopter pilot Lt. Jack Carmen (William Reynolds), mechanic Steve Miller (Phil Harvey) and civilian journalist Margaret "Maggie" Hathaway (Shawn Smith) travel to investigate a mysterious oasis with hot water under the command of Commander Harold Roberts (Jock Mahoney). However a pterodactyl hits the helicopter and they are forced to land below the sea level on a foggy land with dinosaurs and other pre-historical animals and plants. Soon they stumble upon the lonely Dr. Carl Hunter (Henry Brandon), lost in another expedition twelve years ago. He offers a way out to the three military provided they leave Maggie with him. What will they do?

"The Land Unknown" is a dated black-and-white adventure with a group stranded in a pre-historical land with carnivorous plants, dinosaurs and pterodactyls. The film is entertaining and it seems that in 1947 was discovered warm water in Antarctica. The good guys are military, still a reflex of the WWII, and the lead actress has the usual female attitudes of the 50´s, fainting and screaming when in danger. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "No Mundo dos Monstros Pré-Históricos" ("In the World of Pre-Historical Monsters")

I first remember seeing 'The Land Unknown' as a kid. It really left a big impression on me and I never forgot that movie. Since that time, I've seen it a few more times, most recently just the other day. Although the special effects, prehistoric dinosaurs and scenery are not up to today's standards, it is still an excellent movie. I believe this film is very under rated and 'The Land Unknown' should be considered as a classic lost land movie of the 50s. If you are a fan of horror/sci-fi movies of the 50s and early 60s, this is a must see movie. There are flaws in this movie but that's how it was back then. The movie has to be watched keeping in mind the context of the times it was shown. You will still find a very enjoyable, exciting, action, sci-fi movie. If you are caught up in the high tech, high budget movies of today, and looking for a flawless film, this might not be for you. This is a fine film, tucked away, waiting to take it's rightful place in the history of cinema. Watch it if you can. You'll be glad you did.

This film is a very good entry in the late '50s sci-fi cycle, about a group of explorers and scientists who discover a lost tropical world below sea level in Antarctica (!) Reynolds (the pilot), Mahoney (the scientist), Smith, and Harvey crash-land and encounter dinosaurs and a survivor from an earlier expedition (Brandon). Great (although obviously indoor) sets, literate script, and good acting are the pluses. The dinosaurs are pretty shaky, especially the Tyrannosaurus (a guy walking around inside a dinosaur suit).

Mahoney seems a little miscast, but Brandon steals the show as the loner...his acting actually conveys the feeling that he's been stuck here alone for years. This is a very good B+/A- sci-fi film that should better known than it is.