l_mammel
Joined Aug 2007
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l_mammel's rating
I thought this was very well paced in the way the usual complications were introduced and resolved. The beautiful young innocent accused is seeing a fortune teller, but it is telegraphed early on that she has designs. What are they? Then the involvements of the several players, including the victim, are also revealed, step by step. Finally the big picture takes shape at the usual "preliminary hearing", and we are put on tenterhooks with the subpoena of the very attractive surprise witness. I have to say I was quite taken with Madame Zillia, and her part gave her full play. Also, one of the best red herrings ever, if that's not too much of a spoiler. I was surprised to see that Lori March, as Madame Zillia, has a very thin filmography, although this is the last of her five Perry Masons, which is certainly enough to make her familiar to a devotee. Finally I must mention that Paul Drake had a lot of interesting involvement in the case, particularly in one unusual scene, and then a memorable closing vignette with Perry. I have to say I felt quite engaged for the entire hour.
I saw this movie first run at the Strand in Summit, N.J., attracted by the scientific slant of the title. My most vivid recollection is of the stock footage at the beginning illustrating the crisis in the Atlantic. ( This is very similar to the beginning of Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. ) The documentary style had the desired effect on my impressionable mind, and I recall being quite disturbed by it and wondering why I hadn't known about all this, until the fictive nature of the proceedings was reestablished by the appearance of sets and actors. I do recall the general trend of the action as an encounter with an underwater UFO, an idea which has gained traction more recently. Of course, this encounter elicited the usual remarks about the unknown and alien nature of the materials, which I always wondered about, because ... what could it be? I do recall the dialog establishing the alien ship as made of "living material", but beyond that my memory is dim. Nevertheless the experience of it remains a landmark for me.