Atlantis, the Lost Continent
| Atlantis, the Lost Continent | |
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| Directed by | George Pal |
| Produced by | George Pal |
| Written by |
Daniel Mainwaring Gerald Hargreaves (play) |
| Starring |
Sal Ponti (as Anthony Hall) Joyce Taylor John Dall |
| Music by | Russell Garcia |
| Cinematography | Harold E. Wellman |
| Edited by | Ben Lewis |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Atlantis, the Lost Continent is a 1961 American mythological fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Metrocolor, produced and directed by George Pal, that stars Sal Ponti (aka Anthony Hall), Joyce Taylor, and John Dall.
The stoyline concerns the events leading up to the total destruction of the ancient continent of Atlantis during the time of Ancient Greece.
A Greek fisherman named Demetrios (Sal Ponti, under the screen name of Anthony Hall) and his father rescue Princess Antillia (Joyce Taylor) from a shipwreck without knowing that she is from the technologically advanced civilization of Atlantis. After rescuing the princess, Demetrios must travel beyond the Pillars of Hercules to take her home. After they are picked up at sea near Atlantis by a giant fish-like submarine boat, Demetrios, expecting to receive a reward for returning Antillia, is instead enslaved and forced to work in the crater of the volcano that dominates the center of the continent.
King Cronus (Edgar Stehli) is being manipulated by an ambitious usurper, Zaren (John Dall), collaborating with the court sorcerer, Sonoy the Astrologer (Frank DeKova), who wishes to use the resources of Atlantis in order to conquer the known world. From the continent's volcano, the slaves of Atlantis have been mining unique power crystals which absorb the sun's rays and can then be used to fire heat ray beams. The crystals were originally used to produce light and heat, but due to its arrogance, corruption, and moral laxity, Atlantis has made the crystals into a deadly heat ray weapon (similar to a modern-day laser beam), and has now become "an abomination before Heaven".
Taken to the House of Fear, where a mad scientist (Berry Kroeger) turns slaves into beasts, Demetrios is saved by being given the chance to undergo the 'ordeal of fire and water'. He fights with a giant ogre in a pit of burning coals. Demetrios outmaneuvers his clumsy opponent, setting fire to the ogre's hair, the fight contrasting with the uproarious laughter coming from the massive crowd in the coliseum, cheering on the spectacle. Later, after killing the ogre in a rising pool of water, Demetrios is declared a free citizen of Atlantis.
Impending doom hangs heavy in the air of Atlantis. The birds, animals, and even the insects are fleeing what appears to be the coming destruction of the continent. With the help of a kindly high priest named Azar (Edward Platt), who explains these signs of apocalypse to him, Demetrios is later able to rescue Princess Antillia after he has helped the slaves of Atlantis to escape the coming destruction.
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Wikipedia