Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is produced and directed by Irwin Allen out of 20th Century Fox. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett and it stars Walter Pidgeon, Robert Sterling, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Michael Ansara, and Peter Lorre. The theme song was sung by Frankie Avalon, who also appears in the film. Winton Hoch is the cinematographer and the score is a joint collaboration by Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter. It's a CinemaScope/De Luxe presentation.

Admiral Harriman Nelson (Pidgeon) is commander of his new, state of the art nuclear submarine, The Seaview, which is on diving trials in the Arctic Ocean. When the sub surfaces the crew find the sky is burning, it seems that a meteor shower had occurred and a piece has fractured the Van Allen Radiation Belt causing it to catch fire, the result of which is a world-threatening increase in heat all across the Earth. Nelson proposes to the U.N. to detonate a Polaris nuclear missile in the belt to hopefully send it on a reverse spin into outer space. However, his idea is shot down at the meeting and he decides to take matters into his own hands. Setting off for the calculated launching point in the Marianas Trench, the crew of The Seaview must tackle terrors of the deep, pursuing hostile submarines and severe in fighting as the crew start to come apart under pressure.

To those of us who were reared on pre Star Wars sci-fi it's hard to grasp the complaints of the modern audience about old time genre movies and the effects that reside within. Before George Lucas took sci-fi and cinema watching to a different level involving pacey action every other frame, explosions a plenty and money inspired effects: our tastes were happily catered for by solid stories, character development and the odd bit of inspired for its time effects. Enter Irwin Allen's "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" which boasts all those latter points mentioned.

That the film was turned into a television series that ran for 5 seasons (64-68) is arguably the biggest legacy. For at the time of its release the critics gave it a very mixed response, and yet the public made it a hit. Made for roughly $2 million it comfortably made $7 million at the box office to justify Allen's faith in the movie. Watching it now as an adult it has lost none of the charm it had for me as a child. Only differences now are that I can sensibly think about such things as the science involved, observe a cheeky pro-nuclear stance in the Cold War era, and of course admire the form of Barbara Eden in a way I wouldn't have done as a spotty faced kid!.

It's now also a film, thanks to the advent of home entertainment technology, that looks and sounds great. There's plenty of De Luxe colour eye candy visuals, some vintage effects and good quality underwater photography. The production design holds up well, while The Seaview itself, with its on board aquarium and unique eight-window bow view port, remains an indelible piece of sci-fi folklore. The acting isn't called on to be much, but they all deliver professional turns, while Avalon's title song is a catchy piece of harmony. All that and you also get Peter Lorre brooding and taking a shark for a walk!.

Red sky at night is a slice of sci-fi pie delight. 7/10

Fmovies: This is a movie about a state of the art submarine. Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Robert Sterling, and especially Barbara Eden do a superb job of acting. It is also state of the art inasmuch as it has Barbara Eden (Lt. Cathy Connors) on board, Actually no woman ever served on board until 20 years later. The main themes are a trip to the North pole under the ice and that the radiation layer is on fire. Joan Fontaine plays the part of a meddlesome pschiatrist and Michael Ansara plays the part on a religious fanatic who independently helps Joan Fontaine in the meddling dept. Actually the meddling becmes more dangerous than the fire. Incidents with a rebellious crew, a giant octupus etc etc infinitum add fast action. Also there is a love affair between Lt. Cathy Connors (Barbara Eden) and Capt. Crane (Robert Sterling) which add love interest. Barbara Eden's acting (her fourth acting year) is execellent and in my estimation she up-staged Joan Fontaine. Altogether a fantastic fun movie even if it was scientific nonsense.

. . . that says "Any film written, produced and directed by one person will be a stinker." This film is no exception.

It is not science fiction but science rubbish. The Van Allen belt catching fire is as likely as the force of gravity going rusty. The "world famous scientist" admiral makes his crucial calculations on a slide rule. When he asks the captain "Just exactly where are we?", the captain turns to a map of the world, jabs his finger at the South Atlantic Ocean and says "We're right here, Sir." The conventional submarine chasing them EXplodes because it has gone too deep. When the captain orders the engine room "All stop," the sub comes to a dead halt. And so on, ad nauseam.

It would be funny were it not for the truly frightening message that underlies the plot, namely that in any global crisis a US commander may take it upon himself to "save the world," and his chosen solution will be to nuke the problem. Half a century later we still hover on the brink of that precipice today.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea fmovies. Irwin Allens 1961 submarine flick. Although the special effects are on the antiquated side the film when it came out in 61 was state of the art. The movie led to the TV series of the same name but with a different cast. Once again Peter Lorre is on a futuristic submarine on a dangerous mission (as in Disney's 1954 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea) The world is teetering on destruction from a force of nature. The submarine Seaview with its genius Admiral Nelson aboard played by Walter Pidgeon knows how to save the world. However there are those who don't want him to succeed. All in all a good Sci Fi feature. Best if viewed in letter box. Barbara Eden is included in the cast and as always is gorgeous. Frankie Avalon, Michael Ansara, Joan Fontaine co-star. Also look for Howard McNear best known for playing Floyd the barber on the Andy Griffith show as a congressman onboard to check out the submarine.

As the trailer movie explains ¨In all the world of fact and fiction..There has never been an adventure like Irwin Allen's Voyage to the bottom of the sea . Prepare for the most exciting experience , you have ever a motion picture theatre¡ ¨ . This is a Sci-fi thriller in which Admiral Harriman Nelson (Walter Pidgeon) as the commander of an experimental, extraordinarily designed US sea sub called ¨Seaview¨ and as second-in-command captain Lee Crane (Robert Sterling) take on several hazards and risks that are threatening all life on Earth . They encounter in the Arctic that suffers from melting iceberg caused by a burning radiation belt called Van Allen . Nelson is called into rescue a castaway (Michael Ansara) trapped on the remaining of an ice floe . Later on , there appears a saboteur aboard and the atomic submarine sit races to set off the torpedoes which Adm. Harriman knows will explode the dangerous radiation.

Acceptable submarine movie blends adventure , action, intrigue , disaster spectacle, hokey fun ,suspense and emotional happenings with romance included . Our heroes incarnated by a throughly believable casting of the splendid character players get stuck in the ship before the world explodes , undertaking numerous adventures and suffering innumerable perils .It includes a series of interesting ideas that benefit from a decent screenplay and nice special effects to make regular-size Octopus seem like deep-sea giant. There are also mine fields, large squids and attacking sub courtesy of the flamboyant FX team . The protagonists spend most of their time devising intelligent ways for avoid to die from solar radiation . The underwater scenes , burning skies, explosion , pyrotechnics, floods are spectacular but the film is just another usual Hollywood product . High level all star cast as it stars Walter Pidgeon as efficient Nelson , Peter Lorre as his scientific assistant and Robert Sterling and Barbara Eden as intimate couple , plus the singer Frankie Avalon and the fanatic religious Michael Ansara and of course the attractive Joan Fontaine . Lively score musical fitting to action by Paul Sawtell and colorful cinematography by Winton C Hoch . Lavishly produced and directed by Irwin Allen who would go on filmmaking millionaire products as ¨The Poseidon adventure¨, ¨The towering inferno¨¨ and ¨Beyond of Poseidon¨ this picture is one of the last Allen's flops along with ¨Swarm¨and ¨When the time ran out¨ . It's followed by a successful and long running series , a TV show with the well known characters starred by Richard Basehart as Nelson and David Hedison as captain. Rating : Good family fare , acceptable and passable Sci-fi movie ; kids and teenagers will have a fine time.

Now this is sci fi, I like to see. An underwater adventure, involving a powerful nuclear submarine that moves like the great blue whale. Only a different color. I first saw the lunch box when I was in New York, and there was the title, the sub, and the menacing red octopus attacking a mini-sub. The cast of the movie were perfect. I would later remember that Barbara Eden("I Dream of Jeanine") and Michael Ansara(The Blue Djinn) have their memorable roles 4 years later on TV. She really puts on a show in the break room when the Lt. plays his trumpet down hard! The scenes are amazing, and I think that octopus is really a minor threat in the movie. He looks too uncooperative. The special effects are good, and the backgrounds, are OK. This movie is one of the best in scifi. I wouldn't disagree with anyone about it! Rating 4 out of 5 stars.