Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, The (BD)

Special effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen and a story by popular science fiction author Ray Bradburry... this was destined to become a sci-fi classic. This was the first, and probably best, in the long line of prehistoric monster movies that followed and became part of sci-fi film history in the process. The plot begins as a nuclear scientist sees his partner killed by a giant, prehistoric creature while monitoring an atomic blast near the north pole. Naturally, nobody believes him until a paleontologist, played by Paula Raymond, helps him link several sea and beach disasters (I particularly enjoyed the attack made by the creature on a lighthouse) to the beast and prove there is a real monster on the loose. Finally, the animal surfaces at the NYC docks near Wall Street, destroying buildings, cars and people in his wake. After more mayhem and the discovery of a mysterious disease the animal carries which won't permit it to be destroyed by conventional weapons, the creature meets it's fate when it's cornered within the old Coney Island rollercoaster. This film is exceptional primarily due to the genius of Ray Harryhausen. His special effects in this film are outstanding, especially when you consider this film was made in 1953 on a budget that wouldn't pay the cost of one days electric bill on most movie shoots these days. The scenes where the creature has been awakened by the arctic atomic test and his (or is it a her?) journey back to it's prehistoric breeding grounds off the mouth of the Hudson River are superb. The intensity of the action never stops and has seldom been equalled. It begins with the opening scenes in the snowy arctic, continues with attacks on several fishing boats, the lighthouse and reaches a highlight when the creature comes ashore in New York City. We're even treated to a live action fight between a shark and an octopus, at least until the beast appears looking for lunch! Also, the acting by the stories human characters is excellent as well. Most of the actors (like Kenneth Tobey) will be recoginzed from other classic horror/sci-fi films of the period. If you're looking for a real blast from the past and a movie considered by many (myself included) to be the best "prehistoric monster on the loose" flick ever made, you can't go wrong with The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.

This was a really good film and a great example of how Stop motion photography was great in motion picture. Ray Harryhausen did a great job with this film, as usual.

I saw the 1953 Si-Fi, horror film, “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” when it first came out. My parents dropped me off at a local movie theater to watch it. I was eight years old. That film terrified me and caused me to have nightmares for some time afterwards. Partially, it was the amazing animation of the monster. Partly it was that I lived in New York at the time and the monster destroys part of Manhattan and the film ends in Coney Island—much too close to home! On a lark I bought the Blu-ray version of the film and watched it this evening. I played it on my Amazon Smart TV and used my vintage Yamaha receiver for the audio. The restoration was very good considering the age of the film. The black and white was clean and sharp. There were occasional missing frames and smudge, but that is to be expected given the source material and the age. The audio track, while in mono, had an impressive sound. I wasn’t frightened this time, but I enjoyed the film and appreciated the restoration work.

This is a great DVD and a great presentation of classic Ray Harryhausen special effects. Special Features include Making of the Beast interview with Harryhausen on what they went through to make the film. What struck me was his claim that this film was his first solo effort in a low budget picture; the studio gave him free reign and so he build the ONE monster for all effects. The second feature is a chat between Bradbury and Harryhausen that is endearing and a fascinating look into the minds of what many consider to be the best science fiction team. Ray Bradbury's story The Foghorn inspired "Beast." The monsterous Rhedosaurus (or "Ray"-dosauraus?) is awakened from his 100 million year sleep from an atomic bomb blast (footage from old atom bomb films inserted here) and instinctively starts walking/swimming back to his original home in the "Hudson Submarine Canyons." Unfortunately, New York City is in the way and they're not too kind to tourists, especially grouchy ones who've just woke up. Our hero is Tom Nesbitt (Paul Christian (aka Hubschmid), in a few films like: [ The Day the Sky Exploded ]) who is doing some surveying after the atom bomb blast in the Arctic. His friend falls into a crevass after getting scared to death from the Beast. With a swish of his tail, avalanche happens, the friend dies and Tommy is taken back to a hospital in New York City (why not Canada if he was in such bad shape? Oh well..). Everyone thinks Tom is nuts that he's seen the monster. The plot is mostly standard -- no one believes until it's too late. Woman believes him, fall in love. The End. But the interesting twist is that the Beast's blood creates a virus that kills people. How do you kill the Beast without it's blood all over the place? Interesting scenes include: The bomb blast. How many different bits of film footage can you spot? Boat gets crushed, great water effects. Bathysphere gets chomped on. The lighthouse, taken from Bradbury's The Foghorn short story -- went a bit faster than I'd liked. [ Foghorn (Classics Stories of Ray Bradbury) ] Cheesy Lines: "A girl like you is a paleontologist?" The "girl" is played by Paula Raymond, sexy gal who's also known for her appearance on Blood of Dracula's Castle. [ Blood of Dracula's Castle [VHS ]] Harryhausen said here that he tried to glamorize the dinosaur which he does with skill here. The beast, as usual, dies like an opera singer! A must-see! Suggest: The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Monster Series (Jason and the Argonauts / The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad / The Golden Voyage of Sinbad / Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger / The 3 Worlds of Gulliver) Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life

The picture quality is excellent and the case arrived undamaged. An old monster classic from 1953. It hasn't been shown on TV for years and is worth owning while saving on subscription costs for streaming services that may never show it or only once in a blue Moon. Lee Van Cleef fires the fatal shot at the end, he was very young then and later went on to do Spaghetti Westerns with Clint Eastwood. A good 50's Monster/Sci-fi film to watch when nothing else is on.

Très bien pour les connaisseurs

Todo un clásico de ciencia ficción conseguido gracias Amazon buen sonido buena imagen

I last saw this movie on TV many years ago when Monster Movies were often shown on New Years Eve. The use of stop-motion to show the movements of the Beast was interesting since there were no "real" computers in the 1950's to simulate prehistoric beasts moving around. The dvd fills a "Monster" movie gap in my collection.

During a nuclear test in the Arctic, a long dormant prehistoric monster is awoken. Whilst the beast gradually makes its way towards New York, a survivor of an encounter with the creature, Professor Tom Nesbitt(Paul Hubschmid) struggles to get the authorities to believe his seemingly outlandish story. His only hop is an elderly Paleontologist Thurgood Elson(Cecil Kelloway) and his assistant Lee(Paula Redmond). Meanwhile the carnivorous Rhedosaurus has reached civilization. This excellent piece of mega monster mayhem does move at quite a leisurely pace, but this does allow for some well rounded characters. The 1950's was the decade of the monster movie, with everything from Giant Ants(Them!), a huge spider(Tarantula), a giant octopus(It Came From Beneath The Sea) or dogs wearing rugs(The Killer Shrews). This film holds the ace card of having one of Ray Harryhausen's finest animated creations on display, the Rhedosaurus is a magnificent achievement. Adapted from a story by Ray Bradbury, the story mixes elements from both science fiction and traditional monster moviedom to great effect. My favourite sequence is probably Professor Elson's descent in the diving bell. Okay, it was probably shot in a fish tank, but that doesn't diminish its impact one jot. There are also some nice touches such as when the blind man is trampled underfoot by the panicking herd. Of course, it's the climatic scenes of the creature flattening New York that are rightly remembered. A iconic creature feature from the 1950's. 5 out of 5