During the decade of the 1950s three blockbuster movies - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth - were adapted from novels written by Jules Verne. Supposedly producer Charles Schneer was attracted to Verne's Mysterious Island after hearing that a survey of public libraries revealed that it was at that time the "most looked-at" book. It was an attractive project for Schneer. For one thing, the book is a sequel to the highly successful 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. For another, it gave Schneer the opportunity to utilize the talents of his longtime collaborator, special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. The result is a highly entertaining fantasy-adventure which also features a superb score by composer Bernard Hermann.
Mysterious Island
Studio: Twilight Time/Sony/Columbia Pictures
Year: 1961
Rated: Not Rated
Program Length: 101 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 1080p
Languages: English DTS-HD 5.1 MA, English Mono
Subtitles: English SDH
The Program
During the decade of the 1950s three blockbuster movies - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth - were adapted from novels written by Jules Verne. Supposedly producer Charles Schneer was attracted to Verne's Mysterious Island after hearing that a survey of public libraries revealed that it was at that time the "most looked-at" book. It was an attractive project for Schneer. For one thing, the book is a sequel to the highly successful 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. For another, it gave Schneer the opportunity to utilize the talents of his longtime collaborator, special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. The result is a highly entertaining fantasy-adventure which also features a superb score by composer Bernard Hermann.
The action opens at a Confederate prison during the siege of Richmond, Virginia in 1865. Three Union POWs - Captain Cyrus Harding (Michael Craig) and two enlisted men, Corporal Neb Nugent (Dan Jackson) and Private Herbert Brown (Michael Callan) have hatched an escape plan. The Confederates have an observation balloon at the prison, and the POWs decide to try to hijack it if they can escape from their cell. An opportunity presents itself when the rebels take a war correspondent, Gideon Spilitt (Gary Merrill), into custody. The guards are overpowered and the prisoners make their way to the balloon in the midst of a fearsome thunderstorm. During the course of their escape they capture a Confederate soldier, Sergeant Pencroft (Percy Herbert). The escapees hang on for dear life as "the greatest storm in American history" forces the balloon to the west, and they eventually drift out over the Pacific Ocean.
When the ballooning neophytes finally spot a mass of land, they lower their airship to get a better look. However, the balloon's valve gets stuck and breaks, and a crash landing ensues. They all survive the crash, but they find themselves on what appears to be an uninhabited island - uninhabited by humans, that is. Before long they begin to have encounters with enormous crustaceans, birds and insects. In the course of exploring the island they discover that it once was occupied by pirates. More ominously, the smoking mountain in the center of the island is an active volcano. A shipwreck fortuitously delivers two females to the island, Lady Mary Fairchild (Joan Greenwood) and her niece, Elena (Beth Rogan). When a chest of valuable items from the submarine Nautilus washes up on the beach, we know that Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom) cannot be far behind (in fact, we know all along that Nemo will be showing up, because his name appears in the opening credits). Nemo's unusual entrance is one of the film's more memorable moments.
The cast of Mysterious Island is not exactly A-list, but the actors turn in engaging performances. Herbert Lom is particularly striking as Captain Nemo, and Beth Rogan's Elena fashions what may be the only goatskin mini-skirt in the history of film. Michael Craig is appropriately sturdy as Captain Harding, and Gary Merrill is very entertaining as the wry war correspondent. Only Michael Callan seems to be out of place, as he sports a pompadour which appears to have been transported directly from the 1960s to the 1860s. Ray Harryhausen's special effects remain impressive even after the passage of fifty years. Director Cy Endfield (Zulu) keeps the action moving along at a brisk pace, and he is aided immeasurably by Bernard Hermann's impressive score (which is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra).
Fans of Jules Verne will likely enjoy this adaptation, even though the giant creatures created by Ray Harryhausen are nowhere to be found in the book. Mysterious Island previously was released on DVD in 2002, but this Blu-ray edition is a limited one, with only 3,000 units being made available for sale. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy should go to www.screenarchives.com to check on availability before placing an order.
The Video
This is an excellent Blu-ray transfer which looks as good as anything which Sony has produced from the same era. The 1.66:1 image is properly framed, leaving slight black bars on both sides of the picture. Colors are solid and accurate, contrast is strong and black levels are fine. The one drawback to the highly detailed picture is that Harryhausen's matte paintings look more like paintings than the real thing. One of the early scenes on the island includes a flock of birds, and it is immediately apparent that the birds are animated figures. However, this is a minor quibble. An appropriate level of film grain has been retained to provide a highly satisfying, film-like appearance. Mysterious Island is the first Sony product to be released on Blu-ray by Twilight Time, and it is gratifying to see that Sony's usual high standards have been maintained.
The Audio
As noted above, the film's audio can be heard either in lossless DTS-HD 5.1 MA or the original English mono. The 5.1 soundtrack provides more punch and really brings Bernard Hermann's score to life. Dialogue is confined to the center channel and is crisp, clear and entirely understandable.
Neil Middlemiss tipped me off to a discussion about the score at www.filmscoremonthly.com. It appears that about 70% of the score was mastered from two-track stereo masters and the rest is from a U.K. mono track. The discussion is interesting, although it seems that one of the posters is talking about the audio on the 2002 DVD rather than the Blu-ray.
The Supplements
The single Blu-ray disc contains just a few extras, so those who own the 2002 DVD may want to hang onto it even if they decide to upgrade to the Blu-ray.
Bernard Hermann fans will enjoy listening to the isolated score track. The isolated score is in stereo, so if you wish to hear it in mono you will have to do so while also listening to the dialogue and sound effects.
The original theatrical trailer is presented in high definition and is framed at 1.66:1. It is in pristine condition. A television ad for the film is in black & white (color televisions were rare in 1961) and is framed at 4:3. It too is in excellent shape.
Viewers also can see a listing of the entire Twilight Time catalogue, which is limited at this point. The next Blu-ray releases from Twilight Time are scheduled to be Fright Night and Rapture.
This Blu-ray release also comes with an eight-page booklet which includes a number of still photos and an excellent essay by Julie Kirgo.
The menu does not offer a scene selection option. There are chapter stops every ten minutes, but you have to use the skip function on your remote to advance through them (thanks to David Weicker for pointing this out).
The Packaging
The single disc comes in a standard Blu-ray keep case.
The Final Analysis
Mysterious Island is a very entertaining fantasy-adventure film which is now available in an excellent limited edition Blu-ray.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display, calibrated to THX specifications by Gregg Loewen
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: November 8, 2011