Journey to the Center of the Earth *** (1959, James Mason, Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl) – Classic Movie Review 10,062

Director Henry Levin’s 1959 film Journey to the Center of the Earth stars James Mason, Pat Boone and Arlene Dahl. It was nominated for three Oscars: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color, Best Special Effects and Best Sound. The screenplay is by Walter Reisch and Charles Brackett.

Mason plays Professor Oliver Lindenbrook who leads student Alec McEwan (Boone) and an intrepid group of explorers through a Scandinavian volcano to the Earth’s core, after oddly finding directions as to the way there on a lump of lava brought to him by Boone.

Journey to the Center of the Earth is a thoroughly entertaining adventure from Jules Verne’s novel, with good special effects, energetic playing, a fine score by Bernard Herrmann, DeLuxe Color photography, convincing period atmosphere and the requisite sense of Victorian wonder at the mysteries of the world.

It is a trifle long at 129 minutes, but is is never remotely boring and has many exciting highlights. Mason is impeccable, as always, and Charles Brackett’s 20th Century Fox production is excellent.

It is remade less successfully as Where Time Began (1977) and again as Journey to the Center of the Earth (1988), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1993) (TV Movie) in 1993 and Journey to the Center of the Earth (1999) (TV Mini-Series).

Journey to the Center of the Earth is also remade in 2008.

Also in the cast are Peter Ronson, Diane Baker, Thayer David, Alan Napier, Robert Adler, Alex Finlayson, Ben Wright, Mary Brady, Frederick Halliday and Alan Calliou.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,062

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