CAPTAIN NEMO AND THE UNDERWATER CITY (1969, U.K.)

Captain Nemo and
the Underwater City

(1969, U.K.) color 105 minutes
Omnia Pictures Ltd. / Metro-Goldwyn Mayer
Story: Jules Verne
Screenplay: Pip Baker, Jane Baker, R. Wright Campbell
Music: Angela Morley (as “Walter Stott”)
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Produced by: Bertram Ostrer, Steven Pallos
Directed by: James Hill

With: Chuck Connors (Senator Frasier), Robert Ryan (Captain Nemo), Luciana Paluzzi (Mala), Nanette Newman (Helena Beckett), Kenneth Conner (Barnaby)

***

Plot Outline: "Captain Nemo & The Underwater City" takes place on a ship at sea in the 1870s. The survivors of a shipwreack at sea, New York State Senator Robert Frasier (Chuck Connors, "Lucas McCain"/"The Rifleman"), Mrs. Helena Beckett (Nanette Newman), Mr. Lomax, (Philip Beckett) and the greedy and evil Bath Brothers, Barnaby & Swallow, are sailing to England when their ship is caught in a deadly storm. Forced to abandon ship, the passengers and crew head for the lifeboats, but they sink into the deep.

All seems lost, until some strangely-clad men save the castaways and bring them onboard an undersea travelling vessel. Pleased with the rescue, Senator Frasier asks to meet with the ship's commanding officer. With some relunctance, Joab the first mate takes the Senator to see his skipper.

Frasier's expressions of thanks are not well received by the inventor and skipper of the Nautilus, Captain Nemo (Robert Ryan in his last movie role). In fact, the Captain's attitude is downright crude: "I want no thanks. I do not favor having my men engage in dangerous rescue missions. The only reason that you were saved, was the alternative was to let you drown."

When Frasier tells the Captain that he is a politician from the United States, Nemo's mood changes from crudeness to outright hostility: "I think that it should be made clear, Senator, that I'm even less pleased with the thanks from your United States!". Dejected, the Senator is about to leave the room, when Nemo asks him, "Diplomatic Withdrawal, Senator?" Frasier replies, "Wouldn't diplomacy be wasted on a dictator Captain?"

Nemo's mood changes to a more pleasing demeanor. "Senator, I can see that you and I are going to have alot to talk about when we get home". "Home?", asks the puzzled diplomat. "Where is That!?". Within a few moments, the Senator's question is answered, as the Nautilus docks inside a domed metropolis under the sea: "Templemir".

The survivors soon find out that they're to become permanent residents of this ocean Shangrila. Two of the survivors, Mrs. Beckett and her son Philip, and their cat Timothy, are willing to remain in Templemir. But Lomax, Frasier and the Bath Brothers do not wish to spend the rest of their lives in this world, no matter how perfect it may seem.

Frasier feels that such a successfull and wonderful society, with all of it's advanced technology, shouldn't be kept from the surface world. He tries to get Nemo to showcase his discovery to the the rest of mankind. But the Captain has no intentions of revealing his secrets to the world, for he fears that mankind will do nothing more than use his ideas to escalate the wars that are now plauging the Northern and Southern parts of the US (and possibly the rest of society). Seeing that he can't get Nemo to share his secrets with mankind, Frasier plots to escape from the underwater city.

One of the survivors, Lomax, makes two attempts to escape. On his first, he is caught and warned by the angry leader of Templemir not to try and escape again. On his second attempt, which almost destroys the city's heating systems, Lomax is killed. This sad situtaion does not deter the Senator or the Bath Brothers from plotting their flight from the city. When Joab sees that his fiance Mala (Lucaianna Palucci) falls in love with Senator Frasier, the first mate plans to help his romantic rivel in his flight from the city.

Finding out that there is another Submarine, Frasier and the two conmen work with Joab to escape from Templemir. Not realizing that the second Nautlius is malfunctioning and that they may get themselves killed in a deadly esplosion. The foursome manage to get out of the city, but when the sub is about ready to blow up, they put on scuba gear and head out to open water.

Nemo and his crew go after them. In the struggle, Joab and Barnaby Bath are killed, but Senator Frasier and Swallow Bath manage to get to the surface, where they are saved by a passing British naval vessel. Unable to explain how they got into the sea, the Senator and Mr. Bath are forced to keep their fantastic adventures in the underwater city a secret forever.

- Kevin S. Butler

Video/DVD availability: VHS (MGM, out of print)