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Year: 1953 Rating: ** |
A letdown for those who love movies about treasure hunters. Unfortunately,
the main character, played by a stiff Robert Ryan, is so uptight, not
only does he NOT go along with more energetic and assertive partner
Anthony Quinn, to find gold on a sunken ship in a literal CITY BENEATH
THE SEA from a volcano explosion hundreds of years ago...
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Suzan Ball |
But he moves in
to snake the booty first, just to teach his partner a lesson: A lesson
is also taught to the audience, who must weather this bland
fine-feathered friend who's also an extremely weak central hero, keeping
this movie from being edgy, or entertaining...
And
the two lovely ingenues are both gorgeous, and initially tough,
independent and assertive, making their characters mean more than just
looks and providing a built-in feeling of suspense within the
anticipated romance...
One is the captain of a small boat (Mala Powers)
and the other a calypso singer (Suzan Ball, Lucy O'Ball's cousin, who
would of cancer die soon after)...
But without Ryan or Quinn
having to do much at all, both ladies melt to their touch in such a
pathetic way, without earning it beyond their looks. At one point, singer actually asks Quinn, "What are you thinking?"
after they'd known each other ten minutes. Meanwhile, as a b-movie, the low budget is deliberate, and mostly works... including
scenes of the boys trudging in heavy "Diver Dan" style underwater gear
with matte painted backgrounds. The technicolor is great looking, and
otherwise these are capable actors and actresses. But this oceanic
thriller is devoid of thrills, and pretty much... sinks upon impact.
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Anthony Quinn and Robert Ryan in CITY BENEATH THE SEA
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Lucy's cousin Suzan Ball in CITY BENEATH THE SEA |
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Anthony Quinn in CITY BENEATH THE SEA |
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Mala Powers in CITY BENEATH THE SEA |
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Robert Ryan in CITY BENEATH THE SEA |
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Budd Boetticher's CITY BENEATH THE SEA |
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Budd Boetticher's CITY BENEATH THE SEA |
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