The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1955)

This post is part of the KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES! blogathon, hosted by The Cinematic Frontier. Head on over there and check out the other entries.

Wait a minute...  What's a league again? 

So...

A chicken-esque lizard monster (referred to as The Phantom) guards a shaft of radioactive light off of the coast of Southern California. Prof. King from the local Oceanography school may have something to do with it. His daughter, Lois, is falling for the visiting Dr. Ted Stevens. Ted is there to see Prof. King who waffles around about science a lot and conducts odd experiments in a locked off laboratory. Both Prof. King's assistant, George, and his secretary, Mildred, want to get inside the lab. William Grant is a government agent who initially distrusts Ted but then begins to work with him. Several people are killed as they approach that shaft of light and are attacked by the Phantom. George is working for Wanda, a femme fatale representing a foreign power. Ted starts to fall for Lois. A janitor at the Institute talks about God a lot. Prof. King keeps calling Ted a "young man" even though they're the same age. George utilizes a spear gun wall in Prof. King's office to help him shoot a lot of spears at people. Eventually, things culminate in the destruction of a naval ship by the shaft of light. And it's up to Ted, Lois, Bill Grant, Prof. King, maybe Wanda or George, possibly Ethel but probably the janitor to try and save us all from The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues.

 William Grant and Dr. Ted Stevens

A couple of lovable goofablls

Oh look, it's George. With a spear gun, of course

Now, forget about that last paragraph. The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues piles on the plot-lines and the intrigue and the characters. But, it never builds to anything. It meanders from scene to scene. It remains slightly vague about what exactly is going on out in the water, even though folks spend many minutes talking about it. The director and editor choose to shoot almost every dialogue scene with people entering the scene, standing in place and then delivering their dialogue. There are long pauses that would have baffled Pinter and Bergman. There are reflective moments at the ends of scenes where it's tough to figure out what is being reflected upon. And, even though there must be a lot of people living around this beach area, all activity revolves around the same seven (or so) people. Richard Harland-Smith says in his Blu-Ray commentary that someone once remarked no one had ever made it all the way through the movie.

 Lois and Professor King

"Professor, I kissed you daughter."

"And I am going to punch you right on your handsome square jaw."

I have. About eight times. I love it.

Shenanigans = The Best

It's clearly boring as all get out. It never moves beyond a snail's pace. The gradual increase in fidelity from the old dark TV/ Public Domain DVD prints to the widescreen MGM DVD to the Kino Lorber Blu-Ray somehow make the film even more slow. Now, that we can see everything, we can see that there really isn't much of anything to see. The film also seems to contain variations of everything Dr. Paul Armstrong says in Larry Blamire's Lost Skeleton films. But, in Leagues, they are said with deadly seriousness. All the actors do a fine job, which makes the slow scenes and the circular structure of everything even more obvious. The Milner's (Marty not included) are trying to fill up 80 minutes for the bottom half of a double bill (topped with The Day The World Ended) and they do fill up 80 minutes. To top of all of this, the title is 100% nonsense.

 My favorite George look...  with spear gun

This is an improv routine that went nowhere

Even after writing that paragraph browbeating the film... a paragraph that yells "How on Earth could you like this film?"... I continue to love this film. Mainly for these strange shortcomings. Mainly because of the sheer audacity of the whole musky exercise. And there are the words for it: Sheer Audacity. I have been mentioning those words as a genre of their own for several years: within some of my reviews on Bleeding Skull.com, over at my podcasts, in my two books. No one else has ever used that term but me. The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues is a great example of a Sheer Audacity motion picture. Let me define my terms.

Ladies on the beach

One nice, one evil (but seductive)

A Sheer Audacity movie can be from any genre, any time period. It can be good or it can be not-so-good. It can be a Classic. It can be a film you've never heard of. The one thing they share in common, and it doesn't matter how they get there, is the viewer is left shaking their head or staring at the screen in confusion by what they've just seen. The "sheer audacity" of the filmmakers overcomes the regular "entertainment" one gets from a film. Sometimes the filmmaker has a firm hand on this. Three films that come to mind are Persona, Brewster McCloud and Inland Empire. In the best possible ways, three brilliant filmmakers show us things that stymie our mind. That leave us shaking our heads and wanting to watch the film again.

Mildred and Bill meet at Jefty's,

the most awkwardly named Road House on the West Coast

But then, there is the other side of the genre. Films like Night of Horror, Devil Monster, Silent Night: Deadly Night 2 or The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues. These films aren't classics. They aren't particularly well-loved but they (and I could name ten more if needed) are so individual in their oddness, in the way they are structured, in the way they tell (or don't tell) their stories that those who have seen them (and don't dismiss them outright) remember them as being completely "different" experiences.

I like the haircuts in this shot

For example: Devil Monster is a high seas adventure where have of the running time is stock footage. Night of Horror tells a story that should take no more than 20 minutes and stretches it out to a half-hour by going off on 1,001 tangents including a very long road trip sequence and the recitation of E.A. Poe's poetry. Plus, it does nothing "technically" right. The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues could be a very interesting cautionary tale about science becoming irresponsible and going too far. But, it's not.

Here's where that radioactive light really begins to cause some trouble

Who invented stock footage?

The film is a lot of people talking endlessly and, sometimes, hilariously. It has, as mentioned, an overabundance of subplots and intrigue. It's main monster may be dangerous but it's placed so far from shore that people have to actively approach it to be attacked. (It's not as silly as the machinations of a film like Humongous that spends ages getting its teens onto Dog Island so they can be attacked but it's fairly ludicrous.) Every character is a stereotype. No one wanders outside of their roles. Scenes seem to keep going around and around. Someone is killed. Investigations are made. They seem to relate to Dr. King. But not quite. Ted takes Lois out. George threatens someone (usually Mildred) with a spear gun. Another killing etc...

"You're sensuous! I got it.

Lose the Doily Bathing Suit."

The Milner's other sci-fi extravaganza, From Hell It Came, is about as goofy as this one. It definitely has a nuttier monster. And it works on almost the same structural ground as Phantom. But, it's not as determined to go nowhere fast in the way that Phantom is. That's why I love Phantom. Competent actors, decent tech skills all hampered by a script (and possibly a director) who know they don't have enough going on to fit the run-time so they resort to every bit of calm chicanery they can to extend it.

I saved the best for last. It's the Phantom.

What looks like boredom is a wonderful, desperate attempt to make a feature length film. I cannot fault anyone for falling asleep during this movie or turning it off after 30 minutes. However, keep in mind, once a Sheer Audacity film is watched in full, the movie calluses on your brain are strengthened. The more you watch, the more you can watch. The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues is not a regular "good" film. It's simply a rather fascinating odd one that just happens to look like a regular film. That's enough for me want to watch it again. Give it a try. Wanda will wear her big doily bathing suit just for you.

It's only The End if you don't start watching it again

Just hit 'Play'

Gemini Man Q&A

I received a comment from a gentleman named Tiziano Caliendo. In it, he thanked me for reviewing Gemini Man. (Thank you for reading.) With the comment, he mentioned that he re-watched the pilot movie and had a few questions on Sam's Invisible Man origin story. I tried to answer his questions as best I could. Most of my answers are from the pilot. Some are from the U.K. Annual. Some are guesses I've made from the show. All of these answers ramble a bit as I try to work out what is happening. So, please forgive any over-writing.

Here we go:

I always assumed the combination between the special radiation, the laser, the water and other contingent factors related to the mysterious satellite caused Sam's "invisibility". At a certain point, when they recovered his body, Kate Crawford [Abby] talked about the "field" of the invisibility "extending". Can you tell me what did she mean?

When the explosion goes off, we see a meter showing that the radiation has gone way up, which contaminates the water. Leonard says, "We have a nuclear reaction. Some kind of compressed flare-out." Then, they pull Sam up as he's still attached to his safety cable.

Sam's clothes begin turning invisible "The invisibility it seems to spread outwards from his body" is what Abby (Kate Crawford) says when this happens. "The field of invisibility is spreading. It's like a sheath." I'm no fake-scientist but that makes some sort of sense to me. Sam's clothes should turn invisible with him or else he'd have to strip naked every time he wants to remain unseen. That might work for him in Southern California but would be inconvenient elsewhere. (In H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, the clothes do not turn invisible.)

Then, the weird thing happens. When Abby places her hand near Sam's skin, her hand turns invisible. But...  that part of Sam's invisibility never comes up again. No one turns invisible when they're carrying him around. No one turns invisible when the life support breastplate is placed on him. So, I'm not sure about this one. As I said, I understand his clothes becoming invisible. But, the "Turning Anyone Nearby Invisible" thing is a big unanswered question.

I have three possible answers:

1) His DNA is still changing right after the explosion so maybe the invisibility field expands to make others invisible but then retracts to just cover Sam and his clothes because it exhausts too much of Sam's already waning energy.

2) The DNA stabilizer is meant to control the field of his invisibility. That doesn't explain how no one turns invisible before he gets it. So, it's a continuity error.

3) It was something Leslie Stevens (the writer) included in an early draft and forgot to remove from what was actually shot. So, it is a writing error.

I stick with #1. Soviet satellites with Atomic Lasers are crazy! Who knows what happens? 

Why did the Russian satellite fall from space anyway?

It's not stated in the episode why the Russian (Soviet) satellite falls. (I believe it's called the Virginia Pacifica.) It can't have been on purpose since it's falling into the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. The Soviet officials immediately order its destruction so it's something too important to fall into American hands. The Gemini Man Annual reads "The unscheduled descent of an an advanced Soviet satellite into U.S. Coastal waters..." Maybe the Soviets were trying to bring it down and miscalculated. Maybe it was orbital decay. It's never stated.

Who was Royce?

The "Royce Explorer" is called a "civilian research vessel" in the pilot movie and a "deep-sea recovery vessel" in the Annual. Mr. Royce is the head of Royce Industries who are a salvage company of some sort.

Why was he involved?

From the voice over radio dialog at the start of the pilot, it is a race against time. There is already a Soviet submarine somewhere in the area. The "Royce Explorer" happens to be the closest American vessel that can do the deep sea/ ocean diving required. Intersect is located nearby. Abby, Leonard and Sam are flown in to help. Royce and his crew are civilians. Intersect is the government. They're all chipping in to help retrieve this satellite and whatever it contains. 

So let me understand this. Did Kate use electricity to counter effect invisibility? What's the logic behind the cures they applied to Sam at the very beginning? What about the wrist watch? And why only 15 minutes? It seemed to me he had no watch or DNA stabilizer for days before they would come up with a viable solution.

Some initial rambling:

Abby says what happened to Sam is like "being hit with compressed lightning" and it's "affected his cellular structure." They get him to Intersect as quick as possible and hook up that breastplate to him, which is some sort of advanced life support device.

"The radiation distorted your DNA molecular field structure." Leonard says that that is what happened, per the research data. Earlier, Abby says something to Sam in a scientific vein and he asks her to dumb it down a shade. Sam doesn't ask Leonard to dumb his statement down so Sam must know what it means. I think it means "The explosion with radiation inside makes Sam invisible."

Abby says to Sam, "Your DNA helix is out of whack." The radiation from the explosion is changing Sam's DNA. Remember when The Fantastic Four went through the cosmic rays and got superpowers instead of dying? It's like that. Remember when Peter Parker got bitten by a radioactive spider? Instead of getting some sort of radiation poisoning, he became Spider-Man. It's like that.

To answer the questions:

Does Abby use electricity to counter invisibility?

As I mentioned I'm no Fake-Scientist like Abby but it seems that electricity is somehow involved. It helps increase the energy around his body to bring him back to invisibility. They remove the breastplate, which is basic life support, and attach the armband DNA stabilizer. Sam becomes "part of the circuit. He's carrying close to 1,000 volts." Sam builds up a counter-field to the invisibility through Advanced TV Physics. But, it requires those Heart Paddle Electrode things that they use in medical shows to give Sam the final boost that starts him up again. He becomes visible. Abby says that the DNA stabilizer normalizes him and keeps him visible. Without it, he fades out permanently. 

Warning! This might not be real science here. 

Oddly enough, he's nude when he becomes visible again. But, there's no sign of them removing the invisible wetsuit when they put the breastplate on him. Unless they strip him nude on the Royce Explorer. That doesn't seem likely.

What's the logic behind the cures they applied to Sam at the very beginning?

The breastplate isn't a cure. It's simply to keep him alive as the Atomic Research department races to reverse the invisibility.


What about the wrist watch? And why only 15 minutes?

My initial thought is that digital watches were probably pretty new and exciting then. That's why they gave one to Sam, to make the show seem as hi-tech as possible.


In the Annual, Abby says "It's not a watch, Sam! It's a transistorised control to keep you visible." That's simple enough. It doesn't make much sense but it's simple enough.

In the actual pilot movie, the wrist watch is the "micro-unit." The armband is the "mother-ship." I think that means that the armband has more power and creates the circuit that bring Sam back to visibility. Once he's back, the DNA stabilizer watch keeps him steady. If something goes wrong, he can still get in contact with the armband. The gold contacts on the back of the watch keep in contact with Sam's skin and stabilize him and it never runs down because it is powered by "plutonium and cobalt chips." An atomic battery. One button turns the DNA stabilizer off so Sam can turn invisible. (Although, Abby says "one button" but her finger touches two buttons.) Abby has a "monitor" watch that keep her appraised of Sam's condition at all times.

As far as the 15 minute limit goes, I think that's related to when he collapses right before they take off the breastplate and put on the armband. I always felt like Sam's DNA was constantly altering, making him more and more into an invisible man. The arrival of the DNA stabilizer stops his body from fading out of existence in the nick of time. When Sam turns off the stabilizer, his DNA begins altering again and he turns invisible. Abby has calculated that he can be invisible for 15 minutes in a 24 hour period without permanently affecting his DNA.

(In the pilot, he fades out after 15 minutes. In the series, he becomes visible again after 15 minutes.)

Sam explained the feelings he proves when he uses the wrist watch. Can you please tell me what he said? 

All right. Here's the dialog in the pilot right after Sam is disconnected from the armband and is solely attached to the watch.

Abby: "Feel anything?"
Sam: "Yes. Like an elevator drop."
Abby: "No blackout?"
Sam: "No. Cold chill, though. Like a wind rushing around me."
Abby: "That could be a phase variation. A slight fluctuation in the frequency. How is it now?"
Sam:   "Fine. Fine. In fact, I feel great."
Abby: "Well, you should with a million dollar wrist watch shooting you full of atomic energy."

And when he begins turning himself on and off, Sam says it "feels like a bad case of the hiccups." But, he's probably goofing. You know Sam...  he's a card.

Abby: "When you come back to invisibility, was there any electric shock?"
Sam: "No. I noticed I have to work harder when I'm invisible. There's a definite sinking sensation."
Abby: "That was your energy running down so you've got a time limit."
(See the 15 minute question above.)


Well, I hope that answers the majority of the questions. At the end of the day, Sam's origin story is the same as most superhero origins: it doesn't stand up under too much scrutiny but if you go with the flow of the jargon and what happens onscreen, it can be a hoot.

It was very nice to re-visit with Sam, Abby and Leonard again. Thank you.

Weekly Cracked - ZZZZPG

From Cracked #105
Dated November 1972
Keeping it Very Topical and Semi-Obscure.
Thank you, Cracked!

Here's the cover: