THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953)
Director: Eugene Lourié
Warner Home Video

Loosely based on one scene from a 1951 Ray Bradbury short story published in The Saturday Evening Post, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS is THE archetypal 50s giant monster movie. This is the first film on which model animator legend Ray Harryhausen worked independently on the special effects, and the results are still spectacular to this day, as his fictional creation of the "Rhedosaurus" remains one of the most famous movie monsters of all time. Filled with plot attributes that would soon become cliché in the world of fandom, BEAST definitely set the groundwork for films to come, notably Toho's GODZILLA which quickly followed.

During some nuclear tests in the Arctic, scientist Tom Nesbitt (Paul Christian) witnesses his partner killed by a prehistoric monster that nobody else has seen. Even after unexplained vessel and lighthouse disasters, no one believes him, until a female paleontologist (Paula Raymond) and a skeptical but amicable military man (Kenneth Tobey) enter the picture. The beast eventually makes its way to the shoreline of New York, crushing cars, stomping on several buildings, swallowing a police officer, and ends up in Coney Island for a "rollercoaster" of an ending.

Originally conceived as "Monster From Beneath the Sea" and shot by an independent production company for a limited budget ($200,000), the film was purchased by Warner Bros. and became an instant matinee classic. Acting and pacing take a backseat to Harryhausen's monster effects, but the complete package is still an endearing one to fans of this sort of cinema. Director Lourié (who also did the art direction) would later revisit similar territory in THE GIANT BEHEMOTH and GORGO, both which were produced in England. Among BEAST's recognizable cast of character actors, look for Lee Van Cleef as the expert Army marksman who saves the day during the climax.

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Warner Bros. has released BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS on DVD for the first time. It's presented full frame, which reflects the original theatrical presentation. The black and white image has nice detail, despite some grain and occasional debris that shows up on the print source. Since the film was shot with a low budget and uses matte shots and stock footage on more than one occasion, one can accept the minor visual flaws as the presentation looks very nice overall. The audio has limitations in the form of occasional hiss and distortion, but dialog, music and sound effects are all rendered well. A French language track is also included, as are optional English, French and Spanish subtitles.

Extras included the featurette "The Rhedosaurus and the Roller Coaster: Making the Beast" which is a new interview with Ray Harryhausen, accompanied by production photos. Harryhausen talks about being approached by producer Jack Dietz, what it was like working alone for the first time, as well as the monster's creation and the special effects. A second featurette, "Harryhausen and Bradbury: An Unfathomable Friendship" has the two longtime friends reunited before an audience at the Warner Bros. Lot to reminisce about old times and share some friendly anecdotes. The two men are delightfully grown-up kids as they demonstrate their diehard love of fantasy. Rounding out the extras are trailers for BEAST, THE BLACK SCOPION, VALLEY OF GWANGI and CLASH OF THE TITANS. (George R. Reis)

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