“This isn’t peace. This is the resting place for the living dead.”
Dr. Jeremiah Morley (Victor Kilian) is a member of "The Society to Save Civilization". He is concerned about nuclear holocaust. He plans on sending an expedition of scientists into the center of the earth by means of an atomic powered boring machine. The Cyclotram is capable of drilling through the Earth’s crust. He hopes to find an underground area where humans can live and escape nuclear devastation. He needs funds to accomplish this. He applies for funds from the government but is rejected. At the last minute he receives funding from a newspaper heir Wright Thompson (Bruce Kellogg). His only requirement is that he be allowed to go with the expedition.
They plan on going down the crater of an extinct volcano and then burrow into the earth. The expedition consists of Dr. Joan Lindsey (Marilyn Nash), Dr. Morley, Wright Thompson, Andy Ostergaard (Jim Bannon), Dr. Max Bauer (Otto Waldis), Dr. James Paxton (Tom Handley) and Dr. George Coleman (Dick Cogan). Of course there are tensions between the expedition members. Tempers flare. Especially between the two men, Andy and Wright, who slobber over the only woman on the team. The group also has problems along the way that result in the deaths of some of the team members.
Eventually they find a tremendous underground cavern with plenty of air, an underground ocean and phosphorescent light. The only problem is that the rabbits they brought with them give birth to dead offspring. Necropsies on the rabbits show that the underground atmosphere has made them sterile. Hopes are dashed. That’s when the underground volcano erupts.
"Unknown World" was released in 1951 and was directed by Terry O. Morse. A lot of time is spent in the Cyclotram and digging through the earth. For a movie that has a lot of montages it’s not as boring as you would expect. There are enough trials and tribulations to keep things interesting. I could have done without the constant snapping and growling between the two rutting men. But I guess that was the point of some of the movie. How people handle themselves in unusual and life threatening situations. The man against nature kind of thing, as well as, can people get along and work together towards a common goal. Can we overcome our fears?
There are no monsters here. No dinosaurs or giant creatures. Although I love my monsters this movie had enough interesting aspects to it that I was OK without them. Sometimes throwing a monster or a giant anything into a movie takes it out of the realm of possibility. The film intends to be as serious as you can with this subject. Drilling to the center of the earth may be a little ambitious but toss in a giant mushroom or big ass lizard and you are now in the realm of fantasy. I don’t think that is what the film makers intended.
There have been some comparisons between “Unknown World” and Jules Verne's "Journey To The Center Of The Earth". Except for the underground sea, I didn't see enough similarities to agree with that. The film was produced by the Robert Lippert and distributed by Lippert Pictures.