Reviews (5)

Colorful, daring Hollywood epic
From the Golden Age of Hollywood comes The Prodigal (1955), a MGM release. This "Biblical" epic, based on the New Testament story of The Prodigal son, tells of the adventure of the young man who enters the pagan world and discovers the mysteries and charms of Miss Lana Turner, high priestess of the temple of a graven, cruel, jealous god, and the dangers of forbidden love. Edmund Purdom is the prodigal who is smitten by Turner's Samarra.The story plods along with some over-blown and sometimes trite dialogue, but the costumes and sets are eye-popping. This movie era could only produce such grandier and Miss Turner as the brilliant center, is sinfully beautiful. She reveals more of her self as any much younger actress would dare at the time. And she looks marvelous. See this spectacular entry for what we may never see in today's cinema.

EPIC MORALITY TALE
Lana Turner was breath taking beautiful as ever. She is the sexiest woman I have ever seen. Her costumes are surreal. If for nothing else, The Prodigal would be memorable for Lana Turner's pagan-ritual costume, which is little more than a Burlesque Queen costume that Blaze Starr, Lili St. Cyr or Tempest Storm wore. The effect was at once sexy, erotic and alluring. And an interesting side comment on the evils of Burlesque.

Worthwhile if you like the genre...
Edmund Purdom reprises his role in "The Egyptian" as a good guy who gets led astray by his passion for a woman he should have avoided. Lana Turner made a career of playing temptresses and does an excellent job here although the cast of "The Egyptian" is, overall, much stronger with Gene Tierney, Michael Wilding, and Biblical epic specialist Victor Mature. But "The Prodigal" has some quality supporting players including perennial bad guy Neville Brand and Francis Sullivan, one of the more memorable character actors of the 50s, in the role of Bosra the money lender. The production values are Golden Age MGM with large, colorful, impressive sets. Unfortunately, the script is wooden and Purdom was not a captivating screen presence.
Richard Thorpe, MGM's principal director of costume epics in the 50s did an excellent job with "Ivanhoe" (Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor) but proves here that his direction could be quite straightforward and unimaginative.
The bottom line is this: If you're looking for another "Ben Hur" you won't find it here. But if you like most of the Biblical epics of the 50s and early 60s, even the second and third tier ones, you'll enjoy this film and the three star rating is for you. You'll be especially interested in the ending which is unusual for films of this type. If you do not enjoy this genre or you enjoy only the very best examples of it then you should avoid "The Prodigal".

The Prodigal
I just watched this film for the first time and found it interesting and overall good. It is a Bible story which is done very well. I thought Edmund Purdom was the best thing about the movie. He did an excellent job of acting. Lana Turner was gorgeous as always. The supporting cast was a little weak, but the story carried them along. The sets and the costumes were very well done and a pleasure to watch. I have read some bad reviews of this film but I don't agree with them. I think it's worth seeing. I know I plan to watch it again.

MGM hits a new low in Tastelessness
Whoever thought up this abomination must have been out of his mind.Technically,they did a good job,sets,props,camera work,etc.A fine set of supporting actors provide characterizations that are cliches,at best.The plot doesn't even qualify as stereotypic;the dialogue is inane;and the leads don't even provide roles that manage to be one-dimensional.There is a continuous emphasis on brutal cruel,and grossly inhumane situations,terrifying horrors of the ancient world,monstrous disregard for life,and appalling barbarisms.3/5 of the way through the picture is the most atrocious sequence;a ritual human sacrifice which will outrage anyone with the moral fastidiousnessof a gila monster. .... This piece of tripe deserves any bad remarks a critic can find. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Best of the Titanic movies!
I don't remember when I saw this the first time,But I much prefer it to its highly hyped 1997 successor. I rented the video the other night and still sniffled at the end. I would imagine most viewers don't know that it won an Oscar.(For best screenplay,I think.) My mother was just thrilled with the very young Robert Wagner. Does anyone know what happened to Audrey Dalton??? One of the best "minor" characters had to be Richard Basehart as the defrocked priest. and wasn't that Edmund Purdom(uncredited) as "Mr Lightoller? Barabara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb were excellent too. Characters much more clearly drawn than in the 1997 version. Class distinction is not as hokey as Jack and Rose. Was Thelma Ritter supposed to be "Molly Brown"? I think the effect of the film in black and white works very well(NO COLORIZATION PLEASE!)

OSCAR should have been aboard THIS ship......
One of my all-time 10 favorite movies (along with ALL ABOUT EVE, GONE WITH THE WIND, AUNTIE MAME, Jane Wyman's THE BLUE VEIL, Garland's A STAR IS BORN, CABARET, Lana Turner's career highlight in MADAME X, 1939's THE WOMEN, and 1953's SO BIG) THIS is the only version of TITANIC anyone should want to keep in their collection of classics. This is the one that should have been an Academy Award champion.....and it is a sin that Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck not only didn't win 1953 Oscars, but were not even nominated. Ditto the wonderful performance of the greatest supporting actress in movie history, Thelma Ritter, as the indomitable Unsinkable Molly Brown. I will never forget the hysteria in Barbara Stanwyck's voice as she screamed "Norman! Norman!" when she realized her young son had slipped out of their life-boat to remain with his dad as the ship sank.....nor the tears in Clifton Webb's eyes when he told the boy what pride he felt for him as the end drew near. Please, don't anyone tell me there was an ounce of reality in the blockbuster, phony '97 version.....This simple black & white movie told the REAL story of the very rich and the very poor suddenly equalized in the face of disaster. And I dare you not to smile as millionaire John Jacob Astor reassures his young, pregnant, second wife with the immortal words "My dear, God himself could not sink THIS ship"......and I defy you not to cry when old Mrs. Strauss refuses to board a life-boat, saying "I've been with Mr. Strauss for more than fifty years....I don't intend to leave him now." This is a classic. This is THE classic. And these people, brilliantly portrayed by brilliant actors, become the ones who were really aboard the TITANIC in 1912.

Literary License Keeps Movie Afloat
We know the ship is going to sink, and we can read the committee reports, history books, and other sources to find out the details of what happened in 1912. This movie presents an innovative plot line that keeps our attention. Importantly, the film also preserves the essential truth of the Titanic disaster: 1,500 people died needlessly on account of arrogance and overconfidence.

THe Best Titanic Film Ever
Aside from the great acting, the special effects, music and staging are supurb. It is much more believable than the most famous Titanic movie and will be remembered long after any others. Buy it and Enjoy

Titanic with heart
I remember crying over this film as a kid, and sitting absolutely unmoved during James Cameron's feelingless epic. True, "A Night To Remember" is more accurate, but if you're one of those people who want to count the windows on the promenade deck, buy a documentary. Unlike some reviewers who can't possibly understand the character's actions during the sinking, it is about dignity and courage, something missing from other depictions of the story. The cast are flawless, and the story of a shallow family's realization of meaning brought about through tragedy is age-old and timeless. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Best of the Titanic movies!
I don't remember when I saw this the first time,But I much prefer it to its highly hyped 1997 successor. I rented the video the other night and still sniffled at the end. I would imagine most viewers don't know that it won an Oscar.(For best screenplay,I think.) My mother was just thrilled with the very young Robert Wagner. Does anyone know what happened to Audrey Dalton??? One of the best "minor" characters had to be Richard Basehart as the defrocked priest. and wasn't that Edmund Purdom(uncredited) as "Mr Lightoller? Barabara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb were excellent too. Characters much more clearly drawn than in the 1997 version. Class distinction is not as hokey as Jack and Rose. Was Thelma Ritter supposed to be "Molly Brown"? I think the effect of the film in black and white works very well(NO COLORIZATION PLEASE!)

OSCAR should have been aboard THIS ship......
One of my all-time 10 favorite movies (along with ALL ABOUT EVE, GONE WITH THE WIND, AUNTIE MAME, Jane Wyman's THE BLUE VEIL, Garland's A STAR IS BORN, CABARET, Lana Turner's career highlight in MADAME X, 1939's THE WOMEN, and 1953's SO BIG) THIS is the only version of TITANIC anyone should want to keep in their collection of classics. This is the one that should have been an Academy Award champion.....and it is a sin that Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck not only didn't win 1953 Oscars, but were not even nominated. Ditto the wonderful performance of the greatest supporting actress in movie history, Thelma Ritter, as the indomitable Unsinkable Molly Brown. I will never forget the hysteria in Barbara Stanwyck's voice as she screamed "Norman! Norman!" when she realized her young son had slipped out of their life-boat to remain with his dad as the ship sank.....nor the tears in Clifton Webb's eyes when he told the boy what pride he felt for him as the end drew near. Please, don't anyone tell me there was an ounce of reality in the blockbuster, phony '97 version.....This simple black & white movie told the REAL story of the very rich and the very poor suddenly equalized in the face of disaster. And I dare you not to smile as millionaire John Jacob Astor reassures his young, pregnant, second wife with the immortal words "My dear, God himself could not sink THIS ship"......and I defy you not to cry when old Mrs. Strauss refuses to board a life-boat, saying "I've been with Mr. Strauss for more than fifty years....I don't intend to leave him now." This is a classic. This is THE classic. And these people, brilliantly portrayed by brilliant actors, become the ones who were really aboard the TITANIC in 1912.

Literary License Keeps Movie Afloat
We know the ship is going to sink, and we can read the committee reports, history books, and other sources to find out the details of what happened in 1912. This movie presents an innovative plot line that keeps our attention. Importantly, the film also preserves the essential truth of the Titanic disaster: 1,500 people died needlessly on account of arrogance and overconfidence.

THe Best Titanic Film Ever
Aside from the great acting, the special effects, music and staging are supurb. It is much more believable than the most famous Titanic movie and will be remembered long after any others. Buy it and Enjoy

Titanic with heart
I remember crying over this film as a kid, and sitting absolutely unmoved during James Cameron's feelingless epic. True, "A Night To Remember" is more accurate, but if you're one of those people who want to count the windows on the promenade deck, buy a documentary. Unlike some reviewers who can't possibly understand the character's actions during the sinking, it is about dignity and courage, something missing from other depictions of the story. The cast are flawless, and the story of a shallow family's realization of meaning brought about through tragedy is age-old and timeless. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ann-Margret never actually touches a whip in this seedy jailbait drama of juvenile delinquents and square-john fall guys, but her slithery moves and schizophrenic mood swings are still enough to give anyone whiplash. The teen temptress makes her entrance skittering through an industrial park in nothing more than a baby-doll nightie as bongos pound away on the soundtrack. Taking refuge in the seemingly deserted house of political hopeful John Forsythe, she begins her torment of the man who would be her savior with her gang of beatnik buddies. "Now cool it and co-exist!" exclaims nominal leader Peter Brown. Fat chance.

Ann-Margret yo-yos from little girl lost to feral femme fatale with sharp claws and a taste for blood. She becomes a hellcat who turns on everyone in her nocturnal flight to Tijuana. She even growls with glee while gunning a jeep over a running buddy tangled in barbed wire! Stiff Forsythe is uncomfortably out of place next to the slinky sex kitten, like a sitcom dad who walked onto the wrong set, and the dated portrait of nihilistic, pseudo-philosophical teens makes the film unintentionally campy. But give it credit for energy: Ann-Margret almost single-handedly powers this offbeat drama with pure sass. If the music sounds familiar in the south-of-the-border scenes, that's because it borrows liberally from Henri Mancini's Latin-flavored Touch of Evil score. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Hot Ann-Margret Flick
Talk about sexy. In this film Ann-Margret has got it going on. She is indeed a Kitten With A Whip. Filmed in black and white it has film noir quality. I'm sure she turned on a million teenage boys back in 1964 playing Jody, a troubled JD who prays on the frailties of politician John Forstythe. This kitten made me purr.

Raggedy Ann...
David Stratton (John Forsythe) an up and coming San Diego politician, finds a beautiful seventeen year old girl (Ann-Margret), asleep in his daughter's room. Her name is Jody, and she has a sad story to tell. The kind hearted Stratton decides against turning the girl over to the authorities, dropping her off at a bus stop, thinking he'll never see the young beauty again. The truth is she's a runaway from a reform school, who stabbed a staff member in making her escape, and is wanted by the law.

Stratton's wife and child are away from home, and later upon learning the facts about his recent houseguest, he is perhaps feeling fortunate that there are no serious repercussions from the young delinquent's visit. That is, until he returns home to find that Jody is back in his house again. Already compromised, he now has a guest who won't leave, and it gets worse when she invites three of her friends over for a party. The politician just wants to get out with his reputation intact, and is forced to go along with the game. An accident with a razor leads to a trip to Tijuana for medical attention. South of the border, Jody just can't keep from making trouble, and matters get more complicated, culminating in mad car chase with the wild child herself behind the wheel.

There is budding star quality evident in Ann-Margret's vampy performance. Displaying both innocence as well as a malicious dark side, Jody is a manipulative little sex kitten. Wild and troubled, but still with dreams of an ordinary life. John Forsythe gives a solid performance as a model citizen overwhelmed by circumstances and trapped by good intentions. A bit cliched, but interesting for the performances of the two stars.

One Of The Greatest Movie Titles Of All Time!
Ann-Margret turns in a star-making performance in "Kitten With A Whip," alternately acting scared, sexy, angry and even psychotic. This kitten has claws and she's not afraid to use them! She breaks out of a girls' reformatory and breaks into what she thinks is a deserted house. Later that night, the owner of the house returns home. John Forsythe plays his straight-laced character to perfection. Ann-Margret decides that she'd rather stay with him instead of running from the law. When she invites her beatnik friends over for a party, the action really heats up. After the head beatnik accidentally gets cut with a straight razor, they hightail it to Tijuana. There's a doctor friend of theirs who will patch him up with no questions asked. The violence escalates until the movie reaches its surprise ending. Hopefully, Rhino will release the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of this cult classic!

Creepy.
At first glance this movie looks like a campy, b-flick from the early sixties; perhaps this is all there is to it. But when I watched it, I was floored by how genuinely eerie it is. The title is a euphemism for what in male circles is called being (..)whipped, and the term aludes to the power of female sexuality over the male. Ann-Margret plays up that power, both as an apparently helpless, almost childlike girl and as a ferocious femme fatale. (spoiler)

Ann-Margaret's "beat" friends also appear campy, or almost like a frightened suburbanite's sterotype of wayward youth. But when one listens to their conversation and watches their behavior, one wonders whether their campiness is in fact deliberate. These kids are so off-center and weird that they make your skin crawl. This is David Lynch or Quentin Tarantino territory, early sixties version.

Ann-Margaret is great, John Forsythe shows up. As the Amazon reviewer notes, the film lifts Henry Mancini's "A Touch of Evil score. How did they dare use it so soon after A Touch of Evil came out?

ONE TERRIFIC MOVIE!
MY GIRLFRIEND AND I WATCHED THIS FILM ON AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS.FEBUARY 4TH..AT 3 IN THE MORNING AND WE LOVED IT!!!...I NEVER REALLY SAT DOWN AND WATCHED A ANN-MARGRET MOVIE.....AND I GOTTA TELL YA I'M GLAD THIS WAS MY FIRST!...IT WAS GREAT..WE ABSOLUTLY ENJOYED IT!....THE WANNA-BE ACTRESSES OF TODAY HAVE NOTHING ON THOSE OF THE PAST...THESE BLONDE BRAIN-DEAD NO TALET ACTRESSES ON THESE SIT-COMS AND DRAMAS SHOULD WATCH THIS FIM AND SEE TURE TALET AT WORK! ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Despite the title, one of the better Fifties monster movies
There are a lot of really bad Science Fiction b-movies from the Fifties that are remembered, which is a shame when there is a pretty decent monster movie like "The Monster That Challenged the World" that is being forgotten, even if the title is pretty [silly]. This film starts out in what we would now consider to be a rather traditional fashion as an earthquake unleashes the titular creature in the Salton Sea. When a Navy parachutist go missing the investigation by Commander John Twillinger (Tim Holt) finds a boat with a dead sailor, the shriveled body of the parachutist, and a bunch of slime. There are more strange disappearances, but unlike the standard monster movie where the hero bumbles around while the danger grows, Twillinger finds the monster (some sort of prehistoric mollusk is what they keep saying, but it does not really look like a giant monster snail to me) and its cache of eggs and destroys them. Well, he gets almost all of the eggs, which is why the movie continues at this point.

Monster movies usually hinge on the monster but in this one I think you need to pay more attention to the main trio of actors and their characters. As Twillinger actor Tim Holt ("The Treasure of the Sierra Madre") turns in a fine performance in what turned out to be his final major film role (I probably should have said final leading film role). "Twil" is too old and too overweight to be the traditional hero, but that is what gives the human half of the film its sense of realism (per se). Character actor Hans Conried plays Dr. Rogers, the requisite scientist in such tales, and the only one who has a clue as to what might be going on with the monstrous mollusks. But Rogers is having a hard time catching up with the situation and keeps finding that he has not thought of everything. The screenplay was written by Pat Fielder, a woman, which might explain why the female lead, Gail MacKenzie (Audrey Dalton), the secretary for Dr. Rogers, is not a traditional monster movie heroine either; no fainting for this brave single mother (ironically, it is the military guys who do the screaming at the start of the film).

The monster is well above average for this decade of movie making and while this is clearly a low budget effort director Arnold Laven does not take a lot of short cuts. In fact, there is one sequence that anticipates the opening sequence of "Jaws," and Laven's efforts do not suffer than much in the comparison. Unfortunately, the first appearance of the monster is actually one of the lesser moments in the film. Still, on balance, "The Monster That Challenged the World" is ahead of the curve for Fifties monster films; I actually like it more than "The Creature From the Black Lagoon," which has a better looking monster to be sure, but a fairly pedestrian script and less than stellar acting.

IT'S ALL TRUE?
With little fanfare, MGM has quietly transferred a handful of great B films to DVD that they not too arbitrarily categorize as "Midnight Movies." The nice looking digital prints are in their original theatrical format and appear as if they were taken from original material. The discs come with no substantial extras but care has been lavished on the box art, often reflecting the lurid lobby cards and posters of their initial release. Even acknowledging the B category, these are for the most part well-crafted and, almost adequately acted.

"THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD" Get this -- there's an earthquake in our Palm Springs area Desert Empire that unleashes killer crustaceans under the Salton Sea. It's hard not to think this is some kind of low budget cinematic prophesy based on the massive Landers quake of 91. At least I was willing to suspend my own disbelief at the premise and enjoy the wonderful, dilapidated Salton Sea resort locations. Tim Holt and Audrey Dalton star along with the deliciously sardonic Hans Conreid.

And now we know what is causing the massive Salton Sea pollution. Mary Bono please take note before the creatures mutate and rise again.

Classic 1950's Creature Feature With Good Story And Effects
Despite it's grandiose title which screams out "B movie for the drive in circuit!", "The Monster That Challenged the World", is a good piece of 1950's science fiction, offering capable performances, an interesting, if not totally original storyline and an interesting "creature on the loose", in a giant mollusk that proceeds to drain all the blood from its victims in its quest for nourishment. The creature when it is eventually seen in its entirety is quite horrific and far more sophisticated than the usual rubber suit or tentacled fur balls employed in alot of Sci Fi films of this period. All of this is presented in a pleasing and (for this genre) largely non sensational manner and benefits greatly from some very effective locations filmed in and around Florida's famed Salton Sea.

"The Monster That Challenged the World", starts off with an explanation of the curious history of the Salton Sea and introduces us to the scientific base where most of the action develops from when it is rocked by a tremor which in itself is not serious but which with time is revealed to have created a "hiccup" with some of the "dormant", forms of life in the sea. All seems well until some of the military performing routine parachute jumps into the sea strike trouble with two men completely disappearing and the third being literally scared to death by some horrific vision. Put in charge of the investigation into what happened to the men Lt. John Twillinger (Tim Holt), finds one of the bodies rising to the surface which has been strangely drained of all of its blood. Meanwhile swimmers in the local area also begin to disappear and it becomes obvious that something is lurking in the sea that is unlike anything encountered before. Equally mystifying is that at each of the sights where a death has occured is found a strange sticky substance which when examined by the base scientist Dr. Jess Rogers (Hans Conried), is revealed to come from a prehistoric form of sea Mollusk that supposedly had been extinct for millions of years. During a further expedition out into the sea the divers discover strange egg sacs of a size never seen before and then encounter the creature in broad daylight as it attacks them in their boat. It appears that the prehistoric sea mollusk had lain dormant for millions of years below the sea and was shacken out by the tremor. Affected by elements of radioactivity present in the sea the mollusk had grown to a huge size with a decidely hostile manner. Beaten off by the men the gravity of the situation is revealed in that these creatures multiple rapidly and have a consuming appetite for other creatures blood. One of the egg sacs is taken back to the lab where it is kept at a neutral temperature to stop it from hatching so that it can be studied. In the lab Lt. Twillinger makes the acquaintance of lab assistant Gail Mackenzie (Audrey Dalton), a young widow with a child and they begin a romance. Closing off the sea's beaches patrols are set up of all the loch's leading from the sea. When one of the loch watchmen is killed in the same way as the divers, being drained of his blood, emergency measures are taken. The team manages to find the main nesting place of the creatures and divers proceed to blow them all up. It seems like the threat has now been removed however at the base Gail's young daughter has played with the temperature control on the observation tank and the creature hatches trapping both Gail and her daughter in a storage room. Not able to reach her on the telephone and sensing something is wrong Lt. Twillinger races back to the base and is confronted by the creature just as it is breaking down the door where Gail is trapped. The military then move in and destroy the creature with fire. The conclusion sees John and Gail happily reunited outside the burning base building.

For this kind of film the screenplay surprisingly presents the material in a fairly intelligent and well thought out manner. The creature of the title doesn't exactly threaten the whole world however its general look and the explanation of how it has got to the size it is is dealt with in an interesting manner. Performances are generally good for this type of effort. Tim Holt had had a long busy career appearing in many Hollywood "A" efforts prior to this film and indeed "The Monster That Challenged the World", was almost his final film performance. He looks decidely unfit in the unlikely role of the male romantic lead however he combines well with Audrey Dalton to make a fairly believable couple. The direction by Arnold Laven, is capable without being spectacular for science fiction. He keeps the action moving along and the old technique of not revealing the monster until the story is well set up is a standard one in 1950's sci fi which works well here. His direction of Audrey Dalton is probably the best part here as he doesn't reduce her character to the standard screaming damsel in distress as is normal. Gail is a resourceful and intelligent woman and when she is put into a crisis situation at the films conclusion proves herself to be level headed and capable of good judgement when faced with the sea mollusk on the rampage.

Certainly not top grade science fiction "The Monster That Challenged the World", however makes great viewing if like me, you are a fan of the "creature features", of the 1950's. I think its most appealing feature apart from the terrific monster is the fact that it has an almost at times low key, non sensational approach to the material. The earnest performances by Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton and Hans Conreid in particular give this film a certain credibility that is missing in some of its "B" cousins from the same period in Hollywood. Enjoy a nasty blood sucking creature awakened from its slumber after millions of years in United Artists "The Monster That Challenged the World".

Instant Terror...Just Add Water
I really wanted to give this movie four stars, but a few things got in the way, which I will go into later. The Monster That Challenged the World (1957), wow, that's a mouthful, is actually a smidge better than lots of other films of this type produced around the mid to late 50's.

The film stars Tim Holt as Lt. Cmdr. John 'Twill' Twillinger. I best remember Holt from the Humphrey Bogart classic Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) but he's been in a ton of other films including My Darling Clementine (1946) and Swiss Family Robinson (1940) to name a couple. The movie also stars Audrey Dalton as Gail MacKenzie and Hans Conried as Dr. Jess Rogers. If you don't recognize Conried's face, you may recognize his voice, as he did voices for various cartoon shows like Woody Woodpecker, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Tom & Jerry, Dudley Do-Right, and narration on the Dr. Suess classic, Horton Hears a Who! (1970).

The film opens on the Salton Sea, a lake that occupies a desert basin in southern California. A military base, located near the body of water, regularly performs parachute testing, with the jumpers landing in the sea. After a recent tremor, a routine pickup from the waters turns into a horrific nightmare, with three men dead, two drained of all their fluids, and one scared to death. An investigation turns up more questions than it answers.

A diving expedition reveals a new cavern has opened at the bottom of the lakebed, and some curious egg-like sacs are present. The expedition also reveals a large, monstrous creature with large, sharp pinchers that proceeds to gobble on one of the divers. The men on the boat come into contact with the beast, poking it in the eye with a big stick. Dr. Rogers puts forth the theory, based on the evidence collected, that these are prehistoric mollusks that had been dormant for many years, and have been revived due to the tremor and traces of radioactive materials in the waters due to atomic testing. (At least the creatures size wasn't solely attributed to atomic 'embiggening' as was common with films of this type at the time)

Anyway, thus begins the chase to hunt down all the creatures, as there are more than one, and with the distinct possibility that these creatures may navigate their way into a series of channel locks and end up in open waters causes the military to hasten their efforts to track down the human fluid draining monsters. The fear is that due to the size and appetite of the creatures, and their capacity and efficiency for reproduction, they would deplete the oceans rather quickly and move onto land for human sustenance.

As I said before, I enjoyed the film, but there were a few flaws. One being when Dr. Rogers, keeping one of the eggs in a temperature controlled tank in a fairly unsecured and unguarded area tells everyone that the egg won't hatch as long as the easily accessible temperature dial isn't changed from its' setting. Well guess what? Someone fiddles with it, and the egg hatches. I mean, given how much Dr. Rogers went out of his way to tell us how important it was that this dial remain where it was, one couldn't help but wonder not if but when it was going to be changed, as such a clunky piece of exposition rarely is for naught in films like this. Also, I thought Tim Holt's portrayal of his character made him look like a real brown noser jerk. I'm sure it was written that way, and a softer side was shown at times, but it was still off putting and really didn't endear the character to me much.

I will say the creatures looked really spectacular, especially the scene where the egg hatches in the laboratory and the monster terrorizes a couple of people. Imagine a giant, slobbery, snail-like monster, voracious for your fluids and you get the picture. The shells the creatures used for homes also looked very good and realistic. The creatures did have a good amount of screen time, allowing for the viewer to get a good look at them, which wasn't always the case in movies like this, especially cheaper ones, limiting the screen time due to costs.

The print used here was okay, but did show a number of signs of wear and tear, with speckling and a few scenes with vertical lines on the print. Also, the film has been modified to full screen format, which I try to avoid, if possible. Given the quality of the film and lack of any special features (I would have loved a featurette on the creatures), I would be hard pressed to give this the 3½ to 4 stars it deserves. All in all, a really good movie with a sub par release, and one that reinforces the necessity to obey the 'no swimming' signs when posted as you never know if the reasoning is because of high E Coli counts or prehistoric mollusks intent on draining your precious bodily fluids through your neck. You've been warned.

Cookieman108

Above-average giant bug film
The Monster that Challenged the World (1957), directed by Arnold Laven and starring Tim Holt and Audrey Dalton, is an above-average grade-B film about giant, mutated mollusks from the bottom of the Salton Sea. The action takes place in the vicinity of a naval base, commanded by Tim Holt, with Dalton his obligatory love interest. The creatures, mutated as a result of radioactivity from atomic testing and freed after millions of years thanks to earthquake activity, drain the body fluids out of their victims. Yuk. Above-average special effects, interesting story, and convincing acting combine to make this film one of the best of its type. Highly recommended to fans of the genre. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Top Billing for the Entire Cast!
When Separate Tables was released, the agents of Deborah Kerr and Rita Hayworth fought for top billing in the opening credits. It's easy to understand after viewing this powerful film. Separate Tables is a great study in human nature and relationships among people who are far from faultless.

Burt Lancaster displays both intense anger and hopeless longing as his former wife Rita Hayworth comes back into his life. David Niven (who won an Oscar for this role) is superb as the military man with a past. Watch Niven as he is confronted with the truth about himself and how he interacts with his friends and those who once were his friends. The strength of the film is in its casting. In the hands of lesser actors, the film would turn into a very sappy melodrama. I am anxious to view the film again just to catch all the subtle facial expressions that these wonderful actors use to make their characters even more believable. A great ensemble, a great film.

out of the madding crowd
These separate tables and that discreet hotel I think are the equivalent to the abbeys of the Middle Age in Europe. In effect, not all people are strong enough to affront usual, daily life, with his defying , and some found by then a quiet way of life professing religion, believers or not, escaping of wars, abuses of the noblesse, etc. The lodgers of this film aren't religious, but excepting the writer played by Burt Lancaster the mundane personage of Rita Hayworth and the proprietary of the hotel, all others are people with a weak ego, unable for common life and some practically touching the tragedy, as the pathetic retired major who truly never fought, living of pure fantasy played by David Niven who has to find sex in dark cinema halls, and the poor girl represented by Deborah Kerr, annulated by her malignant castrating mother.
This movie moves me as I think people as these are more common than Herculean, steel heroes as usual, and at last, in his way, they are heroes also.

Top Billing for the Entire Cast!
When Separate Tables was released, the agents of Deborah Kerr and Rita Hayworth fought for top billing in the opening credits. It's easy to understand after viewing this powerful film. Separate Tables is a great study in human nature and relationships among people who are far from faultless.

Burt Lancaster displays both intense anger and hopeless longing as his former wife Rita Hayworth comes back into his life. David Niven (who won an Oscar for this role) is superb as the military man with a past. Watch Niven as he is confronted with the truth about himself and how he interacts with his friends and those who once were his friends. The strength of the film is in its casting. In the hands of lesser actors, the film would turn into a very sappy melodrama. I am anxious to view the film again just to catch all the subtle facial expressions that these wonderful actors use to make their characters even more believable. A great ensemble, a great film.

One of the outstanding movies based on play
Delbert Mann's "Separate Tables" is a beautiful movie based on a stellar cast of David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancastar, Rita Hayworth, and Wendy Hiller. It is set on the seaside, "Beauregard Hotel" in England and shows the lives of different people in the hotel. David Niven plays a retired army man who lives a fictitious life of a person who has fought glamorous wars in the desert, while he has a double life of a person who has a scandalous time at a local theatre. Deborah Kerr plays the life of a shy and simple girl who is tortured by her mother, Gladys Cooper, and not given any freedom and constantly reminded of her position and the class distinctions. Burt Lancaster plays the life of a writer, John Malcolm, who wishes to forget his past in drink. His ex-wife, Rita Hayworth comes to check on him as she is getting old and does not wish to be alone. She feels that John is the only person whom she can turn to.

The screenplay in the movie is wonderful as are the roles of quite a few people in the movie. These include David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Wendy Hiller, and Burt Lancaster. The music, though low key is appropriate for the movie. The story shows the ebbing of the class distinctions of Britain. Though the Major commits the errors, only one person is dead against it and the others are either ambivalent or are neutral about it. Gladys Cooper tries to badger others to get the major evicted from the hotel due to his bad behavior. Though some of them agree to her, the way they relent in the end is unusual.

The romance between Mrs Shankland and John Malcolm is well portrayed without overdoing anything. I felt that Deborah Kerr's role was wonderful in this. It showed the breadth of her acting style, where she shows how she feels when her trust in the Major is betrayed and the innocence in the child-woman quality of her. Wendy Hiller is beautiful in her low key role of the proprietress of the hotel and how she handles all the people and the issues in the hotel. David Niven's role is fantastic, he shows his transformation from the confident army major to the frightened culprit about to be caught to the person admitting his fault to Deborrah Kerr superbly.

The direction of the movie is very thoughtful without melodrama. Though the movie almost 50 years old, it still maintains its grace and style, which shows its timelessness. The end of the movie is subtle and lovely.

Don't Miss This One!
A great film with perfect casting. The sound track was beautiful and particularly wonderful when Rita Hayworth is introduced to the viewer. The story is unique and has such a good message: The hateful mother is a warning to those who never see the plank in their own eye but see the splinter in their neighbor's. It was good to see that the majority of the characters were able to forgive the sins and bad choices the main character had made in his life. A truly fine film. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

fafel, farfel, pipick is yiddish
Wonderful movie. Other reviewers have already told the story so I won't repeat. But one of the great hysterically funny moments occurs at the Doge's ball with Bob in women's clothes, barely holding on to his stuffing...and dancing with a foreign gentleman who speaks an unknown language. Bob responds with "farfel, farfel, pipick." Farfel is a Yiddish word for a particular sidedish made of wheat barley and usually cooked with mushrooms. Pipick refers to a bellybutton, often to the bellybutton of a chicken (in itself a joke) which is eaten along with the rest of the roast chicken. Anyway, it's very funny.

"Farfel, farfel, pipick"
A Hope comedy classic, ranking right up there with "Ghost Breakers". Bob's performance as Pipo Poppolino, "a miserable tailor's miserable apprentice", is almost flawless, and the supporting cast (Vicent Price as Casanova, the great Basil Rathbone as Luccio, Joan Fountain as the Widow Bruni, Hugh Marlow as the brother of the bride, Arnold Moss as the evil Doge of Venice, and brief appearances by Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine and Raymond Burr), is excellent. Hope is at his bumbling, cowardly best as the commoner impersonating Casanova, until he finds the courage to overcome the Doge and turn the tables on the devious Luccio. The sword fight scene and the finale (with Hope in hilarious drag) are side-splitters.

Not Hope's best
Ok, the movie is [bad]... it's still better than "Harry Potter." Bob is rich, and he doesn't need your money... but if you want a light, swashbuckling adventure for kids or kids at heart, then enjoy.

Classic Bob Hope Comedy romp
In this Bob Hope comedy classic, he portrays a lowly tailors aprentice who gets a chance to impersonate the worlds greatest lover, Casanova. Hope plays Peepo, who toils away in his masters tailor shop and dreams of romance with the lovely grocery lady across the street played by Joan Fontaine. When the real Casanova skips town in order to escape his creditors, Peepo is pressed into service by Fontaine and the others to pretend to be the famous swordsman and lover when a Countess offers $10,000 ducets to test the fidelity of her future daughter in law. Peepo throws himself into the role and is soon entering Venice in grand style singing the song "Tic a Tic A tic a" and enthralling every woman within earshot, (including one who dives fully clothed into the canal to swim out to his gondola), everyone thinking that he is indeed the famous Casanova. However Peepo soon discovers the downside of being a notorious lover as several outraged husbands, brothers, and boyfreinds come looking for him swords in hand, looking to avenge the dishonor of their womenfolk. At first Peepo wants only to fullfill his part of the deal (Obtaining an embroidered peticoat in order to prove he "Seduced" the girl he was supposed to), and obtain his money, he soon is helping to save her from the plottings of the Doge who seeks to use both her and Casanova to touch off a war.
This movie is a classic costume comedy from the days when movies didn't need four letter words and potty humor to get a laugh. Hope is in top form as he capers about the screen from one narrow escape to another, all the time mugging for the camera. I highly reccomend it for all Hope fans.

Casanova's Big Night the Review
Casanova's Big Night was a hysterically funny movie. I have always enjoyed BoB Hope and Dorothy Lamore; but Joan Fontaine was a most worthy co-star in this comedy routine.In this movie BoB Hope plays a gentleman who really has nothing to offer in the royal presence he is in the midst of. I don't want to give away the entire story, but basically he has been asked to pretend he is the geat lover Casanova to woo the queen and save the country.It is a rare, in these times, to find a movie with comedy and cleanliness. I find myself constantly returning to the "fore fathers of comedy" to find something decent to laugh at. The is one of my first choices for family entertaiment. ... Read more