Way Down Deep, To The Center

An all star cast take part in this wonderful science fiction adventure. Adapted from the novel by Jules Verne this is a sweeping adventure that has enough thrills and entertainment to satisfy every explorer young or old.

Cast
Some of the finest actors and actresses of 1959 were cast in this movie. The lead was acted by James Mason as Professor Lindenbrook a teacher in a university. Next is Pat Boone starring as young student Alec. It is Alec who starts this adventure when he finds a curious chunk on lava in a small shop and purchases it as a gift for the professor. Professor Lindenbrook has a beautiful daughter played by a young Diane Baker. She has her sights set on Alec as her future husband and his views are the same. When he's about to propose marriage the promise of this great adventure gets in the way and the young couple are separated.

Also starring in the movie is Arlene Dahl who play the late wife of a colleague of Professor Lindenbrook who has been murdered for the secret of the entrance to the extinct volcano which leads to the center of the earth. Other characters in the movie are the young Icelander as a guide and his duck Gertrude and of course the evil scientist who believes he is the only one who has a right to explore the earth.

Special Effects
The special effects in this movie were very pleasing for 1959. There wasn't any computer generated graphics that we see today in movies such as Star Wars, The Lost World, and The Matrix. There are a forest of giant mushrooms, the lost city of Atlantis, glistening caverns of beautiful crystals, luminescent algae, a large underground ocean, and giant lizards. What else could you look for in a great adventure. Some of the effects do look a little fake but you can overlook it for the quality of the acting.

Overall
A very pleasing movie that will be loved by one and all. It's appropriate for the entire family but very small youngsters could find the lizards a little scary. A classic is every sense of the word.