Behemoth the Sea Monster (1959) Reviews

• Goodbye, Picadilly (almost!)

  reptilicus2001-04-08

  Essentially a remake of THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS with the dinosaur emitting radiation instead of a deadly disease this is still a good film. Originally the monster was supposed to be invisible (hence the scene where it does not show up on radar) but the producers said that would never do and a monster must be seen by the audience! So Willis O'Brien and Pete Peterson were brought in late in the game to do some effective stop motion effects. The low budget shows. Notice how the monster steps on the same car 3 times and seems to take forever to walk up a single street. When the Behemoth attacks the ferry watch carefully and you will see the wooden base the rubber head is attached to come out of the water! Other scenes are very good though, like the beast "attacking" the high tension wires and when he strolls by the houses of Parliament you almost cannot tell the old British landmark is just a blown up photograph! B-Western stalwart Gene Evans is pretty good as the hero and Andre Morrell, a one time Dr. Watson opposite Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes, is good too. Not much time is wasted on a romantic subplot . . .thank goodness! Allegedly when director Eugene Lourie's young daughter saw this film she chided her father "Daddy, you're bad! You killed the beastie." her comment stayed with Lourie and a few years later when he directed GORGO he . . .well . . .that's another story for another review. See you then.

• Behold Thou, the last stop-motion of Willis O'Brien!

  ramaken332003-12-30

  ***WARNING SOME SPOILERS*** The Giant Behemoth was one of the last giant monster-on-the-loose films of the 1950's, a decade that saw all manner of creatures born of the two biggest scientific issues of the decade- space exploration and nuclear weapons. Behemoth fell into the second category, a genre started with the excellent Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, and elaborated upon with Godzilla and Them! However, by the time Behemoth rolled before the cameras, the concept of atomically created monsters had already worn thin. Nevertheless, this is one of the better films of its type; a real gem made on a budget so tiny that it wouldn't even cover the cost of a current feature's end credit listings! Credit for the film's cult reputation must go to the men behind the Behemoth. Although Jack Rabin, Irving Block and Louis DeWitt are first billed in the effects credits, it was King Kong's Willis O'Brien and his assistant Pete Peterson, that brought the Behemoth to life. Their Paleosaurus- though in some ways reminiscent of the Beast From 20,000 Fathoms-is nonetheless a unique creation, with its long neck and legs giving it a stature that makes it tower over most of its surroundings. The skin of the model is finely detailed, with hundreds of minute scales, while the back has a single row of serrated plates, a very realistic model in spite of the movie's low-budget pedigree. The animation, mostly created by Peterson while in a wheelchair due to his advanced multiple sclerosis, is superb; Peterson had learned well from master craftsman O'Brien, and ensured the dinosaur's movements would seem natural, even giving it something of a personality. Despite Peterson and O'Brien's expertise, the film does have some technical flaws (the stiff, live-action prop head that rams the ferryboat is regrettable) but effective stop-motion scenes counterbalance these missteps. In an atmospheric night scene reminiscent of Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, the Behemoth, in silhouette, wanders into some power lines, reacting first with shock, then anger as it attacks the high-tension towers. In the first stop-motion scene of the monster rising from the Thames, the Behemoth strides towards the camera, attacks some dockside cranes, and continues forward, eventually passing over the camera- a trademark of O'Brien's visual style. Sadly, this was also the last film that highlighted his stop-motion work. This makes the movie significant for historians, and a must for buffs. Another aspect of Behemoth that makes it compare favorably to most of its contemporaries at the time was the direction by Eugene Lourie, and the elegant, understated performances. Lourie (who had previously directed Beast From 20,000 Fathoms) attempted to repeat that success with Behemoth, this time not only directing, but screenwriting as well. However, budgetary restrictions forced Lourie to keep the monster off-screen for a longer time. Instead of shots of the monster actually attacking ships and structures (as Ray Harryhausen had done in Beast) Lourie substituted after-the-fact sequences (such as a beached steamship). Not until the creature has actually entered London is the viewer allowed a good look at it. However, it's to Lourie's credit that he eschewed the non-essential romantic subplot typical of most 50's B-movies. As the film was an Anglo-American production, he made the story into an English mystery of sorts, similar to the Dr. Quartermass films. We know from the start that something radioactive is killing fish and men off the coast of England, but it's up to the lead characters to solve the riddle of the source of the radioactivity. In the opening of the film, an American biologist, Steven Karnes (played by Gene Evans) is lecturing a group of scientists about the dangers of not only nuclear weapons testing, but the disposal of radioactive wastes- a warning still timely 45 years later! Evans plays his role straight and understated- he's the hero, yet doesn't let his character exceed what would be expected of a scientist investigating an unusual phenomenon. Likewise, his British counterpart, Prof. Bickford (Andre Morrell) also plays low-key. Evans even allows Karnes to undergo a subtle change in his behavior. In the beginning of the movie, Karnes's blunt, direct (American) attitude puts off the reserved Bickford and other English authorities. Eventually, Karnes begins to adopt a more diplomatic manner, ultimately suggesting rather than demanding that a torpedo be the ideal means of destroying the Behemoth. By treating the film as a detective thriller, Lourie managed to keep it moving, involving the cast in various bits of business that hold the audience even when the animal does not appear. Once the Behemoth surfaces, however, the film exchanges mystery for spectacle, even if on a smaller scale than Beast or Gorgo, Lourie's 3rd (and most spectacular) monster on the loose epic. The only real letdown (other than the prop head) is the demise of the creature. Unlike Beast, with its spectacular finale- as the monster reared up before a burning roller coaster and finally expired- (a nice Harryhausen touch) the Behemoth is simply struck and blown up by the torpedo. Instead of a stop-motion shot of the monster dead or mortally wounded, the unrealistic prop head briefly rises for a final time before plunging into the depths of an obvious studio tank. O'Brien and Peterson probably didn't have time to film the creature's destruction in a more dramatic fashion, although they were certainly capable of wringing pathos out of their creations. The musical score, by Edwin Ashley, while not as bold as David Buttloph's for Beast, still provides both low key tension during non-monster sequences and dramatic enhancement during the monster's rampage. Ashley's work here was likely influenced by passages from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring; it has a primitive, visceral power. Those who like their dinosaur thrills high tech (CGI) may find Behemoth dated, but for those who admire old-fashioned craftsmanship, and for fans of this unique genre, I recommend taking a look at this minor classic.

• A good film from the 50's

  vtcavuoto2005-09-06

  There were many "giant-monster" films from the 50's . Some were terrible. Most were good, including this one. Yeah, if one were picky they could say the stop-motion effects (from King Kong effects man Willis O'Brien) are not as well done as Ray Harryhausen's or the pacing is a bit slow at times. For the most part, the actors do a credible job although Gene Evans (Dr. Karnes) overplays his part a bit. There is enough action to sustain interest and the story is pretty good (if not original). This monster just isn't in a talking mood! It's not only radioactive but has an electric charge that sends out the radiation. There is some decent stock footage as well. If you're a fan of 1950's sci-fi films, give this one a try.

• first rate thriller

  Guenzel_D@MSN.com2008-04-09

  Let me quickly begin by putting to rest once and for all a terrible error that is popping up everywhere concerning this film: THE GIANT BEHEMOTH was not, repeat NOT, "co-directed" by Mr Douglas Hickox. He was not an "uncredited" contributor to the film. Period. End of discussion. It was solely directed from start to finish by Eugene Lourie, a director (and production designer) of taste and imagination. How this rumor about Mr Hickox ever got started is beyond me. If I accomplish nothing else but put this falsehood to rest I will be quite happy. Now, on to the film. I recommend it highly. It is well-written, well-acted, nicely photographed and edited, and well-scored by Edwin Astley. It is a good example of what can be done on an extremely low budget. The producers were merciless in their budget-cutting which was very hard on master animators Willis O'Brien and Pete Peterson but it is a testament to their skill and integrity that they managed as well as they did. Their animation of the giant creature is of a very high order and is, of course, vastly superior to the work of a second special effects crew which was brought in to do the ferry boat sequence. The less said about that work the better, though the scene played well due to the fine editing and music scoring. I greatly admire what was accomplished here by these talented people having almost no money to work with. That should be an inspiration to many an aspiring movie-maker.

• Not bad, but the people who made this film had done better work elsewhere and the plot offers little that is new.

  youroldpaljim2001-12-22

  When it comes to this film, some people love it, while others despise it. There seems to be no middle ground. Actually, BEHEMOTH, THE SEA MONSTER (aka THE GIANT BEHEMOTH) is not a bad giant monster on the loose flick. I enjoyed it when was a kid and I have this film on video and I still enjoy viewing it today. The special effects are pretty good for a quickly made low budget picture, the cast including Gene Evans turn in solid performances and Eugene Lourie's direction is quite good. The radiation scarred victims of the behemoth's radioactive aura (?) shocked me as a kid. However, the main problem with this film is that we have seen it all before. The film is almost a remake of Lourie's BEAST FROM TWENTY THOUSAND FATHOMS. The original script for this film was about an invisible radioactive monster that dwelled in the ocean. The backers of this film turned the script down, saying they didn't like the idea of an invisible monster. So Lourie went with a radioactive dinosaur and simply rewrote BEAST FROM TWENTY THOUSAND FATHOMS. The special effects are pretty good. The stop motion effects by Willis O'Brien and Pete Peterson look pretty good for a low budget picture. The main problem is that O'Brien and Peterson had done much more impressive work elsewhere. The effects are not bad, but the effects here are not up to the work O'Brien and Peterson did in KING KONG or even THE BLACK SCORPION. The mechanical and pyro-technical effects by Jack Rabin and Irving Block are pretty ambitious for a picture of this nature. BEHEMOTH, THE SEA MONSTER is a decent late fifties monster on the loose picture. It is just that we have seen this before and the people who made this film had done better work elsewhere.