Monster from the Ocean Floor: Difference between revisions
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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It was the first film produced by Roger Corman. |
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⚫ | Alan Frank listed ''Monster from the Ocean Floor'''s budget as $30,000.<ref name="frank">Alan Frank, ''The Films of Alan Frank: Shooting My Way Out of Trouble'', Bath Press, 1998 p 15</ref> However, Corman stated that the film was made for $12,000 over six days.<ref name="beverly">Beverly Gray, ''Roger Corman: Blood Sucking Vampires, Flesh Eating Cockroaches and Driller Killers'', AZ Ferris 2014 p 30-31</ref> According to Corman, $4,000 of the film's budget came from Ordung, $3,500 from Corman (from the sale of the ''Highway Dragnet'' story to [[Allied Artists Pictures Corporation|Allied Artists]]), $5,000 in deferment from Consolidated Labs, and money raised privately by selling $500 and $1,000 shares.<ref name="AIP">Mark McGee, ''Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures'', McFarland, 1996 p15-20</ref> Ordung later claimed that he hocked his life insurance and sold his apartment to raise $15,000 to pay for the film.<ref name="robert"/> Corman's brother, [[Gene Corman]], estimated the budget at $35,000.<ref name="gene"/> |
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⚫ | Alan Frank listed ''Monster from the Ocean Floor'''s budget as $30,000.<ref name="frank">Alan Frank, ''The Films of Alan Frank: Shooting My Way Out of Trouble'', Bath Press, 1998 p 15</ref> However, Corman stated that the film was made for $12,000 in cash over six days.<ref name="beverly">Beverly Gray, ''Roger Corman: Blood Sucking Vampires, Flesh Eating Cockroaches and Driller Killers'', AZ Ferris 2014 p 30-31</ref> According to Corman, $4,000 of the film's budget came from Ordung, $3,500 from Corman (from the sale of the ''Highway Dragnet'' story to [[Allied Artists Pictures Corporation|Allied Artists]]), $5,000 in deferment from Consolidated Labs, and money raised privately by selling $500 and $1,000 shares.<ref name="AIP">Mark McGee, ''Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures'', McFarland, 1996 p15-20</ref> Ordung later claimed that he hocked his life insurance and sold his apartment to raise $15,000 to pay for the film.<ref name="robert"/> Corman's brother, [[Gene Corman]], estimated the budget at $35,000.<ref name="gene"/> |
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⚫ | Roger Corman had seen an article on a new electric-powered one-man submarine, and was able to use it in the picture for free in exchange for the publicity and an on-screen credit ("Submarine built by Aerojet General"). |
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==Release== |
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Corman said when he made the film, "I was surprisingly confident. I think if I were to do it now, I would be very worried that I couldn't do it. But at the age of twenty-five or whatever, I had ambition and confidence. You do things that, when you're older and smarter, you wouldn't do. "<ref name="take">{{cite book|page=120|title=The Directors Take Three|url=https://archive.org/details/The_Directors_Take_Three/page/n129/mode/1up/search/%22fast+and+the+furious%22?q=corman+%22fast+and+the+furious%22|first=Robert J.|last=Emery|publisher=Allworth Press|year=2003}}</ref> |
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The film's original title was ''It Stalked the Ocean Floor'', but was changed by the distributor for being too artsy.<ref>Frank, Alan (1998) The Films of Roger Corman. Batsford </ref> |
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==Distributor== |
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⚫ | Corman's brother Gene, an agent, negotiated the sale of the film to a distributor. Although [[Herbert Yates]] of [[Republic Pictures]] had an interest in the film, Corman says the only person willing to put up an advance against income was [[Robert Lipper]]. ''Monster from the Ocean Floor'' was sold to Lippert Pictures for $110,000. Gene Corman later said that Lippert renegotiated his deal on the film once he found out that Roger Corman had not spent $100,000 on making it, but considerably less.<ref name="gene">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=kMYf7vlGQn0C&pg=PA410&lpg=PA410&dq=%22secret+of+the+purple+reef%22+interview&source=bl&ots=oo_zqTETFN&sig=EeDG0T6sdi6tGz61w9EAYa04zio&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic17aNrILaAhWIo5QKHUR-BcIQ6AEIUzAL#v=onepage&q=%22secret%20of%20the%20purple%20reef%22%20interview&f=false|page=94-95|title=Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers: Writers, Producers, Directors, Actors, Moguls and Makeup|first=Tom|last= Weaver|publisher=McFarland|date= 2006}}</ref> |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
Revision as of 12:59, 14 May 2020
Monster from the Ocean Floor | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Wyott Ordung |
Written by | Bill Danch |
Produced by | Roger Corman |
Starring | Anne Kimbell Stuart Wade Dick Pinner David Garcia |
Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
Edited by | Edward Sampson |
Music by | Andre Brummer |
Production company | Palo Alto |
Distributed by | Lippert Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 64 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $30,000 |
Box office | $850,000 |
Monster from the Ocean Floor is a 1954 science fiction film about a sea monster that terrorizes a Mexican cove. The film was directed by Wyott Ordung and starred Anne Kimbell and Stuart Wade.
It was the first film produced by Roger Corman (although he had previously written Highway Dragnet).
Plot
Julie Blair (Kimbell) is an American vacationing at a seaside village in Mexico. She hears stories about a man-eating creature dwelling in the cove. She meets Dr. Baldwin (Dick Pinner), a marine biologist, and they fall for one another. The mysterious death of a diver inspires Julie to investigate, but Baldwin is very skeptical. She sees a giant amoeba rising from the ocean.
Cast
- Anne Kimbell as Julie Blair
- Stuart Wade as Steve Dunning
- Dick Pinner as Dr. Baldwin
- Wyott Ordung as Pablo
- Inez Palange as Tula
- Jonathan Haze as Joe
- David Garcia as Jose
- Roger Corman as Tommy
Production
It was the first film produced by Roger Corman.
Alan Frank listed Monster from the Ocean Floor's budget as $30,000.[1] However, Corman stated that the film was made for $12,000 in cash over six days.[2] According to Corman, $4,000 of the film's budget came from Ordung, $3,500 from Corman (from the sale of the Highway Dragnet story to Allied Artists), $5,000 in deferment from Consolidated Labs, and money raised privately by selling $500 and $1,000 shares.[3] Ordung later claimed that he hocked his life insurance and sold his apartment to raise $15,000 to pay for the film.[4] Corman's brother, Gene Corman, estimated the budget at $35,000.[5]
Roger Corman had seen an article on a new electric-powered one-man submarine, and was able to use it in the picture for free in exchange for the publicity and an on-screen credit ("Submarine built by Aerojet General").
Corman said when he made the film, "I was surprisingly confident. I think if I were to do it now, I would be very worried that I couldn't do it. But at the age of twenty-five or whatever, I had ambition and confidence. You do things that, when you're older and smarter, you wouldn't do. "[6]
The film's original title was It Stalked the Ocean Floor, but was changed by the distributor for being too artsy.[7]
Distributor
Corman's brother Gene, an agent, negotiated the sale of the film to a distributor. Although Herbert Yates of Republic Pictures had an interest in the film, Corman says the only person willing to put up an advance against income was Robert Lipper. Monster from the Ocean Floor was sold to Lippert Pictures for $110,000. Gene Corman later said that Lippert renegotiated his deal on the film once he found out that Roger Corman had not spent $100,000 on making it, but considerably less.[5]
Roger Corman says he ultimately received a $60,000 advance for Monster, which enabled him to make his next film.[2]
Reception
Box office
The film grossed $850,000.[3][4]
Critical
TV Guide found the movie lacking and criticized the directing; however, it found the movie interesting historically as the "beginning of something big and cheap".[8] Variety was kinder, calling the movie a well made quickie. [9] Creature Feature by John Stanley gave the movie two out of five stars citing minimal mood, the films dubbing and a cast of unknowns. [10]
References
- ^ Alan Frank, The Films of Alan Frank: Shooting My Way Out of Trouble, Bath Press, 1998 p 15
- ^ a b Beverly Gray, Roger Corman: Blood Sucking Vampires, Flesh Eating Cockroaches and Driller Killers, AZ Ferris 2014 p 30-31
- ^ a b Mark McGee, Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures, McFarland, 1996 p15-20
- ^ a b Mark Thomas McGee, Talk's Cheap, Action's Expensive: The Films of Robert L. Lippert, Bear Manor Media, 2014 p 156-159
- ^ a b Weaver, Tom (2006). Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers: Writers, Producers, Directors, Actors, Moguls and Makeup. McFarland. p. 94-95.
- ^ Emery, Robert J. (2003). The Directors Take Three. Allworth Press. p. 120.
- ^ Frank, Alan (1998) The Films of Roger Corman. Batsford
- ^ http://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-monster-from-the-ocean-floor/review/106617/
- ^ Frank, Alan (1998) The Films of Roger Corman. Batsford
- ^ Stanley, John (2000) Creature Feature: Third Edition
External links
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