''The Lost Continent'' is a 1968 adventure film made by Hammer Films and Seven Arts featuring

Eric Porter Eric Richard Porter (8 April 192815 May 1995) was an English actor of stage, film and television. Early life Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to bus conductor Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth (née Spall). His parents ho ...

Hildegard Knef Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef (; 28 December 19251 February 2002) was a German actress, voice actress, singer, and writer. She was billed in some English-language films as Hildegard Neff or Hildegarde Neff. Early years Hildegard Knef was born ...

, Suzanna Leigh,

Tony Beckley Derek Anthony Beckley (7 October 1927 – 19 April 1980) was an English actor. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Beckley went on to carve out a career on film and television throughout the 1960s and 1970s, often playing villainou ...

, and

James Cossins James Cossins (4 December 1933 – 12 February 1997) was an English character actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he became widely recognised as the abrupt, bewildered Mr Walt in the ''Fawlty Towers'' episode " The Hotel Inspectors" and as Mr Wats ...

. The film was produced, directed and written by

Michael Carreras Michael Henry Carreras (21 December 1927 – 19 April 1994) was a British film producer and director. He was known for his association with Hammer Films, being the son of founder James Carreras, and taking an executive role in the compan ...

based on Dennis Wheatley's novel ''Uncharted Seas'' (1938). The film was called "the strangest film to come out of the Hammer Studios". The film sees the crew and passengers of the dilapidated

tramp steamer A boat or ship engaged in the tramp trade is one which does not have a fixed schedule, itinerary nor published ports of call, and trades on the spot market as opposed to freight liners. A steamship engaged in the tramp trade is sometimes called ...

''Corita'' heading from

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

to Caracas. While the passengers all have their own reasons for getting out of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, the captain of the ship is also eager to leave, as he is smuggling a dangerous explosive cargo. Whilst en route to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

the ship is holed and eventually what's left of the crew and passengers find themselves marooned in a mist-enshrouded Sargasso Sea surrounded by killer seaweed, murderous crustaceans and previously marooned descendants of Spanish

Conquistadores Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

and pirates.

Plot

Captain Lansen reads the

Burial Rites ''Burial Rites'' (2013) is a novel by Australian author Hannah Kent, based on a true story. Background Kent was given inspiration to write Burial Rites during her time as an exchange student in Iceland when she was 17, where she learnt the s ...

from the

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

watched mournfully by a motley crew of seamen, pirates, Spanish ladies, armoured conquistadors and priests (all seemingly from different time periods). As the shrouded cadaver is slid overboard from beneath a flag the captain asks: "What happened to us? How did we all get here...?" ... On board the tramp steamer ''Corita'', Captain Lansen first ignores a hurricane warning then ignores a customs launch whose crew want to inspect his ship, as he is smuggling the explosive "Phosphor B" ('Phosphore Blanc', i.e.

white phosphorus Elemental phosphorus can exist in several allotropes, the most common of which are white and red solids. Solid violet and black allotropes are also known. Gaseous phosphorus exists as diphosphorus and atomic phosphorus. White phosphorus White ...

). His ship's passengers, a mix of rich and poor, also have various unwholesome reasons for leaving Freetown: Dr. Webster, together with his daughter Unity, for his indiscretions with patients; an alcoholic conman Harry Tyler with a jacket lined with money; Eva Peters, a trophy wife who has stolen

bearer bonds A bearer bond is a bond or debt security issued by a business entity such as a corporation or a government. As a bearer instrument, it differs from the more common types of investment securities in that it is unregistered—no records are kept ...

to pay for the ransom on her son in Caracas, and lawyer, Ricaldi, pursuing Eva Peters in order to retrieve those stolen bonds. An accident nearly sets off the explosives and the authority of the captain comes to a head when an anchor chain slips a gear, ruptures the bulkhead and power is lost. Some of the crew mutiny and take to a lifeboat.

Chief Engineer A chief engineer, commonly referred to as "ChEng" or "Chief", is the most senior engine officer of an engine department on a ship, typically a merchant ship, and holds overall leadership and the responsibility of that department..Chief engineer ...

Nick cannot repair the generator and Captain Lansen, fearing the ship may explode with Hurricane Wendy about to engulf them in a storm, takes the remaining crew and passengers into another lifeboat. In the ensuing chaos, Dr. Webster is soon devoured by an attacking shark. The following morning, Lansen's lifeboat finds itself adrift in a morass of large, sentient and carnivorous seaweed, which kills the cook. The lifeboat later bumps into the ''Corita'' again, and its passengers find the propellers of the tramp steamer completely fouled by the pullulating seaweed. Nevertheless, those in the lifeboat are forced to take refuge in the doomed vessel once more. That night, Unity is attacked by a huge glowing-eyed Prehistoric octopus (an over-sized ''

Keuppia ''Keuppia'' is an extinct genus of octopus. Taxonomy It consists of two species, ''Keuppia hyperbolaris'' and ''Keuppia levante'', both of which lived approximately 95 million years ago. Both species were found in fossilized form, which is very ...

''), which kills Ricaldi when he attempts to rescue her. Sarah, a mysterious native girl from a nearby island, suddenly appears, walking on the morass of seaweed, prevented from sinking by air buoyancy balloons attached to her shoulders and odd pads attached to her feet. She is being chased by a bunch of fur-clad barbarians but she warns Captain Lansen of an impending attack. The crew and passengers defend the ''Corita'', with the surviving fur-clad attackers returning to a dilapidated large wooden

Spanish galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch Wa ...

, marooned nearby. Child leader "El Supremo", the princely descendant of the Spanish Conquistadors, along with members of the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...

had ordered the attack in order to steal their supplies. Sarah attempts to return to her island but is tracked down by the Spanish conquistadors. Whilst standing guard, on an outcrop of rock, the bartender is killed by a giant hermit crab, which in turn is attacked by a giant '' Paleo Scorpion''. Sarah, Tyler and the ship's engineer are then captured by the Spanish, taken to the galleon and brought before "El Supremo", though it is soon obvious to all that the one standing aside and clad in ominous and 'pointy-hatted'

capirote A capirote is a Catholic pointed hat of conical form that is used in Spain and Hispanic countries by members of a confraternity of penitents. It is part of the uniform of such brotherhoods including the '' Nazarenos'' and ''Fariseos'' duri ...

Inquisitor's clothing, is "calling all the shots" (in the guise of God's Will). Captain Lansen confronts him, stating that they will not give in to his demands or ever stop attempting to get back home. Lansen then uses the explosives to destroy the galleon and rescue his crew/passengers. Inspired by Lansen's speech and attitude, the child leader "El Supremo" then abandons his throne to join them, only to be stabbed by the traitorous cleric the moment he turns his back to leave. Stripped of his power, the plague-riddled priest succumbs to kneeling and prayer, while his monks succumb to frantic pipe organ-playing as the hell of flames erupts all around them, creeping ever closer to the sounds of liturgical hymns and chaos. Captain Lansen and his crew, along with those Spaniards who have decided to join them, head back to the ''Corita'' and we return to the start of the film ... with the burial at sea now revealed to be the funeral of the child leader "El Supremo", who never recovered from his stab wound. His sad death in Eva's arms, previously, had reminded her of her own son's perilous predicament and uncertain fate - will they ever find their way home...?

Principal cast

as Captain Lansen *

as Eva Peters * Suzanna Leigh as Unity Webster *

as Harry Tyler * Nigel Stock as Dr Webster * Neil McCallum as First Officer Hemmings *

Ben Carruthers Benito F. Carruthers (August 14, 1936 in Illinois, USA – September 27, 1983 in Los Angeles, California) was an American film actor, most notable for his role in John Cassavetes' debut feature film ''Shadows'' (1959). His other films includ ...

as Ricaldi * Jimmy Hanley as Patrick, bartender *

as Nick, the chief engineer *

Dana Gillespie Dana Gillespie (born Richenda Antoinette de Winterstein Gillespie, 30 March 1949) is an English actress, singer and songwriter. Originally performing and recording in her teens, over the years Gillespie has been involved in the recording of over ...

as Sarah *

Darryl Read Darryl Michael Roy Read (19 September 1951 – 23 June 2013) was a British singer, guitarist, drummer, actor, poet and writer. In the late 1960s, Read was a member of Crushed Butler, considered by some to be amongst the forerunners of proto punk ...

as El Supremo *

Victor Maddern Victor Jack Maddern (16 March 1928 – 22 June 1993) was an English actor. He was described by ''The Telegraph'' as having "one of the most distinctive and eloquent faces in post-war British cinema." Life and career Born in Seven Kings, ...

as the first mate *

Reg Lye Reginald Thomas Lye (14 October 1912 – 23 March 1988), was an Australian actor who worked extensively in Australia and England. He was one of the busiest Australian actors of the 1950s, appearing in the majority of locally shot features at th ...

as The Helmsman *

Norman Eshley Norman Eshley (born 30 May 1945) is an English actor best known for his television roles. Biography Eshley attended Bristol Grammar School and worked in a bank, before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He played many ...

as Jonathan *

Michael Ripper Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor. He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. Along with Michael Gough ...

as Sea Lawyer

Crew

*Directed by

*Produced by Michael Carreras *Music by Gerard Schürmann and title song by

The Peddlers The Peddlers were a British jazz/soul trio of the 1960s and 1970s. Led by organist Roy Phillips, they had hits with "Birth" and " Girlie". They were very popular in New Zealand during the 1970s. History The Peddlers formed in Manchester in ...

*Special effects by Robert A Mattey

Production

A 175,000 gallon tank was constructed at

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

to shoot the sea scenes. The credits list Michael Nash — a pseudonym for Michael Carreras — as the screenwriter. The production began under the direction of Leslie Norman, but he was soon replaced by Carreras. Hammer's musical director Philip Martell rejected the original film score by Benjamin Frankel and commissioned a new one from Gerard Schürmann. This film was one of several Hammer movies that featured unusual characters and prehistoric creatures, following the tradition of ''

One Million Years B.C. ''One Million Years B.C.'' is a 1966 British adventure fantasy film directed by Don Chaffey. The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions and Seven Arts, and is a remake of the 1940 American fantasy film ''One Million B.C.''. The film star ...

''. It was rated an X when first released.

Reception

According to Fox records the film required $2,025,000 in rentals to break even and by 11 December 1970 had made $1,100,000 so made a loss to the studio.

Soundtrack

The opening titles have the song ''Lost Continent'' performed by

, featured on their album ''Three In a Cell''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lost Continent 1968 films 1960s fantasy adventure films British fantasy adventure films Films shot at Associated British Studios Films about survivors of seafaring accidents or incidents Films based on works by Dennis Wheatley Hammer Film Productions horror films British natural horror films Adventure horror films 20th Century Fox films Lost world films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films