Atlantis: The Lost Continent (1961)

There is so little to say about “Atlantis: The Lost Continent” in terms of plot, acting, or high adventure. Rather, one watches ATLC for the enormous cheese that abounds in this campy Metrocolor B-grade flick.

Much of this movie is stolen outright from popular Italian Hercules-based movies as well as hit 1950s Hollywood features. The IMDb says some props were borrowed from “The Prodigal” and “Forbidden Planet”, that make-up and music were taken from “The Time Machine”, and so much stock footage from “Quo Vadis” was used that an attendee at a screening of ATLC quipped that his favorite scene was the one “where Robert Taylor saved Deborah Kerr from the fire.” I hope someone handed that man a contract; he had the exact kind of wisdom the Hollywood studios needed in 1961.

So just what does “Atlantis: The Lost Continent” have to offer?

Exciting hats!

 

Behind-your-back bitchface and bleached blonde pixie cuts: They never go out of style.

Triangle bling!

Traditional peasant fashions, dirty washed for that vintage look.

Kicky lavender wrap skirts with festive fringe! Also, great big screws.

These guards are fashion forward in trendy fall favorites: Brown leather tunics accentuated with gold duct tape and worn over fuzzy leopard print tees, tastefully paired with bright yellow tights.

ATLC also provides plenty of sessy mens:

I watched this for John Dall, and folks, he did not disappoint, especially at the end where he went fucko bazoo with the ray gun, as seen on “Mythbusters:”

The only way you can get a copy of this is in a old pan ‘n’ scan VHS release that has some obvious color issues and, of course, will run you a good $20. TCM does show it, at least they did once a couple of years ago, so cross your fingers that it will be on again.

Update 2013! Thanks to the miracle known as Warner Archives, Atlantis: The Lost Continent has been released on made-on-demand DVD. (The TCM print that is usually shown is pan n scan, though a nicer copy than the old VHS, but I can assure you the Warner Archives version is letterboxed and proper aspect ratio, and it looks terrific.) A copy has been acquired by yours truly and an updated post is in the works. Don’t get too hopeful that it will arrive soon, because things on SBBN tend to take a while to appear, but know that if you want some better screengrabs than these from an old TCM copy of the film, they will arrive. Eventually.