kevinolzak Review of Invention for Destruction

Invention for Destruction (1958)

First seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater in 1980

[7/10 · 10 November 2021]

From the Czech Republic comes 1958's "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" (Vynalez Zkazy or Invention of Destruction), Joseph E. Levine's stateside release of director Karel Zeman's stylized realization of the 19th century author's many works, earning instant acclaim at Expo 58 in Brussels, winning the Grand Prix at the International Film Festival. Though no box office success in the US it was universally heralded by critics, Verne's 1896 novel "Facing the Flag" merely the starting point for a visual feast requiring almost no dialogue, presented in the Victorian style of line engravings used to illustrate his ideas to current readers, filmed with a mixture of stop motion and live action, often done in camera. The actual story is easy to follow and faithfully recreates several fictional characters treated as real people, from Robur the Conqueror (played by Vincent Price in "Master of the World"), Victor Barbicane (played by Joseph Cotten in "From the Earth to the Moon"), and the ever popular Captain Nemo, portrayed in multiple films by such fabled actors as Lionel Barrymore, Herbert Lom, and James Mason. Submarines appear with flippers, airships fly under man made pedal power, a squid oozes black ink when injured, virtually half the picture taking place beneath the waves as a multitude of fish swim by. The narrator reveals himself as the knowing assistant to a scientist researching a new explosive used for evil purposes by a group of pirates, their secret island hideaway inside a dormant volcano whose only entrance is an underwater tunnel. Quaint in its time but relatively undated for that very reason, this entry continues to fascinate unsuspecting viewers lucky enough to encounter it.