By Adrian Smith

Jules Verne's Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1977)

Directed by Juan Piquer Simón

Region 2, released by Odeon Entertainment (This is the UK DVD release.)

Destined to be picked up by people mistaking it for the 1959 version starring James Mason, this release was directed in Spain and Lanzarote by a man often referred to as the Spanish Ed Wood. Taking his cast on location, shooting in spectacular caves and volcanic wastes, the film has a far greater sense of realism than its Hollywood counterpart. Sadly the budgetary constraints meant that a lot of the cave scenes are so darkly lit we are as much in the dark as the candle-bearing explorers.

Following Verne's novel quite closely, the story concerns Victorian Professor Otto Lindenbrock (Kenneth More) who in the inquisitive spirit of the age decides to prove his “crackpot” theories concerning a hollow earth. Armed with an ancient map and accompanied by his assistant, his daughter and stoic guide Hans, they climb down inside a volcano and discover an ocean, dinosaurs, giant mushrooms, man-eating tortoises and even King Kong. Alright, so it doesn't follow the novel that closely, but the film is all the more fun because of it. There are even some intriguing time-travel and cloning elements thrown in, possibly referencing Verne's closest rival in sci-fi literature, H.G. Wells.

Kenneth More stars as Lindenbrock in what turned out to be one of his last roles. It was a physically demanding role, and More plays it all straight, despite the opportunities for camping it up. He was acting alongside a mostly Spanish cast and filmed in some very difficult locations, particularly the caves where the temperature was a constant 99 degrees humidity. More was a well- respected player in the British film industry, perhaps best remembered for playing World War II fighter pilot Douglas Bader in Reach For the Sky (1956). Sadly he developed Parkinson's Disease in his early sixties, and died just a few years after this film was released.

There is a lot going on in Jules Verne's Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the Earth, which is reflected in the title, where it was sometimes abbreviated to just Journey to the Centre of the Earth, or changed completely to Where Time Began. It was the Juan Piquer Simón's first feature as director. He seemed determined to throw in every possible idea, even those which did not really make sense. Thankfully the pace rarely sags and the film is never boring. Simón went to to have quite an interesting career in Spain, making the best of the low budgets and dubious scripts he was offered.

It is an enchanting, undemanding film that provides genuine entertainment through the strength of the performances, and unintended laughs through the rubber monsters. One puzzling aspect of this release is its inclusion in Odeon Entertainment's Best of British range, as with the exception of More and the American actor Jack Taylor and co-writer John Melson, the entire production is Spanish.The print quality is fine, and the DVD includes the original theatrical trailer, which gives away all the best moments of the film, and a short stills gallery. A detailed booklet which lends some much needed production history and a nice summary of the life and work of Jules Verne is also included.