Beneath the 12Mile Reef | | Cast : | Robert Wagner, Terry Moore | | Director : | Robert D. Webb | | Studio : | Unicorn Video | | Format : | Color, Dolby | | Released Date : | December 02, 1953 | | DVD Released Date : | March 12, 2002 | | Language : | English (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 01, 2005 | | Summary | Memorable Cinematography, Score Enliven Melodrama | Content
 | Directed by Robert D. Webb and released in 1953, this saga of competing sea sponge divers was noted for its drop-dead gorgeous cinematography and a brilliant score by composer Bernard Herrmann--and these remain the great assets of the film to this day.
The story is pure melodrama given an exotic twist. The Petrakis and Rhys families earn their livings by diving for sea sponges, but when the Rhys family, led by father Thomas (Richard Boone) resort to dirty tricks the Petrakis family, led by father Mike (Gilbert Roland) are forced to resort to risky dives at the dangerous 'Twelve Mile' reef; at the same time a love affair between son Tony Petrakis (Robert Wagner) and daughter Gwyneth Rhys (Terry Moore) further complicate the rivalry. Needless to say, tragedy results.
Both Wagner and Moore were considered rising stars when the film was made, and although Wagner makes for an unconvincing Greek both give enjoyable performances as the star-crossed lovers caught Romeo and Juliet fashion between battling families. Even so, the acting honors here go to Gilbert Roland and Richard Boone as the warring fathers with a special nod to Peter Graves as Arnold, an overly aggressive Rhys diver. Several notable character actors, including J. Carroll Nash, Jay Novello, and Harry Carey Jr. round out the cast.
Although the cast is solid, the plot is more than a little predictable--but the chief thing is the photography and the score. REEF was among the earliest productions made in Cinemascope, and everyone concerned was determined to make it as visually attractive as possible. The result is some truly beautiful cinematography, particularly in reference to the film's many underwater scenes. The score by Bernard Herrmann, who would later be best known for his work on such Hitchcock films as VERTIGO, also captures the beauty of the sea to remarkable effect.
Unfortunately, REEF seems to have fallen into public domain, and there are numerous DVD and VHS releases on the market. In most cases they are abominable things: the cinemascope has been reduced to pan and scan, the colors are muddy, and the sound is poor. There are, however, at least a few available that give you some idea of what all the 1953 fuss was about. Although they are hardly renowned for the quality of their product, the Digiview Productions release is actually quite good; the Digital Gold release is also more than respectable.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer |
| Rating | | | Date | May 03, 2005 | | Summary | A classic that deserves restoration. | Content
| I believe there are only two movies about sponges, and the other is a comedy, Spongebob Squarepants. Beneath the 12-Mile Reef is the best serious movie about sponges. It's an adventure with spectacle, drama, romance, and enough suspense to keep you interested. Robert Wagner, in one of his earliest starring roles, is a Greek sponge fisherman working on his father's (Gilbert Roland) boat off the southwest coast of Florida. Peter Graves (Mission Impossible) pirates a boatload of their sponges and, to get even, Robert Wagner steals a dance with his girlfriend (Terry Moore), and that's when the action begins. Richard Boone (Hec Ramsey), as the girl's father, gets involved and soon lives are at stake. J. Carrol Naish and Harry Carey Jr. are also in the supporting cast.
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef got an Oscar nomination for spectacular underwater photography. The film is in Cinemascope and Technicolor, but unfortunately in this VHS version the colors are faded. This is supposed to be 100% correctible from the 3 technicolor black-and-white negatives, so hopefully the new DVDs being released will restore this classic adventure to it's original splendor.
Definitely a must for Robert Wagner fans, and worth a look if you like old color adventure films, oceanography (the antique diving suits are interesting), or Gilbert Roland. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 15, 2005 | | Summary | Digital Gold Collection version is the one to buy | Content
| You'll notice that the online reviews tend to be for the movie ... the storyline, acting etc etc ... but without much to say about which version is best. Consequently, the same reviews appear in the listings for all DVD versions. This film seems to have fallen into the public domain and as a result there are quite a few DVDs out there from different manufacturers. I'm always uncertain about buying such discs because there's no telling what sort of quality print they were taken from. I got lucky. I bought the Digital Gold Collection version by Unicorn Video and it's a first rate print. ASIN: B0000640V8. It is advertised as being digitally remastered and it shows. The print is as clean as can be expected, the sound is great and it's shown in its full Cinemascope format. My only minor complaint is that the colour has a very slightly washed out appearance which is instantly fixed by turning up the colour level on the TV set a few notches. I have no idea if the others on the market are equal to this but they certainly couldn't get much better. Get this version - you won't be disappointed. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 11, 2003 | | Summary | Cuba at the time of capitalistic strife | Content
| A mushy rewriting of Romeo and Juliet in the context of the conflict between Greeks and Americans in Cuba, before Castro's revolution, centered on the fishing and commerce of sponges. The Americans impose some good zones to be their own, anyone else, particularly the Greeks, being excluded, expelled evn by force if necessary. The Greeks challenge this illegal zoning and are the victims of plundering and violence. Then we get a love affair between one young American girl, promised for marriage to an American man, and a young Greek boy. The love affair causes a lot of strife but ends well. No descent to any vault, no poisoning, fake or true, and no dying. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU |
| Rating | | | Date | March 11, 2003 | | Summary | Beneath the 12 Mile Reef | Content
| As all of us movie buffs, I really hate it when scenes get deleted from a film. The end of the fight between Tony's Father and Arnold has been deleted (where they begin to fight "greek style", and Tony's father makes Arnold eat a cigar). It is a great character building scene, and it is a shame it is NOT on the DVD. I personally would rather they include all scenes, even if they get a little fuzzy, as part of the heart of this movie had been removed. However, there was a good side to the DVD as well. Those of us baby boomers who grew up watching and loving the film on television never knew the true ending of the movie, as we could not see it in wide screen. As I know the movie well, it was a pleasant surprise to see the entire picture when Tony brings his hook boat back into the greek harbor in Tarpin. I will not ruin it for anyone, but it was a nice touch to the end of the movie that I am glad to know. For those who have not seen the movie, it is a great one (considering when it was made), and has no bad or distasteful scenes, but portrays the life of early sponge divers. |
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