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''Atlantis, the Lost Continent'' is a 1961 science fiction film, directed by George Pal and starring Anthony Hall, also called Sal Ponti,〔http://articles.philly.com/1988-01-18/news/26283862_1_show-business-bug-hollywood-atlantis〕 about the destruction of Atlantis during the time of Ancient Greece. ==Plot== A Greek fisherman named Demetrios (Sal Ponti, under the screen name of Anthony Hall) and his father rescue Princess Antillia (Joyce Taylor) from a shipwreck without knowing that she is from the technologically advanced civilization of Atlantis. After rescuing the Atlantean princess, Demetrios must travel beyond the Pillars of Hercules to take her home. Upon returning her to her civilization, Demetrios, expecting to receive a reward, is instead enslaved and forced to work in the crater of the volcano which dominates the island. The king, Cronus (Edgar Stehli), is being manipulated by an ambitious usurper, Zaren (John Dall), collaborating with an evil sorcerer (Frank DeKova), who wishes to use the resources of Atlantis to take over the world. The slaves of Atlantis have been mining crystals, from the volcano at the center of the island, which absorb the sun's rays and can then be used to fire heat rays in a manner similar to modern lasers. (The crystals were originally designed to produce light and heat for individual users.) Due to its arrogance, corruption and moral laxity, the nation of Atlantis has now become an abomination before Heaven. Taken to the House of Fear, where a mad scientist (Berry Kroeger) turns slaves into beasts, Demetrios is saved by being given the chance to undergo the 'ordeal of fire and water'. He fights with a giant ogre in a pit of burning coals, then a pool of water. Demetrios outmaneuvers his clumsy opponent, and sets fire to his hair, the fight contrasting with uproarious laughing from the massive crowd in the "coliseum" and spectators holding bunches of grapes while cheering them on (stock footage lifted from "Quo Vadis"). Upon killing the ogre, Demetrios is declared a free citizen of Atlantis. Unexpected religious overtones now enter the story. Impending doom hangs heavy in the air. The birds, animals, and even the insects are fleeing the approaching destruction. Through the help of a kindly high priest named Azar (Edward Platt), who explains the situation to him, Demetrios is able to free the princess from the wicked spells of the sorcerer and the malicious pretender to the throne, and helps the slaves to escape. Moments later, the skies darken, the earth begins to quake, and the destruction of Atlantis begins, just as Zaren is displaying a giant crystal ray device intended to be used to help Zaren and his followers to conquer the world. The volcano, source of the crystals, bursts forth in a cataclysmic eruption. As the island proceeds to tear itself apart, the people of Atlantis panic. As the populace mills wildly about, striving without success to escape, Azar and Zaren wrestle each other, while the huge crystal ray device swings back and forth, firing at random, until it suddenly destroys both men at once. Eventually, the entire island rises and then collapses, and Atlantis sinks beneath the waves forever. As the large crystal atop the capital's central pyramid, the main power source of the entire island, sinks into the ocean, it short-circuits and then explodes. Then, lightning flashes, thunder roars, and the skies suddenly clear, marking the conclusion of Atlantis's destruction. The various groups of survivors flee to different parts of the world, spreading the legend through their own mythology. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Atlantis, the Lost Continent」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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