Behemoth, the Sea Monster

The Giant Behemoth
American film poster by Albert Kallis
Directed by	Eugène Lourié Douglas Hickox
Produced by	David Diamond Ted Lloyd
Written by	Robert Abel (story) Alan J. Adler (story) Eugene Lourie (screenplay) Daniel James(screenplay)
Starring	Gene Evans André Morell
Music by	Edwin Astley
Cinematography	Desmond Davis Ken Hodges
Editing by	Lee Doig
Distributed by	Allied Artists
Release date(s)	March 3, 1959 October 1959
Running time	80 min.
Language	English

Behemoth, the Sea Monster (1959) is an American-British science-fiction film co-production. Originally a story about an amorphous blob of radiation, the script was changed at the distributor's insistence to a pastiche of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), though elements of the original concept remain in the early parts of the film and in the "electric eel" power of the titular monster. The script was written by blacklisted author Daniel James under the name "Daniel Hyatt," with Eugène Lourié co-writing as well as directing. Released in the United States as The Giant Behemoth, the film starred Gene Evans and André Morell. It was distributed by Allied Artists Pictures.

Plot

Dead fish by the thousands begin washing up on the shores of Cornwall, England, and finally an old fisherman is killed by something which has left him covered with radiation burns, his dying word being "behemoth". An Anglo-American team of scientists are dispatched from London to investigate, and discover the dead fish are also radioactive. Further investigation reveals a large, glowing animal swimming below the surface of the sea, and on another night it comes out and "burns" a farmhouse and its occupants, leaving footprints the length of a police car. From a picture of one print, a paleontologist determines the animal is a [fictional] Paeleosaurus that can project electric shocks and is saturated with radiation. The dinosaur enters the River Thames and surfaces and attacks the city of London. The scientists realize that if it is destroyed by conventional military weaponry, a large amount of radioactive contamination will be released. The military then concludes to use a mini-submarine capable of shooting a torpedo missile with enough additional radioactivity inside the warhead to overdose the behemoth and delete it. The American scientist and one of the younger Cornish fishermen, boyfriend of the daughter when the first man was killed take the mini-sub out, aimed at the pest and successfully shoot the behemoth.

Production

The live-action scenes were filmed in Great Britain, including London. The model-animation special effects were shot in a Los Angeles studio, where they were also optically integrated with live-action footage. Due to budget restraints, the scene of the monster smashing a model car was used three times in the film.

Aware of the availability of master effects technician Willis O'Brien, director Lourié suggested the producers allow the King Kong creator to do the effects. Instead the work was contracted to Jack Rabin—who then sub-contracted the animation work back to O'Brien for a low flat-rate of $5,000. O'Brien's assistant Pete Peterson did most of the animation on this film, which is remarkably fluid, considering that he suffered from multiple sclerosis at the time.

Except for short bits in the climax of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, this film marked the last time that Willis O'Brien designs and animation would be seen by the public.

In an odd connection between Willis O'Brien and his most famous creation, stock screams that were used in King Kong can be heard in the scenes where the creature attacks the ferry and when it invades London.

External links

• The Giant Behemoth at the Internet Movie Database
• The Giant Behemoth at AllRovi