The Lady of Atlantis (1949)

Movie
German title	The mistress of Atlantis
Original title	Siren of Atlantis
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1949
length	76 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Gregg G. Tallas ; Arthur Ripley (not named) ; John Brahm (not named)
script	Rowland Leigh ; Robert Lax ; Thomas Job
production	Seymour minor number
music	Michel Michelet
camera	Karl Struss
cut	Gregg G. Tallas
occupation
	María Montez : Queen Antinea; Jean-Pierre Aumont : André St. Avit; Dennis O'Keefe : Jean Morhange; Morris Carnovsky : Le Mesge; Henry Daniell : Blades; Alexis Minotis : Cortot; Milada Mladova : Tanit Zerga; Allan Nixon : Lindstrom; Russ Conklin : Eggali; Pierre Watkin : Colonel;

The Mistress of Atlantis (original title: Siren of Atlantis , alternative title: Atlantis the Lost Continent ) is a black and white American fantasy and adventure film from 1949. The film with María Montez in the leading role is the third adaptation by Pierre Benoits Roman L'Atlantide (German: Atlantis , also: The Queen of Atlantis ).

action

The French Foreign Legionnaire André St. Avit is the only survivor of a rescue expedition that was tasked with searching for the missing Sahara researcher François Masson. In a flashback , André describes the past events to his superiors.

The researcher Masson is convinced that due to continental shifts in the Sahara mountains Ahaggar there could be remnants of the lost legendary kingdom of Atlantis . When his expedition does not return, the legionaries André St. Avit and Jean Morhange are sent out as a rescue team with four companions. After getting lost in a sandstorm and being ambushed by Tuaregs , André and Jean are the only survivors who are abducted to the realm of the Atlantic Queen Antinea. There they also meet a group of Europeans, members of previous expeditions, who are allowed to stay in Antinea's realm. Blades, the group's spokesman, raves about the queen's beauty but does not hide her cruelty. So Antinea tends to have her lovers poured in gold after she is tired of them. The legionaries are outraged when they learn that Masson is among their victims. Shortly afterwards, Antinea invites André over by sending him an amulet. While André Antinea decays, Jean tries to escape together with the dancer Tanit. The escape fails and Tanit commits suicide for fear of being punished. In anger, Jean insults the queen, who then, with Blade's help, arranges an intrigue and presents Jean to André as her new lover. André murders Jean in a fit of jealousy and flees Antinea's realm. In the desert, near death, he is discovered by an airplane and brought back to the garrison.

André ends his story, which nobody believes. Shortly afterwards, when a captured Tuareg presented him with a piece of jewelry from Antinea's possession, he set off again in search of the queen's kingdom. Without a companion and guide at his side, he perishes in the desert.

background

The Lady of Atlantis was Montez's first film after leaving the Universal film studio . Her husband Jean-Pierre Aumont took on the role of André . Producer Seymour Nebenzahl had already produced the second screen version of Benoit's novel in 1932 . Various sources give - in addition to Gregg G. Tallas mentioned in the opening credits - Arthur Ripley and John Brahm as directors.

The Lady of Atlantis opened in American cinemas in January 1949 and in German cinemas on August 15, 1952 .

criticism

“The events in Atlantis are anything but exciting. [...] The cast is entangled in endless palaver that can hardly be called stimulating. The same applies to the performances of the main actors. [...] The theory that Atlantis was devoured by an ocean seems more understandable in the view of [this film]. "

- The New York Times

"An exaggerated fantastic adventure film."

- Lexicon of international film

literature

Pierre Benoit: L'Atlantide. Editions Albin Michel, Paris 1919 (EA)
Pierre Benoit: Atlantis. Orell Füßli, Zurich 1920 (EA). The Queen of Atlantis. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1987 (WA)

Web links

The mistress of Atlantis in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b The Lady of Atlantis in the American Film Institute Directory , accessed March 27, 2013.
↑ Phil Hardy (Ed.): The Aurum Film Encyclopedia - Science Fiction. Aurum Press, London 1991., p. 121.
↑ The Lady of Atlantis in the Internet Movie Database .
↑ ^a ^b The Lady of Atlantis in the Lexicon of International Films .
↑ "[...] the going on at Atlantis are far from exciting. [...] the cast is engaged in endless palaver, none of which could be described as exhilarating. The same can be said about the performances of the principals. [...] The theory that Atlantis was submerged under an ocean seems more acceptable now that "Siren of Atlantis" is on view. ”- Review in the New York Times of August 22, 1949, accessed on March 27, 2013.

[afi-1] The Lady of Atlantis in the American Film Institute Directory , accessed March 27, 2013.

[2] Phil Hardy (Ed.): The Aurum Film Encyclopedia - Science Fiction. Aurum Press, London 1991., p. 121.

[3] The Lady of Atlantis in the Internet Movie Database .

[ldif-4] The Lady of Atlantis in the Lexicon of International Films .

[5] "[...] the going on at Atlantis are far from exciting. [...] the cast is engaged in endless palaver, none of which could be described as exhilarating. The same can be said about the performances of the principals. [...] The theory that Atlantis was submerged under an ocean seems more acceptable now that "Siren of Atlantis" is on view. ”- Review in the New York Times of August 22, 1949, accessed on March 27, 2013.