Customer Reviews

Beneath The 12 Mile Reef

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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 good, solid print. ASIN: B0000640V8. It is advertised as being digitally remastered and it shows. The print is as clean as can be expected for a non-studio release, the sound is just fine and it's shown in its full Cinemascope format. My only minor complaint is that the colour has a 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 aren't likely to be much better. Get this version - you won't be disappointed.

Both the reviews that are here are in the wrong place--and I have to wonder about anyone who wants a pan-and-scan version of this movie notable for its wide-screen effects... The movie has a great music score by Bernard Hermann. It's my favorite Hermann score, beating out "Vertigo" and "Citizen Kane." Hearing excerpts on a disc of Hermann movie music is what led me to the movie.

Filmed on location in Tarpon Springs, Key West, and out in the Gulf of Mexico, the 1953 "Beneath the 12-mile Reef" was the second or third movie filmed in Cinemascope ("The Robe" was the first) and a pioneer in underwater photography. Edward Cronjager was awarded an Oscar for his color cinematography (which is striking in the above-water scenes, too, on the boats and in a city park).

Yeah, yeah, there is a story, a sugar-coated lifting from "Romeo and Juliet." Herein, the Montagues are immigrant Greek sponge-divers in Tarpon Springs, Florida (Robert Wagner as the Romeo). The Capulets are Anglo Americans who have claimed the best locations, forcing the enemy aliens to pick from the dangerous reef of the title. Terry Moore plays Juliet, spending less time in swimming stuis than Robert Wagner and not getting to wrestle an octopus as he does.


The hamming of Gilbert Roland as Romeo's dather and Richard Boone's as Juliet's is more fun than the attempts to portray passion of the young lovers. J. Carrol Naish, however, is pretty insufferable as the Greek (!) philosopher-in-residence, given the subtle moniker Socrates. Gilbert Roland is more convincingly Greek than Robert Wager, which is pretty faint praise. As the not-so-old-man fighting the sea, he is pretty good.

There have been multiple DVD releases (copyright protection was allowed to expire), but this one should not be faulted for the inferior other releases!

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

The simple yet brilliantly visual BENEATH THE 12-MILE REEF filmed in Cinemascope has now become a classic for its beautiful cinematography accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's equally beautiful score often times psychological as it explores the dichotomy of nature's beauty and the lurking dangers that are often present. A very young Robert Wagner and Terry Moore provide the love interest, each coming from two rival families, in this tale of the sponge business in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Gilbert Roland as Wagner's father brings a vibrant and worldly sense of realism to this film full of bravado and restraint wisdom that permeates the simple yet effective storyline. This is a very entertaining film and works on several levels.

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.

The world beneath the sea is beautiful and dangerous... and the 12-Mile Reef was too dangerous and too beautiful... The deep you go, the more beautiful it was...

The title referred to the areas in which sponge divers ply their harvest frequently at the possibility of loosing their life... Their sponges vary greatly in shape, size and color... The more prized were found in the deep of the 12-Mile Reef... The sponge was valued for its size, woolly texture and irregular surface...

The film begins in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the West Coast of Florida where two families and two cultures are fighting for existence, and two kids are falling in love...

Tony (Robert Wagner) is a happy good-humored young Greek, honest, brave and noble... He wins the heart of Gwyneth and conquers by love her strong tough father...

Gilbert Roland, the father of Tony, is a strong Greek character ready to fight Peter Graves in any style... But he is a human being scared to death when he dives in the deep waters of the reef...

Terry Moore is the soft heart kid fascinated by the handsome Greek...

Richard Boone is the tough fisherman dedicated with his two sons to ambush and to steal the gatherings of others...

Peter Graves, star of the popular TV Series "Mission Impossible" much later, is the heavy fellow of the picture who beats Tony for conquering his love... He burns also his old boat and takes his valuable sponges...

"Beneath the 12-Mile Reef" is Fox's second CinemaScope production after "The Robe."

Shot on location in Key West and Tapon Springs, Florida, the film is enjoyable and cheerful, with breathtaking underwater photography, mysteriously frightening music, and menacing attack of an octopus...

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.

I have no quarrel with the movie. But I picked the wrong version. The thumbnail cover picture showed "Cinemascope" so I figured this was a good bet. Wrong. First, it is in widescreen, but it's 4:3 Letterbox, not 16:9 anamorphic. You can still zoom in to fill your screen, but the resolution is very poor. In fact it's poor even before zooming. And, oh yes, the letters "RE" are displayed in great big letters in the lower right hand corner of the screen -- for the entire movie! Maybe I should thank Reel Enterprises for doing that to remind me to never purchase any of their DVD products again. Guess I should have bought the remastered edition advertised further up the page, but this one had a later release date (2006) so I figured it would be okay. Avoid this version.

Greek sponge divers run afoul of Florida Key locals for poaching rights in this early CinemaScope picture featuring Robert Wagner and Terry Moore as the young Romero and Juliet between the warring families. Noted mainly for its brilliant underwater photography and superb Bernard Herrmann score. In Technicolor!

The story of the movie is fine, as other reviewers have pointed out. Unfortunately, this particular product was created from a print of the film (rather than remastered) and it yields very weak picture quality throughout. Blemishes appear with regularity in the picture. There are skips here and there and the color washes out from time to time. I kept the DVD for the soundtrack only - the picture quality just simply is not good.