A Review of Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
A film rife with inspiration for fantasy roleplayers.
Based on the book by Jules Verne, the film directed by Henry Levin and written by Walter Reisch and Charles Brackett, is a well-crafted tale of rivalry between explorers and a journey through alien worlds beneath the earth.
I remember catching at least part of it on television when I was a teenager and being excited by the struggles of the characters despite it’s dated special effects. Today I find real effects and the lack of color filters to be refreshing.
The discovery that leads to the expedition and the intrigue surrounding the planning of the expedition are exciting themselves, even before the protagonists begin their descent. The rivalry itself could be fodder for a game master looking to add interest ahead of a party’s expedition.
The strangeness of depths of the earth are especially inspiring for a roleplayer. Its strange enough to be consonant with the idea of the Mythic Underworld. The protagonists journey is a long one and they face many hazards that any adventurer journeying into the dark recesses beneath the earth might face. The film runs for 129 minutes, which I think helps convey the feeling of a long journey. The motley spelunkers also deal with personal conflicts that got me more interested in their fates. The acting is solid.
For me a score can make or break a film and this movie is lucky enough to have one by Bernard Hermann, who scored many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, Citizen Kane, and many more. The music captures the unnerving and at times wondrous nature of the journey with dissonant brass, creeping bass clarinets, and occasional full orchestra flourishes.
I won’t spoil anything so I’ll leave it there.
I give the 1959 Journey to the Center of the Earth an 8/10, which means I enjoyed it and would recommend it to most people. I would be very surprised if the film hadn’t influenced the work of the first generation of tabletop RPG designers - a prospective entry in the film Appendix N.