Beneath the 12-Mile Reef

Despite the promise of instant gratification by streaming services, there are thousands of films that will probably never show up on your Roku, bumped to the back of the line by the latest original content and data fillers. Those few companies still involved in the distribution of "physical media" are keenly aware of their audience: collector's who feel the need to own a piece of history and are willing to pay more for a respectable presentation. Beneath the 12 Mile Reef (1953), the second - or possibly third - cinemascope movie ever released is a niche title at best, showcasing the technical merits of a new technology that was still working out the narrative kinks. But it's a perfect example of the reasoning behind Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition release business plan, offering the casual, the curious and the die-hard collector a chance to put some Hollywood history on their shelf...even if it doesn't come back down all that often.

With a padded script and forced conviviality from all concerned, the story centers around two rival families of sponge-divers whose youngest members play out a Romeo and Juliet style romance as their elders fight over the profits from the cut-throat undersea trade. The Petrakis, Greek immigrants still paying off their ramshackle boat, are forced to venture into water viciously defended by the Rhys family, native Floridians who resent any incursion into the everglades.

But, against the odds, Tony and Gwyneth (Robert Wagner and Terry Moore) fall hard for each other, drawing the ire of Gwyneth's fiancé-in-waiting, Arnold (Peter Graves), and turning a business feud into something much more personal. After the tragic death of the Petrakis patriarch, Tony is forced to dive into the most dangerous part of the reef in an attempt to win back his boat and his family's self-respect. But extreme pressure and deadly cephalopods might be the least of his worries if the Rhys family catches up with him first!

Underwater cinematography was still very much a novelty in 1953, which dates Beneath the 12 Mile Reef just as much as the stiff, theatrical performances by the cast. After 60 years, it's hard to be impressed by sea fans, bored groupers and a fake octopus no matter how beautifully DP Edward Conjager composes the shots. Capturing the wild blues of the Gulf of Mexico and stunning orange Florida sunsets, the cinemascope photography truly creates a sense of almost foreign grandeur. But its hard to overcome a story this bland; starting with the bizarre choice of sponge-diving as springboard for a Shakespearean knock off, the film has all the pre-fabricated novelty of a musical minus the songbook.

Speaking of scores, Bernard Herrmann's lively orchestration is like a live preserver thrown to the audience, dragging them to safety every time director Robert D. Webb's camera sits dead in the water. His contribution to the success of the film (which was a big hit upon release) simply can't be overstated. It's a perfect match of larger than life visuals with a soundtrack that all-but spills off the oversized screen. Thank goodness Twilight Time has included an Isolated Music Track as part of the extras, along with a 45-minute profile on Robert Wagner's career and historically minded liner notes from Julie Kirgo. As far as the hi-def transfer is concerned, it's one of the company's best; the movie itself, however, is hard to defend as anything other than an imminently collectable footnote.