Fish Out Of Water?

AMPHIBIAN MAN-1962-Interesting overlooked love story with Sci-Fi trappings from The former USSR. It is suppose to take place in Spain or Greece. I was a little confused by the characters’ names.

It all begins with the sighting of “a sea devil”, a mysteriously silver clad figure with a helmet and flippers. He saves a woman Gutiere from drowning and the girl’s father and her would be suitor plan to capture him.

Meanwhile a doctor (who one character refers to as “God”) lives in seclusion on a mountain. It turns out the sea devil is actually his son Ichtyandr who can breathe underwater thanks to an operation his father performed years before in hopes of creating a undersea community.

Ichtyandr and Gutiere of course meet and fall in love but not before he’s forced by the unscrupulous suitor to retrieve pearls from the ocean depth while Gutiere is held prisoner. At one point the doctor and a reporter (who knows the son’s secret) roam around in a car like sub that shoots harpoons!

It's very well done and the lighting and use of color are put to good effect. This was a huge hit in it’s homeland when first released but an American print that played on TV used a happier ending than the original one shown here. It’s based on a novel (written in the 1920’s) by the famous Russian author Aleksandra Belyaev who was probably inspired by Jules Verne. I’m not sure if the DVD is available in the US. The version I saw is from a Russia import (Thanks to Alex and Tony!).




"Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, then I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist if I do not? "-Epicurus

Thanks for reading!