I was barely old enough to speak when I first saw this film. It enchanted me completely with its jaw-dropping visualization of a trip to the center of the Earth. Never mind that the Earth's center is far from hollow. I wanted to believe Verne's version of events, just as I was only too eager to buy into Burroughs' account of life in Pellucidar, another land located within the Earth's core. The film is directed with great affection and respect for the source material by Henry Levin and solidly anchored by James Mason. The special effects by L.B. Abbott, the genius behind "Planet of the Apes" and "Lost in Space" (the TV series), were state of the art for the time and are even impressive today. The raft sequence in the inland sea is a fine piece of suspense and, like the rest of the film, possesses a magical sense of wonder and excitement. Bernard Herrmann's score is marvelous and perfectly captures the breathtaking spirit of the adventure. Superb!
