Beneath the 12-Mile Reef

source: Beneath the 12-Mile Reef

I am a Floridian who doesn't live all that far from Tarpon Springs...the small town in which "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef" was set. Even today, it's big claim to fame is their sponge diving trade. And, when you see the youths jump into the harbor to recover the crucifix tossed into the water, well, that's a tradition the Greek Orthodox community still celebrates to this day. It's a lot more touristy today and if you visit the quaint little shops, you'll notice many sell copies of this film. According to this story, the quality of the sponges the divers are retrieving has declined and the 12-Mile Reef is a piece of virgin territory where the sponges still are abundant. Naturally, it's tougher and more dangerous to go there...and some of it is because thieves and/or folks claiming the waters are theirs sometimes set upon the boats and steal their harvests. While I really wanted to love "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef", I felt very ambivalent about it after seeing it. The film was okay...just a time-passer and apart from nice nice local scenery and underwater shots, the story just never impresses nor does it annoy. By the way, some scenes were filmed in the Keys as well as the Bahamas. I assume they were picked mostly because the water is far clearer there and much better for underwater shots. I've scuba dove the areas and know that there's a huge difference in the clarity of these waters.

To begin with, I recall watching this as a Sunday matinée on Italian TV as a kid. Though one of the very first Cinemascope outings, its copyright was somehow not renewed by Fox when it was due and, consequently, it fell into the dreaded Public Domain; that said, the copy I acquired – as part of a 2-disc 4-movie "Pirates"(!) set – was surprisingly in Widescreen, even if the image itself proved overly soft. Unfortunately, the narrative's unusual background of sponge-fishing (treated in some detail but emerging to be more dreary than absorbing, despite nice Oscar-nominated underwater photography) is put in the service of a clichéd Romeo & Juliet storyline. In fact, while I usually lap up such vintage Hollywood adventure films, this one was constantly undermined by a cornball script (amazingly penned by noir expert A.I. Bezzerides!) in which Robert Wagner, decked-out with an unbecoming hairdo, is seen immaturely flaunting his Adonis features every so often (the virile nature of such earthy people is always at the fore in this type of film!)…while it takes some serious suspension of disbelief to accept a man of such obvious Latin tinge as Gilbert Roland in the part of a Greek! Slightly overlong for its purpose, the film is nonetheless redeemed by a strong cast (which also includes petite Terry Moore as Wagner's love interest, Richard Boone her father, Peter Graves the man she jilted, and J. Carroll Naish as Roland's brother/associate – a role not too far removed from his CLASH BY NIGHT [1952] characterization), an excellent score by the great Bernard Herrmann (which seems kind of wasted on such trivial fare, though it didn't prevent the film from being presented at Cannes where that year's jury numbered Luis Bunuel among its members and Jean Cocteau as president!!) and the requisite underwater struggle with a squid (also featured during this era in the likes of REAP THE WILD WIND [1942] and TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA [1954]). For the record, I followed this oater with two other more satisfying titles from director Webb – WHITE FEATHER [1955] and THE PROUD ONES [1956] – both Westerns I had acquired some time back through an acquaintance of my father's but which I hadn't yet gotten around to checking out until now

I saw this film on NBC's "Saturday Night at the Movies" in the middle 1960s, and I loved it. It has a great cast, a great music score by Bernard Herrmann, and a great story. Be sure to watch it in "letterbox", if you can. The Cinemascope composition is important to the the story -- and the stereo sound is wonderful. But you'll enjoy it in "full screen" and monaural, too, if that's the only way you can see it.

All in all, the 90-minutes amounts to a better movie than its near 5-plus user rating. The plot's no brain twister- Greek sponge divers compete with Anglo counterparts off the coast of Florida. That could be a tricky ethnic premise but it's nicely finessed Romeo and Juliet style. There's no way early TV could compete with this Cinemascope panorama. The beautifully colorized ocean sights are stunning, while the murky underwater presents a good contrast. Not surprisingly, studios hoped this kind of visual wonder would induce couch potatoes back into theatres. Then too, it's no wonder Wagner's career took off with this showing, even though he's coiffed in unlikely black curly hair. Happily, the young actor proves both spirited and likable in the central role of the Greek son working to equal his dad's (Roland) leadership skills. Roland too amounts to a riveting screen presence, while a face-off between him and Anglo leader Richard Boone would have shaken the rafters. Anyway, I had my hopes. And catch that "lifeline" sending air to the diver. It looks awfully meager given the many hazards below. No wonder Wagner's Tony says he's terrified every time he goes under. I'll keep that in mind next time I use a kitchen sponge. A number of these folks went on to stellar careers, including Peter Graves who gets to practice his fistic skills. No, there's little in this A-production to call memorable. But for a non-rainy evening, it's an enduring slice of movie entertainment.

Robert Wagner (as Tony Petrakis) and Terry Moore (as Gwyneth Rhys) are an attractive couple; and, the color cinematography is lovely in "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef". Gilbert Roland (as Mike Petrakis) heads up an entertaining supporting cast. Mr. Wagner's hair is darkened to appear more Greek (but his on-screen sister's locks are spared). Ms. Moore is fetching. Still, Edward Cronjager (photographer) and Bernard Herrmann (musician) are director Robert Webb's most valuable players. The film helped put Wagner on the map; he won a "Photoplay Gold Medal" as filmdom's best new actor; moreover, he and Moore easily made Martin Quigley's Annual Top 10 "Stars of Tomorrow" list for 1953. ***** Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (12/2/53) Robert D. Webb ~ Robert Wagner, Terry Moore, Gilbert Roland

This film is so old it's available in "bargain" DVDs, but it was quite compelling visually when it first came out. The story was an excuse for the underwater photography in widescreen, which was often quite striking. Spoilers in following: The story's Tarpon Springs settings were authentic to the time, and of course, our young hero wins the Cross Toss, a yearly tradition. This was supposed to bring him a year's good luck, but the following events were a mixed lot, including the death of his father. All of the tragedies that follow force our young hero to tackle the 12-mile reef, an area most sponge fishermen considered too dangerous. This, of course, enables us to see more underwater scenery. The sponge-diving sequence is authentic. I visited Tarpon Springs, where I saw the activity in detail on a tour. A light film, but okay.

1953 was a really wet year for Wagner. First he did "Titanic" and then this! Here he's a Greek sponge fisherman who trolls the Gulf of Mexico with his father Roland. They are in heavy debt and feel that the only way they can get the quantity of sponges they need is to dive at the title location. However, Wagner's brother already died trying to collect sponges there. Also, there are conch fishermen who heavily resent the Greek sponge divers and a "Romeo & Juliet" vibe takes over this film once Wagner falls for the daughter of a leading conch collector (Boone.) The daughter (Moore) is close to being engaged to conch fisherman Graves, but once she gets a load of toothy, tan, curly-haired Wagner, she can barely give Graves the time of day. This only fuels the already raging hatred between "the Greeks and the Conchs" and several violent and criminal acts follow. Meanwhile, Wagner and Moore run off together and dive for food in a lagoon (where inexplicably and magically, Moore's white clam-diggers become shorts and then clam-diggers again!), then sew a ripped sail back together and go to meet Wagner's stereotypical Greek mother (Clarke) who basically wears shawls, frets over the men and cooks a lot. Moore's shirt (which she swam in previously) is ironed and pristine, but she trades it in for one of Wagner's sister's ungodly gingham concoctions just in time for Clarke to say how pretty she is. The whole thing is pat, trite and silly, despite the sometimes heavy goings-on and the flourish-filled, pounding score by Bernard Herrman. It's beautiful music, but far too powerful for a paper-thin story like this. The chief assets are the cast of once and future stars (most of whom went on to much better things) and the lush scenery and colorful underwater photography. Debits would have to include the soggy, clichéd script and the amateurish acting of Wagner. He is cute, but is in way over his (incredibly bushy) head during the more dramatic sequences. Moore gives a physically zealous performance, rarely standing still, even in romantic moments. Roland is solid, but isn't around a whole lot. Boone (who at 36 was playing the father of a 32 year-old!) is also good, but isn't given very much to do. The film seems overpopulated with unnecessary characters, some of whom barely have a thing to say or do (Boone's son Williams, Wagner's sister Gordon.) There is a noticeable lack of close-ups in the Cinemascope production which tends to lessen the intimacy between the characters. Perhaps, at this stage, it was feared to get too close to the actors on such a huge canvas. It's an easy, attractive time-killer, but without any dramatic power and spoiled somewhat by ludicrous elements, not the least of which is the ridiculous ending.

An average movie overall, this is helped along quite a bit by its atmosphere, which makes a relatively creative setting work pretty well. The actual story consists entirely of very well-worn ideas, but they work all right because the setting and scenery give the story some extra life. The cast also has a couple of bright spots, and aside from being somewhat too long, it's a solid feature for its genre. The story has a community of Greek sponge fishermen on the Florida coast facing intimidation, prejudice, and economic competition, with a budding cross-cultural romance that has the potential either to ease the tensions or to cause worse conflicts. A young Robert Wagner plays the main character, and while his performance is rather one-dimensional, he easily makes his presence felt. Peter Graves is his antagonist, with Terry Moore as the love interest. Probably the best performance is given by Gilbert Roland, who plays Wagner's father. His character is a cocky but knowledgeable veteran of his trade, who is forced to take ever greater risks to provide for his family. The atmosphere is helped by the color photography and by a lot of good detail in most of the various settings. For much of the movie, you are constantly reminded of the seaside setting and of the ways that it drives the characters and the action. All this helps the familiar story idea to take on a little more interest.

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. Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer