Under the Sea, a Scientific Romance

UNDER THE SEA

     The year was 1914. Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States. George V sat on the throne of Great Britain; Franz Joseph was the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; Wilhelm II was the Kaiser of Germany; and Nicholas II was the Czar of Russia. It was the end of an age and by 1918-1919 Franz Joseph, Welhelm, and Nicholas would be gone. The government of France was too much of a confused mess to bother with here.

     The modern age was in the process of sweeping away the old. In the world of entertainment feature films were becoming popular as audiences warmed up to the longer films. Universal Picture Corp. jumped onto the bandwagon with several productions. Among these was a film of Jules Verne's novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This is possibly the first Science Fiction feature film, although the term had not yet been coined. The generally accepted term was "Scientific Romance" with romance meaning "a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting". 

     The powers that be realized that much of this film would have to be filmed underwater, something that had not been done before. So, in their wisdom, they hired John Ernest Williamson and George Williamson, experts in underwater salvage. Ernest's father Charles had invented a device called the "Williamson Tube" for use in salvage operations. Ernest added a chamber at the bottom which was used to take the first photographs under water.  Ernest later wrote a book about their experiences called 20 Years Under the Sea (1936), sadly long out of print. In addition to being the first person to take a photograph under water, Williamson became the first person to make a motion picture there. (I first encountered the book in the sixties, finding it on the shelf at Farragut High School library. I finally tracked down my own copy from a used book dealer a few years ago.)

     The adventures and misadventures during the film's production are too numerous to detail here, but a few shall be mentioned. The production started filming in 1915, a few months after the Great War erupted across Europe. That scuttled plans to borrow an obsolete submarine from the U. S. Navy which immediately put all into service. So Williamson built a 100' long submarine that could be operated by one person for the film. A model was also used. 

They were able to rent some diving suits from the Navy. These were primitive units that used chemicals to recycle the air, giving the divers one hour of underwater time. However, the chemicals were also very dangerous, causing the brain to react as if it were on alcohol. Also, the divers could be burned if the chemicals came into contact with water. Being a pioneer had its risks.

     The production relocated to the Bahamas, where Walt Disney would film his own production of Verne's story in 1954. The clear waters were perfect for filming underwater and the Williamson brothers obtained some spectacular footage. 

     Stuart Paton directed the main story which also incorporated elements of Mysterious Island, and, as usual in Hollywood, material never before dreamed of. Among these is a Child of Nature (Jane Gail) who literally trips her way through the jungle. Captain Nemo is played by Allen Holubar, who acted in and directed a number of films for Universal before leaving to form his own company in 1917. He died in 1923 of complications following what would be simple surgery today.

     The original film ran 105 minutes, but the surviving print runs only 84. A pity, because the missing footage would probably help clear up some plot holes. While the film lacks a bit as a motion picture, the making of the production in itself could be classified as a Scientific Romance. It definitely went where no motion picture had gone before, and we are fortunate it still exists, even if in an abbreviated form.

For more information on J. E. Williamson, click this link: https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9615/sea.html