BENEATH THE 12-MILE REEF (1953) ** A South Florida water flick and not a manatee or hurricane in sight? What the hell are they doin'? The script is so loose about trying to remember what it already, it's like a first draft by a lazy sophomore, but the Floridian Greek sponge-diving community is pretty fun, what with all the silliness and accents and local color. I hope that there's somewhere at least a little bit like this. I hear that the underwater photography was a big deal at the time, but it's nothing more than nice by contemporary standards. I mean, you can't see octopi belching,or sharks surmising or anything like that. But largely because of the multiculturalism of the Florida Keys and endearing machismo of Gilbert Roland it's entertaining enough, at least for the first half. Then they try and go all weird, or artsy or sentimental or something with it and, for example.Bernard Herrmann's somber score that worked so well underwater turns all energetic and neither interesting nor moving, which perfectly reflects all that onscreen action, I'm afraid. Yes, that's Robert Wagner doing the lame Greek Elvis imitation, throughout. Who woulda thought he'd ever be able to pull Stefanie Powers in "Hart to Hart"?.
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