Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953)

Beneath the 12-Mile Reef is a landmark, or rather watermark. The third ever CinemaScope production this was a prestige release, with Florida, Key West location Technicolor filming of never-before-achieved underwater cinematography, and four-channel stereo recording of a superlative Bernard Herrmann score. Even a still-impressive underwater battle with an octopus pre-dates the more famous giant squid of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). The humans aren't bad either, with a young Robert Wagner making a charismatic if ethnically unconvincing Greek lead as sponge fisherman Tony, and Terry Moore playing Juliet to his Romeo with real vivacity. --Gary S. Dalkin Amazon.com

For booty for power for love

One family Greek the other WASP compete in the sponge industry off the western cost of Florida in the 50's. They have an unwritten law as to here they can fish for sponges. The heads of each house are proud and there is more than a casual rivalry among them.

Due to hard times the families cross paths resulting tin the son of the Greek family Tony Petrakis (Robert Wagner) and the WASP daughter Gwyneth Rhys (Terry Moore) falling in love their parents' chagrin. To really stir thing up Arnold Dix (Peter Graves) who also has eyes for Gwyneth is unscrupulous and does nefarious acts agent the Greeks.

I know you have herd the story before and probably saw Romeo and Juliet or "Westside Story". However the story and actors make it worth revisiting.

The film has been remastered and looks great on large screen height definition televisions. The music of Bernard Hermann works as a subtle character its self adding to the mood and not overwhelming the story or dialog.

Gilbert Roland is the proud Greek patriarch that makes a sort of John Wayne entrance at the beginning of the movie. Richard Boone, a very diverse actor plays the girls father.

This is the first underwater adventure shot in CinemaScope.

Wake of the Red Witch ~ John Wayne
October 1, 2008

Beneath the Twelve Mile Reef

An entertaining story starring a very young Robert Wagner, Richard Boone, and Peter Graves. Underwater scenes a little hokey, but a good depiction of the dangers of hard-hat sponge diving in the Floriday Keys. Most memorable line - Wagner to girlfriends father (Richard Boone) - 'Wouldn't you want your daughter to be with a beautiful young man like me' or something to that effect! August 7, 2008

Good movie

This movie has some beautiful underwater photography. If you are a Robert Wagner fan, this movie is a good one for you. The only problem I found is that it hasn't been closed captioned, and I am hearing imparied. July 14, 2006

A live experience with Roberft Wagner and Terry Moore

I watched this movie and enjoyed it verfy much. In 1953 when I was still a young man I visited Tarpon Springs Florida Docks where there were many sponge warehouses. There was a classic boat floating off the dock. Seated on the dock surrounded by a half dozen young girls was Robert Wagner signing his autograph. At the time I didn't know him but I did say "Who in the world is this guy" He stared back at me and didn't say a word. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was shining in his eyes. I still remember those piercing eyes.
At that time I had a Pontiac Convertible and by chance in the back streets of Tarpon Springs came upon Terry Moore. She was driving a Jeep. I enjoyed playing with her following her in my car. It was an enjoyable experience which I will never forget.
My point is that most of the underwater scenes were made off Taron Springs a fact that very few people know. June 5, 2006

Memorable Cinematography, Score Enliven Melodrama

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.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer August 1, 2005

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