Journey Beneath the Desert

A mining company helicopter crashlands during a storm in the Sudan. Pierre (Jean Louis Trintignant), Robert (Rad Fulton), and John (George Riviere), are the survivors. They rescue a princely Arab named Tamal (Amedo Nazzari) who later informs them that "Atlantis did not disappear into the ocean, it settled into the sand." He brings them at gunpoint to the lost continent, now underground and smack dab in the middle of a scheduled nuclear test zone. Before they're all vaporized, the prisoners are treated to some peagentry presided over by the sexy Princess Antinea (Haya Harareet) and her pet leopard. Antinea later falls in love with the brooding Robert, which arouses the jealousy of Tamal, and also Pierre (there's a gay subtext). John is caught trying to escape and is killed. The guards all carry machine guns and there's lots of shooting and falling off high places as Robert leads a slave revolt. Meanwhile, the bomb test is counting down. It's all rather turgid, with little of director Edgar G. Ulmer's signature style. For those who like their camp heavy on the solemnity, this film is especially enjoyable with the outrageously operatic score by Carlo Rusticheli only adding to the fun.