L’Atlantide (1932) - film review

Lieutenant Saint-Avit and Captain Morhange undertake an expedition to try to locate the lost city of Atlantis, which they believe to lie beneath the Sahara Desert.  They discover an entrance to the lost city and soon find themselves prisoners of the all powerful Queen Antinea.  Although Saint-Avit falls instantly in love with the queen, she instead chooses to marry the aloof Morhange.  When the latter resists her desires, Antinea takes her revenge, manipulating Saint-Avit into killing his friend…

Although considerably less polished and memorable than some of Pabst’s other works, L’Atlantide is a compelling film with a strong visual style throughout.  The film is a remake of Jacques Feyder’s 1921 adaptation of Pierre Benoît’s novel, with some striking differences, particularly in the portrayal of the queen Antinea.  As was the case with Feyder’s film, this film uses extensive location photography and cost a fortune to make, even though its runtime is much shorter.  The film was made in three versions, one in French, one in German and another in English.  In the French version, the actor who played Morhange, Jean Angelo, played the same role in Feyder’s film.

© James Travers 2004

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