Greek-American sponge divers Mike Petrakis & his son Tony are facing a heavy debt when their competitors, the English hook boat fishermen led by Thomas Rhys, take over their hunting grounds. They are forced to dive at the 12-Mile Reef, a dangerous spot where the motherload of sponges are located free from poachers. After Rhys sabotages their boat & steals all their haul of sponges, Mike is determined to settle the feud but when he dies from the bends after getting into trouble at the Reef, Tony has no choice but to dive at the Reef where his father & older brother died in order to save his family's honour & win the heart of his girlfriend, Rhys' daughter Gwyneth.
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef was the third film to be shot in the then-new Cinema Scope process (which entailed a 2.55:1 aspect ratio as opposed to the 1.33:1 frames that had been going strong since the beginning of cinema). Although the process would be abandoned in 1967, the success of the format enabled the 1.78:1, 1.85:1 & 2.35:1 ratios to become standard ever since. Twentieth Century Fox held the rights to the process & Beneath the 12-Mile Reef was one of their productions (although the cheap review copy I saw was the standard 1.33:1 version designed for TV & theatres that could not at the time afford to update to widescreen).
The film is an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic Romeo & Juliet story, which is one of the most prolifically filmed plays ever. But the novelty in this production is that it is liberally set in the American sponge-diving community & the rivalries between two opposing diver families (one Anglo, the other Greek). Sure it doesn't have the high budget of some later adaptations, but director Robert D. Webb & scribe Al Bezzerides do their best to portray a much more realistic modern-day version of the classic story.
The cast do a pretty decent job of their roles, giving a workmanlike series of performances. Gilbert Roland is excellent as the Greek divers' patriarch alongside Robert Wagner as his brash & fearless son, while Richard Boone provides able support as the opposing patriarch. The ending is also radically different from the original story, with the two lovers managing not only to heal the rift between their families but staying alive as well. Not exactly a classic film but an able adaptation of a classic play.
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef was the third film to be shot in the then-new Cinema Scope process (which entailed a 2.55:1 aspect ratio as opposed to the 1.33:1 frames that had been going strong since the beginning of cinema). Although the process would be abandoned in 1967, the success of the format enabled the 1.78:1, 1.85:1 & 2.35:1 ratios to become standard ever since. Twentieth Century Fox held the rights to the process & Beneath the 12-Mile Reef was one of their productions (although the cheap review copy I saw was the standard 1.33:1 version designed for TV & theatres that could not at the time afford to update to widescreen).
The film is an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic Romeo & Juliet story, which is one of the most prolifically filmed plays ever. But the novelty in this production is that it is liberally set in the American sponge-diving community & the rivalries between two opposing diver families (one Anglo, the other Greek). Sure it doesn't have the high budget of some later adaptations, but director Robert D. Webb & scribe Al Bezzerides do their best to portray a much more realistic modern-day version of the classic story.
The cast do a pretty decent job of their roles, giving a workmanlike series of performances. Gilbert Roland is excellent as the Greek divers' patriarch alongside Robert Wagner as his brash & fearless son, while Richard Boone provides able support as the opposing patriarch. The ending is also radically different from the original story, with the two lovers managing not only to heal the rift between their families but staying alive as well. Not exactly a classic film but an able adaptation of a classic play.