Battle Beneath The Earth (1967)

 

A diverting and quirky 60s sci-fi film with an unrealised ambitious concept

Directed by Montgomery Tully
Written by Charles F. Vetter
Produced by Charles Reynolds, Charles F. Vetter
Cinematography: Kenneth Talbot
Edited by Sidney Stone
Music by Ken Jones
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Running time: 91 minutes
Budget: £156,307

Cast

Kerwin Mathews as Cmdr. Jonathan Shaw
Viviane Ventura as Tila Yung
Robert Ayres as Adm. Felix Hillebrand
Peter Arne as Arnold Kramer
Al Mulock as Sgt. Marvin Mulberry
Martin Benson as Gen. Chan Lu
Peter Elliott as Dr. Kengh Lee
Earl Cameron as Sgt. Seth Hawkins
John Brandon as Maj. Frank Cannon
Ed Bishop as Lt. Cmdr. Vance Cassidy
Carl Jaffe as Dr. Galissi
Garrick Hobson as Professor Blackthorne
Sarah Brackett as Meg Webson
Bee Duffell as Matron's friend
Chela Matthison as nurse
Burnell Tucker as Jack Ambridge

Trailer

Advanced burrowing machines?

Tunnels dug from China to the United States?

Atomic bombs under major cities?

A dastardly plan to conquer the U.S.?

An expected war with a projected 100 million causalities?

All this kept secret for years!

But now at last

Someone who knows..

Someone who was there….

Will explain…..

Read on for more....

Spoilers follow below....

Feature Article

I am former (ret) Naval Commander, John Shore. As I sit here penning this article in this last decade of the 20th century, I remember that back in the ‘60s our attitudes toward the People's Republic of China were pretty much shaped by Cold War dynamics and our ideological opposition to communism, not to mention strategic jockeying in Asia.

Our government in the US refused to recognize the PRC as the legitimate government of China, so we instead supported the Republic of China (ROC) government in Taiwan as the official representative of China. That’s going to be a definite potential sore-point in international relations for many a year to come, I’ll bet.

From the point of view of ‘our side,’ the PRC was an aggressive communist power aligned with the Soviet Union, despite growing Sino-Soviet tensions. God knows what China thought of us! But for us in the West, China was viewed as being a major player in spreading communism throughout Asia, especially evident by its support for North Vietnam in the Vietnam War. A climate of fear of communist expansion developed over what we in the West saw as China being a key supplier of arms and support to North Vietnam

We believed that it was up to us to pursue a policy of containing China’s influence in Asia through alliances like the moribund SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) as well as by maintaining a military presence in Taiwan, South Korea, and Vietnam. The US also imposed economic sanctions and trade embargoes on China, isolating it from much of the Western world.

Back then the "Domino Theory" prevailed in which it was contended that if Vietnam fell to communism, other nations in the region would follow, falling one-by-one like a line of dominoes. Well, so much for that bright idea!

It wasn’t until the end of the ‘60s and the beginning of the 1970s that there was a shift of attitudes leading to a kind of détente and the eventual opening of relations culminating in President Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing in 1972.

Since those days, I have lived long enough to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, German re-unification and the beginning of the dissolution of our former foe, the Soviet Union. Due to a combination of age and illness, I don’t have much time left on this earth and can only give an educated guess as to what the next century has in store.

I can see a time when the United States may no longer be the sole pre-eminent global super-power. Yes, even in its likely decline with ‘barbarians’ nibbling at the edges and banging at the gates, the US will still be seen as an awesomely bristling military juggernaut. Meanwhile, whoever leads Russia into the next century will no doubt hark back wistfully to the time of Peter the Great or Stalin and in Napoleon-like fashion wind up tripping over his own ego. This could leave the way open for a powerful renegade warlord or oligarch taking over the reigns of power with dire consequences for the world. China’s level of economic and military development, on the other hand may very well enable it to rival and perhaps even surpass that of the US. This will inevitably lead to a heightened level of tension in the relationship between China and the West. Are we about to witness the inevitable rise of China as a global economic and military super-power, with Russia becoming a shadow of its former Soviet entity, and the US coming to the realization that (no matter how much it may try to bluster, cajole, threaten, wheel-and-deal and bully its way around the globe) it is no longer the single dominant global super power of the 21st Century? Will we then see a return to a similar kind of geo-political hostility and paranoia that characterised the time period that provided the context of a battle that I was personally involved in, a…..Battle Beneath the Earth?

As you read this article, and having read today’s sensational headlines, you are probably aware of the Freedom of Information release of official documents pertaining to a highly classified incident involving rogue elements of the communist Chinese Army headed by fanatic General Chan Lu. The account that follows is from one of those people who was involved in the events that occurred literally beneath our feet just over 30 years ago....

THE CRAWLING ANTS INCIDENT

AKA “OPERATION PEST CONTROL’

By John Shore, former US Naval Commander (ret)

“A listening disturbance”

It was a typical night in Sin City where bright colorful shiny things and the revving, pinging, honking cacophony of sounds assail and distract the senses of hopeful visitors intent on forgetting about their mundane humdrum lives and the reality in which those lives are forced to traverse. It was also that night in 1967 when Las Vegas police received an unusual report that a scientist and my friend, Dr. Arnold Kramer was lying prone on a sidewalk at South Vine and Main with his ear to the ground and alerting passers-by to movement or suspicious sounds underneath which he claimed he could hear. Of course, the police in attendance soon assessed him as being mentally disturbed and with Arnold being so obviously emotionally and mentally distraught rendering him almost incoherent, they restrained him, took him to the station and arranged for him to be committed to an asylum.

What’s pertinent to this account is what the on-lookers and the two policemen reported Arnold as saying, “Just like ants. They're crawling under us, I tell you. Just like ants…..They're all down there. Crawling about like ants. If you listen closely, you can hear them…... they're right beneath us. Listen. Listen.”

As Arnold was being led away, he appealed to the policemen to get in contact with me as he felt that I would understand.

My part in this incident began at the Office of Naval Research (ONR – WEST) Deep Submerged Systems Program at San Diego, California. I was there on account of my role in an undersea lab project called, Sealab VII. I headed this project which unfortunately ended in disaster due to a mysterious underwater earthquake. Twenty-seven men died when it collapsed under tons of rock from the earthquake. Sure, I was off the hook so to speak but not not completely cleared as the record still stood and the verdict cited the collapse as having been due to “causes unknown." As for an earthquake? It was determined that “there were no traces of any tremors or quake reports.”

There would be no more diving assignments for me. I found myself ‘reassigned’ to a test lab where I spent my days as a glorified plumber tapping pipes with a rubber mallet. One day my fascinating work routine was interrupted by the arrival of an assistant who appeared to be distracted and stressed over some matter. It turned out that she was Arnold’s’ sister, and me being an old family friend she asked if could visit her brother in the state psychiatric hospital on account of Arnold asking for me. It seems I was the only one he would listen to.

“They're crawling in under us right now.

Who knows when they will strike?”

I soon visited Arnold at the Psychiatric hospital, where Dr. Galissi informed me that he had “failed miserably” in that he could not get through to Arnold. When I saw Arnold, I tried to get him to recall why he had been brought to the hospital. All he could talk about was ants and how we couldn’t stop them. The sudden appearance of an ant on the padded wall of his room sent Arnold into a frenzy of destruction upon the six-legged little beast. He then looked at me and declared that “they're crawling in under us right now” and “who knows when they will strike.” I wasn’t certain as to the “who” Arnold was referring to.

Suddenly, in a flurry of over-excitement and nervous energy, Arnold produced from under the mattress of his bed some seismographic drawings he had made of tunnels. As he explained about his “latest detection techniques,” I tried my best to placate him by feigning interest in and agreement with his warnings about “that's where they're coming in South of San Diego….and there along the Oregon coast” and that “they're bound to reveal themselves” and “there'll be an accident somewheres.” Arnold was no fool. He could see that I like everyone else was merely attempting to placate him as one would to a mentally deranged patient.

Just before I left, Arnold blurted out in anguish and frustration, “they've got tunnelling machines. They're coming in under us…..They're going to wipe us out. They're gonna wipe us right off the map!”

“We've got the entire world bugged”

Well, there was nothing for it but to visit a bar and down double scotches while a young lovely oriental dish at the bar kept on giving me the eye. A cowboys and Indians western movie was playing on the TV with the usual expected goodies and baddies, as if that was how the world was supposed to work. My attention was somewhat diverted by a TV special bulletin news broadcast that abruptly interrupted the program. It featured a report of a sudden coal-mine disaster in the small coastal backwater town of Placer, Oregon. While the bulletin continued, I kept hearing Arnold’s voice in my mind calling out in anguish, “They're going to wipe us out. They're gonna wipe us right off the map.” I then left the bar vaguely conscious of that gorgeous Asian woman’s keen interest in me but unfortunately I had more pressing matters on my mind.

I later made my way to the Los Alamos (Underground) Atomic Detection Center to pay a visit to my pal, Lieutenant Commander Vance Cassidy. It’s a global listening facility where they proudly proclaim they’ve got “the entire world bugged.” Never one to exaggerate, Cassidy tells anyone who wants to listen that if “a champagne cork pops in the Kremlin”, they hear it.

I found out that there were no warning tremors recorded before the mine accident which begged the question, “why would the mine collapse so suddenly?” Possible explanations ranged from a mistake in engineering to faulty timbers. The investigation of the accident concluded that there was “no suspicion of sabotage...or other external causes exist." In short, there seemed to be “no basis for Kramer's story.” It was put down to being “just another accident….like Sealab VII” Yeah, right!

My next stop was at the Placer Mine cave-in disaster site. After almost being clobbered by falling debris in a shaft of the lower section of the mine, my guide and I came across another section that had never been dug through. And yet it had “perfectly cut sides.”

I then high-tailed it back to the Detection Centre armed with tunnel samples from the mine site where they were analyzed. They were found to be a “mixture of rock and soil typical of the Placer area and fused under extremely high temperatures” possibly “by some kind of tunneling machine.” The problem with that last suggestion is that such a machine requiring a vast amount of heat was believed to have been “beyond our scientific knowledge” at that time. Added to the whole mystery was the inexplicable discovery of a strange medallion located at the mine.

“That's about the wildest yarn I've ever heard”

Our speculative ruminations were cut short by the arrival of Arnold accompanied by Dr. Galissi and a hefty orderly. After the latter two individuals departed, Arnold set about explaining to those present more detail about his research.

Arnold delivered his explanation in his usual abrupt and abrasive unconventional manner. He informed his audience that seven years of his life had been devoted to realising humanity’s dream “to understand and predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions..to prevent needless death and wanton tragedies.” Without government and scientific support he had been forced to work alone building and designing “extremely advanced and sensitive equipment. Six months previously while studying “that arch-villain of Japanese volcanoes, Asamayama” Arnold “began to detect strange patterns of movement beneath the Earth's surface.” On a chart of the Pacific he indicated the pattern and direction of what he described as “mysterious underwater sounds….creeping along beneath the ocean moving towards our coastline in a steady methodical manner unlike any natural force.”

Unfortunately for Arno0ld, all evidence of his claims had been “burnt to ashes” when Assamayama erupted. The reaction of his listeners left no doubt as to their attitude toward this so-called “experienced seismologist” and his wild tale. To his audience, Arnold was a few tremors away from a full scale mental eruption! As if on cue, a message was delivered informing us of a “severe landslide above San Francisco” that had occurred a few minutes previously. Nothing had been recorded on the Centre’s equipment. There was nothing for it but for myself together with a team to “get back in that mine” and “find out what's at the end of that tunnel.” As I left I was given a piece of parting advice that is applicable in all situations – to “be prepared for anything.”

“Chinese…..With atom bombs”

In command of a small team of soldiers, I returned to the mine and descended with them into the bowels of the earth. As we entered further into the tunnel, the sound of something monstrous and mechanical steadily approached our position. From concealed positions we witnessed to our surprise the unexpected sight of a large yellow vehicle bearing the same dragon insignia as the medallion that had been found earlier on the first entry into the mine site. This was some kind of drilling or boring machine that appeared to be carving a tunnel through the rock using some kind of high intensity lasers mounted on the front.

As soon as the laser tank passed by, our team followed it until it led us to an underground chamber containing of a number of Chinese lab technicians and soldiers. Even more disturbing was the sight of an arranged assemblage of atomic bomb devices. A decision had to be made quickly and a risky one it was!

On the assumption that the devices were not triggered, I ordered the team to fan out and get into position before we moved in and eliminated the personnel in the chamber. After that was successfully accomplished, I ordered for the disposal team to move in and had a barricade set up a hundred yards back up the tunnel.

The Chinese bombs were identical to the Mark III and not surprisingly were “copied lock, stock and imploding pin.” We then quickly set about disarming the bombs and all went smoothly until the last one. It was a tense few moments with time running out and the yellow laser tank making its way inexorably back toward out position.

The disarming process was finally completed but we now had no choice but to tangle with the tank. Bullets were not much use against it and the lasers were cutting up my team to pieces. Our only option was to use grenades on the tank’s treads and get the hell out there pronto, which we did.

We didn’t know it at the time, but the Chinese personnel in the underground chamber were commanded by a rogue Chinese officer by the name of General Chan Lu. Having seized control of his country’s plutonium stores and holding his cowed and impotent government virtually hostage, he embarked on a plan to construct a global spanning system of tunnels to annihilate the U.S. with atomic bombs. The General was aided in his nefarious scheme by a brilliant scientist called, Dr. Kengh Lee.

At the time we just did not know how prepared for a long struggle our enemy was; how powerless the Chinese Communist Party was to interfere with the General’s plans (if they indeed they were so inclined) and just how potentially exposed we were to defeat and ruin!

“Now is the time for something completely and uniquely illogical”

Back at the Detection Centre, a section of the yellow boring tank we had managed to retrieve was confirmed to be a laser drill consisting of a multiple drilling head that could “cut through steel, concrete, rock, anything, just like that.” We were suddenly stunned by the realization that while we' had been wasting billions up there on space exploration, the Chinese had been busily “working down there where it counts.”

While work was to commence (in a twist of irony) on constructing a duplicate of the laser, I was ordered to reactivate my combat team and re-enter the tunnel and “fight, hold out, sabotage and do anything” to delay the enemy until we were ready.

In addition to our efforts to reproduce the enemy’s technology, answers to various questions needed to be determined. For instance, hows were the Chinese able to provide oxygen and provisions for their personnel over such long distances underground? For how long? The logistics for continuing and maintaining production must have been mind boggling. How could such a monumental project be adequately financed?

I can’t help thinking about poor Arnold and the kind of pressure he must have been under to work miracles getting our version of the boring machine up and running. He must have thought to himself how ironically funny it seemed that for years he had been ignored by the scientific and political establishment and then all of a sudden they expected the impossible from him.

Some good news eventually came our way in the form of a working noise detection device based on Arnold’s work. The problem was that even though we had the means to pick up any sound, we overlooked the fact that there is a “fantastic amount of activity that goes on in this country” in the form of “heavy construction, mining, digging, dynamiting, all around us, 24 hours a day.”

Even the Centre’s poor old computer had a nervous breakdown being unable to perform its mission of accurately detecting and discerning sound with all the global hullabaloo that was taking place. After all, “Kramer's original research took place in unpopulated areas – a factor we didn't consider.”

While all this was being sorted out on the surface, we were having our own subterranean hullabaloo in the form of an ambush. Our team had made its way to what we thought was a chamber containing atomic bombs only to discoverer that they were dummies and that in the centre of the chamber a source of radiation was emanating from a container of radioactive waste. It was a trap and before we barely had time to move clear, the waste was detonated. Our every move had been anticipated and we allowed ourselves to be maneuvered into an ambush and the results were not at all pretty for my team.

“Condition Silent now in force”

When we tried to establish contact with the Centre and appraise them of our dire situation, our message was subject to interference from the background noise in their control room. This resulted in a rather radical idea involving the cessation of all noise-producing activity! A kind of Day the Earth Stood Still scenario in which such things as all mining operations and plane flights ceasing at a particular time while the noise detection device was put to work. Imagine trying to coordinate something like that while having to provide plausible cover stories for the population as to the need for such an activity!

It wasn’t long before underground noise was detected indicating direction of movement and speed of what could have been “tunnel borers or a bomb trailer moving through.” This activity was plotted on the Centre’s electronic wall-map. Even more alarming was the depiction on the map of the apparent extent of the underground tunnel network.

“They've completely undercut

our military power”

“Yes, and created a stalemate”

We could see that the enemy had constructed “three separate tunnel complexes. The first, running into Texas under our space center and the big aircraft plants. Second, cutting through our population centers, and the third, snaking north under our missile sites and the big Air Defense Command Centre. All they had to do was simply sit there “waiting to press the button.” If we didn’t find an answer we knew we could “write off the entire country.”

Still, our side had at least one ace up its sleeve and that was the enemy’s “lifeline: one long slender thread under the Pacific.” That was a mistake on their part which we could exploit to our advantage. News received from Hawaii indicated the existence of a deep inactive volcano. The insertion of an expeditionary force could “cut their jugular.” We could reach that point by means of our own tunnel borer thanks to Kramer’s miracle working. Our borer may not have been as sophisticated as the enemy’s machine but it worked damned well.

When we arrived in Hawaii we were introduced to Miss Tila Yung from the University of Hawaii who was assigned to assist the expeditionary force. She also later became my wife but that is another story for another time. Tila was an “expert potholer or spelunker, if you wish” in addition to being “a top authority on volcanic passages.” She had been exploring caves for about 11 years and worked as a geologist at the university.

We soon began our descent into the volcanic passage and began putting our borer to work using its lasers to to cut a way into the passage that would lead us up against the Chinese tunnel. Once we achieved our objective, our mission was to destroy the tunnel using a 10 megaton atom bomb. Yep, that’s what we were lugging around with us. Looking back, it sounds pretty crazy! The 1960s. They were crazy times!

When we located the passage that was to lead us to the Chinese tunnel, we brought up the borer. We increased the power to phase seven but came up against petrified silica and had to switch the machine off. We couldn’t switch location and with time running out, we could only try again. We slowly brought the borer up to phase nine and then phase ten but at that point it suddenly burnt out. There was no chance of repairing it.

Let’s take a pause here and recall that medallion we found earlier. An investigation top-side of its origins and significance provided additional information about the nature of the enemy we were up against. It was determined that the medallion was “an ancient emblem of the Lu warlords, going back as far as the Ming Dynasty.” General Chan Lu apparently was a direct descendant. We initially believed General Lu had been purged by the Chinese Communist Party but to the contrary, this veteran of the Long March had in fact broken away from the central government and organized a private army which he used to take over the plutonium plants he was supposed to be guarding. It was also a fair bet that the general had a couple of bombs sitting under Peking right at that moment. Under the circumstances there was not much anyone could do to stop him.

Back at the passage there was nothing for it but to put our backs into it and dig our way out of our passage and into the enemy’s tunnel. Kramer felt pretty bad about what had happened to his little baby, the borer and believed that he was responsible for our dilemma. Suddenly, Arnold had a hunch that we may have missed something further back in the cavern we passed through that would prove to be an alternate direct route to the Chinese tunnel.

Considering how long it would take us to dig our way through by hand, it was decided that a scouting party would be formed consisting of Arnold and two others from our team. Perhaps they would be lucky enough to find another route to our objective.

“Within 48 hours, your country will be a desolate wilderness”

Unknown to us at the time, Kramer and the two soldiers accompanying him were ambushed by General Lu’s men. It seems that the general tried to convince Arnold to switch sides and work for him considering his considerable talents. Arnold may have come across as being a bit eccentric but he was no traitor. When Arnold refused the offer that was too good to refuse, the general employed brainwashing techniques to get him to see things his way. From that point and as yet unknown to our team, Arnold was not his own man operating with free will.

Later, Arnold returned minus the two soldiers claiming that he had located a narrow passage that led away at first but bent back right into the enemy’s tunnel. Supposedly, the two soldiers were waiting to guide the way. Well, the upshot of it was we managed to fall into a trap and I had the ‘pleasure’ of being General Lu’s esteemed guest. He tried to flatter me by praising my “courage and ingenuity” even though I had caused him a great deal of trouble. He was under the misapprehension that in his words, “victor and vanquished will join hands to rebuild the devastations of war.” According to the general, in only 48 hours the U.S. would become a “desolate wilderness” with an estimated hundred million deaths at least. With the inevitable task of rebuilding, the general felt that men like myself were needed to take command and guide the survivors into what he termed “the paths of peaceful reconstruction.” He must have had rocks in his head if he thought I would become his puppet!

Arnold, Tila, Sergeant Mariv Mulberry and I were locked in a cell awaiting our fate. Poor old Arnold felt bad about being responsible for our predicament but he couldn’t have helped it. Besides, he soon enough redeemed himself when he contrived to immobilise our sentry by faking an accidental injury thereby allowing us to obtain the keys to unlock our cell and effect our escape from confinement.

As we fled along the passage, we soon realized we were boxed in by General Lu’s pursuing troops and the approaching bomb train. Our only means of concealment was an elevated ledge. Suddenly, Arnold performed a very foolhardy but amazingly selfless and courageous act. My friend gave his life by drawing the attention and gunfire of the pursuing troops.

While the bomb train halted until the tunnel could be cleared and the clearance to proceed was obtained from General Lu, we made our move and managed to commandeer the bomb train. Tila saved my life in the process by using a knife to prevent my opponent from killing me. The effect on her was more than I could stand and it’s not something I want to see ever again.

A quick change of uniform, the waiving of official priority orders and a great deal of front on our part managed to get us through a check point and further back up the tunnel. I had the unenviable task of hanging off the side of one of the bomb train carriages feeling like the proverbial granny’s tooth.

Time was running out and we had come to the end of the line. We could not leave to get help and leave the bombs to Chan Lu. With little time to spare, I used dynamite to rig together a makeshift bomb imploder as the original one could not be located. Hopefully that together with the percussion caps would have been sufficient to trigger the bomb.

With barely ten minutes to spare, we had left General Lu with a nasty little surprise present that would deliver a very big bang. When they had realized that all was not in order as it at first appeared to be and that the bomb had been armed and was about to explode, would the General’s loyal cohort have been prepared to take his orders and attempt to dismantle the bomb? Or would they have cursed him for his stupidity and for having brought about their defeat and destruction?

“Tunnel Area Able 7: Response negative. Activity zero”

As Tila, Sgt. Mulberry and I watched the ever rising and spreading mushroom cloud back at the Centre, the computer's verified that Chan Lu's entire network had collapsed and was flooded. There would have been next to no chance of any enemy survivors.

It’s sad to think that none of this would have been possible without the persistence and self-sacrifice of my buddy Arnold Kramer to whose memory this feature article is dedicated, along with those who lost their lives in defense of our country during this long buried battle beneath the earth.

We are a country that has always been in need of an enemy of some description. Often that enemy once identified eventually winds up becoming a friend or an ally. Similarly, what were once considered to be our friends or allies over time wind up being viewed with suspicion and hostility. What we sometimes fail to realise is that the enemy may be closer to home than one might think. The enemy, if such exists may very well be right under our noses…...or perhaps under our very feet! Ssshh! Quiet! And listen…...

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Points Of Interest

Battle Beneath the Earth is basically a British production masquerading as an American one and therefore one might be forgiven thinking that the Brits were just exercising their sense of humor in a send up of many things American!

Upon first viewing, Battle Beneath the Earth might be dismissed by some as being little more than a juvenile sci-fi adventure featuring goodies and baddies, laser weapons, nuclear bombs and stereotypical evil Oriental villains hell bent on world domination.

This is definitely not a film to be taken seriously. It exists mainly for pure entertainment and fun and is barely a notch or two away from the old classics like Rocky Jones and Flash Gordon with earnest heroes performing superhuman feats and over the top villains full of…..evilosity ! Battle Beneath the Earth in fact has the feel of a typical 1960s series such as Batman where you know the heroes will be up against it in their quest to stamp out evil but will eventually triumph in the end. It is the action and pace that is of importance in such films and not weighty moral and philosophical matters or touchy-feeely interpersonal considerations. Sometimes it is just plain good that this is the case as such escapism gives the mind and spirit a break from the daily crap that surrounds us.

In our own 21st Century technologically advanced era it seems to get harder to actually get in touch with a real human being in order to get things done. The film, however provides us with a pleasant ‘What if?’ or ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if?’ moment. For example, in Condition Silence, all it took to get the entire nation to switch off were a series of commands issued via a corded phone. Imagine that: Momentous things actually getting done in remarkable time! Try getting a pot-hole on the road filled and repaired these days!

OK, now I know there’ll be some heads exploding over the fact that most of the non-speaking Chinese roles in the film were played by actual Chinese / Asians, while the the prominent speaking roles featuring Chan Lu and Kengh Lee are played by veteran British actors, Martin Benson and Peter Elliott. Well, so what? That’s how it was done back in the day for better or worse. Instead of tut-tutting, it makes more sense if the viewer treats it like a snap-shot of a particular era in time portraying the kind of attitudes towards ‘race’ that were displayed all within the context of the Cold War years. Don’t forget that in ancient times in the theatre, female roles were often played by young males. Once again, so what?

While we’re on the subject of actors and the characters they portray, one of the cast members in Battle Beneath the Earth, Peter Arne is worthy of note. In such a film it is the one-dimensional characters that seem to predominate. The character of Armold Kramer, however comes across as being far more complex and three-dimensional and as a consequence for more interesting. He is a very conflicted character both resentful of his treatment by the military, scientific and political establishment, while fully determined to perform his duty when called upon despite the mental and emotional stresses he has undergone.

There is no doubt that Battle Beneath the Earth is hampered by it low-budget constraints with the result that what transpires on the screen falls somewhat short of what is implied by the film’s title. For instance, the subterranean ‘battle’ between the opposing U.S. and Chinese forces really involve somewhat less than a squad or platoon engaging in little more than a skirmish. Not that the rather small sets could accommodate anything larger.

Then there is the allegedly hi-tech U.S. Atomic Detection Center which looks anything but hi-tech despite the flashing lights and wall maps. On the other side, we have the “yellow” (get it? Yellow!) tunnel borer and the bomb train both of which have a toy-like appearance as if they were 1960s made in Japan gadgets we used to play with when we were kids.

Yes, in many ways,

those were the days!

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