Community hub
0 subscribers7 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Where Time Began.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Where Time Began
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2019) |
| Where Time Began | |
|---|---|
 Spanish theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Juan Piquer Simón |
| Written by | Carlos Puerto Juan Piquer Simón John Melson |
| Based on | Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864 novel) by Jules Verne |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Andrés Berenguer |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | |
Production company | Almena Films |
| Distributed by | Jacinto Santos Parrás |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Where Time Began (Spanish: Viaje al centro de la Tierra, lit. 'Journey to the Center of the Earth') is a 1977 Spanish science fantasy adventure film co-written and directed by Juan Piquer Simón, based on the 1864 novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. It stars Kenneth More, Pep Munné, Ivonne Sentis, Frank Braña, and Jack Taylor.[1]
Plot
[edit]A group of geologists, including Professor Otto Lidenbrock (More), discuss various theories on the make-up of the interior of the Earth. They decide that the only way to know for sure would be to mount an expedition to discover which theory was true.
Whilst visiting a book shop, Lidenbrock buys an old book, written by Arne Saknussemm, containing undisclosed, coded knowledge of the center of the Earth from a mysterious gentleman. Eager to know more, he enlists his niece Grauben and her fiancé Axel, a soldier. Axel is charged with keeping a diary of the journey, and often enhances his contributions to the expedition.
Upon arriving in Iceland, they hire shepherd and mountaineer Hans. Together, the four of them set off for the adventure of a lifetime to the center of the Earth. After a series of mishaps, including losing the mysterious book, about midway through their journey, Olsen, a time traveling scientist, meets the explorers.
Olsen reveals to the other travelers the existence of a lost city, where clones of Olsen are conducting experiments, using a mysterious box. Olsen shows the group the flora and fauna of the Earth's center, including surviving dinosaurs. Olsen later sets off an explosion to allow the others to escape back to their home.
Some years later, Grauben and Axel are married, and Hans has become a successful shepherd. Lidenbrock still searches old bookstores, hoping for more information. In one of those shops, Lidenbrock is told that a package has been left for him, and it proves to be Olsen's experimental box. Looking through the store window, Lidenbrock sees Olsen, now much older, looking back at him.
Cast
[edit]- Kenneth More as Professor Otto Lidenbrock
- Pep Munné as Axel (dubbed by Christopher Guard)
- Ivonne Sentis as Grauben (dubbed by Deborah Watling)
- Frank Braña as Hans
- Jack Taylor as Olsen
- Emiliano Redondo as Professor Kristoff
- Lone Fleming as Molly
- Ricardo Palacios as a train ticket collector
- José María Caffarel as a professor
- George Rigaud as a professor (as Jorge Rigaud)
- Barta Barri as a professor
- Ángel Álvarez as a professor
Reception
[edit]Creature Feature found the movie to be sluggish and boring, giving it two out of five stars. It found the movie did improve when the dinosaurs finally appeared, but that the effects were weak.[2] Monster Hunter found the use of shooting in a real cave to be a plus, but that there was little else of worth in the film.[3]
Home media
[edit]The film was released on DVD in 2006. And on Blu-Ray by Severin Films on August 29, 2023.[4]
See also
[edit]- List of films featuring dinosaurs
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008 Hollywood film)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008 Asylum film)
References
[edit]- ^ Vagg, Stephen (16 April 2023). "Surviving Cold Streaks: Kenneth More". Filmink.
- ^ Stanley, J. (2000) Creature Feature: 3rd Edition
- ^ "Where Time Began (1977)". 27 August 2017.
- ^ "DVD Talk".
External links
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Where Time Began.
Where Time Began
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Background
Literary source
Journey to the Center of the Earth (French: Voyage au centre de la Terre), written by French author Jules Verne in 1863 and first published in book form on November 25, 1864, by Pierre-Jules Hetzel in Paris as the third volume in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, marks an early milestone in speculative adventure literature.[5] The novel was not serialized prior to its book release, unlike some of Verne's later works, and its initial edition featured no illustrations, with the first illustrated version appearing in 1867 with 56 drawings by Édouard Riou.[6] The first English translation appeared in 1871, published by Griffith and Farran in London under the title Journey to the Centre of the Earth, though this version was a partial rewrite rather than a direct translation.[7] The story centers on Professor Otto Lidenbrock, a mineralogist at the University of Hamburg, who discovers a cryptic runic manuscript in an old Icelandic saga, revealing directions to an entrance into the Earth's interior penned by the 16th-century alchemist Arne Saknussemm.[8] Accompanied by his skeptical nephew Axel and the stoic Icelandic guide Hans Bjelke, Lidenbrock embarks on an expedition descending through the inactive crater of Snæfellsjökull volcano in Iceland, navigating subterranean rivers, vast caverns illuminated by phosphorescent sources, and encounters with prehistoric creatures such as ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs.[8] The group reaches a vast underground sea, faces natural perils including an erupting geyser, and ultimately ascends to the surface via the Italian volcano Stromboli after a perilous journey that challenges their survival and scientific assumptions.[8] Verne weaves themes of bold scientific exploration against the backdrop of 19th-century pseudoscience, drawing on hollow Earth theories proposed by figures like Edmond Halley and John Cleves Symmes, while contrasting empirical geology with mythical underworlds from classical literature and Christian theology.[8] The narrative emphasizes human curiosity and the awe of discovery, portraying the Earth as a living entity with ordered geological processes, and reflects debates of the era, such as Charles Lyell's uniformitarianism versus Georges Cuvier's catastrophism, amid the influence of Charles Darwin's evolutionary ideas.[8] Through Axel's first-person narration, the novel also explores personal maturation, as the young protagonist evolves from doubt to wonder during the ordeal.[8] As a seminal work in the emerging genre of science fiction, Journey to the Center of the Earth helped establish Verne's reputation for blending rigorous scientific detail with imaginative adventure, influencing subsequent authors like H.G. Wells and shaping the "scientific romance" tradition that prioritized plausible extrapolation from contemporary knowledge.[9] Its enduring status as a classic is evidenced by its role in popularizing themes of subterranean exploration and technological optimism, with the novel's core premise of an inner Earth journey loosely adapted in various media, including the 1977 film Where Time Began.[9]Development
The development of Where Time Began (original title: Viaje al centro de la Tierra) originated in the mid-1970s as a Spanish adaptation of Jules Verne's 1864 novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, initiated by director Juan Piquer Simón, who drew inspiration from his childhood fascination with Verne's works.[10] This project marked Simón's directorial debut and reflected the era's growing interest in international co-productions within Spanish cinema, facilitated by the casting of British actor Kenneth More and subsequent U.S. distribution.[10][11] The screenplay was credited to Carlos Puerto, Juan Piquer Simón, and John Melson, who adapted the novel's exploratory themes of scientific discovery and subterranean adventure while introducing key modifications to enhance its appeal, such as updating the setting to 1898, incorporating a female character named Glauben (adapted from the novel's Gräuben), and adding a mysterious sci-fi element in the form of Olsen, a time-displaced scientist from the future not present in Verne's original story.[10] These changes aimed to infuse the narrative with broader speculative fiction, emphasizing visual spectacle like prehistoric creatures and underground civilizations to target family and youthful audiences.[10] Produced primarily by Almena Films, the project was conceptualized around 1976 with a modest budget estimated at $2 million, typical of low-to-mid-range Spanish productions of the period that sought to balance ambitious effects with constrained resources.[11][10] Initial planning focused on scripting a concise 90-minute runtime that retained core novel incidents, such as the expedition's descent and encounters with ancient life, while streamlining for cinematic pacing and international market viability.[10]Production
Casting
The lead role of Professor Otto Lidenbrock was portrayed by British actor Kenneth More, known for his roles in adventure films such as The 39 Steps (1959) and North West Frontier (1959).[2] Complementing More, the cast featured Spanish actors in key roles, including Pep Munné as Axel, the professor's nephew, and Ivonne Sentis as Glauben, Axel's fiancée; supporting parts were filled by performers such as Frank Braña and Jack Taylor, the latter playing the time-displaced scientist Olsen.[12] Language differences among the multinational ensemble posed challenges, resulting in extensive post-production dubbing to produce English versions, including the U.S. release titled Where Time Began.[2][13]Filming
Principal photography for Where Time Began took place in 1977 over a period of five months, with director Juan Piquer Simón emphasizing on-location shooting to capture authentic environments for the film's subterranean expedition.[10] The production utilized real locations in Spain, including the expansive Cueva de Valporquero in León, Castilla y León, for the underground cave sequences that depicted the characters' descent and exploration.[14] Additional filming occurred in Lanzarote, part of the Canary Islands, where the volcanic landscapes and lava fields stood in for the icy Icelandic volcano Snæfellsjökull from the source material, enhancing the sense of a perilous journey into the Earth's core.[15][16] The film's technical aspects relied heavily on practical effects to bring the prehistoric creatures and underground realms to life, including models for dinosaurs and sea monsters encountered during the adventure. Special effects were handled by Emilio Ruiz del Río and Francisco Prosper, who employed low-budget techniques such as miniatures and matte paintings to construct expansive subterranean sets and fantastical vistas. These elements, while ambitious for a $2 million production, were later critiqued for lacking realism, with some monster sequences appearing brief and unconvincing due to resource limitations.[10] The 90-minute runtime was achieved through streamlined scheduling, allowing Simón to balance location work with studio interiors for efficiency.[10] Production faced significant logistical challenges, particularly in the cave shoots at Cueva de Valporquero, where constant 99% humidity and low temperatures (around 7–15°C) created harsh conditions for the cast and crew.[10][17] Safety concerns arose during the volcanic filming in Lanzarote's rugged terrain, including Timanfaya National Park, necessitating careful navigation of unstable lava fields and extreme weather to simulate the novel's volcanic entry point.[16] Post-production involved extensive dubbing to facilitate a multilingual release, with the English version retitled Where Time Began for international distribution, addressing the mix of British lead Kenneth More and Spanish supporting cast.[18]Plot
Professor Otto Lidenbrock, a geologist at the University of Hamburg, discovers a coded parchment in an ancient Icelandic manuscript written by the 16th-century alchemist Arne Saknussemm. The message describes a route to the center of the Earth via the inactive volcano Snæfellsjökull in Iceland. Enthralled, Lidenbrock decides to lead an expedition, accompanied by his young nephew and assistant Axel, Axel's fiancée Glauben (Lidenbrock's niece), and their hired guide, the stoic Icelandic shepherd Hans.[19] The group travels to Iceland and begins their descent through the volcano's crater, navigating a series of treacherous underground passages filled with bizarre geological formations, including vast caverns, glowing fungi, and subterranean rivers. Along the way, they face numerous perils: cave-ins, quicksand pits, carnivorous plants, giant tortoises, prehistoric dinosaurs, a massive gorilla-like creature, and ferocious sea monsters in an underground ocean. They construct a raft to cross the subterranean sea and endure a violent whirlpool that threatens to engulf them.[20] Midway through their journey, the explorers encounter a mysterious stranger named Olsen, who reveals himself to be a scientist from the future conducting time-travel experiments with a strange device. Olsen shows them a hidden advanced city deep underground, populated by identical clones of himself, and explains that the Saknussemm manuscript they followed was actually authored by him in a time loop. He implores the group to keep the city's existence secret.[21] As the expedition presses on toward the Earth's core, escalating dangers culminate in a volcanic eruption that forces their escape. Miraculously propelled back to the surface by an explosion, the survivors emerge forever changed by their fantastical odyssey.[22]Cast
The following table lists the principal cast of Where Time Began and their corresponding roles:[2]| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kenneth More | Professor Otto Lindenbrock |
| Pep Munné | Axel |
| Ivonne Sentis | Glauben |
| Frank Braña | Hans |
| Jack Taylor | Olsen |
| José María Caffarel | (Supporting role) |
| Emiliano Redondo | (Supporting role) |
| Lone Fleming | (Supporting role) |
| Ricardo Palacios | (Supporting role) |