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HIGH point in Walt Disney's production of Jules Verne's classic 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is a fantastic fight between crew of the submarine Nautilus and a giant squid. Disney has modelled his electronically controlled monster on real-life squids that prowl the depths, fight with sperm whales. If Disney's squid were alive it would weigh at least 20 tons. Each of the eight arms on the movie monster weighs 175lb. Compressed air and miles of intricate wiring have gone into making this synthetic horror just as terrifying a spectacle as Jules Verne might have imagined. Clammy color of seaweed, with yellow, bloodshot eyes, Disney's squid is as Verne described it, "A creature of darkness in a world of eternal night."

[img]Commander of submarine Nautilus, Capt. Nemo (James Mason), fights giant squid—Hollywood's most terrifying special-effects creature.[/img]

[img]SUBMARINE Nautilus of Verne creation has namesake in world's first atom-powered sub.[/img]

[img]FORTY-FOOT long tentacle of squid reaches down the conning tower and almost grabs Nemo, who orders all hands to the battle.[/img]

Man defeats monster, but, even in fantasy, finds it tough going

[img]NAUTILUS' crew advance warily on squid. Nemo leads attack. Push-button control board operated by 24 men governs squid's terrifying gyrations. Monster is movies' biggest, makes pygmy of King Kong.[/img]

[img]HARPOONER Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) tensely views Nemo's unequal struggle.[/img]

[img]NEMO makes desperate, futile throw with harpoon. Rubber, spring steel, glass, cloth make up squid.[/img]

[img]HACKING at the tentacles with axes, crew fails to halt attacker. Squid's feelers are controlled vertically by wires, horizontally by electricity and bursts of high-compressed air.[/img]

[img]FROM wheelhouse top Ned Land hurls harpoon. "I'd have been scared but for the script," said Kirk.[/img]

[img]SQUID TOSSES Nemo in air, drags him underwater. Even creators admitted that brute seemed dangerous as it lunged, thrashed about, flung Nautilus' crew about without mercy.[/img]

[img]STRIKE from Ned's harpoon takes effect but Nemo's plight is desperate. Harpooner still standing on wheelhouse draws knife from belt, plunges into sea.[/img]

[img]PLUCKY NED slashes with knife, saves Capt. Nemo in finale to hair-raising scene which runs 10 minutes in spectacular Cinemascope.[/img]