The Mole People
Directed by Virgil W. Vogel
Written by Lásló Görög
1956/USA
Universal International Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental
Dr. Roger Bentley: The light! Their eyes can’t tolerate the light!
This is fun although I could have done with more mole people and less Sumerian rituals.
We begin with a solemn little lesson on different historical interpretations of what goes on the center of the earth. We move on to the main story where an archeological expedition led by scientist Dr. Roger Bentley (John Agar) discovers a Sumerian inscription. When will these people learn not to disturb anything before reading the curse that protects it? Anyway, the curse describes the damnation of anyone who maliciously interferes with the site and describes a civilization living atop a snow-capped mountain and worshiping the goddess Ishtar.
The team goes to investigate in the mountain range nearby. After summiting, one of their number is abruptly swallowed up in a huge, deep sinkhole. The others follow to rescue him. When they get to the bottom they discover an ancient Sumerian culture that has evolved beneath the surface after a natural disaster. By means of a flashlight – these people are painfully sensitive to light – the three survivors manage to briefly convince their king that they are gods. The high priest is on to their con, however.
The civilization is supported by a colony of mole people who cultivate the mushrooms they eat. These are treated as slaves and constantly whipped and killed. A subset of “marked” non-albino Sumerians is also slated for death. Bentley falls in love with one of these. The rest of the movie follows the teams constant peril as the high-priest attempts to steal their flashlight and expose their lie as well as the mole people’s revolt.
I could have watched the super-cool mole people non-stop. They make up about 15 minutes of the picture. The high priest is also pretty good. The rest is Sumerian rituals featuring comely dancing girls. This is not as interesting. Still, the movie makes for 77 minutes of nice mindless entertainment.
Trailer
