The monster with the biblical name took the form of a Palaeosaurus as tall as Big Ben and nearly 200 ft long- and not only had the prehistoric monster become radioactive through atomic tests, it was also inherently charged with high tension electricity in the manner of electric eels!
It tore a steamship to bits, cruised up the Thames, wrecked the Woolwich Ferry, smashed Westminster Bridge and went berserk in the back streets of Bermondsey before being disposed of by a radium-tipped torpedo fired from a midget submarine.
Director Eugène Lourié built suspense and mood through evocative lighting and excellent use of Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion puppet.
The movie was retitled as The Giant Behemoth after its original release.
Lourié returned to the monster-attacks-London theme with Gorgo(1961).
Steve Karnes
Gene Evans Professor James Bickford
André Morell Ian Duncan
John Turner Jeanie MacDougall
Leigh Madison Dr Sampson
Jack MacGowran Tom
Henry Vidon Submarine officer
Maurice Kaufmann Scientist
Leonard Sachs
