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Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953)

Fierce competition among sponge fishermen forces a Greek-American family to fish in the dangerous 12-mile reef area off the western coast of Florida.

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Writer:

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4,372 ( 14,901)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination. See more awards »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
Tony Petrakis
...
Gwyneth Rhys
...
Mike Petrakis
...
Socrates 'Soc' Houlis
...
Thomas Rhys
Angela Clarke ...
Mama Petrakis
...
Arnold Dix
...
Sinan
...
Demetrios Sofotes
...
Penny Petrakis
...
Griff Rhys
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Storyline

Mike and Tony Petrakis are a Greek father and son team who dive for sponges off the coast of Florida. After they are robbed by crooks, Arnold and the Rhys brothers, Mike decides to take his men to the dangerous 12-mile reef to dive for more sponges. Mike suffers a fatal accident when he falls from the reef leaving Tony to carry on the business. But now he has a companion, Gwyneth Rhys. Written by Kelly

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

You see it without special glasses !

Genres:

Adventure

Certificate:

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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

2 December 1953 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Das Höllenriff  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$1,560,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Recording)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.66 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

For many years, it was widely believed that the failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright had resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market were either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) 16mm pan/scan television copies of the film purchased on the underground market. The legal status of Beneath the 12-Mile Reef was eventually resolved by 20th Century Fox, and the movie was rescued from public domain so that a quality DVD could be released through Fox Cinema Archives. Fans are now able to enjoy the movie with stereo sound and a quality picture - complete with the "lost" scene in which Gilbert Roland stuffs a cigar into Peter Graves' mouth after beating him in a fist fight. See more »

Quotes

Tony Petrakis: [to Gwyneth Rhys] Hey, you want to know what my real name is? Adonis. My mother named me after a Greek god. I'm a beautiful young man.
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Connections

Featured in The Long Haul of A.I. Bezzerides (2005) See more »

Soundtracks

It Had to Be You
(uncredited)
Music by Isham Jones
Played on the juke box when Tony and Gwyneth dance
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
It's All Greek to Sea
8 March 2008 | by (Los Angeles) – See all my reviews

Robert Wagner (as Tony Petrakis) and Terry Moore (as Gwyneth Rhys) are an attractive couple; and, the color cinematography is lovely in "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef". Gilbert Roland (as Mike Petrakis) heads up an entertaining supporting cast. Mr. Wagner's hair is darkened to appear more Greek (but his on-screen sister's locks are spared). Ms. Moore is fetching. Still, Edward Cronjager (photographer) and Bernard Herrmann (musician) are director Robert Webb's most valuable players. The film helped put Wagner on the map; he won a "Photoplay Gold Medal" as filmdom's best new actor; moreover, he and Moore easily made Martin Quigley's Annual Top 10 "Stars of Tomorrow" list for 1953.

***** Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (12/2/53) Robert D. Webb ~ Robert Wagner, Terry Moore, Gilbert Roland


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