FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966)

Prepare for a trip “where no one has ever been before.” At least, that’s what the opening titles to this science-fiction feature promise. When a defecting Russian scientist is critically injured, the U.S. government shrinks a submarine and its crew to sail through the man’s bloodstream and destroy an otherwise inoperable blood clot threatening his life. Twentieth Century-Fox spared no expense bringing this original idea to life. Half of the film’s budget went to sets that would win an Oscar (along with the film’s special effects). Director Richard Fleischer had previously helmed another underwater science fiction adventure, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), and insisted that Harper Goff, who had designed the Nautilus, design the submarine for this film. Goff’s submarine was so large, Fleisher and his crew were even able to use it for interior shots. The studio cast seasoned pros like Stephen Boyd, Edmond O’Brien, and Donald Pleasence alongside newcomer Raquel Welch, marking the start of her rise as a sex symbol.

d. Richard Fleischer, 100m, DCP

Courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios.